Godzilla (2014) - - Part 11

[Lighthouse]

Some initial thoughts:

Overall I liked it but was underwhelmed.

Bryan Cranston [BLACKOUT]died way too fast and in a lame way.[/BLACKOUT]

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a bland and un charismatic lead but adequate for his thin character. Olsen did the best she could with what little she had, while Watanabe and Strathairn were generic stock characters. Acting was nothing special from anyone except maybe Cranston.

The MUTOs were cool. But if they're parasites, why did she just make her nest in a random location?

Some really cool scenes that stick out to me were the whole Hawaii sequence, halo jump, both bridge scenes, and atomic breath.

The Hawaii cock block didn't bother me as much as some here, and I got a laugh out of the boy's dinosaur line.

But I do agree that Godzilla feels like a guest star in a MUTO movie. He's vaguely explained and it's even flimsier why he's coming after the MUTOs, with Watanabe's throwaway line about him being nature's instrument of restoring balance. It felt like a chapter in an ongoing Godzilla series, not the intro to a reboot.

It did have the old school feel of a Godzilla movie from the 80s or 90s just with updated effects obviously, which I liked. Unfortunately this also came complete with old Godzilla movies' blank characters and corny dialogue (poor Ken Watanabe stuck trying to make all his melodramatic exposition sound profound).

Edwards had some really cool shots, like the whole halo jump and the train crash. Very well filmed sequences.

The MUTOs were cool adversaries, even though[BLACKOUT]they both went down a little weak.[/BLACKOUT]

I usually hate things like this, but the one big thing I felt leaving this movie was that the potential sequel, considering that last 20 minutes, could be downright amazing. It's one of those movies I feel is undeniably flawed in some big ways, but left me feeling a lot of optimism for future installments.

 

[Lighthouse]

By the way, [BLACKOUT]after Godzilla atom breaths into the last MUTO's throat, rips his head off, throws it aside, and roars[/BLACKOUT] did anyone else think in their head "Like a boss!"

 

[weezerspider]

Imagine, if you will, that the movie Wedding Crashers was instead entitled "Chazz" after Will Ferrell's character in it. You go to "Chazz", really hoping to enjoy a funny comedy with Will Ferrell in it. Now, those few minutes that Will Ferrell are in it are great but...... why the hell did they call it "Chazz"??? He just has a cameo in it!!! The movie spends 99% of its screen time on other characters.

Such was my question coming out of Godzilla. What a wasted opportunity. Ugh.

Honestly, WB should have titled this MUTO and given us essentially the same trailers(Bryan Cranston being a badass) and showed bits of the MUTOs, keep Godzilla under-wraps and then everyone would **** their pants when Godzilla shows up and they release a **** ton of Godzilla spin-offs. That would have been a unique way to start a franchise...And that's essentially what they just did...without the cleverness of it. They named a film with a Godzilla cameo a Godzilla movie.

 

[craigdbfan]

Is Godzilla really that inconsequential? I have a hard time believing that? Granted I haven't watched this yet but is it really that bad?

 

[cabel]

I loved it. As someone who grew up mostly watching the Showa series, this movie felt like it would've been right at home alongside the original, vs. Mothra, Ghidorah,and vs. the Astro Monster, just with modern spectacle.

 

[Schlosser85]

Is Godzilla really that inconsequential? I have a hard time believing that? Granted I haven't watched this yet but is it really that bad?

He has a lot more than what I'd call a "cameo", but he does feel like a guest star in a MUTO movie.

 

[Liam_H]

Most of the people that bring that up is because Godzilla feels too much like a reactionary character in this movie. It was mostly about the MUTOs. Whether you agree with that is for you to determine.

 

[weezerspider]

Is Godzilla really that inconsequential. I have a hard time to believe that.

Sadly, I'm not over-exaggerating that much. This is the MUTO's film through and through. They drive everything. I don't think I've ever seen a film where it's titular character is so..absent. Even Lord Of The Rings, Sauron's presence is felt in everything and he's one of the few titular characters who like never shows up. It's not Godzilla's lack of screen time that's the issue, it's the fact that his only contribution to the plot is to stop the MUTO's in the climax. The MUTO's are Jaws and he's Brody's gun.

 

[ares834]

Is Godzilla really that inconsequential? I have a hard time believing that? Granted I haven't watched this yet but is it really that bad?

No. He may not be appear all that much but he has a major role to play. Saying he is merely a "cameo" or that he has "no-purpose" is laughably disingenuous.

