Godzilla 2014 Review - The King is Back!

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
A week ago Godzilla 2014 hit the theaters Directed by Gareth Edwards, the film marked the return of Godzilla to the big screen in wide release for the first time since the Roland Emmerich abomination back in 1999. So far it is a huge box-office hit (over 200 million in 4 days) and the reviews have been generally good, with the majority liking the film and a smaller minority being indifferent to not liking it. This will be my take on the film. I plan to go from what the film does right to what it does wrong (and there are some things it does do wrong), and then to a conclusion. I hope you enjoy this.

Right thing #1: The Tone

The first thing the film does right I want to point up is setting and keeping Tone. Tone for the uninitiated is the “mood” of a movie, or how it feels. For examples of films that do a very poor job on Tone, look at the Transformers movies, the Star Wars prequels and Man of Steel. All of these films have abrupt tonal shifts from drama to screwball comedy to pseudo horror and others that occur frequently enough to leave the viewer with no real emotional “sense” of the film.

Godzilla, on the other hand, does a brilliant job of setting and holding a foreboding, somewhat ominous tone. This stems from things like scenery selection, subtle bits of acting from Bryan Cranston, the utter helplessness of the defending military and the way destruction is shown – with scenes of the dead and the injured straining medical help past the breaking point. Even the way some of the monster battles are shot lends to this tone as the people are basically insects caught in the middle of a titanic struggle.

Right thing #2: The return of buildup and payoff

Something I have really missed in recent films is the concept of buildup and payoff. In general terms, this is where a particular scene or sequence is actually the payoff to earlier scenes and sequences that built up to it. Recent films have been much more about showing it all almost right away and basically being a soulless CGI orgy thereafter. The notable exception to this rule was Pacific Rim which also seemed to “get” this concept.

In Godzilla, Edwards does buildup and payoff better than we have seen on the big screen since Spielberg was making good films (like Raiders of the Lost Ark which also was great at buildup and payoff). The MUTOs were an excellent example of this but the best was the buildup to Godzilla himself coming on the scene.It added a sense of anticipation that aided in the tone setting mentioned already.

Right Thing #3: Godzilla himself

After the horrid GINO ignuana of Emmerich’s garbage, Kaiju fans were rightly ambivalent about letting another American director at Godzilla. Gareth Edwards, however, is a long time avid fan of Godzilla and Kaiju films. The film that put him on the map was a Kaiju film (Monsters) he made himself on his laptop. His complete lack of experience in big productions was a concern, and to be honest it did manifest itself in other less good ways. However, here it was a benefit.

To be blunt, his Godzilla is faithful to the Toho character. He is BIG, mean, a total boss and really felt like what Ishiro Honda would have made had he had access to modern technology. The nuclear fire breath was extremely well done also, and the roar was amazing in the theater. And the movements and actions were totally Godzilla also.

This love of Kaiju films extended to the rest of the film as well. It is structured like a lot of Toho films, and the big surprise reveal (yes the trailers were recut to give the wrong impression – Godzilla is the hero not the villain) was also pure Toho.

Okay.

Remember I mentioned Gareth Edwards lack of experience in making big films? Here’s where the OTHER side of that coin comes into play:

Wrong thing #1: Pacing


Simply put, a big studio film like this needs a quicker, more even pace. Godzilla felt a bit like a small studio film where the pacing in act 2 was too slow. Ironically, Monsters had the exact same issue. This had the side effect of making Godzilla himself feel like he was on even less than he actually was (the 20 minute figure bandied about is off – I timed it and he was for 36 minutes out of the 120 minute film). Really the film could have been about 15 minutes shorter and lost nothing simply by trimming act 2.

Wrong thing #2: Acting outside of Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe

When one actor is flat, I generally lay it on the actor. When more than one is not only flat but the same kind of flat, I look at the director. Cranston and Watanabe did well in their roles. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elisabeth Olsen were both very muted and dull. Again, go back and watch Monsters and you see the same thing with the human characters – a couple standouts and the rest are kind of human paste in the background.

