Godzilla

The latest big-screen reincarnation of Godzilla — or reboot, as they’re calling it these days — at least makes an effort to stand out amid its numerous predecessors dating back 70 years.

Yet amid all the obligatory massive urban destruction from the venerable monster, there are some staples, as well, such as Godzilla’s iconic roar, or people running through the streets in terror as they scream and look over their shoulders, or the frantic arguments between scientists and military officers over what action should be taken to save the planet.

Still, while there’s not much genuine tension along the way, the film manages a few clever twists within its mainstream framework that allow it to escape some of the pointless pitfalls of many other remakes.

The updated story begins in 1999, with a meltdown at a Japanese nuclear plant that wipes out a town and kills the wife of a plant supervisor (Bryan Cranston), whose guilt leads him to obsess over the cause and the aftermath.

Flash forward 15 years, when his estranged son (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is a Naval officer sent to Japan to check on his father’s ranting about a new threat to the region, something a fellow scientist (Ken Watanabe) confirms. That threat becomes reality, of course, when Godzilla emerges from the sea to frighten everybody, and things get worse when those in charge of destroying him realize he’s not the biggest problem.

As directed by Gareth Edwards (Monsters), the film features plenty of big-budget set pieces and impressive 3D effects as it re-creates chaos everywhere from the Eiffel Tower to the Golden Gate Bridge. The creatures are imposing, as you’d expect with a bigger-is-better mentality.

So Godzilla is still more about the monsters than the humans, although not without an attempt to offer some backstory for some of its characters. To that end, the screenplay by Max Borenstein — while taking itself too seriously and basically ignoring all of its female characters — spends plenty of time with characters trying to offer scientific explanations for the strange goings-on, or providing moral subtext into stopping the creatures from destroying mankind.

But while such efforts are generally appreciated, at the end of the day, Godzilla is a movie about a giant lizard. Just show him stomping on skyscrapers and cars, and don’t forget to set up the inevitable sequel.

Rated PG-13, 123 minutes.