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Kevin Phillipson (9961 KP) rated Godzilla (1998) in Movies
Apr 9, 2018
Awix (3310 KP) rated Shin Godzilla (2016) in Movies
Feb 10, 2018 (Updated Feb 10, 2018)
He's New, He's True, He's Covered in Goo
Toho's first Godzilla movie since 2004 attempts to square the circle by sticking relatively closely to the feel of the original film while offering a radical new take on Godzilla himself ('Shin', lest you be wondering, is a conveniently ambiguous Japanese word that can mean 'New', 'True', and 'God').
Everyday life in Tokyo is disrupted by the appearance in the bay of a bizarre new form of life, a fast-evolving creature which slithers ashore, causing (but of course) massive property damage, before mutating into something a bit more recognisable as Godzilla. Clearly the government response team have a lot on their hands, but can they come up with a solution before the Americans take charge of the situation and plaster the city with nukes?
Some people may take exception to the movie's very different take on Godzilla (the design of the monster's initial form is unintentionally funny), and it's always a bit of a problem when Godzilla doesn't have anyone to fight in the final reel, but this is still an impressive attempt at a serious Godzilla film that honours the memory of the original. It's also obviously a post-Fukushima movie, fierce in its satire and criticism of useless government bureaucrats and the red tape that surrounds them.
When it all kicks off between Godzilla and the JSDF the special effects sequences are spectacular, and the human characters are quite well-played too. I must confess to missing the sense of fun and imagination that you find in the best Godzilla films - this is kind of like the Batman Begins of Godzilla films, in that it's hard to imagine many of the other classic characters existing in this universe - but this is a smart and serious movie that respects its source material.
Everyday life in Tokyo is disrupted by the appearance in the bay of a bizarre new form of life, a fast-evolving creature which slithers ashore, causing (but of course) massive property damage, before mutating into something a bit more recognisable as Godzilla. Clearly the government response team have a lot on their hands, but can they come up with a solution before the Americans take charge of the situation and plaster the city with nukes?
Some people may take exception to the movie's very different take on Godzilla (the design of the monster's initial form is unintentionally funny), and it's always a bit of a problem when Godzilla doesn't have anyone to fight in the final reel, but this is still an impressive attempt at a serious Godzilla film that honours the memory of the original. It's also obviously a post-Fukushima movie, fierce in its satire and criticism of useless government bureaucrats and the red tape that surrounds them.
When it all kicks off between Godzilla and the JSDF the special effects sequences are spectacular, and the human characters are quite well-played too. I must confess to missing the sense of fun and imagination that you find in the best Godzilla films - this is kind of like the Batman Begins of Godzilla films, in that it's hard to imagine many of the other classic characters existing in this universe - but this is a smart and serious movie that respects its source material.
Fred (860 KP) rated Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) in Movies
Jun 3, 2019
Long Live the King!
Funny how people complained about the 2014 Godzilla movie saying there wasn't enough Godzilla in it. Anyone who is a fan know most Godzilla movies don't have a lot of Godzilla in it. Anyway, now they're complaining about too many monsters. Ridiculous. Let me tell you, this film is for Godzilla fans & boy does it deliver. The story is good enough. I won't give too much away, but the monsters (Titans as they are called here) are woken up & only Godzilla can stop them.
The movie is still pretty heavy on the human story, but it's just the right amount. It ends with a grand Godzilla fight. I'm sure you all know which monsters are involved in the film. By using CGI, they not only look spectacular, but you can get many angles & views of them that you couldn't get by guys in rubber suits. There are so many cool scenes, my favorite maybe being Rodan against the jets. Mothra also appears in the film. Sorry, no tiny singing ladies. But, the song is in the movie! In fact, all of the songs are in the movie! It was great hearing the monster's themes play when they appeared on the screen. Nothing gets you going more than hearing the Godzilla theme playing while he stomps towards the enemy.
The human actors do the job moving things along. There's some corny dialogue (You're a monster!") but we're not talking Shakespeare here anyway. If you're looking for something fun to see, go right out & see this now!
