Godzilla - B-

Rated PG-13, 121 minutes

Well-made, entertaining "Godzilla" still needs more monster
 
The grandaddy of all monsters gets another big-screen, big-budget reboot in "Godzilla," highlighted by the action sequences and gigantic creatures that go head-to-head. As fun as those CG action sequences might be, it's hampered by too much story, slow pacing and some of the hammiest acting seen this side of Pacino and DeNiro. Godzilla, a gigantic fire-breathing prehistoric monster wakened from his sleep at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean by nuclear testing in 1954, returns to wreak destruction and chaos across the face of civilization. Now a nuclear engineer (Bryan Cranston) teams with his son (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) to save the rest of humanity against an indestructible foe (called "Muto's") that might be nature's revenge against mankind's arrogance. "Godzilla" is directed Gareth Edwards, whose feature debut was a terrific 2010 indie film aptly titled "Monsters" and written by newcomer Max Borenstein, it's an enjoyable, mostly memorable film with the titular creature an anti-hero rather than villain, and is peppered with some serviceable action sequences and creatures that should place this well ahead of the 1998 Matthew Broderick disaster. On the plus side, when there is action, Edwards does it well, yet the biggest problem is there's too much story, a sluggish first hour and cardboard characters, and not enough Godzilla, who doesn't make an appearance until nearly an hour into it and is essentially a supporting character. Even an international cast featuring Oscar-nominated Sally Hawkins, Ken Watanabe, as well as Aaron Taylor-Johnson (from the "Kick-Ass" movies) and Elizabeth Olsen can't save the drab script though one comes close. "Breaking Bad's" Emmy-winner Cranston, a terrific character actor, tries to enliven the first hour with one of his hammiest turns ever, but he is the standout amongst the other lower-key performances, including the lovely Juliette Binoche, who makes a much, much too early exit. Things pop much more in the second hour, so you have to stay with it, and while I like the smart edge to making Godzilla an anti-hero, sort of the Walter White of the creature world, "Godzilla" is entertaining, but it needs far more monster if it plans on being a tent-pole success in future films.

Wes's Grade: B-