Godzilla (2014)

Let 1998’s “Godzilla” stay dead. Jump 16 years and add director Gareth Edwards (“Monsters”) and the King of the Monsters is back in “A” shape. From the conspiracy-churning opening credits, this “Godzilla” sets a dark path while looking back to the Japanese original and riffing strong on Spielberg: Watch for “Jaws” and “Close Encounters” homages. Edwards proves he’s not joking with an upfront scene that left me awed with anticipation. Bryan Cranston is a scientist convinced a disaster years prior was not natural, yet no one believes him, least of all his soldier son (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). A visit to a fallen nuclear plant proves Cranston right as a beast -- not Godzilla -- emerges. The lizard king soon surfaces. And he’s a rare CGI thrill. Yes, we get the ordinary, plucky staple of disaster-movie heroes, and some great actors get lost (sorry, Sally Hawkins), but the city-crushing monster fights and ways Edwards keeps us trapped just out of view of his beasts is a marvel. The serious tone recalls those so-called “B”-grade originals were grimly paranoid, despite the models and zippers. In a superhero top-heavy summer, it’s cool to see a classic wisely reborn, breathing fire and roaring loud. A-