Conclusion

Sorry this was so long.

Overall, I like this film. Godzilla felt perfect in it and I could forgive the pacing and flattish characters in light of the brilliant work in tone, buildup, payoff and “money scenes”. I even enjoyed the couple of Easter eggs in the film for the avid Toho buffs. While it has a couple of issues they are the marks of an inexperienced director, and I do not expect him to repeat them. I also expect there will be a totally different cast in the sequel, as that is the custom in Godzilla films and the whole ethos of this film was honoring the Godzilla movie.
 

Overmind One

GateFans Gatemaster
Staff member
A week ago Godzilla 2014 hit the theaters Directed by Gareth Edwards, the film marked the return of Godzilla to the big screen in wide release for the first time since the Roland Emmerich abomination back in 1999. So far it is a huge box-office hit (over 200 million in 4 days) and the reviews have been generally good, with the majority liking the film and a smaller minority being indifferent to not liking it. This will be my take on the film. I plan to go from what the film does right to what it does wrong (and there are some things it does do wrong), and then to a conclusion. I hope you enjoy this.

Right thing #1: The Tone

The first thing the film does right I want to point up is setting and keeping Tone. Tone for the uninitiated is the “mood” of a movie, or how it feels. For examples of films that do a very poor job on Tone, look at the Transformers movies, the Star Wars prequels and Man of Steel. All of these films have abrupt tonal shifts from drama to screwball comedy to pseudo horror and others that occur frequently enough to leave the viewer with no real emotional “sense” of the film.

Godzilla, on the other hand, does a brilliant job of setting and holding a foreboding, somewhat ominous tone. This stems from things like scenery selection, subtle bits of acting from Bryan Cranston, the utter helplessness of the defending military and the way destruction is shown – with scenes of the dead and the injured straining medical help past the breaking point. Even the way some of the monster battles are shot lends to this tone as the people are basically insects caught in the middle of a titanic struggle.

Right thing #2: The return of buildup and payoff

Something I have really missed in recent films is the concept of buildup and payoff. In general terms, this is where a particular scene or sequence is actually the payoff to earlier scenes and sequences that built up to it. Recent films have been much more about showing it all almost right away and basically being a soulless CGI orgy thereafter. The notable exception to this rule was Pacific Rim which also seemed to “get” this concept.

In Godzilla, Edwards does buildup and payoff better than we have seen on the big screen since Spielberg was making good films (like Raiders of the Lost Ark which also was great at buildup and payoff). The MUTOs were an excellent example of this but the best was the buildup to Godzilla himself coming on the scene.It added a sense of anticipation that aided in the tone setting mentioned already.

Right Thing #3: Godzilla himself

After the horrid GINO ignuana of Emmerich’s garbage, Kaiju fans were rightly ambivalent about letting another American director at Godzilla. Gareth Edwards, however, is a long time avid fan of Godzilla and Kaiju films. The film that put him on the map was a Kaiju film (Monsters) he made himself on his laptop. His complete lack of experience in big productions was a concern, and to be honest it did manifest itself in other less good ways. However, here it was a benefit.

To be blunt, his Godzilla is faithful to the Toho character. He is BIG, mean, a total boss and really felt like what Ishiro Honda would have made had he had access to modern technology. The nuclear fire breath was extremely well done also, and the roar was amazing in the theater. And the movements and actions were totally Godzilla also.

This love of Kaiju films extended to the rest of the film as well. It is structured like a lot of Toho films, and the big surprise reveal (yes the trailers were recut to give the wrong impression – Godzilla is the hero not the villain) was also pure Toho.

Okay.

