Mastering the monster

GODZILLA (reflected on the windows) awes young onlookers.

Everything about Godzilla is big. The first big thing you should know about the new “Godzilla” film is that the story begins in the Philippines. Seriously.

A collapsed jungle mine leads to the discovery of something never seen before. This is followed by the meltdown of a nuclear power plant in Japan, in which scientist Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston of TV’s “Breaking Bad”) loses his wife (Juliette Binoche).

Fifteen years later, Joe is still obsessed with the disaster, warning that the truth about the meltdown is being hidden. “You have no idea what’s coming,” he cries.  Joe’s grown-up son Ford Brody (a similarly grown-up Aaron Taylor-Johnson from “Kick-Ass”) will now come face-to-face with his father’s outsize demons.

The second big thing you should know is that 2014 marks the 60th anniversary of Godzilla’s debut in Ishiro Honda’s 1954 black-and-white film. In 28 films, Toho Co. Ltd. transformed Godzilla into King of the Monsters, the first and greatest of the kaiju (giant Japanese movie creatures) and the most recognizable of movie monsters.

But Toho has not unleashed a new Godzilla film since 2004’s “Godzilla: Final Wars.” In 1998, a wrongheaded American version by director Roland Emmerich was deservedly and universally panned. Now is indeed the perfect time to do a new “Godzilla.”

“Godzilla” may only be director Gareth Edwards’ second feature film, but Edwards’ 2010 film “Monsters”—shot guerrilla-style with no budget and the CGI all done on one computer—was an inspired reflection of how humans relate to monsters. It makes Edwards the perfect director for the franchise’s big-budget reboot.

Viewers will get the Godzilla they want—even if they didn’t realize it at first. Edwards starts “Godzilla” off as a stylish, atmospheric conspiracy thriller. But it turns it into a straightforward monster mash, with Godzilla throwing down with the freakish Muto (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism) while the military tries to save the city. Like “Monsters,” “Godzilla” is told from the human perspective, as Ford Brody, a US Navy bomb disposal expert, beholds the destruction brought about by the monsters’ arrival.

Fully convincing

ACTORS Ken Watanabe (left) and Sally Hawkins play scientists in the new “Godzilla.”

As Joe Brody, Cranston injects both gravitas and fury in his scenes, fully convincing as a grieving husband determined to get at the truth. But “Godzilla” is really the buff Taylor-Johnson’s film as the viewers stick with Brody in his quest to survive and find his family. Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, David Strathairn and Sally Hawkins round out the cast.

The biggest revelation is the new Godzilla himself. While some have described the monster’s new look as being overweight, Godzilla is actually built like a cross between a gorilla and a mixed martial arts fighter, with broad shoulders and huge haunches. Aside from its pointed snout, it’s a decidedly more man-like Godzilla, and that’s fitting because Edwards is honoring the Japanese tradition by casting the monster in the role of the unlikely hero—the savior rather than the destroyer, though with much collateral damage.

Eschewing spectacle

In the process, Edwards makes his “Godzilla” very much a celebration of the Godzilla mythology instead of trashing it like the 1998 American version. He eschews symbolism for spectacle. The CGI effects are breathtaking. No guy-in-a-suit silliness here.

What Edwards does is use technology to modify the monster for modern tastes while keeping true to the iconic elements. For example, Godzilla’s roar is amplified but familiar. Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey (“The Avengers”) presents the ruined cityscape like a work of art and composer Alexandre Desplat delivers a thumping score that includes vignettes from Akira Ifukube’s 1954 original.

Instead of the original’s more horror-oriented aspects, this movie is an unabashedly busy action adventure with all the kaiju tropes intact. It’s a cutting-edge love letter to monster movies, in particular, the 1954 “Godzilla.”

While this “Godzilla” serves to introduce the creature to a new audience, it’s also a fresh take on the King of the Monsters from Gareth Edwards, a director who clearly loves Godzilla. It’s a big-time gamble that pays off. At 355 feet, this is the biggest Godzilla ever in the biggest Godzilla movie to date. What we get is the Godzilla for this new era. It’s been a decade since we last saw the big guy on the big screen. And what a return it is. Welcome back, Godzilla.

(Warner Bros’ “Godzilla” opens in theaters on May 15 in 2D, 3D and IMAX.)