And, thanks to Alexandre Desplat, music loud enough to go with it.
Theres a point in Gareth EdwardsGodzillaremake, about 10 minutes from the end, when the two collide.
Its a colossal moment, one that is central to the movies success.
The dilemma was simple: what did Godzilla sound like?
Hed beSome Monsters Do Ave Em.
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The result?
Not just an iconic cry, but a tradition that would come to reverberate through a franchise.
Music, though, remains a central part to Godzillas towering terror.
Its telling that the 1954 soundtrack began with both: the booming footsteps and that unearthly shriek.
Theyre followed by Ifukubes main theme, a falling strings motif that loops over the opening credits.
The two will forever be associated.
It immediately establishes a melancholic mood, one not only of disaster but also sadness.
A booming bass echoes those thundering footsteps, a metronome counting down the beats until Japans assured demise.
Its an unsettling sensation, one that captures the shock facing Tokyos residents.
Its a smart bit of composition.
In fact, its one of the only bits of composition.
Honda uses the same tune throughout the film.
But what makes it so effective is the way he uses it: sparingly.
The music only happens when Gojira is on-screen, a decision that is simple but stunning.
That indicator takes on even greater significance when you listen to the rest of the film.
Before then, we glimpse bits of him or, in one fantastic sequence, the aftermath of him.
Like the local residents in the now-crumbling houses, we dont need to see: we can hear him.
The franchise changed in tone dramatically as he grew up into a camp monster-bashing hero.
In 1998, David Arnold joined the fray to score Roland Emmerichs remake.
In 2014, though, Alexandre DesplatsGodzillascore is a different kettle of radioactive fish.
Then, suddenly, Godzillas creeping theme slinks into the piece, before disappearing again.
These two themes spend the rest of the score duking it out.
When the Muto music is dominant, rising flutter-tongued jumps hop all over the place.
Desplat might as well have ordered the orchestra to stand around in a circle for two hours chanting Fight!
This, your ringing head understands all too well, is a battle on a massive scale.
But there can only be one winner.
And heres the point whereGodzillanails it.
As the orchestra roars, the creature does too at exactly the same pitch.
you could readIvans previous instalment of Music In Film here.
