Best End of Era Film

For discussions covering more than one Toho film or show that span across more than one “era.”
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Which of the era enders was the best?

Terror of Mechagodzilla (Showa)
47
48%
Godzilla vs Destroyah (Heisei)
44
45%
Godzilla:Final Wars (Millenium)
7
7%
 
Total votes: 98

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VamprisArachne
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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by VamprisArachne »

In all honesty though Terror of Mechagodzilla wins this, I've only seen the english version which has a LOT of jump cuts and weird editing but it beats GvD in pacing and effects and Final Wars in about everything ;)

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GotengoXGodzilla
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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by GotengoXGodzilla »

Captain Gordon character because...he actually has a backstory with Godzilla, certain scenes had some good acting, has a good personality, can give laughs and was badass with the sword.
He's also by a martial arts fighter, so GFW is following in the same footsteps as films like The Scorpion King and The Tooth Fairy. Yeah, GFW really kicked it up another notch with the acting choices!

Backstory? Lots of characters in Godzilla films have backstories, nothing special. Especially when his backstory is pretty generic and bland (and nonsensical, since he looked about 30 years old in the '60s scenes). Good acting and personality? Was that before or after all of his emotionless one-liners?
Shinichi Ozaki character because...his scenes showed some good acting, he made you actually care about the character, and his character has some good exchanges at the end with
If by good acting you mean "How badly can I rip off Keanu Reeves from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure?", then yes.
The main villain Xilien Leader...his acting burned arrogance and cockiness, interesting that that exact quality led to his eventual downfall
His acting screamed "I'm a spoiled brat and will whine until I get exactly what I want, yet I somehow have these incredible powers. FEAR ME!!"

Yeah, no. Least threatening villain in the entire franchise.
Godzilla's release was one of the most epic scenes in the franchise with the subtle blue flash and than Gigan was nailed with the Atomic Ray and the music went perfectly with it in that scene.
...What you just described was exactly the same entrance that Godzilla has in Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II. However, that was a cooler entrance, because it was boosted by the Godzilla theme music. This entrance did not have that. Instead, we get some generic music that you could find just about any where.
Although the score didn't really fit with the Godzilla franchise as a whole it made the scenes feel more epic to me.
That doesn't mean anything critical-wise.
Although the monster battles were short they were also sweet because every move that happened was exciting and the final battle was great because it invovled 2 on 2 at one point as well as 1 on 2 and it was interesting how Godzilla dealt with both Monster X and Gigan at once and than did a new version of the Spiral Ray at the end to destroy Keizer Ghidorah.
1. The monster battles would have been "sweet" if they actually did something to the overall plot or atmosphere of the film. But really, all they do is pad out the film. To make the run time a little bit longer (though considering how most fights last less than a minute, that's not adding much).
2. The final battle was only two on two for about three-seconds. I wouldn't count that as a two on two fight.
3. All Godzilla did while fighting Monster X and Gigan at the same time was turn slightly to the right so Gigan hit Monster X. That's not very interesting.
4. Keizer Ghidorah was already dead at the point, so the Spiral Ray was pretty unnecessary. Looked cool, but served no purpose.
Guys, stop liking things GxG doesn't like. Because you're wrong.
Damn straight. :P
True can't like something unless it's from the Showa era.
...I've said multiple times that there are plenty of Godzilla films outside of the Showa era that I love. Godzilla vs. Biollante, GMK, Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II. Hell, I don't even hate the Heisei and Millennium series. The only film in the entire franchise that I hate is Godzilla: Final Wars. Other than that, I enjoy every Godzilla film to some degree.
Awww shit here comes the six page length response from GxG....
Excuse me for being thorough with my criticisms.
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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by RedZillaKing »

I think "long winded" is the term you're looking for.

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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by TokyoVigilante »

Everyone sans RedZillaKing, GodzillaDude, Legionmaster, and GXG gets a warning for the last page of utter spamtastic nonsense. Not to mention the abhorrent disrespect.

This is a topic for specific discussion, not a goddamn Facebook comments section.
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GotengoXGodzilla
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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by GotengoXGodzilla »

RedZillaKing wrote:I think "long winded" is the term you're looking for.
Nope. I always make sure that I cover possible angle in my criticisms, to make sure that there isn't anything that I missed or have any one say "Well, what about this criticism that you missed?" I'm just making sure that I leave no stone unturned.

