Godzilla (2014) - - Part 11

[TheNextNolan22]

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayl...hnson-bryan-cranston-elizabeth-olsen-20140510
C+

 

[dodgers2213]

Again, avoiding reviews but from the snippets saying Olsen had too much of a small role, o find that acceptable. Why give the wife a huge role when monsters are attacking? Can't imagine how or why she'd matter given the scale.

As a G fan all I need is a spectacle of awe, tension, humans that play into the story properly, and good monster battles

 

[Hero 1]

Chris over on Toho Kingdom posted this from his interview with Thomas Tull:

Mirjahangir: Will there be an extended cut of this (Godzilla) on the dvd/blu-ray?

Tull: Yes

Mirjahangir: Like Peter Jackson style where it’s all blended in together?

Tull: Well, that’s really Gareth’s choice. There are certainly some scenes and things you’re gonna see, and it’s up to him how he wants to present that to fans.

What with a few scenes that Edwards really liked being cut, I hope it is an extended version.

 

[Octoberist]

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayl...hnson-bryan-cranston-elizabeth-olsen-20140510
C+

Did they change their grade? It was a B before unless there was another review on the site?

 

[dodgers2213]

The lack of G himself won't be a knock for me. Imo

 

[BrollySupersj]

Here is a video that speculates on how a real Godzilla would change humanity.

That's an awesome video. Nice work.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

Did they change their grade? It was a B before unless there was another review on the site?

Come to think of it, there's usually are 2 reviews from that site.

Chris Mirjahangir from Toho Kingdom's review. 5/5 (contains spoilers):

Spoiler

By the time this review is posted, there will be sites that have broken the target embargo date and spilled vital information about the film. Since I’d like people who intend to see the film to go in as clear minded as possible, this review will be as spoiler free as I can make it.

Godzilla begins in 1999 in the Philippines where an excavation is halted due to high amounts of radiation found in the mines. Dr. Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and his colleague Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins) from the organization Monarch arrive to investigate only to find the bones of a large creature. In Janjira, Japan, nuclear physicist and engineer Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) along with his wife Sandra (Juliette Binoche) called in to investigate strange seismic readings at the nuclear plant. After dropping off their son Ford Brody (CJ Thomas) off at the school bus before leaving to the power plant. An accident occurs which destroys the plant and takes Sandra’s life. 15 years later, Joe Brody, still obsessed with the cause of the accident is jailed in Japan for attempting to break back into Janjira which is now a quarantine zone. Back in San Francisco, Ford Brody (now played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson), his wife Elle (Elizabeth Olsen) and son Sam (Carson Bolde) are enjoying a quiet night at home when Ford gets a call from Japan to get his father out of custody and to bring him back to the US. Once in Japan, Joe convinces Ford to help him break into the quarantine zone and Ford reluctantly agrees. After Joe finds delicate files he and Ford are captured and are interrogated at a huge facility housing what looks like a giant glowing cocoon.

Soon a winged creature later called a “MUTO” flies out of the facility and calls to another MUTO so that they may mate. Hearing their calls and deeming them a threat to the world, Godzilla sets out to destroy the MUTOS.

Gareth Edwards’ “Godzilla” is a film Godzilla fans can be very proud of. The smart writing (kudos to writer Max Borenstein), some excellent performances (Ken Watanabe’s Dr. Serizawa is a personal favorite), thrilling score, and monster spectacle all add up to one awesome experience. The film was designed to be somewhat of a “Godzilla recruitment film” in the sense that it would appeal to hardcore fans but be enjoyed by the non Godzilla fans as well. I can honestly say that this strategy in my experience has worked. While at the press junket in NYC, I spoke to various journalists who were either not fans of Godzilla at all (it fell into the cheesy/campy category for them) or ones who used to watch the films on tv as a kid and thought they were fun but left the memories behind. They did nothing but sing the praises of this film and they smiled and their eyes lit up when they spoke about it to me and to each other. At the world premiere in Hollywood, I sat next to a woman who had never seen a Godzilla film before. During the film she started getting into it and she cheered very loudly throughout (and got shushed quite a few times too) and yelled out things like “Get em Godzilla!!” during Godzilla’s battle with both MUTOS. She was emotionally invested in the film the entire time. I’m not sure if she rushed out and bought all the Godzilla films afterward, but a fan of THIS particular film was made that night.

