Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) - Part 1

[Loden Greatstorm]

We need to stop treating monster films differently.
There are plenty of movies that are able to balance their set pieces and their characters. That's what these filmmakers need to do.
I think I'm in the minority, but I thought Kong Skull Island did it well for the most part. I loved the whole Captain Ahab thing with Samuel L Jackson's characters and I liked the platoon of soldiers.
What I didn't like were Hiddelston, Brie Larson, and John C Reily (he gave a good performance but he really felt like he was in a completely different movie)


Again it's not that difficult for filmmakers to do. It's not impossible. The monsters are action set pieces. Or at least they should be treated that way. That's all they're there for, to fight. So treat them as such. Plenty of movies have great action set pieces, but still have good characters. They're not mutually exclusive. And I don't get why these monster or giant robot movies are being graded on a curve.


Don't delude yourself 48 mill for a domestic haul opening weekend isn't good for a 170-200 million dollar movie.

Don’t be ignorant. No one in their right mind expected this to make over 75 million opening weekend. BE REAL.

 

[-JKR-]

They wouldn't dream of it. Seems very personal to you.

Are you being salty, dude?

I just found it to be a beautifully crafted story with relatable and human characters.

Sorry if I don't hop on any bandwagons and join the Schadenfreude.

 

[Kuwolski]

Are you being salty, dude?

I just found it to be a beautifully crafted story with relatable and human characters.

Sorry if I don't hop on any bandwagons and join the Schadenfreude.

Why would I be salty? Don't let me or others (like bandwagon critics) rain on your parade. Hold on to your experience for all it worth.. At this point your experience doesn't need defending, like fans who love other films for example. To suggest otherwise would be salty, no?

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Character arcs? Raleigh making a redemptive comeback by getting into the cockpit with another co-pilot after the trauma of his brother's death, and Mako stepping out from her mentor's shadow and proving she can be a Yaeger pilot.....not complicated.

Yeah, it's all rather simple. That is kind of the issue really, even as I love it.

 

[-JKR-]

Why would I be salty? Don't let me or others (like bandwagon critics) rain on your parade. Hold on to your experience for all it worth.. At this point your experience doesn't need defending, like fans who love other films for example. To suggest otherwise would be salty, no?

Sorry then, dude. My bad.

 

[MadVillainy]

Don’t be ignorant. No one in their right mind expected this to make over 75 million opening weekend. BE REAL.

Did I say this will make 75 mill? I never even mentioned that. Don't know where you pulled that from. But clearly the studio probably thought that it'd gross better by marketing it more and giving it a bigger budget.

You need to "Be Real" and recognize that when you make a movie that cost somewhere between $170-$200 mill to make, that it only grossing $50 mill domestically, where studios get most of their money isn't good. Especially with the competition surrounding the movie and when the opening weekend is where most movies make a majority of their money.

You should also be real and look at the fact that Godzilla 2014 grossed $93 mill it's opening weekend. Dropping from $93 mill to $50 mill isn't good. In any shape, form, or universe. Especially when this opened in more theaters than Godzilla 2014 and they spent more money making this than Godzilla 2014

So you shouldn't be ignorant and look at numbers and facts. Instead of relying on your fanboyism.

 

[redhawk23]

It's not like anyone will take this movie away from me if people don't.



Have you actually seen this movie?

I have. It's maybe tries to have a family drama at the center of it but it doesn't do it well at all. Its poorly executed and a chore to watch.

"Oh nooo which parent will 11 choose between? Wait who cares? Who are these people? What was their conflict again? 11 chooses to stay with her mom who has ostensibly been kidnapped by murderous terrorists? Cool I guess."

The film then goes on to try to backfill what happened with them but man do I just not care by that point.

This film tries to skate by on what it gestures towards rather than what it does.

 

[I Am The Knight]

I dare you tell me with a straight face the personality traits and/or character arcs for Mako or Raleigh.

Thank you. Now I remember their names.

 

[MadVillainy]

Thank you. Now I remember their names.

Don't know how I remembered. But I did

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Don’t be ignorant. No one in their right mind expected this to make over 75 million opening weekend. BE REAL.

