The trailer for the new Godzilla goes easy on the Godzilla

Recognizing that the key to any Godzilla movie is dragging out the moment until we actually see Godzilla, then blast it with our harsh, radioactive judgment, the trailer for Gareth Edwards’ franchise reboot keeps its giant lizard monster tastefully shrouded in the background, while concentrating on the other key element of any Godzilla movie: people reacting like they seriously can’t believe they’re looking at Godzilla right now. David Strathairn admirably keeps a military poker face while sending his troops into a city’s mysterious destruction (spoiler: It’s because of the giant lizard monster), but all the havoc being wreaked has left Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson terrified and vaguely annoyed, respectively. Then, most alarming of all, Bryan Cranston weeps into his trembling hand, his Cranston cool finally crumbling in the face of what looks like Godzilla, though it’s pretty foggy out here. Anyway, it’s a shame Godzilla doesn’t do rap videos anymore, but you can probably understand why Edwards wants to preserve some mystery.