Godzilla (2014) - - - Part 12

[Spiderine]

I agree, and the first encounter at the airport was kind of disappointing to a certain point, why show it on the tv in the back round(the fight), but not just show it all together.
[BLACKOUT]
Godzilla looked like he could fight, though when he got tag teamed he went down fast. The tail whip was priceless, and atomic breath wasn't too bad. I also, think they made it plausible for more monsters in the future with how they explained the monsters. Did anyone else notice Godzilla had gills ???
[/BLACKOUT]

Yes, I absolutely loved those parts. The fight at the end saved the film for me. It was worth the wait.

 

[Leenie]

I am really, really curious and excited to hear what James Rolfe a.k.a. The Angry Video Game Nerd thinks about this movie. I know he's a huge Godzilla fan, and I really enjoyed the Godzilla reviews he did back in 2008.

 

[Matt Mortem]

Sooo Soooo good. ****ing loved it. I saw it in IMAX 3D and was blown away. The first Godzilla reveal gave me chills.

 

[UltraSuperGuy]

What a disappointment. The first 10-15 minutes is pretty good and builds tension and then it's all downhill from there once the main character is introduced. In fact every character other than Cranston's was so sleepy-eyed and uninteresting it was infectious. I actually nodded off for a minute and the weird thing is the last movie I fell asleep on in theaters was GZ'98. I waited and waited for one of these characters to do or say something interesting and it just never happened. It was a chore to watch these people. By the time Godzilla stop being teased and unceremoniously entered the picture for the final battle I already knew at that point I wouldn't be seeing this movie again. No way in hell can I sit through those characters for a second time with such little payoff. The action didn't even make up for it. The final battle kept constantly cutting away to these dull cardboard cutout humans.

And Godzilla, not sure what to make of him. He looked good, sounded good, moved good (from what little I saw) but the story isn't really about him and he's just there. He's not a force of nature, doesn't seem to be a threat to mankind, not a destroyer of worlds. He's

Spoiler

the savior of our city?

Hat's off to the marketing committee of Godzilla. You guys did your job and you did it very well but it didn't really deliver on anything that was advertised. I'll be surprised if this movie doesn't drop by a good 65-70% at the box office next weekend.

Yeah, the rewatchability of this movie is incredibly low. Besides all the stupid plot stuff (that totally centers around Ford Brody, making sure he's involved in EVERY military mission in the film), I was just watching it like "this is so not what I want to see". They really should have made Watanabe and/or Cranston the main characters and given them more of a role. The Ford Brody character is just a terrible 2-dimensional cliche of a character.

 

[Broseph44]

Sooo Soooo good. ****ing loved it. I saw it in IMAX 3D and was blown away. The first Godzilla reveal gave me chills.

Awesome t:

 

[Spider-Fan]

I just got back from this movie.

Spoiler

The original Gojira is a monster movie classic. The human characters had great stories, and they worked into the theme of atomophobia very well. It is truly a classic that should be held in high esteem. That being said, the new Godzilla film isn't that type of movie. I would go as far to say it isn't a true monster. This is a disaster movie featuring monsters, in this case, the Japanese icon Godzilla. That will no doubt be a disappointment to many, but that wasn't a disappointment to me.

I've seen several complaints about the human characters outside of Bryan Cranston. Bryan Cranston is outstanding in this film. Every scene he is in is great. The rest of the cast are not given the type of material he was. This film was less character focused, and more situationally focused. I think that is the difference. While the human characters are not interesting exactly as people, the way the film is shot and the situations are engaging. This made up for this disadvantage for me.

Everyone is correct on the monsters not being in the movie a lot. The film instead decides to slowly work its way to the monster mash, while giving us mostly teases and spectacle of the destruction. While many expecting monster mash might be disappointed that the monster fight is secluded basically to the climax, I love the way the movie was shot. By only seeing bits of the monsters, looking up at them, and filming mostly from a human perspective, it gave this film more spectacle and visual flare. Add the tremendous sound design, and the action scenes are awesome. They build suspense very well, and create a chaotic environment. Also, the fact you don't really see the monsters much isn't exactly new for a Godzilla film. Plenty of Godzilla films don't feature him until 40mins-1hr into the movie. Thus, the slow burn method I found building suspense as opposed to hurting the film. I am sure many will disagree.