The movie is still pretty heavy on the human story, but it's just the right amount. It ends with a grand Godzilla fight. I'm sure you all know which monsters are involved in the film. By using CGI, they not only look spectacular, but you can get many angles & views of them that you couldn't get by guys in rubber suits. There are so many cool scenes, my favorite maybe being Rodan against the jets. Mothra also appears in the film. Sorry, no tiny singing ladies. But, the song is in the movie! In fact, all of the songs are in the movie! It was great hearing the monster's themes play when they appeared on the screen. Nothing gets you going more than hearing the Godzilla theme playing while he stomps towards the enemy.
The human actors do the job moving things along. There's some corny dialogue (You're a monster!") but we're not talking Shakespeare here anyway. If you're looking for something fun to see, go right out & see this now!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Godzilla Vs King Ghidorah (1991) in Movies
Mar 7, 2018
Eighteenth Godzilla movie (fifth Ghidorah movie, if anyone cares) goes back to campy basics following the relative underperformance of Godzilla Vs Biollante. Owes a lot to 60s and 70s Godzilla movies, but also to American SF movies of the 80s - Back to the Future and Terminator have clearly been an influence. Despite all this the film has an undeniably anti-American subtext (in the future, Japan will become the world's biggest superpower, causing jealous Americans to hatch evil plot to stop this) which is actually quite amusing (possibly less so if you're actually from the USA).
Interesting story, some of the special effects are a little variable but the monster battles are undeniably good fun. Given that Godzilla was a bad guy monster in all the films from this period, and Ghidorah is nearly always the bad guy monster, the question of how to resolve the plot without the bad guy monster winning is reasonably elegant. Some surprisingly edgy moments for a Godzilla movie, too - looks, albeit obliquely, at events connected to the Second World War in a way which previous films would never have dreamt of. Definitely from close to the top of the Godzilla stack.
Interesting story, some of the special effects are a little variable but the monster battles are undeniably good fun. Given that Godzilla was a bad guy monster in all the films from this period, and Ghidorah is nearly always the bad guy monster, the question of how to resolve the plot without the bad guy monster winning is reasonably elegant. Some surprisingly edgy moments for a Godzilla movie, too - looks, albeit obliquely, at events connected to the Second World War in a way which previous films would never have dreamt of. Definitely from close to the top of the Godzilla stack.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Godzilla (2014) in Movies
Mar 24, 2018 (Updated Mar 24, 2018)
Second American attempt at a Godzilla movie avoids some of the old pitfalls which scuppered the Roland Emmerich version, but discovers some brand ones and promptly stumbles into those instead. A slightly oblique take on the Godzilla mythology - Godzilla is not the result of nuclear testing but a survivor from an earlier epoch - and the fact the film often seems more interested in the Muto monsters (Godzilla's opponents this time around) result in a film with a rather odd feel, for all that on paper it looks like a more 'classic' Godzilla story.
They get a lot right - Godzilla is a properly imposing beast, and there are monster battles at the centre of the film - but it's much more po-faced than the Emmerich version, apparently worried that if it cracks a smile for a second or acknowledges its own absurdity everyone will instantly lose interest. Gareth Edwards' habit of cutting away to another sequence every time the monsters start fighting rapidly becomes very annoying, too. A better Godzilla movie than the 1998 version, certainly; but less assured and capable as a piece of entertainment.
They get a lot right - Godzilla is a properly imposing beast, and there are monster battles at the centre of the film - but it's much more po-faced than the Emmerich version, apparently worried that if it cracks a smile for a second or acknowledges its own absurdity everyone will instantly lose interest. Gareth Edwards' habit of cutting away to another sequence every time the monsters start fighting rapidly becomes very annoying, too. A better Godzilla movie than the 1998 version, certainly; but less assured and capable as a piece of entertainment.
Kevin Phillipson (9961 KP) created a post
May 19, 2021
Jeremy King (346 KP) rated Kong: Skull Island (2017) in Movies
Jun 14, 2019
This has to be my favorite king kong movie. If you watched the new Godzilla film you have to watch this film being linked by Monarch (Monarch is a secret scientific organization that first appeared in the 2014 Legendary Pictures Godzilla film).
FX are spot on and the acting was great. Also keep watching it past the ending credits.
FX are spot on and the acting was great. Also keep watching it past the ending credits.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Godzilla Minus One (2023) in Movies
Dec 14, 2023
Surprisingly Human...for a Monster Movie
The BankofMarquis just viewed one of the most entertaining films of 2023 - and it’s a GODZILLA film.
Yes, a GODZILLA film.