Remember I mentioned Gareth Edwards lack of experience in making big films? Here’s where the OTHER side of that coin comes into play:
Wrong thing #1: Pacing

Simply put, a big studio film like this needs a quicker, more even pace. Godzilla felt a bit like a small studio film where the pacing in act 2 was too slow. Ironically, Monsters had the exact same issue. This had the side effect of making Godzilla himself feel like he was on even less than he actually was (the 20 minute figure bandied about is off – I timed it and he was for 36 minutes out of the 120 minute film). Really the film could have been about 15 minutes shorter and lost nothing simply by trimming act 2.

Wrong thing #2: Acting outside of Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe

When one actor is flat, I generally lay it on the actor. When more than one is not only flat but the same kind of flat, I look at the director. Cranston and Watanabe did well in their roles. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elisabeth Olsen were both very muted and dull. Again, go back and watch Monsters and you see the same thing with the human characters – a couple standouts and the rest are kind of human paste in the background.

Conclusion

Sorry this was so long.

Overall, I like this film. Godzilla felt perfect in it and I could forgive the pacing and flattish characters in light of the brilliant work in tone, buildup, payoff and “money scenes”. I even enjoyed the couple of Easter eggs in the film for the avid Toho buffs. While it has a couple of issues they are the marks of an inexperienced director, and I do not expect him to repeat them. I also expect there will be a totally different cast in the sequel, as that is the custom in Godzilla films and the whole ethos of this film was honoring the Godzilla movie.

The format of your review should be a standard here!

Having said that, I would fall into the gray area between "liked it" and "it was just alright". The saying about one bad apple applied here for me in this movie. I wont rehash your review, but....

These are the things I think they did right:

  • The size of Godzilla is more than double what he was before, and it looks great. His new design, despite my initial thoughts on it, were actually truer to the real Toho Godzilla than it has been in decades, and he is the best Godzilla yet.
  • The "feel" and look of the movie AND the sound track were classic kaiju, classic Godzilla done right.
  • The M.U.T.O.s acted like kaiju, and they were given a sub-plot within the movie, like it is done in other kaiju movies.
  • The CGI and destruction of San Francisco and other locales was done in the classic kaiju style, only without having to use miniatures.
  • They used enough fire and smoke and had enough explosions.
All of those things apply mostly to the movie after the 1:00he mark and not before (where most what what they got wrong happened)

These things are what they did wrong:

  • Aaron Taylor Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen and the kid. None of them needed to be in this movie at all, and the prospect of them appearing in future Godzilla movies is disappointing. They weighed down the film.
  • Development of a "human story" over the re-introduction of our new Godzilla. In the 1954 film, as it should have been in this film, Godzilla appears on the scene early and the movie is centered around what he is and how he behaves. Dr Serizawa is there. And the assistant is actually supposed to be an important recurring character, Emiko Yamane. They tossed that relationship and ruined the balance of the human characters. I found the story of the brooding doctor and the perky Emiko discovering Godzilla's secrets much more engaging than the lame story of the Brodys.
  • Godzilla is not the star. He is the king of the Kaiju, but there is just not enough of him in this film. He comes too late, and when he comes into the film I am already bored by the first hour of the movie and it only brings me back to level and does not excite.
  • M.U.T.O. is lame. These kaiju monsters have traditionally been given names by reporters, by villagers or regular people. M.U.T.O. tosses this convention, and makes you wonder why Godzilla gets to keep his name whilst the other kaiju are only M.U.T.O.s. In Pacific Rim, even those kaiju were given names by Jaeger pilots or others.
Like I said, I did like this movie, but I didnt love it. I loved Pacific Rim. LOVED it. I wouldn't change a thing in it. But I really wish Del Toro had done this Godzilla instead of Gareth Edwards. The two of them as a team would rock the house.
 

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
I think we're saying similar things. I said the actors outside of Cranston and Watanabe were flattish. Theoretically they could have simply had the human connection be Serizawa and his assistant. The Brody family was largely drawn in to give a more immediate view of the carnage - I do not think they return in the sequel at all. The only cast member we might see again to my thinking is Ken Watanabe.

