Godzilla (2014)

[Drunken Monk]

I think the flaw is with the audience, for the most part. Gareth Edwards made a more mature version of "Godzilla" and I think the fighting on the tv screens and the doors closing before we get to see Godzilla go at it was there to make fun of the viewers.

It seems like he was adamantly stating that "Godzilla" isn't "Pacific Rim." It's about the humanity's reaction to the possibility of such grand destruction. It wasn't about monsters pummeling the shit out of one another.

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

I think the flaw is with the audience, for the most part. Gareth Edwards made a more mature version of "Godzilla" and I think the fighting on the tv screens and the doors closing before we get to see Godzilla go at it was there to make fun of the viewers.

It seems like he was adamantly stating that "Godzilla" isn't "Pacific Rim." It's about the humanity's reaction to the possibility of such grand destruction. It wasn't about monsters pummeling the shit out of one another.

Exactly,a more adult oriented Godzilla film. Even I know going into this film it wasn't going to be non stop action because I knew the director's style and his approach. And as for the story, it was way more cheesy and lame in Pacific Rim. I think the problem is that the characters in this movie is too much like people in real life, hahahhaah. They say the characters are bland and uninteresting, well DUH????? They're representing you, you doofus!!!

[Secret Executioner]

It's about as non-stop action as Bruce Lee Fights Back From The Grave - except in Godzilla, the action is better, the movie is more watchable and you DO have a Godzilla in it (as though it was worth mentionning BLFBFTG has NOTHING to do with Bruce Lee).

I guess the characters are dull and uninteresting because well, one doesn't want to care about them (I know I barely gave a sh*t about them). I must say the best human character is the hero's father, I wish he made it through. And honestly, if the military and world leaders are that stupid in real life (throwing a nuclear bomb at monsters feeding on radiations is like Superman using green kryptonite to fight Metallo - a plan that totally backfires), I guess I understand why conflicts in the world can't be solved...

Having said that, I can totally accept some stupid shit going on in movies - like the inability of the people to re-capture or even fight back against the monsters while they had successfully captured them some 20 years before and kept them for about 20 years on Monster Island (in Destroy All Monsters) - but as I said my suspension of disbelief is limited.

Speaking of Destroy All Monsters, I read the 2014 Godzilla could have a sequel and this sequel could be loosely based on DAM - I hope they'll use some of the classic monsters, like Baragon (as an underground creature, he could be used easily - the monsters are supposed to be in hidding for millions of years).

[Takuma]

Saw it a few days ago. Didn't think so highly of it.

It's certainly quite a passable attempt at American Godzilla; however, I didn't think it came anywhere near the greatness of Pacific Rim. The latter was to monster/mecha movies what Kill Bill was to genre films: a love letter that understood something about the genre mechanics. The new Godzilla is a standard CGI monster flick where nothing really fails, but nothing really stands out either.

Watanabe and Cranston aside the cast is forgettable, action mostly "filmed" in the dark, monster design is uninspired, CGI not great, and there are kids and dogs as cheap tools for drama. The first time I paid attention to the soundtrack was during the end credits, when I started wondering how come there was nothing to pay attention to? The original Godzilla theme wouldn't have hurt.

Oh, and the army.... They give a nuclear bomb (!!!) to this loonie who claims to be a soldier and know something about bombs. They don't even bother checking his ID before handing over the bomb. God save us all...

Then again, we also have this Japanese scientist who suggests we let a 100 metre monster walk to San Francisco and see what happens. Might all end happily. Sounds like a bloody great idea....

Also, the otherwise cool parachute scene is in the wrong place. Why place a scene that is based on mystery – what’s under the clouds – when we know exactly what’s under the clouds because we saw it already in the earlier scenes.

Nevertheless, the film does entertain alright, some references are nice, and the build-up is pretty good. I also might have missed something because I was a bit drunk by the time I got to the theater. Me and my friend kinda underestimated how much beer 3 litres divided in 2 really is...

And contrary to the popular belief, the general public in Japan don't think the new Godzilla is too fat. That was someone purposefully interviewing a couple of hard core Godzilla worshippers who had not even seen the movie. The film only opened in Japan last week, and is no.1 at the box office at the moment.

[Secret Executioner]

Saw it a few days ago. Didn't think so highly of it.

It's certainly quite a passable attempt at American Godzilla; however, I didn't think it came anywhere near the greatness of Pacific Rim. The latter was to monster/mecha movies what Kill Bill was to genre films: a love letter that understood something about the genre mechanics. The new Godzilla is a standard CGI monster flick where nothing really fails, but nothing really stands out either.

Watanabe and Cranston aside the cast is forgettable, action mostly "filmed" in the dark, monster design is uninspired, CGI not great, and there are kids and dogs as cheap tools for drama. The first time I paid attention to the soundtrack was during the end credits, when I started wondering how come there was nothing to pay attention to? The original Godzilla theme wouldn't have hurt.

Oh, and the army.... They give a nuclear bomb (!!!) to this loonie who claims to be a soldier and know something about bombs. They don't even bother checking his ID before handing over the bomb. God save us all...

Then again, we also have this Japanese scientist who suggests we let a 100 metre monster walk to San Francisco and see what happens. Might all end happily. Sounds like a bloody great idea....

Also, the otherwise cool parachute scene is in the wrong place. Why place a scene that is based on mystery – what’s under the clouds – when we know exactly what’s under the clouds because we saw it already in the earlier scenes.

Nevertheless, the film does entertain alright, some references are nice, and the build-up is pretty good. I also might have missed something because I was a bit drunk by the time I got to the theater. Me and my friend kinda underestimated how much beer 3 litres divided in 2 really is...

And contrary to the popular belief, the general public in Japan don't think the new Godzilla is too fat. That was someone purposefully interviewing a couple of hard core Godzilla worshippers who had not even seen the movie. The film only opened in Japan last week, and is no.1 at the box office at the moment.

On your remark concerning kids and dogs: it's an American movie. Have you ever seen an American movie (especially of this kind) without a cute pet or an annoying kid ?

On the soundtrack: I think a bit sounding like the Akira Ifukube classic theme is heard in the end of the film.

Concerning your nitpicks on logic, how about this: the army knows the monsters feed on radiations, yet still want to nuke them. And this put together with your San Francisco remark implies that the best way to destroy a bunch of giant monsters is to nuke a major city... Yeah, sure.