Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

[Goji]

Your delivery is so droll and dry, that I'm just not interested in having this conversation with you any longer. It's not on topic, anyway.

[Kaiser]

Yeah, things like that, and "we all have our favorites and least favorites" really go without saying. These things are obvious to everyone, and really don't propel the conversation forward.

Your position isn't really helped any when you make blanket statements like "Toho's 90s-2004 output is abysmal" and present it as some sort of objective fact that cannot be rationally argued. Just saying.

Anyways, I keep veering back and forth over whether or not this or Final Wars is my least favorite Millennium film. They're both bad in very different ways but while Final Wars is at least fun in a Plan 9 from Outer Space kind of way, this movie is both stupid and dull which makes it hard to sit through. The emotions it provokes in me are less extreme than Final Wars but Final Wars is a movie I can at least watch without having to take a break to play around on my phone.

[edgaguirus]

How interesting. I find it just the opposite. G vs Meg feels like a made for tv movie and could be better acted, but it's a fun one. The inventor does come off as a little amusing sometimes, and I like how viscious Meg is.

[Goji]

Your position isn't really helped any when you make blanket statements like "Toho's 90s-2004 output is abysmal" and present it as some sort of objective fact that cannot be rationally argued. Just saying.

"Just saying", and "Anyways" make it pretty obvious that you just wanted an excuse to be a dick, but pretended like you actually had something else to add to the conversation. It would be different if you didn't butcher my quote (which was "Toho's mid '90s-04") but you did, just to support "your position".

This is all still off topic..

[Kaiser]

Your position isn't really helped any when you make blanket statements like "Toho's 90s-2004 output is abysmal" and present it as some sort of objective fact that cannot be rationally argued. Just saying.

"Just saying", and "Anyways" make it pretty obvious that you just wanted an excuse to be a dick, but pretended like you actually had something else to add to the conversation. It would be different if you didn't butcher my quote (which was "Toho's mid '90s-04") but you did, just to support "your position".

This is all still off topic..

This is honestly rather amusing coming from you of all people. My position isn't anything more than disagreeing with you, it's not like I have some sort of agenda. I don't understand why you think you can make sweeping generalizations about things and not have people disagree with you over it. And forgetting one word from your post is hardly "butchering" your quote. And if we're talking about excuses to be a dick, you're the one who decided to bust out the ad hominem card, I was arguing the merit of what was said, not the merit of who was saying it. But as you said, this is off-topic so if you want to snipe at me further, you should probably do it in PM.

[Goji]

Nah, I'm really not interested in conversing with you about anything, especially not in a private message. It's probably in your best interest to just not engage in conversation with me anymore. I'd certainly appreciate it. You have a tendency to get defensive when posts aren't even directed at you, but please, feel free to be 'rather amused' by whatever it is that apparently amuses you.

[Greyshot151]

And I am not "AMUSED" by anyone's conduct in this thread. So enough or... you know the drill...

[godzillalives88]

I honestly think, were it not for the superior effects of the Kiryu films, this would generally be considered Tezuka's best film. While some of the world building is a little sloppy at the start, it introduces concepts that haven't been seen much in Godzilla films (like Godzilla being ridden, fighting a swarm, and later, an opponent that's too quick for him.) It also does a good job of making Godzilla the focus, which the Kiryu films (and really every Godzilla film after GMK) struggle with.

[Kaiju no Kami]

Godzilla IS the focus of the Kiryu movies though. He is the reason Kiryu is created in more ways than one. As such, the movie has two Godzillas to focus on.

[three]

Godzilla IS the focus of the Kiryu movies though. He is the reason Kiryu is created in more ways than one. As such, the movie has two Godzillas to focus on.

His narrative isn't as thorough as Kiryu's for obvious reasons. The director was unable to reconcile both Kiryu and Godzilla's stories into one.

[godzillalives88]

Godzilla IS the focus of the Kiryu movies though. He is the reason Kiryu is created in more ways than one. As such, the movie has two Godzillas to focus on.