I also think your comments are parallel to mine about act 2 being too slow. Really I think both issues come from a director who prior to Godzilla had no experience with major studio productions. I think Gareth Edwards has a future because unlike a lot of modern directors he understands how to set mood and tone, and also how to set up payoffs and money scenes. Once he learns how to balance the pace of a film and how to direct supporting actors he could become a true artist.
 

Overmind One

GateFans Gatemaster
Staff member
I think we're saying similar things. I said the actors outside of Cranston and Watanabe were flattish. Theoretically they could have simply had the human connection be Serizawa and his assistant. The Brody family was largely drawn in to give a more immediate view of the carnage - I do not think they return in the sequel at all. The only cast member we might see again to my thinking is Ken Watanabe.

I also think your comments are parallel to mine about act 2 being too slow. Really I think both issues come from a director who prior to Godzilla had no experience with major studio productions. I think Gareth Edwards has a future because unlike a lot of modern directors he understands how to set mood and tone, and also how to set up payoffs and money scenes. Once he learns how to balance the pace of a film and how to direct supporting actors he could become a true artist.

Yes, we are saying basically the same thing. I wont argue that they got the "kaiju style" right in this film. But development of human storylines is not something that is part of kaiju films...at least not just regular people. The original Godzilla had Dr Serizawa and Emiko as the main human characters, and both were scientists studying Godzilla. In this movie, what the hell did Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen and their kid have to do with anything? Their presence was boldly and unfortunately out of place. What was the whole sequence with the Asian kid on the train about? Pure filler.

I somehow think that the budget for CGI Godzilla was somewhat limited perhaps? I cant think of any reason why Godzilla would have been in such a small part of a movie bearing only his name. It should have been named:

The Brody Bunch, with Godzilla

Why would they bother introducing this Ford Brody dude and his wife and kid unless they are going to be in future Godzilla films? I dont care about them and dont want to see them. But keep Dr. Serizawa and lose the lame no-name assistant he has and have him meet Emiko Yamane. Elevate the story by concentrating on the scientists and the military, and dump the soldier boy with daddy issues and his boring little family.

I have seen Pacific Rim about 12 times now, and I still LOVE it every time I watch it. The Godzilla movie is heavy by comparison. It makes you want to save the popcorn until the good part which is basically an hour into the film. I liked it...but it does not quite live up to the hype IMO.
 
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Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
This is where I think we do differ a little. I viewed the Brody son and his wife as disposable characters basically there to provide a human dimension in the actual maelstrom. Their story is all done - kiss them goodbye. You are assuming they are going to be ongoing characters, which I think is highly unlikely. Godzilla films typically have no recurring characters - the only ones were Emiko doing a cameo in Godzilla Raids Again and Godzilla versus Destroyah and Miki Saegusa in the Heisei films - and she was a first as being a common character across a whole era.

On balance, I think the good outweighs the bad. And I think Edwards as he gains experience will learn pacing better and also how to properly direct the smaller part cast members.
 

Overmind One

GateFans Gatemaster
Staff member
This is where I think we do differ a little. I viewed the Brody son and his wife as disposable characters basically there to provide a human dimension in the actual maelstrom. Their story is all done - kiss them goodbye. You are assuming they are going to be ongoing characters, which I think is highly unlikely. Godzilla films typically have no recurring characters - the only ones were Emiko doing a cameo in Godzilla Raids Again and Godzilla versus Destroyah and Miki Saegusa in the Heisei films - and she was a first as being a common character across a whole era.

On balance, I think the good outweighs the bad. And I think Edwards as he gains experience will learn pacing better and also how to properly direct the smaller part cast members.

I think Aaron Taylor Johnson and his family will be back. They would not have introduced them for nothing, would they? Not two, not three but FOUR Brodys in this film. Why any Brodys at all? Why was Dr Serizawa made a minor character? And his assistant was lame...if she had been Emiko, we would have seen some science in this film. They could have made Bryan Cranston's character a scientist (sans family) and it would have been better.

