Godzilla (Rated T)
Cast: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe
Genre: Science Fiction
Dwight's Rating: 3 out of 4

Gigantic, hideous monsters, in an epic battle, destroying everything and everyone in their path -- here we go again -- right?
On paper, and in theory, I was not supposed to like this movie. Regular readers of this column know that I have frequently railed the repetitive and disturbing trends in action movies -- their obsession and preoccupation with visual tricks and eardrum-splitting audio; the silly plots and stilted dialogue; and the propensity to conclude their two-hour explosion festivals rather amicably, yet still with the complete destruction of New York City.
"Godzilla" however, manages to be a very different...umm...creature, handled gracefully and carefully.
Based on the now classic Japanese sci-fi tale first made into a movie in 1954, in this version, the awe-inspiring monster -- an enormous dinosaur-like beast, unleashed as a result of a nuclear explosion -- is pitted against some very bad creatures who threaten the very existence of humanity.
Yes, that story sounds as wonky as all the other action and disaster movies ever created. But like a giant monster running loose in a city, this "Godzilla" towers over many of the films of this genre with its thoughtfulness, and in what it offers and in what it lacks.
First, to what it's thankfully lacking. The human characters are not over-the-top; the monsters have that part more than covered. Unlike almost all movies of this kind, we don't have an arrogant (or any) president of the United States (U.S.). As such, we don't have the leader of the free world taking what is usually very bad advice from a rash or irrational or psychopathic U.S. general. There are army folks here, but they display much calmer heads and rational thought processes.
What we do have is the well-regarded Bryan Cranston, star of beloved TV shows "Breaking Bad" and "Malcolm in the Middle", in a spirited performance as scientist Joe Brody.
We also have a convincingly reluctant hero -- and the warm and gentle eyes of young English actor, Aaron Taylor-Johnson ("Kick-Ass") -- as Joe's son, Ford. Don't expect any of that de rigueur, "I can do anything! Let me at 'em!" leading-man, bravado nonsense! Yes, Ford happens to be in the U.S. Navy. But, he's an everyday man, who just really wants to be at home with his family. It is quite a refreshing change of pace!
British director Gareth Edwards infuses "Godzilla" with a lot of this kind of subtlety and even sensitivity, gradually building to the ultimate showdown.
But most people go to these movies not for smooth finesse, but for outrageous action. And on that front, "Godzilla" does not disappoint. The visuals are stunning, despite most of the action taking part in very dark and dimly lit settings. We see the monsters in shadows, not often getting a good look at them. Most of the time we are unable to tell just how large the creatures are, especially Godzilla. It all adds to the suspense and fright, though. And there are plenty of thrilling, edge-of-the-seat moments, particularly in the monster battle scenes, and whenever Godzilla lets out that mind-numbing screech.
As weird as it may sound, it is quite refreshing to see cities other than New York being obliterated. The destruction covers a diverse cross-section of cities -- Tokyo, Honolulu, Las Vegas and San Francisco.
The original "Godzilla" movie was an overt metaphor about the dangers of nuclear warfare. And while most people these days don't spend much time worrying about nuclear war, we know there are more nations than ever before with access to nuclear weapons.
And it may not be lost on some the potential parallels between Godzilla's battle with these giant monsters and world superpowers and/or rogue nations battling each other and destroying everything, oblivious to the rest of us humans, running around like ants trying to not get crushed or incinerated.
When an action movie in 2014 can be capable of making you ponder the harsh realities of a modern world and the possibly ruinous actions of the human race, yet still be entertaining, while satisfying some people's primal need to see things violently destroyed, consider it a gigantic, monstrous success.
o Dwight Strachan is the host/producer of " Morning Blend" on Guardian Radio. He is a television producer and writer, and an avid TV history and film buff. Email dwight@nasguard.com and follow him on twitter @morningblend969.

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