One to Watch: ‘Godzilla’ Gareth Edwards’ First Monster Hit

For this weekend’s ‘One to Watch,’ we’re rewinding the clock to 2014 and revisiting the film that launched Gareth Edwards into the blockbuster stratosphere: Godzilla. With Jurassic World Rebirth roaring into cinemas, it’s the perfect moment to look back at the monster movie that first showcased Edwards’ flair for scale, suspense, and spectacle.

Godzilla marked Edwards’ Hollywood debut, a reboot of Toho’s legendary kaiju franchise and the first installment in what would become Legendary’s MonsterVerse. The film opens with a haunting prologue set in 1954, where nuclear tests are revealed to be attempts to destroy a colossal prehistoric predator. Fast-forward to 1999, and a seismic event at Japan’s Janjira nuclear plant leads to tragedy for engineer Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston). Fifteen years later, his son Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a U.S. Navy officer, is pulled into a global crisis as ancient creatures known as MUTOs awaken and Godzilla rises to restore balance.

The cast is stacked with talent. Cranston delivers a gripping performance as a man obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the disaster that claimed his wife. Elizabeth Olsen plays Ford’s wife Elle, while Ken Watanabe brings a gravitas to Dr. Serizawa, a scientist who believes Godzilla is nature’s answer to humanity’s hubris. Supporting roles from Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, and David Strathairn round out a cast that’s unusually strong for a creature feature.

Critics were largely positive, praising Edwards’ direction and the film’s visual grandeur, at the time its effects were considered to some of the best to ever come to the big screen. The slow-burn pacing and restrained use of Godzilla built tension in a way that echoed Spielberg’s Jaws, one of Edwards’ cited influences. Alexandre Desplat’s score added a layer of operatic intensity, and the HALO jump sequence as red flares slice through smoke as soldiers descend into chaos, became an instant classic.

Fans were more divided. Many appreciated the respectful tone and cinematic scale, especially after the misfire of the 1998 Godzilla. Others craved more monster-on-monster action. But the film’s climactic battle in San Francisco, where Godzilla unleashes his iconic atomic breath, won over plenty of skeptics. It was a moment that reminded audiences why the King of the Monsters still reigns supreme.

At the box office, Godzilla was a smash. It opened with $93.2 million in North America and went on to gross over $529 million worldwide. That success paved the way for sequels like Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong, and helped establish the MonsterVerse as a viable cinematic universe.

As for Gareth Edwards, Godzilla was a giant leap from his indie debut Monsters (2010), which he made with a shoestring budget and a skeleton crew. His ability to blend intimate human drama with epic scale caught Hollywood’s attention, leading to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and now Jurassic World Rebirth. Edwards’ signature style, grounded characters, awe-inspiring visuals, and a reverence for genre history, continues to evolve, but Godzilla remains the film that roared loudest.

So if you’re heading to see Rebirth this weekend, consider pairing it with a rewatch of Godzilla. It’s not just a monster movie, it’s the origin story of a director who knows how to make giants feel real.

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