Why not a Katsuo and Emiko human story? It was just enough...and the kaiju were still the stars.
 

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
Wait and see. They might bring Watanabe back, but the rest will be new cast. Again this is the pattern of Godzilla films (not to have recurring human characters) and Edwards whole film fairly screamed respect for the ethos of Godzilla filmmaking. Plus to me the whole way the Brody's were introduced, used and finished with fairly screamed "I am a disposable character only here to provide a human on the ground element".
 

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
I don't really agree with his four points.

His point about the Hawaii fight seems to stem from today's typical approach of "give me all of it and do it now". The Hawaii fight was buildup for San Francisco and making it too long steals the finale's thunder. Really, this goes back to act 2 being too long. Shorten act 2 and the Hawaii fight stays the same and still serves its purpose without causing the pace of the film to slow so much in the middle.

Points about women characters and Brody's death likewise miss the point, which is that to an extent all the human characters are secondary. This is a kaiju film not a character study.

Finally, it feels like he missed scenes in the film. Otherwise he would know why Godzilla winds up the hero. The military tries everything and it is only when their nuclear weapon plot blows up in their faces that they finally decide (having no other options) that their only other course of action is to get out of the way and hope Godzilla really is the apex predator and can overcome the MUTO. And the ordinary people cheering when Godzilla woke up was understandable without expository dialogue - Godzilla had just saved their lives from the MUTOs. I liked the people cheering when he awakened and cheering him as he went back to the sea.

Really I think your critique and mine are much more on point.
 

Overmind One

GateFans Gatemaster
Staff member
I don't really agree with his four points.

His point about the Hawaii fight seems to stem from today's typical approach of "give me all of it and do it now". The Hawaii fight was buildup for San Francisco and making it too long steals the finale's thunder. Really, this goes back to act 2 being too long. Shorten act 2 and the Hawaii fight stays the same and still serves its purpose without causing the pace of the film to slow so much in the middle.

I might buy that if there wasnt a Pacific Rim to compare this movie to. In kaiju films, it is USUALLY give me the monsters early and start the destruction and fights first.

Points about women characters and Brody's death likewise miss the point, which is that to an extent all the human characters are secondary. This is a kaiju film not a character study.

That is the point of the review! Since when were kaiju movies about human characters? This one definitely is. And in all kaiju films with women in them (including Pacific Rim) the female characters are better developed. Mako, Emiko, even Destroy All Monsters with the Kilakks (whose leader is a female). There was no excuse for that.

Finally, it feels like he missed scenes in the film. Otherwise he would know why Godzilla winds up the hero. The military tries everything and it is only when their nuclear weapon plot blows up in their faces that they finally decide (having no other options) that their only other course of action is to get out of the way and hope Godzilla really is the apex predator and can overcome the MUTO. And the ordinary people cheering when Godzilla woke up was understandable without expository dialogue - Godzilla had just saved their lives from the MUTOs. I liked the people cheering when he awakened and cheering him as he went back to the sea.

Meh.....I did not see it quite that way. :)

Really I think your critique and mine are much more on point.

Perhaps, but he makes many of the same observations I did not make in my review but agree with. Its just that this film is unbalanced. What you are seeing as "buildup", I see as "tease" (not in a good way). I never invested in Ford Brody so every time he was in a scene it bored me. Same with his wife played by Elizabeth Olsen who did nothing but look worried or look terrified. What a waste.

I cant help but look at Pacific Rim for comparison, and side by side, this Godzilla movie is lacking something that Pacific Rim had in spades.
 
