Godzilla

There is no story in director Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla to confuse the viewer, just an hour of his screenwriter working out abandonment issues followed by Edwards turning over the helm to the computer jockeys for the battle royale between Big G and some intruder monsters. The first hour of this film is almost entirely disposable, interminable stretches of human drama, none of it really applicable to the second half of the movie. There is some wonderful imagery to be found, brief flashes of brilliance that make one wish the director had worked with $50 million instead of $160 million so that he would’ve been allowed some narrative risks. If you’re looking for a matinee of city smashing, Godzilla ends up delivering the goods after the first hour. Sort of. The mayhem is set at night and there’s lots of dust flying, so I’d recommend not doing the 3-D. And Edwards has an annoying habit of cutting away from the action when things are finally getting good, either to evening news footage of the monsters going at it or, even worse, more family drama. Cinemark 14, Feather River Cinemas and Paradise Cinema 7. Rated PG-13