That's being thorough.
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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by GodzillaDude »

By Captain Gordon having personality I meant like the classic 80's and 90's action hero kind of way.

The only real things Ozaki has that are like Reeves are the scenes where he stops the lasers with his hands, a physical resemblance to him and matrix martial arts scenes...other than that his character I enjoyed a lot and I thought his development with the whole "super being" thing was good.

I didn't say the main Xilien Leader was the most threatening or intimidating villain of all time I just said his arrogance showed and I liked the process of it.

It may be somewhat similar to GvMGII but it was still a well done and timed scene.

Isn't the score always something we look at in Godzilla films?

As a side note you say you enjoy all the films in some way except for GFW but you use up most of your posts to criticize them.
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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by antovald20 »

I also enjoy Final Wars it's a fun movie, also i noticed that FW introduces godzilla to new fans then any other film.
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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by GotengoXGodzilla »

By Captain Gordon having personality I meant like the classic 80's and 90's action hero kind of way.
So...no personality at all then? Okay, good, glad we cleared that up.
The only real things Ozaki has that are like Reeves are the scenes where he stops the lasers with his hands, a physical resemblance to him and matrix martial arts scenes...other than that his character I enjoyed a lot and I thought his development with the whole "super being" thing was good.
...Ozaki doesn't experience any kind of development with the whole "super being" thing. It just happens, and he's like "Coo'. i gotz powerz!" Which is the main problem with Ozaki: he has no personality or character. He's just there to fight and look stupid when something weird happens. You know, like Keanu Reeves in...damn near every movie he's ever been in.

I swear, the only reason they picked this guy to be Ozaki is because he looks like Keanu, so Kitamura could go for a complete rip-off of The Matrix.
I didn't say the main Xilien Leader was the most threatening or intimidating villain of all time I just said his arrogance showed and I liked the process of it.
Well I'm saying that because he's such a spoiled brat who somehow got these amazing powers, it makes him a terrible villain. He's no better than that chocolate-faced kid who threw his toys in the fire. He's annoying, obnoxious and insulting to watch.
It may be somewhat similar to GvMGII but it was still a well done and timed scene.
If it's exactly the same entrance as another Godzilla film, then no, it's not well done. They need to come up with new material, not copy other better films.
Isn't the score always something we look at in Godzilla films?
Yes, but you said that the score was good to you. That's your personal opinion. You're not looking at it critically and how it's used throughout the film.

Here's how it should be done: "The music in Godzilla: Final Wars is generic and not used properly throughout most of the film. The score is better suited for a police drama/thriller, not a daikaiju/kung-fu film. This becomes especially bad in the later scenes, when the climax approaches, and the score stays roughly the same beat and tone as the rest of the film, if not approaches a lighter tone and beat."

No personal pronouns, no personal input. Just using the basic fundamentals of what makes a good film score, and applying it to this film and showing wether it works or fails. And in GFW's case, it fails.
As a side note you say you enjoy all the films in some way except for GFW but you use up most of your posts to criticize them.
So what? I can criticize films that I enjoy. Just because I enjoy a film, doesn't mean that I'm not going to forget about all of the problems and flaws that film has.
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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by GodzillaDude »

By the "classic 80's and 90's action hero sort of way" I meant he retains and revives the charm of characters from those movies. Certainly you enjoy a good popcorn action flick from those days now and again?

And because you think the Xilien Leader is annoying and obnoxious makes you want to see him gone even more. He is supposed to make you hate him. Not saying he's the best villain in history though.

I understand that you can criticize films you like (I sometimes do the same) but the thing is you say that kind of stuff more then anything else which gives off the wrong vibe about how you truly feel about the films.
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GotengoXGodzilla
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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by GotengoXGodzilla »

GodzillaDude wrote:By the "classic 80's and 90's action hero sort of way" I meant he retains and revives the charm of characters from those movies.
So you're saying that Captain Gordon does that with his constant one-liners, bad attitude, lack of any emotion (or character for that matter) and all that jazz? Yeah, I don't see it.

