Me, Kiryugoji, Inui Takumi, Inferior Rodan, and some of our friends just got back from this. Everybody loved it and it was a helluva party.
My score is a solid 8 out of 10, I think. It surpasses GMK a little bit I think, while the former had a much more thematic plot but didn't have enough time to flesh it out and ended up being a tad anticlimactic, THIS movie, while being pretty straightforward, has a hell of a climax, and yes, leaves you wanting more. And best of all, it feels like a Godzilla movie through and through. I don't think anybody will debate that at this point.
I'll respect some critics' statements that the cast doesn't really carry the first three quarters as well as they should, but I don't want to drop the guillotine yet. I loved the first third. Somewhere after that I felt a desire for Edwards to let the curtain drop a bit further, but he really held his ground. The first instance of teasing was brilliant and I loved it. The second time it occurred I got much more anxious. It'll be interesting to see how I take it a second time. Despite that, it still moves really fast and there are some great, and I mean great, suspenseful moments. And Godzilla gets one of his greatest entrances ever (and I'm not talking about the airport scene).
What I DON'T agree with are the claims that the human element drops off at the end with nothing to do. Quite the opposite. ATJ has as much struggle during the finale as Godzilla does himself, and it's pretty much played out in parallel. It's like they're two separate soldiers in the same battle. I really dug it. And if it couldn't be any more apparent, Edwards pretty much drives the point home in a really wonderful scene that, well, you'll know it when you see it.
I guess I can venture into the spoiler thread now. I have a busy day at work tomorrow, but I think I'm going to be battling the urge the keep checking back here.