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Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
Actually a lot of them buildup to rolling out the Kaiju. The original Godzilla did for one - the film is over a third over before you see his top part peeking over the ridge. Godzilla versus Mothra - same thing. Son of Godzilla - same thing. And so on.
 

mzzz

Well Known GateFan
Think boy scout Brody was supposed to some meta-parallel to Godzilla. One particularly blatant example was when Brody collapsed on the boat and when Godzilla collapsed after the fight sorta at the same time. I saw one photoshop of Brody and Godzilla in a car, as in they were going on a road trip together, lol, which was pretty much true.

I preferred that Godzilla was less of a presence and enjoyed the uhhh let's go with foreplay. What I didn't like was how ineffectively they filled up that screentime during the foreplay bit with respect to human characters. Brody had so much in the way of possible characterization and potential compelling character study because the MUTOs killed his parents! Guy should've been so distraught, angry, just something! But he was pretty much impassive throughout the movie. He didn't emote at all.

I don't really buy the rationalization of judging based on the status quo of previous Godzilla movies being mostly about Godzilla and the human characters being secondary. You need a good balance of both, especially when you're going to do an opening movie that mostly teases Godzilla. They were filling most of the time with the human characters, who should have gotten better characterization.
 

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
Except that it didn't mostly tease Godzilla. Once the battle in San Francisco got rolling the focus went to Godzilla with some Brody in that he was on the weapon disarm mission.


And I agree Brody was flat. I just think that Edwards was building up to Godzilla's big fight but should have shortened the second act - that is what makes the buildup feel too long.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Overmind One

GateFans Gatemaster
Staff member
In a Godzilla film, I find scientists interesting as characters...balanced with a military presence. We see this dynamic in every kaiju movie, in movies like Independence Day and Pacific Rim and even the original Godzilla and every kaiju movie. The story is about analyzing the monsters for weaknesses, then using some strategy to defeat them. After all, you have GIANT FREAKIN MONSTERS stomping buildings flat and shit!

Dr Brody and his wife were scientists. And the best actor in the film (Cranston) started the first act VERY well. Dr Serizawa is a scientist and his assistant was also supposed to be a scientist. But then it gets switched off to a story about a Marine? Oh, and lets not even get started on the complete ignorance of military protocol and reality in this thing. :facepalm:. But that wasnt a big deal. Ford Brody getting the pass off as the lead was like adding deadweight to the movie. Thankfully, Godzilla and the M.U.T.O.s picked up the pace.

I am okay with telling a human story in these new kaiju films, but look at how Pacific Rim did it. It was there, but the monsters were still the center of the film. Its the main reason people go to see these movies, isnt it?
 

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
I'm not really disagreeing with anyone, except that I don't see them bringing back any of the human cast except maybe Serizawa.

And overall, I can overlook the pacing issue and the flattish human characters because of the brilliant work done with the tone and mood, the excellent use of buildup and payoff and finally but most importantly - this Godzilla IS Godzilla. Faithfulness to the Toho monster character and kaiju film structure was refreshing.
 
B

Backstep

Guest
maybe cause im old and used to the human element being part of the story and plot lines instead of out side/independent like in Nutrek and this Godzilla that i dislike these films. it used to be we had gotten to know the characters by how they interacted with the monster/situation.
 

Overmind One

GateFans Gatemaster
Staff member
maybe cause im old and used to the human element being part of the story and plot lines instead of out side/independent like in Nutrek and this Godzilla that i dislike these films. it used to be we had gotten to know the characters by how they interacted with the monster/situation.

Precisely! This was one about getting to know the characters from how they interacted with EACH OTHER. Previous kaiju films including Pacific Rim had characters who were drawn together by the monsters and somehow defeat them as a team. This one lacked that.
 

Red Mage

Boney
The cats out of the bag, looks like everyone who planned on seeing the film has seen it, so I won't hold back with spoilers.

I personally rate the film a 6/10. I've seen a handful of Godzilla films not including the 98 trash prior to seeing this film. My friend who is a diehard Godzilla fan echoed Joelists sentiments to my vague displeasure with this film in the trailer thread. He argued this is a great "kaiju" film with nonsense like "it's ok the human characters are super bland because the monster scenes where well done and the super huge amounts of boring filler are ok because they are the 'build up' scenes."