There will be some things in here that some fans might get frustrated with however. And yes it is true that Godzilla isn’t in the film as much as the MUTOS are, his history is discussed quite a bit and the underlying presence is felt through the film. The fights are a little shorter when compared to other films and in the Hawaii sequence, the full fight doesn’t happen at all. See below for a description of the scene.
Slight spoilers ahead:

• Start spoiler: A MUTO is attacking an airport in Honolulu (you’ll find out WHY when you see the film), and there’s much buildup to Godzilla’s arrival (more on that later). As the MUTO trashes the airport, Godzilla’s feet are seen walking into frame. The MUTO rears back and roars. The camera pans up Godzilla’s body and he stares right at his opponent. He leans back and ROARS and then…we cut away to Sam Brody watching the recap of the fight on the news (which is played for laughs and it’s pretty funny). The Godzilla fan in me thought “... that’s it!? Where’s the fight!?” It was a bit of a tease but when the fights DO happen, they’re brutal, violent, and very well choreographed. They’re not the fun wrestling style of films past though. These are a little more animalistic. The fights get REALLY good closer to the end of the movie and I was very satisfied watching them. End spoiler.

Godzilla does use his beam a total of 3 times and it’s a real crowd pleaser. At both screenings I was at, the crowd went insane when he used it and in one instance, it was used “Mortal Kombat” style which was a new move for Godzilla and will have everyone in the theater going crazy and cheering when it happens. It’s a defining moment for the series and it will be THAT moment where you will be proud to be a Godzilla fan. The beam itself doesn’t fill Godzilla’s mouth as it has in the past. It’s more centered and it’s a warmer blue in color with little flame wisps coming off it here and there. When charging up, Godzilla’s backplates illuminate from the tail and then move up to the head as he charges up his beam. Design wise, Godzilla is a little heftier in the mid section but he’s no more “fat” than he’s always been. Then there’s the issue of the feet which has been a sticking point for some fans. I didn’t like them at first but they have since grown on me and it’s not anything that’s distracting anymore. It works for the design overall.

If there’s anything that seems a little uneven to me is that Godzilla (although inadvertently) kills WAY more people in the Honolulu sequence than the MUTO does. Hundreds are drowned and washed away from the water he brings in with him as he comes ashore yet at the end of the film, he’s deemed a hero. The original Mothra (1961) comes to mind where she was responsible for the deaths of thousands of people yet at the end of the film, it was as if no one noticed. All in all, it’s just a nitpick and is no way a detriment to the film.

The MUTOS prove to be worth adversaries against Godzilla and their special power is an EMP (electromagnetic pulse). The winged MUTO, (which is a male) can produce and EMP burst while the non winger and much larger MUTO (female) has an electromagnetic field surrounding her as she moves, disabling electronics/vehicles with her “cone (or was it sphere?) of influence.” Both MUTOS are tooth and claw fighters and they both give Godzilla a run for his money in battle, especially when they team up against him. They do get more screentime than Godzilla but it’s not by much. It’s more to establish them as a threat and it works very well with the film.

The human characters in the film are smart and well thought out. As I stated earlier in the review, Ken Watanabe’s Dr. Serizawa is a personal favorite of mine because he’s the heart of the film. He genuinely wants to understand not only Godzilla but the MUTO’s as well. The rest of the performances are very well done and I’d also like to give special mention to David Strathairn’s Admiral Stenz character. The delivery in his dialogue is powerful yet reassuring. Special mention to Carson Bolde who, at is able to put on an impressive performance for someone so young. Carson’s delivery is natural and not forced and I see a bright future for him.

The score of the film, although modern has touches of Ifukube’s influence throughout. The standout tracks like “The Last Shot” and “Godzilla’s Victory” stand with the best cues in the series which also makes the soundtrack a day one purchase.

• Additional notes:
  • Dr. Serizawa calls Godzilla “Gojira” yet the military just starts calling him “Godzilla”. If there was a scene relating to the name change, it’s been cut. The first one to use the name is a female radio operator and it was done in a casual fashion.
  • Godzilla is referred to as a “he” in the film.
  • There are some edits in the film that leave one to believe a scene had been deleted but the missing information is very minor and does not detract from the overall experience of the film.

