[Starscream Gaga]

I think the bigger problem with Godzilla's lack of appearance was how little he actually mattered to the plot. The movie was MUTO's show, hell, scenes in the trailer even have Godzilla in the place of where MUTO is on the final product (such as the train bridge). All Godzilla really contributed to the plot was a way to get rid of the MUTO.

Heaps of people (not on this forum) have made a comparison to Jaws and Alien, however I'm inclined to agree with my brother when he says "that comparison only works if Jaws was called "Giant Shark" but was actually mostly about a giant crocodile". I personally think, for the first in a reboot, Godzilla himself should've been a bit more important to the overall story. The promotional material definitely implied a far more Godzilla centered film and that's what I was personally hoping for. The MUTO were cool and all, but they were FAR more plot relevant then the Big G himself.

Also I don't think the Hawaii scene built tension as much as it just frustrated the audience. The TV screen copout was weird. Maybe a second viewing will improve it for me but I was wanting more.