7 years ago today, Godzilla returned to the world, 10 years after Final Wars, and 16 years after the last failed American attempt at a Godzilla movie.

I still remember the wonder and spectacle I felt when I saw it as a new fan. It was like watching a legend come real. The haunting score, the unearthly cries and form of the MUTOs...and him. The sheer feeling of AWE when he would grace the screen with his presence.

Godzilla was never not there for me. He was always lurking, always watching and waiting from somewhere beyond the camera. Biding his time, waiting for the right moment. He was bigger than everything else. He would show up on his own time on his own terms.

And then when he did...oooooooh, when he did...then he owned the movie. He owned the world.

I won’t deny it has problems, and I get why some people don’t like it. Even my critical assessment of it has waned as the years have passed. But no matter how the MonsterVerse has grown, no matter how much I loved KOTM and GvK, I’ll always hold a special fondness for when I bore witness the return of the King of the Monsters.

I skipped my senior prom in favor of seeing this with two of my friends opening night. So worth it.

This movie has its flaws, but it's got way too many amazing scenes for me to let them get to me. The airport and nuclear train scenes are some of the most tense in the series for me. Plus, the opening sequence with Bryan Cranston is phenomenal.

Great sound design throughout, too, especially on the MUTOs. Not a perfect movie, but better than about 80% of other Hollywood schlock we've been getting.

This was the first Godzilla film I ever saw in theaters, so I certainly share your sentiments. This movie is so special to me and I have a special place in my heart for it