Nonsense. Just because bland human characterization have been the defacto standard for kaiju films doesn't mean it has to remain that way nor should we stand for it. Raise the bar of expectation. Don't settle on mediocrity and call it "great" because it's been the standard. Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins are quality actors, this film could have been something special but now doomed to film mediocrity because the director and writers squandered utilizing great acting talent in favor of "tradition."

You CAN have your cake and eat it too. Jaws, Alien and Jurassic Park proved that your don't have to skimp out on creating great human characters to create a compelling monster film. Just because Godzilla monsters are "japanese" doesn't means we need to treat them with different standard. Each one of those previously mentioned films has a memorable cast of developed human characters and also have "monsters" that take center stage. A good writer can accomplish both. Good human characters and star monsters are not mutually exclusive.

The Jurassic Park sequels sucked but it proves my point. The dinosaurs didn't get any less cool or interesting in the sequels but the human characters sucked in the sequels and the films suffered for it. Just like Godzilla isn't any less interesting surrounded by poor characters but imagine the new film with a great human plot as well. We could have seen a truly great film. The pieces were in place with a handful of great acting talent (minus ATJ and the 'third' Olsen twin) but the film failed to capitalized on its ultimate potential and thus why I don't think I'll be coming back to the film once time has passed.
 
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Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
I think this is just a difference of opinion. Most seem to like this film. Some (a minority) do not.

Sorry, but proper buildup is NOT "filler". Are our attention spans THAT short, that we just have to have everything happen right away and have forgotten the fine art of building up to payoffs? You want to argue that the buildup was too long, that's cool and I in fact agreed when I stated act 2 is too long. Calling it filler I reject. Filler is nonsense that does not in any way advance the plot. These scenes did advance the plot, just what may be a bit too slowly.

Also, kaiju films NEED to honor the traditions of the genre. Otherwise they are not Kaiju films. The biggest problem with the 1999 American Godzilla film was it spat on those traditions and as a result was just a generic action film that tried to piggyback on the traditions - in other words fraud. A BIG reason people are flocking to see this Godzilla is the word of mouth got out that it DOES honor the genre properly. And that its Godzilla IS Godzilla.

Every person here has noted the flat performances out of Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor Johnson. Some place more importance on that than others do. To me it did not take the film down because the centerpiece of the film are the Kaiju, and they are brilliantly done. The film does a superb job of setting the right mood and tone and holding them also. It makes the film atmospheric, which most all modern films fail at. Given what it does right, I can forgive some pacing issues and some flat performances.
 

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
Something else this movie did well was "money scenes". Money scenes are ones that succeed in sticking in your mind after the movie is over. Some of them to me were:

1) The first time we see Godzilla - and the first roar. It takes a theater sound system to do that roar justice!

2) Godzilla emerging from the sea at San Francisco just as people are fleeing the flying MUTO.

3) The MUTO attack in Japan in the quarantine area. VERY well done.

4) The first time Godzilla lets loose with his nuclear breath. FANTASTIC fire breath effect and the reaction of the soldiers who saw it was well done and made perfect sense as well. Us Kaiju fans knew what was coming the second we saw the tail come into view and the dorsal fins were glowing blue white.

5) Godzilla's victory. The whole fight scene where he attacked the big female MUTO with his teeth while it was trying to grab the bomb (and killing the whole special unit), pulled it back, got it in a sort of hammerlock, forced its jaws open (this Godzilla used its hands more than prior ones) and then blew its head off with nuclear breath was extraordinary.

6) Yes, Godzilla's walk back to the sea after awakening from it's post fight slumber. I liked the reaction of the people at the scene and across the city - initial fear tuned quickly to wild cheering. I was grinning myself.
 
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