The film also decides not to use Godzilla as an antagonist, like many thought he would be. While Godzilla was more nature's revenge against humanity for their sins in the original Godzilla, Godzilla more represents the balance of nature in this movie. Instead of knocking mankind down a peg for their hubrous, Godzilla is a hunter trying to destroy these MUTOs, who are creating an imbalance in nature. While this perhaps conflicts with the way the film is marketed, this route is a fair representation of Godzilla. In the early films, Godzilla was a bad monster we should fear, but he evolved in the Japanese films into more of a protector and mascot for Japan. This movie tries to showcase his destructive power, brilliantly displayed in several scenes such as the Golden Gate Bridge sequence, but at the same time, they want to use him in the protector role many are used to seeing him in. It is a delicate balance for sure, but I think Gareth Edwards did a fine job.

This 2014 Godzilla is a great disaster film, and a solid addition to the Godzilla mythos. While it does many things traditional Godzilla fans may not expect or be turned off by, I enjoyed the style the film strived for. The human characters could maybe have used more tweaking and character material (outside the brilliant Bryan Cranston), but I do think they do a good enough job to help build suspense for the audience and to keep us entertained and interested the whole way through. I'll be curious to see what direction they take the series in the next installment, which is sure to come given the solid buzz and the solid opening weekend numbers we're seeing. No matter what they do, a solid foundation for a new series of Godzilla films has been forged!

Overal rating - 4/5

 

[UltraSuperGuy]

Didn't do a very good job conveying a sense of terror, did it? For as dark and gloomy as the movie was, I found this to be pretty shocking.

Yeah, you get one scene of Elizabeth Olson crying in the hospital about how scared she is, but other than that, everyone seems pretty unmoved by the fact that giant monsters are destroying cities.

Sorry, but the countrywide-panic would be insane, and the movie never shows this at all. Edwards really shot himself in the foot by taking all the tension out of the film by having Godzilla immediately just accepted as a good guy. Yeah, like the Navy is just going to escort him into San Francisco without trying their hardest to kill him beforehand?

Their plan was to lure the 3 monsters out to see and detonate a nuke, they assumed that the megaton yield of this nuke would be strong enough to kill Godzilla and the others when the smaller kiloton nukes of the 1950's wasn't strong enough. Okay, so you should kill Godzilla as soon as you can out to see rather than let him get to San Fran and contribute to billions of dollars in property damage, etc.

That's just one of many, many plot problems with the movie. The movie was just so poorly written.

 

[Broseph44]

I just got back from this movie.

Spoiler

The original Gojira is a monster movie classic. The human characters had great stories, and they worked into the theme of atomophobia very well. It is truly a classic that should be held in high esteem. That being said, the new Godzilla film isn't that type of movie. I would go as far to say it isn't a true monster. This is a disaster movie featuring monsters, in this case, the Japanese icon Godzilla. That will no doubt be a disappointment to many, but that wasn't a disappointment to me.

I've seen several complaints about the human characters outside of Bryan Cranston. Bryan Cranston is outstanding in this film. Every scene he is in is great. The rest of the cast are not given the type of material he was. This film was less character focused, and more situationally focused. I think that is the difference. While the human characters are not interesting exactly as people, the way the film is shot and the situations are engaging. This made up for this disadvantage for me.

Everyone is correct on the monsters not being in the movie a lot. The film instead decides to slowly work its way to the monster mash, while giving us mostly teases and spectacle of the destruction. While many expecting monster mash might be disappointed that the monster fight is secluded basically to the climax, I love the way the movie was shot. By only seeing bits of the monsters, looking up at them, and filming mostly from a human perspective, it gave this film more spectacle and visual flare. Add the tremendous sound design, and the action scenes are awesome. They build suspense very well, and create a chaotic environment. Also, the fact you don't really see the monsters much isn't exactly new for a Godzilla film. Plenty of Godzilla films don't feature him until 40mins-1hr into the movie. Thus, the slow burn method I found building suspense as opposed to hurting the film. I am sure many will disagree.

