Unpopular Godzilla Opinions

[Mechagigan]

Godzilla: Final Wars didn't cause the hibernation decade. Toho burnt out the public with the stunningly dull Tezuka Trilogy, it took good word of mouth for GMK to reach the level of success that it did, and pretty much any movie they would've put out for the 50th anniversary would not have done well because they had 4 boring Godzillas and 1 pretty good one in the 5 years prior.

Financially, I'd say this is right. The only thing that could've helped would have been positive word of mouth - and even then, that can only change so much.

I feel like the vast majority of Final Wars hate comes from those with preconceived expectations. I'm not that big a fan of the movie, and I'll admit it's pretty poorly written; but let's be real. From a purely critical point of view, it trumped most of the films preceeding it by a landslide - if only for being interesting. Say what you will about typical characters or far too fantastic plots, but essentially the same issues had been pursued far worse between GxMG and TSOS alone. Compared to those, at least FW was fully aware of it's mood, taking advantage of it at every turn.

In short - I fail to see why FW struck such a negative chord when the movies before it were hardly gold anyway, especially by comparison. I assume it must have to be thanks to preconceptions.

[godzillalives88]

I feel like the vast majority of Final Wars hate comes from those with preconceived expectations. I'm not that big a fan of the movie, and I'll admit it's pretty poorly written; but let's be real. From a purely critical point of view, it trumped most of the films preceeding it by a landslide - if only for being interesting. Say what you will about typical characters or far too fantastic plots, but essentially the same issues had been pursued far worse between GxMG and TSOS alone. Compared to those, at least FW was fully aware of it's mood, taking advantage of it at every turn.

In short - I fail to see why FW struck such a negative chord when the movies before it were hardly gold anyway, especially by comparison. I assume it must have to be thanks to preconceptions.

There's actually a few different movies I feel that way about and a lot of times it has to do with hype. For example, I don't think G '98 and GFW are particularly good films, but I also don't think they're as irredeemably bad as they're sometimes made out to be. I think their many flaws were amplified by being the first big budget American Godzilla film and 50th Anniversary film respectably. Likewise, removed from that hype, you can more calmly appraise them as still being flawed but with some interesting elements. Conversely, I think Godzilla vs. Destroyah is a good film, that for a while was made out to be top tier just because it was the Heisei finale/death of Godzilla (and was better than SpaceGodzilla). I'm not saying people who believe GFW is a travesty and Destroyah is a masterpiece don't believe those things, but I do think a film's first impression leaves a mark that doesn't always echo into future generations. Basically, what I'm trying to say is if you don't like Shin Gojira now, you might like it more in 10 years (or vice-versa).

[eabaker]

I feel like the vast majority of Final Wars hate comes from those with preconceived expectations. I'm not that big a fan of the movie, and I'll admit it's pretty poorly written; but let's be real. From a purely critical point of view, it trumped most of the films preceeding it by a landslide - if only for being interesting. Say what you will about typical characters or far too fantastic plots, but essentially the same issues had been pursued far worse between GxMG and TSOS alone. Compared to those, at least FW was fully aware of it's mood, taking advantage of it at every turn.

In short - I fail to see why FW struck such a negative chord when the movies before it were hardly gold anyway, especially by comparison. I assume it must have to be thanks to preconceptions.

Well, the problems people have with GFW are very different from the problems people have with GxMG and TSOS. Those movies are mostly criticized for being flat and generic. GFW has the opposite problem, being regarded by many as too off-the-wall and stylistically/tonally obnoxious.

All three movies lack depth, but in the case of the Tezuka movies, it's because all of the themes/ideas are stated in such a literal, superficial way, while in the case of GFW it's because the movie is almost entirely an exercise in style over substance. Add to that how grating a lot of people find that particular style, and it's not surprising to me that it draws a lot more ire than the more easily forgotten Kiryu flicks.

[Legion1979]

Godzilla: Final Wars didn't cause the hibernation decade. Toho burnt out the public with the stunningly dull Tezuka Trilogy, it took good word of mouth for GMK to reach the level of success that it did, and pretty much any movie they would've put out for the 50th anniversary would not have done well because they had 4 boring Godzillas and 1 pretty good one in the 5 years prior.

Very true. But I still think GFW would have done just a little better if it had actually been a better movie.

[Spuro]

I guess while we're on the subject, two more unpopular opinions of mine spring to mind.

I really rather like GxMG and the US cut of G2K, though I admit that nostalgia may play a role for the latter film, considering Godzilla 2000 was my very first (and for a few years, my only) non-Showa Godzilla movie. In GxMG's case I find myself drawn to the human characters; I find them far more interesting than most of the Millennium and Heisei characters.

[GodzillavsJason]

-I honestly do not care for Son of Godzilla. Hell, it's on the edge of my bottom five.
-If given a choice to watch any of the 70's films or Mothra vs Godzilla, I will always choose the 70's.
-I prefer Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla over Godzilla vs King Ghidorah,
-Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and Godzilla 2000 are the only Millennium films I actually enjoy watching though I do respect GMK for at least trying something different.

