There is a long history of monster movies taking their time to reveal the monster, and usually that's a great decision. The hints of terror and the viewer's mind filling in the gaps is a very powerful tool. There is little of that in Godzilla's first act, though. It takes its time to introduce the main characters. Sadly, they still remain somewhat flat and acting giants like Bryan Cranston remain underused.

But people watch this for the monster and destruction, right? Director Gareth Edwards decides to stick to the approach he used in his critically acclaimed "Monsters" or fellow films like "Cloverfield": if the (human) protagonists can't see it, then neither can the audience. That makes for both wonderfully eerie and incredibly frustrating scenes. Visually very impressive ones, mind you. Only the showdown actually delivers what you paid to see but can't shake off the feeling that Godzilla just happened to get a supporting role in its own film.

The movie is already a success after its first week but I am curious how people will actually react to it. It's the "Skyfall" of Godzilla films: really well done, approaching the old tale in a dead serious and supposedly realistic way but somehow forgetting to have fun on the way.

The result is entertaining enough after the slow intro, and the effects breath-taking, but I am not entirely sure this is actually what people had hoped for.