The film also decides not to use Godzilla as an antagonist, like many thought he would be. While Godzilla was more nature's revenge against humanity for their sins in the original Godzilla, Godzilla more represents the balance of nature in this movie. Instead of knocking mankind down a peg for their hubrous, Godzilla is a hunter trying to destroy these MUTOs, who are creating an imbalance in nature. While this perhaps conflicts with the way the film is marketed, this route is a fair representation of Godzilla. In the early films, Godzilla was a bad monster we should fear, but he evolved in the Japanese films into more of a protector and mascot for Japan. This movie tries to showcase his destructive power, brilliantly displayed in several scenes such as the Golden Gate Bridge sequence, but at the same time, they want to use him in the protector role many are used to seeing him in. It is a delicate balance for sure, but I think Gareth Edwards did a fine job.

This 2014 Godzilla is a great disaster film, and a solid addition to the Godzilla mythos. While it does many things traditional Godzilla fans may not expect or be turned off by, I enjoyed the style the film strived for. The human characters could maybe have used more tweaking and character material (outside the brilliant Bryan Cranston), but I do think they do a good enough job to help build suspense for the audience and to keep us entertained and interested the whole way through. I'll be curious to see what direction they take the series in the next installment, which is sure to come given the solid buzz and the solid opening weekend numbers we're seeing. No matter what they do, a solid foundation for a new series of Godzilla films has been forged!

Overal rating - 4/5

 

[kaijunexus]

As a lifelong Godzilla fan...

THIS MOVIE WAS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. The last 20 minutes were like a dream-come-true. Every second of it.

I didn't mind the slow build towards the final battle in terms of monster action. The teases and glimpses only added to the excited and anticipation.

And, while I'll admit that Ford was one of the weakest characters in terms of personality, he and his plight were still relatable to me. Plus, at the very least, he was intelligent and thought on his feet. That's more than can be said about most military-types in these films.

The MUTOs were terrifying, intimidating, and at times truly beautiful and even sympathetic. Far more than I was ever expecting from them.

Godzilla was...just wow. What a beast. This is what Godzilla truly is and has always been. Not just an animal, or a monster, or even a force of nature...but a character, in his own right. Godzilla was full of expression and emotion in this film. Absolutely everything I've ever wanted in my Godzilla.

I left this film wanting more, in the best way possible. I can't wait for sequels. Endless sequels.

60 MORE YEARS!!

LONG LIVE THE KING!!!

 

[The Game]

I'm Hugely disappointed in this film, I expected so much more, Cranston's character had so much potential but was wasted. 6/10 for me

 

[Broseph44]

As a lifelong Godzilla fan...

THIS MOVIE WAS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. The last 20 minutes were like a dream-come-true. Every second of it.

I didn't mind the slow build towards the final battle in terms of monster action. The teases and glimpses only added to the excited and anticipation.

And, while I'll admit that Ford was one of the weakest characters in terms of personality, he and his plight were still relatable to me. Plus, at the very least, he was intelligent and thought on his feet. That's more than can be said about most military-types in these films.

The MUTOs were terrifying, intimidating, and at times truly beautiful and even sympathetic. Far more than I was ever expecting from them.

Godzilla was...just wow. What a beast. This is what Godzilla truly is and has always been. Not just an animal, or a monster, or even a force of nature...but a character, in his own right. Godzilla was full of expression and emotion in this film. Absolutely everything I've ever wanted in my Godzilla.

I left this film wanting more, in the best way possible. I can't wait for sequels. Endless sequels.

60 MORE YEARS!!

LONG LIVE THE KING!!!

Sweet dude t:

 

[Deserana]

As somebody who is a fool of a man with horror films what's this film like for jump scares? Cause I swear if a MUTO jumps out my popcorn will feed everyone around me.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

As somebody who is a fool of a man with horror films what's this film like for jump scares?

There is one "jump scare" and it doesn't involve any of the monsters.