 

[weezerspider]

Another issue with this movie:

Spoiler

If the MUTO's feed off nuclear power, how did Godzilla's Nuke breath hurt them?

 

[ares834]

Another issue with this movie:

Spoiler

If the MUTO's feed off nuclear power, how did Godzilla's Nuke breath hurt them?

Heat.

 

[Liam_H]

I believe you can just chalk that up to the [BLACKOUT]force of the blast and as for the final one it was "too much".[/BLACKOUT]

 

[redfirebird2008]

Is Godzilla really that inconsequential? I have a hard time believing that? Granted I haven't watched this yet but is it really that bad?

Yes. If it wasn't titled after him, you would think it was a film about [BLACKOUT]two other monsters. All of the marketing material makes you think Godzilla is the one causing destruction but he's not. He's reacting to the other two monsters.[/BLACKOUT]

 

[weezerspider]

Heat.

Which means Godzilla is officially pointless in this film.

Spoiler

Nuke heat kills them? The military's plan with the bomb would have worked. No need for G-man

 

[def28]

Solid flick with some amazing moments

Some frustrating and redundant teasing, but otherwise good times for me.

8/10

 

[ares834]

Which means Godzilla is officially pointless in this film.

Spoiler

Nuke heat kills them? The military's plan with the bomb would have worked. No need for G-man

Spoiler

Except the military's plan didn't go according to plan and the Nuke would have destroyed San Francisco. Plus, just because a blast of atomic fire down the throat killed the MUTO does not necessarily mean that the nuke would have; different intensities and all that.

 

[Lighthouse]

Another issue with this movie:

Spoiler

If the MUTO's feed off nuclear power, how did Godzilla's Nuke breath hurt them?

[BLACKOUT]It's never specified that the breath is nuclear. Sure, it was commonly said in the old films, but they've made a lot of changes. Honestly, I don't care, they could call it death ray breath, and I'd still love it.[/BLACKOUT]

 

[Lighthouse]

Jeremy Smith at AICN (aka Mr. Beaks) said something I feel perfectly sums up why people would feel their wasn't enough Godzilla.

When people inevitably complain about the film not having enough Godzilla, their real gripe will be with the absence of interesting characters.

This, unfortunately, is very true.

 

[weezerspider]

Spoiler

Except the military's plan didn't go according to plan and the Nuke would have destroyed San Francisco. Plus, just because a blast of atomic fire down the throat killed the MUTO does not necessarily mean that the nuke would have; different intensities and all that.

Spoiler

Because the three monster's didn't destroy most of San Francisco...nor was the city mostly evacuated.

I liked the film. It's a lot like Ang Lee's Hulk film. A good outing in film-making. A terrible film for it's titular character.

 

[ares834]

Spoiler

Because the three monster's didn't destroy most of San Francisco...nor was the city mostly evacuated.

Spoiler

It's mentioned in the film that hundreds of thousands of people would have died had the nuke gone off.

 

[Hobgoblin]

I was disappointed in the film for many of the same reasons that other people have been.

 

[Hulk1968]

Saw the movie tonight (the 15th) and enjoyed it a lot, barring a few, minor, flaws.
Other than what's already been said... I say see it and judge for yourself

 

[TanneRain]

Just got back from a 3D IMAX "Special" screening. I loved the film.

I am in no way a huge Godzilla fan or historian of the series. I have seen three of the films all the way through, the original, the 1998 one, and this one. I've seen bits and pieces of the various Mothra ones and Megalodon or whatever its called.

I thought the buildup to all of the Godzilla scenes were definitely worth the payoff, I was smiling and giggling like a ten year old during most of the Godzilla scenes. The movie made me feel like a ten year old again, which is a good thing. I thought the human parts were perfectly fine. Wantanabe and Strathairn excelled in their roles and Cranston was a real presence for his portion of the film. I don't have much else to say other than the film made me very happy and entertained and I will see it again.

 

[LostSon88]

Loved it. Absolutely LOVED IT.

The slow buildup to Godzilla was better than I expected. And the final battle will go down as one of the most epic battles ever seen on screen. I really don't have any complaints.

Oh and I was totally geeking out at how my hometown (SF/Bay Area) was ground zero for this film.

Not often that we get showcased in movie blockbusters.

 

[roach]

as a film goer I was entertained by the movie.
as a screenwriter I had a few issues...most have already been mentioned. The big thing that stood out to me was

Spoiler

it seemed like the government took sides way to quickly. The MUTOS get out and the government sides with Godzilla very quickly.