Godzilla is definitely the reason Kiryu's created, and eliminating Godzilla is definitely his objective, but I would argue both films are more about the moral implications of Kiryu. Was it right to create him? Does he have a soul? etc., etc. In Megaguirus, they have a similarly dangerous weapon in DT, but they don't spend nearly as much time debating its use (probably because it doesn't also happen to be a kaiju). Instead, everything is singularly focused on destroying Godzilla (and to an extent, Megaguirus), with very little else going on on the side.

[Kaiser]

I find the human characters in the Kiryu films far less annoying than they are in Megaguirus, so that's a big plus in their favor also. Plus, Tezuka explores the moral and ethical dilemmas of building a WMD for self-defense far more in those films than he does in Megaguirus where it's more or less swept to the side because Tsujimori has an angry moment. Pretty sure a black-hole gun would generate some controversy from the rest of the world. I sort of see Megaguirus as a dress-rehearsal for the Kiryu films in that the films have similar elements but almost all of them are improved upon for the latter films.

[szmigiel]

While I still enjoy the film and like it better then Tezuka other movies, I have to wonder what powered the Dimensional Tide Weapon? They built it and test fired it without attracting Godzilla's attention. It was powerful enough to create a mini-black hole that could warp space and time and leave a lasting wormhole, which they didn't even monitor after test firing. Thats got to take a lot of energy, so whatever was powering it was the answer to their advanced energy needs.

[Kaiser]

That's another reason why I don't really like the movie. I give the screenplays for these movies a certain amount of leeway, but even if I'm uncommonly generous the whole story concept behind Dimension Tide makes no sense. And it really affects my enjoyment of the movie especially considering the energy sideplot is woefully underdeveloped and seems pointless if they have enough energy to create black holes which involve stellar masses collapsing on themselves.

[Kaiju no Kami]

So you mean like how Megaguirus decides to focus a chunk of its plot on an annoying child who says the dumbest things? Yeah, that is so Godzilla focused.

[edgaguirus]

It's very Godzilla focused. Godzilla has plenty of screen time, and DT is all about ending Godzilla's threat. Meanwhile, Megaguirus is a sidenote, only existing to give Godzilla a monster to fight.

[Mr. Xeno]

It's very Godzilla focused. Godzilla has plenty of screen time, and DT is all about ending Godzilla's threat. Meanwhile, Megaguirus is a sidenote, only existing to give Godzilla a monster to fight.

I would say that Megaguirus actually serves the purpose of showing the fallout of using the Dimension Tide, since it was the black hole that allowed the Meganula to come to Tokyo in the first place. The movie just doesn't do any hand-holding in that regard, although that's probably accidental.

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

Easily my least favorite Godzilla film by far. Its just so boring and the characters are extremely bland and forgettable. Also one of my least if not the least favorite Godzilla score. Honestly the whole film also feels kinda cheap to me. Especially in comparison to the films immediately before and after this one. Not really sure why.

[KaijuFiend]

I personally love this film. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going around saying it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I like it. I know this film has it's share of flaws.

I don't know, I kinda like the alternate history/future with Japan. How they changed energy sources. The whole alternate future where Japan is still using said alternate energy sources. The whole, at this point in time, with our timeline, they have (slightly) more advanced technology.
The campy fight, I just loved it.

Eh, just always held a place in my heart, this film.

I feel similarly. There are a lot of interesting themes presented that make the film enjoyable for me. I wouldn't call it a perfect film by any means, but enjoy it more than most seem to.

[20th Century Boy]

I actually liked the Kiryu Duology's "Showa-verse" style of background and continuity. It manages to connect almost 50 years' worth of material without being a direct continuation of the Showa Series. Instead of being a Godzilla version of Ultraman Mebius, it paid tribute by having select movies referenced while still being a reboot. I can't really see Megaguirus following this trend, except for the obvious Meganulan connection, so I'm glad it was not part of the continuity.

No, instead of being loosely based on Showa non-Godzilla Toho kaiju films, the background of Megaguirus is based on an energy crisis—a real world issue. I think this would've led to some interesting commentary on the ethics of energy sources, and it kinda does touch upon it at the end, but not nearly enough for the amazing backstory they explained in the film's introduction. The theme is completely absent after the first ten minutes and before the last five. So much wasted potential...

That being said, the movie's still insanely fun.