The humans in Godzilla are so bland and dull you may well find yourself rooting for the monster

Godzilla is from the director Gareth Edwards, a Brit whose first film, Monsters, truly put him on the map, as it daringly played with the genre, and incorporated a plausible human love story, and the difference between that film and this may be summed up as follows: whereas Monsters was a clever and inventive film made for relatively little money ($500,000), this is a quite stupid film made for a lot of money ($160 million). Oh dear. It sounds like I’m wearing my disapproving hat again, although I don’t always. For example, I take it off for special occasions, and sometimes even in bed. (Sometimes yes, sometimes no; depends.)

‘The world’s most revered monster is reborn,’ say Warner Bros, who may well be hearing from King Kong’s lawyers anytime soon. (‘Our client would like it known he is the most revered…’). It’s the reboot of a franchise, and whether a sequel, prequel, origins story or straightforward remake, these franchises all rely on the reassurance offered by familiarity.