Godzilla

Ford Brody, a Navy explosive ordnance technician, is finally back with his wife and son in San Francisco when a distant crisis pulls him into a dangerous global mystery. A covert mission sends him to Japan to reunite with his father, Joe, whose warnings about seismic activity have been dismissed as paranoia. What begins as a string of catastrophic disturbances quickly reveals two colossal predators stirring beneath the planet's crust and sea. They move with purpose, drawing other threats into a tense balance of power that could erase major cities. As the mystery deepens, Ford and a small band of scientists and soldiers race to understand the monsters before San Francisco becomes the next battleground. The danger feels personal today.

Directed by Gareth Edwards, Godzilla offers a contemporary reboot of the Toho monster. It draws on the iconic Godzilla character created by Toho, with a screenplay by David Callaham and Max Borenstein, and emphasizes practical effects and restrained suspense throughout.

The film earned $524,978,362 worldwide against a budget of $160,000,000, signaling a solid box office performance. Its earnings contributed to Legendary Pictures ambitious plan for a shared MonsterVerse, expanding the franchise beyond a single film in global markets worldwide today.

It launched Legendary Pictures' MonsterVerse, setting a template for grounded monster cinema and cross movie storytelling. The 2014 film reshaped audience expectations for kaiju by balancing human stakes with spectacle and spawning installments that widened the franchise's reach. Its design and marketing helped popularize kaiju in modern cinema across screens.

Critics generally praised the film's atmosphere, careful pacing and striking creature design, while some felt the human plot lagged behind the monster action. The story emphasizes duty and resilience and suggests humanity must learn to live with nature's extraordinary powers rather than conquer them, and its restrained approach was praised.