In closing, I’d like to say that not only do Godzilla fans have a film to be very proud of, but so do Warner Bros. and Legendary. I’ve followed the developments of this film for close to 10 years from when it was supposed to be a 40 minute IMAX film and to see that it has been turned into a true work of art is truly astonishing and that the directing is that of a master film maker. For a while now, there’s been a phrase that has been used amongst fans: “In Gareth We Trust” That trust has now been earned.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

CraveOnline rates the film 8.5 out of 10
http://www.craveonline.com/film/reviews ... ons-of-fun

 

[realestmutant45]

Just came from a sneak preview of Godzilla. Not going to spoil anything unless anyone has any questions. All in all, i really enjoyed it. Favorite scene is from the final battle.

 

[TheVileOne]

OK, embargo is over. Here are my reactions. Edwards direction is excellent. The aesthetic he creates is great. The monsters looked great and were well executed.

But I agree with the other reviews, the characters were weak. The performances were weak, except for Cranston. Unfortunately he has a very disappointing and anticlimactic character arc.

I was at the Q&A with Tull and Edwards. Edwards said they didn't want to be "seduced" by all the CG and visuals and not want to show everything out there, comparing to minimal use of effects shots in Jaws and Jurassic Park, however this is not the same type of film, so he shouldn't have done that.

There's a lot of buildup to Godzilla's first appearance and we are given the implication we are about to see a big fight, then the action cuts away. This happens AGAIN later. It's the cinematic equivalent of Charlie Brown getting the football pulled away from him twice. It's frustrating to have the carrot dangled in front of you like that and taken away. It was a misstep IMHO.

Godzilla is more the hero than the antihero in this film. Basically he's a lot like Gamera from the 1996 movie or Superman from Man of Steel. I liked it that way though.

The atomic breath moment was my favorite moment in the film, incredibly done.

If anyone has questions, feel free to ask.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

Thanks for the info! How would you rate it?

 

[TheVileOne]

I'm curious, how many people does Godzilla kill, inadvertently or otherwise, when he rolls up at various locations do you think?

Hard to say...I guess I would have to say in the potential thousands. His damage is minor in comparison to the MUTO.

Sort of minor spoiler below just for safety:

Spoiler

Majority of the destruction in the movie and what you saw in all the footage and trailers was caused by the MUTO

 

[TheVileOne]

Thanks for the info! How would you rate it?

NextNolan22, I want to give it like an 8/10 because I think it's very good and very well made and had it addressed my criticisms I probably would've rated it a 9 or a 9.5/10.

And honestly in terms of delivering the overall package, I got to be honest, I believe I preferred Pacific Rim more. I think Pacific Rim had a better sense of what it wanted to be and delivered better from that perspective.

 

[addison81]

How long would you say the final fight is?

 

[TheNextNolan22]

Fair enough. Those seem like constructive complaints. (Officially) seeing this tomorrow afternoon. Very excited!

One question: How are the actual fights for the time they last?

 

[TheVileOne]

addison81, hard to say. Again spoiler tags for safety, but nothing major spoilery:

Spoiler

It's divided into a few segments/sequences. I'd say a good 20 minutes or so in the final act. All the final fights are very good and very satisfying.

But the disappointment of forcing the first major fight offscreen like that was really a shot in the gut. Because there had been a great deal of buildup just to that point and were kind of denied the euphoria of that moment.

 

[addison81]

Nextnolan what time is your screening Monday? Mine is 730.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

nextnolan what time is your screening monday? Mine is 730.

12:30

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Reviews arent overly positive as I was expecting, but from the sounds of it I still think I will enjoy this a lot. The things Vile mentions DO sound frustrating though.

 

[addison81]

Oh nice that it's early.

 

[TheVileOne]

Thematically, I really like how strong and formidable the antagonist MUTO are.

It's really interesting. They suck up radiation and they eat nukes like candy! Nukes are like doggie treats to them.

Honestly, there are things about this movie I think casual viewers will not like and get upset about, and that's why I think Edwards made a couple critical mistakes that were easily adjustable.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

Another positive review.
http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/theatrical-reviews/godzilla-26588

 

[addison81]

Is the plot simple enough? I ask cause recent blockbusters are too convoluted for their own good and just end up being a mess with plot holes.

 

[TheVileOne]

Is the plot simple enough? I ask cause recent blockbusters are too convoluted for their own good and just end up being a mess with plot holes.

It's not convoluted at all other than your typical movie plot conveniences, plot contrivances.

I'd say it is simple enough. At one point I was thinking "Well why aren't they doing evacuations" and then that gets addressed.

 

[craigdbfan]

I like what I'm hearing.

So you said that they cut away from the fights, so is there ever an instance where we see Godzilla fully fight any of the MUTOS?