Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Since it has been 5 years since the first Godzilla, and this movie picks up with characters and story that the previous left off with, I was definitely missing context. [Aside: I do think it is the responsibility of filmmakers to assess how popular the original in a series is, and how long ago it is likely to have been seen, and how much a typical audience member will remember. A good filmmaker will provide the context and history of the first film in a new way, but sufficient to allow the film to stand alone. End Aside] Maybe that is the intent of the filmmaker, so that I will go back now and watch the original. In this version, there is an entirely new cast (only Watanabe returns). The Titans are basically dormant, but an eco-terrorist wakes them up (including Godzilla's primary foe from ancient times). The goal is to yank the apex-predator title from humanity in an effort to right the natural balance of life on earth (see Kingsman, Avengers, The Happening, etc.). But the good guys are able to help Godzilla help himself and take his rightful place back at the top of the pile, thereby demanding subservience of the other Titans. Woo-hoo, humanity survives, even if Boston and D.C. don't. Pretty good 'big animal fight scenes' without losing the action in the blur. Pretty bad wave physics and explosion physics. And by 'pretty bad', I mean non-existent. But for a summer movie, it was a good excuse to go get some popcorn.
3 stars (out of 5)