From famed Japanese Studio Toho, makers of the original Godzilla film from the 1950’s plus other “man in a rubber suit” monster movies like MOTHRA and WAR OF THE GARGANTUANS, Godzilla Minus One subverts the genre for a moment for instead of presenting a “Monster stomping on buildings” movie with some people in the background, this film is about the Japanese people and how they deal with the aftermath of World War II while (also) running from a giant monster stomping on buildings - but the monster story is the “B” story and the people story is the “A” story…and this subversion of the genre works very very well.
The title of the film, Godzilla Minus One, refers to the fact that…after World War II….Japan was “starting from zero”. When Godzilla starts attacking, it knocks Japan back another peg, hence…Godzilla Minus One.
Director and Screenwriter Takashi Yamazaki tells the tale of Koichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) who encounters Godzilla towards the end of WWII and freezes, causing the death of his fellow soldiers (so his PTSD continues to tell him throughout the film). Once back in Japan, he encounters a young woman, Noriko (Minami Hamabe) who has been left orphaned, homeless and alone and is sheparding an abandoned baby. This unlikely trio form a bond…and a home…while trying to rebuild their lives and (in Koichi’s case) tries to make sense of the devastation he encountered in the war.
Into to this rebuilding stomps Godzilla.
This story is effectively told by Yamazaki, who knows when to focus on the people aspect of the film and when to focus on the building stomping of Godzilla. It’s a delicate balance that is helped by the performances of Kamiki and Hamabe…and the special effects that brings the spirit of the 1950’s and 1960’s Toho monster films to light.
A surpwisingly rich entertainment, Godzilla Minus One will entertain you with monster stomping…and deep human emotion.
Letter Grade: A- (I’m as surprised as you are)
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Yes, a GODZILLA film.
From famed Japanese Studio Toho, makers of the original Godzilla film from the 1950’s plus other “man in a rubber suit” monster movies like MOTHRA and WAR OF THE GARGANTUANS, Godzilla Minus One subverts the genre for a moment for instead of presenting a “Monster stomping on buildings” movie with some people in the background, this film is about the Japanese people and how they deal with the aftermath of World War II while (also) running from a giant monster stomping on buildings - but the monster story is the “B” story and the people story is the “A” story…and this subversion of the genre works very very well.
The title of the film, Godzilla Minus One, refers to the fact that…after World War II….Japan was “starting from zero”. When Godzilla starts attacking, it knocks Japan back another peg, hence…Godzilla Minus One.
Director and Screenwriter Takashi Yamazaki tells the tale of Koichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) who encounters Godzilla towards the end of WWII and freezes, causing the death of his fellow soldiers (so his PTSD continues to tell him throughout the film). Once back in Japan, he encounters a young woman, Noriko (Minami Hamabe) who has been left orphaned, homeless and alone and is sheparding an abandoned baby. This unlikely trio form a bond…and a home…while trying to rebuild their lives and (in Koichi’s case) tries to make sense of the devastation he encountered in the war.
Into to this rebuilding stomps Godzilla.
This story is effectively told by Yamazaki, who knows when to focus on the people aspect of the film and when to focus on the building stomping of Godzilla. It’s a delicate balance that is helped by the performances of Kamiki and Hamabe…and the special effects that brings the spirit of the 1950’s and 1960’s Toho monster films to light.
A surpwisingly rich entertainment, Godzilla Minus One will entertain you with monster stomping…and deep human emotion.
Letter Grade: A- (I’m as surprised as you are)
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Lewis John Hatchett (23 KP) rated Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019 (Updated Jun 20, 2019)
Underachiever
For a film called Godzilla, King of The Monsters, there wasn't much of Godzilla or most of the other Monsters.
The story was lackluster and the human characters served no purpose to the story other than to add a human element and an unnecessary subplot to a story that really didn't need them nor the subplot.
Had a nice generous amount of flights between Godzilla and the fellow monsters King Ghidorah, Mothrah and Rhodan but not enough to satisfy my own expectations.
An awesome story but need more Monsters than humans in it.
The story was lackluster and the human characters served no purpose to the story other than to add a human element and an unnecessary subplot to a story that really didn't need them nor the subplot.
Had a nice generous amount of flights between Godzilla and the fellow monsters King Ghidorah, Mothrah and Rhodan but not enough to satisfy my own expectations.
An awesome story but need more Monsters than humans in it.