 

[Arc-Light]

It was fantastic......we had ppl cheering and clapping......no joke.


9/10...it is a must see in IMAX...2D or 3D..

 

[TheSmoothKnight]

I loved it.

4/5

 

[kaijunexus]

It was fantastic......we had ppl cheering and clapping......no joke.

I've been to many, many premiere screenings for films. Typically, these are packed with fans of the genre/source material and are definitely likely to applaud , especially more than the average audience.

That being said...I've never heard more applause for a film than I heard today. Ever. It made be proud to be a Godzilla fan.

 

[#1Batmanfan]

Loved it!! 9/10

 

[Broseph44]

****ing excited to see this tomorrow finallyyyy. I'm gonna be nerding out.

 

[Gold Samurai]

There is one "jump scare" and it doesn't involve any of the monsters.

The bird going into the window

and male muto awakening at the plant.


It really was a slow burn. We get a full shot of Godzilla then........

CUT!

....to the kid watching the fight on TV

 

[Broseph44]

So ****ing what if it cut. The tease is the best part. And it's not like that's it, you get more of him later.

 

[GremlinZilla89]

What I'm really having a hard time wrapping my head around is the "boring" complaint. The movie is a non-stop thrill ride after the first act. There is one tension filled and/or draw dropping scene after the other. I mean we have the [BLACKOUT]Muto awakening, the Vegas stuff, the Hawaii scene, the train scene, the bridge scene, and the final fight.[/BLACKOUT] There is plenty of stuff happening in this film and it flowed really well.
I said this about TASM2...but it applies triple for this film: I feel like I saw a totally different film than everybody else. This is truly an old school monster/disaster flick.

 

[Broseph44]

What I'm really having a hard time wrapping my head around is the "boring" complaint. The movie is a non-stop thrill ride after the first act. There is one tension filled and/or draw dropping scene after the other. I mean we have the [BLACKOUT]Muto awakening, the Vegas stuff, the Hawaii scene, the train scene, the bridge scene, and the final fight.[/BLACKOUT] There is plenty of stuff happening in this film and it flowed really well.
I said this about TASM2...but it applies triple for this film: I feel like I saw a totally different film than everybody else. This is truly an old school monster/disaster flick.

I felt the same about spidey 2. I loved it to death and it seems others saw a totally different film. Think it will be the same with this, I haven't seen it yet. But all the spoilers and everything I'm reading I'm loving and it's just what I want and expected. So I know I will love it.

 

[GremlinZilla89]

Oh and add my audience to the clapping party. The clapped FOUR times! Godzilla's first appearance and [BLACKOUT]the two atomic breath shots and when Godzilla whacked the male MUTO into the building with his tail.[/BLACKOUT]

It was a great cinema going experience.

 

[GremlinZilla89]

I mean this film has great mood and atmosphere. Are people REALLY saying they thought it was going to be more of a horror movie? The entire film is a horror movie! It's the most "horror" of any Godzilla film ever made after the original.

There were more suspenseful and intense moments in this film than most "traditional" horror films these days.

 

[Spider-Fan]

What I'm really having a hard time wrapping my head around is the "boring" complaint. The movie is a non-stop thrill ride after the first act. There is one tension filled and/or draw dropping scene after the other. I mean we have the [BLACKOUT]Muto awakening, the Vegas stuff, the Hawaii scene, the train scene, the bridge scene, and the final fight.[/BLACKOUT] There is plenty of stuff happening in this film and it flowed really well.
I said this about TASM2...but it applies triple for this film: I feel like I saw a totally different film than everybody else. This is truly an old school monster/disaster flick.

See, I don't think TASM2 was all that good. That film has a ton of flaws and I agree with 95% of the complaints it is getting. With this film, I don't agree with many of the complaints I am seeing. I absolutely loved the style of this movie and what Edwards did with Godzilla. I feel like he honored Godzilla. But, at the same time, Godzilla has gone through many changes/versions over the years. There isn't a "definitive" Godzilla, save for the 1954 Japanese film. So, I can see it being divisive for this reason.