Yes, which actually is the issue. The first film did what, $93m? Kong did $61m I think. But domestic issues, while an issue, aren't the big problem here. It is the overseas numbers. It is doing really poorly overseas, which is not how it should be going for a movie of this type.

The first Godzilla did not set the world on fire. It did okay, but it didn't set the world on fire. Kong did a bit better with inflation, but overall decent again. This one is apparently doing a lot worse. Makes me wonder how poorly Big G vs. Kong is going to do next year. On the plus side they already shot that so we will be seeing it.

 

[MadVillainy]

I thought this would be doing better. I only saw the first 2 trailers, but they were solid and got good placements.

BUt yeah I don't think K vs G or G vs K whatever it's called will do that well either.

 

[-JKR-]

I have. It's maybe tries to have a family drama at the center of it but it doesn't do it well at all. Its poorly executed and a chore to watch.

"Oh nooo which parent will 11 choose between? Wait who cares? Who are these people? What was their conflict again? 11 chooses to stay with her mom who has ostensibly been kidnapped by murderous terrorists? Cool I guess."

The film then goes on to try to backfill what happened with them but man do I just not care by that point.

This film tries to skate by on what it gestures towards rather than what it does.

I couldn't disagree more.

The family drama at its core is what made it worthwile for me. The kid was the moral compass, torn between two parents who are reacting differently to their personal tragedy.

 

[I Am The Knight]

Don't know how I remembered. But I did

It's all coming back to me - the gravitas, the performances, the beautiful social commentary, the ART...

 

[redhawk23]

"Is this what you think Andrew would have wanted?"

"Yeah actually. He'd think this was rad as hell."

 

[DarthSkywalker]

It's all coming back to me - the gravitas, the performances, the beautiful social commentary, the ART...

Oh, this is art.

 

[redhawk23]

I couldn't disagree more.

The family drama at its core is what made it worthwile for me. The kid was the moral compass, torn between two parents who are reacting differently to their personal tragedy.

I couldn't disagree more.

The family drama at its core is what made it worthwile for me. The kid was the moral compass, torn between two parents who are reacting differently to their personal tragedy.

I'm glad it worked for you. Nothing about their story resonated or felt relatable at all. That the parents were separated following the death of their son or whatever is pretty basic and fine but beyond that the actual conflict between them was poorly dramatized and they themselves were broad, flat and alien despite laborously and constantly trying to explain themselves.

 

[redhawk23]

Oh, this is art.

While people complained about the night and the rain in that film, all of these monster movies that have come after have really illustrated how well GDT directed those scenes, willing and able to actually let them play out coherently.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

While people complained about the night and the rain in that film, all of these monster movies that have come after have really illustrated how well GDT directed those scenes, willing and able to actually let them play out coherently.

I fully acknowledge all the issues people have with Pacific Rim. But the action... my God...zilla the action.

 

[MadVillainy]

Never found the action anything special in Pacific Rim. It's pretty mediocre to me. So maybe that's why I never really got the appeal of the movie. Because Lord knows to me there's nothing else interesting in that movie

 

[Arachnerd]

Is it time to spread the doomsaying and assume we won't see another american Godzilla film after GvK for at least 15 years?

 

[I Am The Knight]

Oh, this is art.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Never found the action anything special in Pacific Rim. It's pretty mediocre to me. So maybe that's why I never really got the appeal of the movie. Because Lord knows to me there's nothing else interesting in that movie

It is the best display of titans fighting on film imo. Beyond just the general flow of the action and combination of "badass", fun and the funny, it actually captures the weight of it all.

 

[redhawk23]

Is it time to spread the doomsaying and assume we won't see another american Godzilla film after GvK for at least 15 years?

Which to be honest? Fine. Toho is planning a whole series of their own after the Legendary contact expires. While I don't expect every one of their movies to be as good as Shin Godzilla, they seem to stand a better chance than this series does.

 

[daddydivine]

Is it time to spread the doomsaying and assume we won't see another american Godzilla film after GvK for at least 15 years?

Well after Godzilla vs Kong... no point really.

 

[Arachnerd]

Well after Godzilla vs Kong... no point really.

Unless they go with the darker route of the 2012 Oppenheimer teaser, but that's just me.

I just hope GvK isn't like, the last Godzilla movie to be released in theaters worldwide period.