by Alex Coopersmith, assistant editor

“Godzilla” is one of the most classic movie franchises of all time. You know the plot: humanity does something stupid, Godzilla emerges and terrorizes said humans, but humanity wins in the end after learning their lesson. The original “Godzilla” (called Gojira in Japanese) that came out in 1954 was a metaphor for the horror of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nearly all the 32 “Godzilla” movies (the Japanese and the American versions) have followed this trend, and “Godzilla (2014)” is no exception.In the movie we have humans once again responsible for the radiation that leads to the emergence of not only Godzilla, but also male and female MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms). The discovery of and attempts to destroy these MUTOs (which are 200 foot-plus scary spidery creatures) take up most of the plot, and they leave little room in the movie for the titular Godzilla.

If you are into cities being destroyed, big scary monsters or Godzilla coming out of the 3-D screen to roar at you, this movie is great. But that’s all this film is: mundane monster mayhem. It does feature Bryan Cranston, of “Breaking Bad” fame–and as usual, he is superb, but one actor does not make a film.

What detracts from this movie is how unrealistic it is. Of course, Godzilla is not real, but this movie fails to present a plausible explanation of Godzilla’s existence. The film tries to be realistic, but fails and makes you leave shaking your head. I don’t want to mention any spoilers here, but the ending and the way the humans help save the day makes no sense.

The “Godzilla” movies are classics, but I don’t expect this film to join the must-watch “Godzilla” movie list. If you are going to watch a movie about Godzilla, don’t see this version…in which Godzilla isn’t even the main character.

Still interested? Check out showtimes at Cinemark and Premiere Cinemas.