[Goji]

Well, the problems people have with GFW are very different from the problems people have with GxMG and TSOS. Those movies are mostly criticized for being flat and generic. GFW has the opposite problem, being regarded by many as too off-the-wall and stylistically/tonally obnoxious.

All three movies lack depth, but in the case of the Tezuka movies, it's because all of the themes/ideas are stated in such a literal, superficial way, while in the case of GFW it's because the movie is almost entirely an exercise in style over substance. Add to that how grating a lot of people find that particular style, and it's not surprising to me that it draws a lot more ire than the more easily forgotten Kiryu flicks.

This is SO on point, and demonstrates exactly why I can't stand GFW. It's not even that it's a "horrible movie", it's that the entire presentation of it just rubs me the wrong way. It's quite literally (and I really mean this) one of the most obnoxious movies I've ever seen.

Anyways, sorry for the derail.

[Legion1979]

But unfortunately, there's a pretty big audience out there for obnoxious movies. Definitely seems to be why Bay's Transformers films keep getting made.

[LamangoKaijura]

But unfortunately, there's a pretty big audience out there for obnoxious movies. Definitely seems to be why Bay's Transformers films keep getting made.

Just look at how many people went to see Sausage Party for 'LOL SEX JOKES'

[Mechagigan]

To piggyback Eabaker's point - I feel the manic tone of FW is precisely why it doesn't work as a tribute to the Showa era.

Yes, we have the classic monsters' returns, and yes, some plot lines are similar to older films, but the style of the film itself is nothing like Showa; at least, it doesn't resemble what the era literally was.

I suppose one could argue it shows a 'modernized' view of the Showa era, taking elements from the past and presenting them with the same directness as was done in said era, but that's hardly a 'stylistic tribute', as FW is sometimes called.

I realize this isn't unpopular, but it's just a thought.

[Anguirus]

I prefer Godzilla VS Mothra to Mothra VS Godzilla
Godzilla 2000 is my favorite Milenium film

[Mr_Goji_and_Watch]

You know, I was never really bothered much by stock footage. It is a bit jarring to see footage again in a different movie but after I get past that I don't really mind it. Is new footage better? Yeah, but stock footage won't make me dislike a movie unless it's really prevalent like in the 1980's Gamera movie.

[Legion1979]

And what really makes the stock footage fun is the fast paced music and the running commentary by Minya and Ichiro!

[Mechagigan]

I think stock footage is acceptable when it adds to the production.

For example, the various stock scenes of Ghidorah in Gigan - having seen Gigan before DAM, I naturally thought they were a part of the film. They're there to fill in the blanks that the team couldn't afford to.

[F4ZaTE_X]

I'm not a big fan of King Kong vs. Godzilla

I only like a handful of the tracks Ifukube made

I think the later half of the Heisei series is better than most of the Showa series

Final Wars is one of my favorite movies


*drops into bomb shelter*

[Rodan]

You know, I was never really bothered much by stock footage. It is a bit jarring to see footage again in a different movie but after I get past that I don't really mind it. Is new footage better? Yeah, but stock footage won't make me dislike a movie unless it's really prevalent like in the 1980's Gamera movie.

That '80s clipshow Gamera movie is more enjoyable than some of the '60s ones.

As for stock footage, I generally land in the same place. It's a sign of production woes, to be sure, but given the way things were going in the late '60s and '70s for Japanese spectacle movies, and with the expectation they produce one film a year, it's understandable that it shows up.

[JVM]

[quote]-Final Wars Goji is my least favorite incarnation.
-Godzilla: Final Wars is actually tied with Godzilla's Revenge as the worst Godzilla movie IMO.[/quite]
These are not unpopular opinions. They are valid, but not unpopular.

This is pretty much the same topic I intended with "Kaiju Fan Confessions" and is quickly falling to the same flaws - people using it to air views that aren't especially controversial.

[Rodan]

This is pretty much the same topic I intended with "Kaiju Fan Confessions" and is quickly falling to the same flaws - people using it to air views that aren't especially controversial.

This is why we need an actual fan confession thread, in which the only kinds of posts allowed are along the lines of, "I bludgeoned a man to death with a Trendmasters figure," or "I pirated every movie and refuse to buy any DVDs," or "I never apologized to Tokumei, who really was Mr. Knowledge in Japan."

[MechaGoji Bro7503]

***3 years later*** wow I've been here since the beginning of this thread, bruhhhhh.

[JVM]

This is pretty much the same topic I intended with "Kaiju Fan Confessions" and is quickly falling to the same flaws - people using it to air views that aren't especially controversial.

This is why we need an actual fan confession thread, in which the only kinds of posts allowed are along the lines of, "I bludgeoned a man to death with a Trendmasters figure," or "I pirated every movie and refuse to buy any DVDs," or "I never apologized to Tokumei, who really was Mr. Knowledge in Japan."

I would love that, personally. It would certainly be more exciting than people coming out of the closet about liking Godzilla vs. Hedorah.