The King of the Monsters is back, and his return is nothing less than gigantic. After 16 years of dormancy, and a few other attempts in between, Godzilla has finally been given a decent stage to stomp all over.

In the most recent incarnation, the story of Godzilla unfolds through the eyes of Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a young soldier and his father, Joe (Bryan Cranston) who has devoted the backend of his life to chasing a faceless source of destruction. When he finally uncovers the cause, the realization of what’s to come is unimaginable. After the discovery, Ford sets on a worldwide journey to do anything he can to protect his family and stop the monstrosities that threaten them. But they are too big to handle alone.

“Godzilla” follows a formula built by the early films that birthed the franchise. It’s a concentrated story that is meant to do one thing – bring on Godzilla. Although the film does tease him, and the other creatures in the film until key parts in the story are revealed, the wait is more than worth it. Godzilla’s presence is massive. And thanks to new age technology, every spectacle is fashioned in a way that brings the monster to life in a refreshing way.

Aside from Aaron Taylor jumping from disaster to disaster, in an effort to try and get home to his family, the characters are just pushing towards answers and setups created in an effort to build a history for the creatures involved. Even though this can be a little exhausting in certain moments, it’s all worth it and clenches a significant amount of value for the story. Like many monster movies or films built around spectacles, the human element isn’t the focus, and it shouldn’t be. It’s called “Godzilla” for a reason, and it delivers on that purpose in nearly all fronts.