The only thing that Gordon and the "classic '80s and '90s action heroes" have in common is that they all fight shit. Which really isn't all that special if you have no character or personality.
Certainly you enjoy a good popcorn action flick from those days now and again?
I'm not a fan of "popcorn action flicks". There are so many better movies that I could be spending my time on, instead of something that I'll forget about after a day or two. If I want something that's mindless entertainment for an hour and a half, I'll just buy a Playboy.
And because you think the Xilien Leader is annoying and obnoxious makes you want to see him gone even more.
No, I don't want to see him gone. I want to see him tortured. Death is too good for him. He's annoying and he deserves more than that.
He is supposed to make you hate him. Not saying he's the best villain in history though.
No, he's not suppose to make me hate him. He's suppose to make me fear him. That his plan could work, and that he could win, take over the world and all that shit. But that never happens in the film. All he does is act like a two-year old who can't have his favorite toy. That's not a good villain.
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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by DagarahX »

After going through every single video recently, I think I have a favorite ending.

I find Terror of MechaGodzilla to have a decent ending, but I don't particularly find it to be the best. The ending left me feeling nothing to be honest, I pretty much felt hollow. Godzilla overcomes a tough battle, he turns around and releases a mighty roar before heading out. That ending, It felt very ordinary and somewhat mediocre. And why I find the ending to be that is because I had a strong feeling that the ending was going to turn out that way. That no matter how tough things got for Godzilla that somehow, in some miracle, that he was going to go home a winner.

Even with my friends over watching it, they also kind of had the same feeling when I told them that it was the last film of the Showa series. Although there reactions weren't as in-depth.

Reactions to Terror of MechaGodzilla Ending:
Reaction 1: "Wait, that's it?"
Reaction 2: "Where is Godzilla going?"
Reaction 3: "He's going to Disneyland!"
MOVIE ENDS

For me personally, I wasn't expecting anything different, I don't hate the ending either, I wasn't hoping for anything tragic or whatever. I just found it to be predictable, like it wasn't really the end of the series, just the end of that film in general.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, I found this ending to be a lot more meaningful to me. Godzilla's pretty much dying, and will soon melt-down. Now, personally for me, the ending had more impact, because Godzilla the character, is being killed off a second time. And when you know that your beloved character is dying and will eventually meet their end, most of the time, you can't help but feel caught off guard. And as the medium your investing into rolls on, in the back of your head, sometimes you unknowingly find yourself preparing for that particular moment. You know its coming, but you try not to focus too much on it.

When Godzilla was heading toward a nearby nuclear reactor to feed, and then was later on frozen, and did not show any signs of melting down or dying. I actually found myself relieved and happy, thinking that Godzilla was going to live to fight another day. Then the film pretty much decided to look at my angelic hopes and stomp them down as it pointed out that, yeah, Godzilla is still going six feet under. Don't think that a little ice can stop that from happening.

When Godzilla was reaching higher in the 1100's, and physically melting while taking on Destoroyah. I felt sorrow for the big guy, he has lost his only family, and very soon, will die which could potentially destroy the entire world. I started remembering everything he had gone through in the series starting from Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, and you find that this Godzilla pretty much had a tragic life and that unlike the Showa Godzilla, this time there wasn't going to be a happy ending for the character. When the final stage was set, and Godzilla melted down while howling one last roar into the night. I shed tears, Godzilla was laid to rest, and the King's reign had sadly come to an end. Then a few moments later, you see that Godzilla Junior was revived, and had become the symbolism that Godzilla (The character) will never die nor disappear from the world.

That is what I call a ending, and that to me, is the Best End of Era Film. An ending that truly made me feel for Godzilla, an ending that even managed to tug my heart strings and had me shed tears for the King. An ending that made me look back at the character's past, and makes me notice how short yet enjoyable my journey was with the King. An ending that makes you feel deeply involved and even connected with the character. That is what I call a ending.

-----------------------------------------------

As for Godzilla Final Wars, well since it was my first Godzilla movie, and the first Godzilla movie that made me interested within the character and its Franchise. I'll say that truthfully, it was heart warming to me when I first say it. It truly was, even still its heart warming to me. But its not number one in terms of endings for me. Its pretty much number six in my top favorite Godzilla endings. I'll admit, it made me feel for the character, but not as much as Gvs.D.


So overall....Obviously for me, this contest goes to Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. In terms of second place in this poll, its Final Wars with Terror of MechaGodzilla being last.
Last edited by DagarahX on Wed Jun 13, 2012 7:42 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by GodzillaDude »

GotengoXGodzilla wrote:
GodzillaDude wrote:By the "classic 80's and 90's action hero sort of way" I meant he retains and revives the charm of characters from those movies.
So you're saying that Captain Gordon does that with his constant one-liners, bad attitude, lack of any emotion (or character for that matter) and all that jazz? Yeah, I don't see it.

