Godzilla: King of the Monsters is gorgeous, with fully-realized and realistic versions of the monsters I grew up loving so much. However, the truth is, I was always more than happy with their look even when they were played by men in suits.

Also, whenever I hear studios say things like how this movie “brings together Godzilla and King Kong in an ecosystem of other giant super-species, both classic and new” I throw up a little in my mouth.

Imagine my surprise when I didn’t hate this. And for once, my wife, who consistently looks at kaiju movies and says, “I don’t get it” was into one of them. I blame her young age and not growing up on a steady diet of Gamera, Rodan and Ultraman.

This movie also reimagines Godzilla and the other kaiju as almost Lovecraftian elder gods that owned the Earth before we did. I’m fine with that as well. And I’ll sit through human drama as long as I get the payoff of sweet, sweet lizard on dragon violence and thankfully, this film delivers.

Michael Dougherty, who wrote Superman Returns — a movie I despise on a level that I will legitimately fistfight people over — and Trick ‘r Treat directed this movie.

I really don’t need a pushed shared universe to enjoy a movie. As it is, Godzilla fans kind of built their own continuity in the Toho films. But that’s what people want in a post-Marvel Cinematic Universe and here, they get it, leading into the next film’s battle with Kong.

That said, the scene where all the various kaiju bow to Godzilla? Yeah, that was awesome.