Godzilla: much big time monster monster monster karate death train stomp stomp fun boom.

This new iteration of the 60 year old giant radioactive lizard is a summer blockbuster done right. The secret is that director Gareth Edwards seems to be a big fan of Steven Spielberg, and he gets what made Spielberg’s summer blockbusters so good — pacing. This is what so many other CGI spectaculars lack. There’s a build up, so that by the time we get to the final battle, it feels like we journeyed there, not that we’ve been beaten down for 2 hours until our skulls are bloody pulp.

That said, there’s plenty of CGI destruction — but all done, from the effects to the music, with knowing nods to the old 50s giant monster movies. It’s well worth the ticket price to see in 3D, and it’s a massive amount of fun.

Plus, there’s Bryan Cranston, who is the one who knocks. And has to lock his wife behind a radioactive blast door.

Cranston