The only thing that Gordon and the "classic '80s and '90s action heroes" have in common is that they all fight shit. Which really isn't all that special if you have no character or personality.
Certainly you enjoy a good popcorn action flick from those days now and again?
I'm not a fan of "popcorn action flicks". There are so many better movies that I could be spending my time on, instead of something that I'll forget about after a day or two. If I want something that's mindless entertainment for an hour and a half, I'll just buy a Playboy.
And because you think the Xilien Leader is annoying and obnoxious makes you want to see him gone even more.
No, I don't want to see him gone. I want to see him tortured. Death is too good for him. He's annoying and he deserves more than that.
He is supposed to make you hate him. Not saying he's the best villain in history though.
No, he's not suppose to make me hate him. He's suppose to make me fear him. That his plan could work, and that he could win, take over the world and all that shit. But that never happens in the film. All he does is act like a two-year old who can't have his favorite toy. That's not a good villain.
You realize at least 75% of movies the villain never actually fulfills his plan thus the audience never believes it will happen until on a rare occasion it actually does.

And the fact that you want to see him tortured means you hate him more than I previously said which is what was intended.

You must hate all this Expendables stuff lately than huh?
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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by antovald20 »

DagahraX- That's what I'm saying, except u said it better.
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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by GotengoXGodzilla »

You realize at least 75% of movies the villain never actually fulfills his plan thus the audience never believes it will happen until on a rare occasion it actually does.
...That's not how it works. It doesn't matter if you know that the villain will always fail. A good villain is one that makes you forget about all that, and lets you believe that he could actually win and everything will go his way. And this happens in a lot of films, even some Showa Godzilla films. But not GFW.
And the fact that you want to see him tortured means you hate him more than I previously said which is what was intended.
*sigh*

I don't hate him because he's the villain and a bad guy. I hate him because he's a fucking terrible character that doesn't ever deserve to see the light of day, and makes me question the creators as to why they would put such a disgustingly awful character in a film, and insult the intelligence of all the Godzilla fans that are force to sit through his childish antics that deserve no room at all in this abomination of a film. And don't think I'm giving the Xillien leader any special treatment, because I want the same done to every character in GFW, as I feel the same way about all of them. They're all the worst excuses of "characters" that I've ever seen in my life, who never deserved to be in the 50th anniversary Godzilla film, or any film ever. They're an insult to good characters, they're insults to the franchise, they're insults to the audience, and they're insults to me for wasting my time.

Goddamn, GFW sucks.
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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by TokyoVigilante »

What was the exact question of the thread, though? Which one is the better film period, then it's Terror of Mechagodzilla. But if the question is which film best wraps up its respective era, then the answer is easily |Godzilla vs. Destroyah. The distinction isn't necessarily clear in the opening post.
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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by RedZillaKing »

Yikes GxG... To think you used to be a HUGE fan.

I find Captain Gordon amusing. He's the generic tough veteran and I've got a sof spot for those types. His terrible line delivery endears him to me more somehow.

I consider TOMG to be the sole bright spot of the 70s G films. The fact that it was a HUGE jump in quality from its predacessors made sure that the series went out on a high note at least...

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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by GotengoXGodzilla »

RedZillaKing wrote:Yikes GxG... To think you used to be a HUGE fan.
I was young and very stupid back then.
I find Captain Gordon amusing. He's the generic tough veteran and I've got a sof spot for those types. His terrible line delivery endears him to me more somehow.
The bolded part is why I don't like him. There's nothing special about him, much like the movie as a whole.
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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by TokyoVigilante »

RedZillaKing wrote:I consider TOMG to be the sole bright spot of the 70s G films. The fact that it was a HUGE jump in quality from its predacessors made sure that the series went out on a high note at least...
I find that Honda's much more restrained sensibilities clash with the subject matter, personally. I only just recently "got it". Before I could appreciate the finer points of a decently made film, but it always ranked low on my favorites lists.

If you squint, you can kinda' see what Mechagodzilla would have been like if he was a sixties creation, though. Which is an interesting notion.
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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by RedZillaKing »

See, I always found it to be reminiscent of the sixties... Couldn't you see the Xilien Controller breaking bread with the Simians?

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Re: Best End of Era Film

Post by Legionmaster »

RedZillaKing wrote:See, I always found it to be reminiscent of the sixties... Couldn't you see the Xilien Controller breaking bread with the Simians?
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