Talkback: Godzilla Final Wars (2004)

[Stump Feet]

This film always comes off as a Godzilla film written by middle schoolers to me

I think this chalks up my recent viewing perfectly. Really can’t describe it any more accurately than this.

[Unit~NoA]

It's definitely a film by Michael Bay, if he were to ever do one.

[eabaker]

It's definitely a film by Michael Bay, if he were to ever do one.

While there's a similar hyperactive quality to Bay's work and Kitamura's, they're very different filmmakers. Bay tneds to pack his frame with elements of interest, so that wherever you look on screen something is going on, but the compositions are very busy. Kitamura tends to focus more on a single character/object/action in each shot, making for a cleaner visual style, but also a less textured one.

[LSD Jellyfish]

It's definitely a film by Michael Bay, if he were to ever do one.

While there's a similar hyperactive quality to Bay's work and Kitamura's, they're very different filmmakers. Bay tneds to pack his frame with elements of interest, so that wherever you look on screen something is going on, but the compositions are very busy. Kitamura tends to focus more on a single character/object/action in each shot, making for a cleaner visual style, but also a less textured one.

You can also actually tell what`s going on and for better or worse the film is clearly "stylized". There`s a consistent internal logic to it.

[eabaker]

It's definitely a film by Michael Bay, if he were to ever do one.

While there's a similar hyperactive quality to Bay's work and Kitamura's, they're very different filmmakers. Bay tneds to pack his frame with elements of interest, so that wherever you look on screen something is going on, but the compositions are very busy. Kitamura tends to focus more on a single character/object/action in each shot, making for a cleaner visual style, but also a less textured one.

You can also actually tell what`s going on and for better or worse the film is clearly "stylized". There`s a consistent internal logic to it.

For sure. Bay crowds his scenes with so much visual information, it can be really difficult to focus on anything in particular.

[_JNavs_]

Can we just talk about how cool that title is?

"Final Wars"

[Terasawa]

I think it's pretty Engrish-y. It's not grammatically incorrect but "final" feels weird coming before a plural noun, especially since a war is supposed to be such a huge occurrence.

[_JNavs_]

I think it's pretty Engrish-y. It's not grammatically incorrect but "final" feels weird coming before a plural noun, especially since a war is supposed to be such a huge occurrence.

It kinda reminds me of an ancient timey vibe, like something a Greek leader would say "We've reached the climax of our Final Wars". Plus it gave some solidity to where the franchise was going (nowhere for a while after this) with it even being Godzilla's "Final Wars" perse.

[Terasawa]

I guess my point is I'd like the title more if it was "Godzilla: Final War".

[eabaker]

I think it's a cheesy title regardless of grammar.

[LSD Jellyfish]

So I can help out here.

The Japanese title is “ゴジラ: ファイナルウォーズ”

Bold part is important, that’s where the Wars is used as WOZU. (Phonetically sounds like wars). It would’ve been written as “ウォール”, which would be War singular.

Not sure which came first, but this is one of the few Godzilla titles written in katakana. Remember it premiered in California.

I’m going to side with the idea that it’s just English due to Japanese lacking a lot of plural modifiers.

I don’t take issue with the title.

[shadowgigan]

For whatever reason, GFW's soundtrack has grown on me over the years.

[LSD Jellyfish]

For whatever reason, GFW's soundtrack has grown on me over the years.

With the exception of maybe the over the top theme, I agree. I absolutely love the synthetic flair that the films music has at the end with the triumphant sounds.

[Lecontinentperdu]

The ONE japanese Godzilla romp fest that I saw in a movie theater.

Such a great moment of my life.

It screened in a few french cinemas - three hours to get to the nearest of where I live.
And I have almost 15 screens where I live.

An arthouse theater got loco and picked it up. We were ten at most at the screening.

And it was the only Godzijap movie really distributed in France in my adulthood... That sums it up.

Sad.

[shadowgigan]

For whatever reason, GFW's soundtrack has grown on me over the years.

With the exception of maybe the over the top theme, I agree. I absolutely love the synthetic flair that the films music has at the end with the triumphant sounds.

Yes! Ive been listening to it all week, can't get it out of my head.

[LamangoKaijura]

"Oh it was a good movie! It's Kaiju Kino!"
It was so Kino it flopped in the boxoffice, killing the series until America and Legendary decided to revive it.

[szmigiel]

"Oh it was a good movie! It's Kaiju Kino!"
It was so Kino it flopped in the boxoffice, killing the series until America and Legendary decided to revive it.

It did flop at the box office, going up against Howl's Moving Castle and opening the same weekend as the Incredibles.

And the Millennium Series performance as a whole was the reason it was stated the series would take a decade break even before Finals Wars was released.
http://www.tohokingdom.com/people/shogo_tomiyama.htm
“By 2003, though, the series had once again gone stagnant at the box office with the lackluster performance of Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.. Tomiyama had big things in store for the following year, though, as he stepped up to become the president of Toho along with co-writing and producing the most expensive Godzilla film to emerge from Toho: Godzilla: Final Wars (2004). Preceding the film's release, Tomiyama commented that Godzilla would go into a decade long retirement following the release of the 2004 film, and, after surveying the disappointing box office receipts for Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), stayed true to his word.”

[attilagodzilla]

I recently watched this movie again.
I still enjoy it but for different reasons as when I last watched it like 9 years ago.
Back then I enjoyed it because I thought it was awesome, now I enjoyed it in a so bad it's good way

[GojiDog]

I gotta say, I do enjoy watching "X" (the Xilean Controller)

He's so hammy and over the top, that he's kind of a joy to watch.

He kind of reminds me of Starscream or Cobra Commander from the old 80s cartoons.

[Cookson]

Time sure flys by. I remember I had a hard time sleeping 15 years ago as I awaited for reviews to start popping up. Oh boy was I surprised to hear all the negatives.

I think at this point, yes, people were disappointed with how the 50th anniversary film turned out.. but now, 15 years later with more movies released, it can sort of breathe on its own.. and is just another, DIFFERENT, Godzilla film.. and you know what, with so many films in this franchises 65 year history, it’s actually FRESH to have something different. That is how I feel about GFW now.