What DIDN'T you like about Godzilla 2014?

[Showa Gyaos]

I just want more Godzilla. If there's one thing they need to have, it's more Godzilla. That's all. I've said it a dozen times, but Godzilla was an after thought in his own movie. I didn't like that. We didn't get to see much of this new incarnation, and I'd like to see more of it. He seemed to just pop up, do his thing, and leave without being a major focus of the story. Fix that issue, and I'll be more accepting of it. I don't hate the movie, it just feels impersonal.

[cloverfan98]

I have been throwing this around my head a lot. Fighting with myself constantly on wether I honestly enjoyed G14 as much as I am making myself think I did.

The advertisements built it up to be something that it really wasn't. Not that it was bad, nessecarily. It was a good film, and I can't wait for the sequel... But there was just to much that didn't feel right with me. Mainly the plot felt unfinished. Like it could if used a bit more fine tuning. It didñt really have a solid beginning, middle, and end. It was more of a beginning, and a middle with a climax tossed in before the credits.

I also didn't care for the characters, they could of used a lot of work. And killing Cranston so early was honestly the biggest mistake of the film.

Like I said, I do enjoy the movie. Hell, the G14 design is in my top 3 favorite godzilla designs. I just don't think it was the film we were told we were getting,

Anyone know what the hell in talking about? Or am I just nuts?

I agree the teasers and early info told us that we were getting a film in the vein of what we are getting next year. Granted I still love the film but it was more akin to G2K than Gojira.

[Can of Conspiracy]

deadhorse.gif

The people who don't like LPG are pretty vocal about it, huh?

That's not it - Zilla103192 actually liked, or at least enjoyed the film. I just didn't get the need for a new thread about the exact same topic and points that make up about 95% of every post-release discussion when it comes to LPG or even the sequels. It actually felt like a sarcastic spoof of your average G'14 post. Like:

I just don't think it was the film we were told we were getting

I'm going to use the L word, and mean it; literally nobody thinks we got that film.Thanks to the leaked script details not getting it was basically a fact for a good amount of the fandom from the point the main trailer dropped, months before the premiere. It's been discussed to death, buried, dug up, re-animated, shot in the head, buried again, conjured, ghostbusted, and still being discussed in almost every LPG thread to this day with universal agreement from haters and fans alike.

Relax, you're not nuts for thinking it.

[Zilla103192]

I hardly post in the actual toho threads anymore, so my bad, I didn't realize there was already a similar thread. I was at work and just kind of rushed the thread while taking my break.

But yeah, like I said I DO like the film. Very much so. But if be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed in the dramatic change in tone from the advertisements. Which I was REALLY looking forward too.

[NewBloodGodz]

I just want more Godzilla. If there's one thing they need to have, it's more Godzilla. That's all. I've said it a dozen times, but Godzilla was an after thought in his own movie. I didn't like that. We didn't get to see much of this new incarnation, and I'd like to see more of it. He seemed to just pop up, do his thing, and leave without being a major focus of the story. Fix that issue, and I'll be more accepting of it. I don't hate the movie, it just feels impersonal.

Personally, I think he needs to be fight the military in his home habitat, while Ghidorah or the antagonist monster shows up, then they realize they need him but he doesn't want to help. Steals from Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster, I know, but he'd at least have more weight to him in that regard. Make him more of an anti-hero. That's all I'd like, personally.

[Piccolo]

I felt that the human characters were uninteresting.

[Tyler Kuykendall]

Like I said, the buildup to the fight between Godzilla and the M.U.T.O. was clever. However, the lack of character development made me not care about anyone other than Bryan Cranston's character (and they not only killed him, but early in the movie), and I wondered why the main character's wife and child were even in the movie.

Here's hoping that Gareth Edwards improves the character development for the sequels and for the "Star Wars" spin-off that he's directing.

[Underworld54]

Like I said, the buildup to the fight between Godzilla and the M.U.T.O. was clever. However, the lack of character development made me not care about anyone other than Bryan Cranston's character (and they not only killed him, but early in the movie), and I wondered why the main character's wife and child were even in the movie.

Here's hoping that Gareth Edwards improves the character development for the sequels and for the "Star Wars" spin-off that he's directing.

When you have uninteresting characters chewing up time away from lavish CGI sequences it makes audiences bored out of their minds. I think this is Godzilla's biggest failure.

[Tyler Kuykendall]

Oh yeah, and these aren't criticisms necessarily, but who else feels like there were two missed opportunities for this movie? For one, I was excited as everyone else at the IMAX I was in when we all heard Godzilla's first roar in the movie; so wouldn't it have been more memorable if they didn't give it away in the trailers and previews? Also, I actually forgot about his atomic breath until he blasted the female M.U.T.O. with it before the male M.U.T.O. flew back to aid her; but does anyone else wish that he'd flown in soon enough to botch Godzilla's atomic breath right then so that the female M.U.T.O.'s death would've been the big "THERE's the atomic breath!" moment that would've had everyone peeing themselves more than they already did?

[20th Century Boy]

-I personally found the new monsters' designs quite boring.

-The characters were frustratingly bland. In fact, I could write a complete separate list on problems I had with the characters (Too many coincidences happening around Ford, female character blatantly objectified, most interesting character killed too early, etc.) but I'd rather not. It'd be a bigger list than this one.

-The musical score is also very bland and forgettable, with the exception of the opening theme.

-Not enough interesting things going on for most of the film's running time. This was not a problem at first, since it was interesting first seeing a new Godzilla movie after ten years, but it becomes a bigger problem upon subsequent viewings.

-The film focuses far more on the enemy monsters than Godzilla.

-Too many night-time scenes make it hard to see. (Although this is a much bigger problem on the standard Blu-Ray than the theaters or 3D Blu-Ray.)

[Mechagigan]

,,,female character blatantly objectified,

I think there's a really fine line between just being straight-up bland/stereotypical and being objectified, in this case. Her only character is mom/sex-giver, definitely, but at the same time, that's a pretty common stereotype and it probably wasn't ill-intentioned.

That doesn't mean she wasn't annoying and pointless, which she was, IMO

[Mr. Xeno]

So I rewatched the film a while ago after finally receiving my Zavvi Steelbook in the mail. It was my third viewing in total, after my two initial viewings in theaters. With all of the hype gone, I was able to sit back and just take the movie in on it's own. This is also probably going to be the last time I ever really comment on the movie, since the horse has long since expired.

I have to say that I don't think Ford was AS bad as many people, including myself, said he was. He's still boring and suffers from a severe case of "Always-Present-and-Invincible-itis", but he DOES have a bit more to him than previously thought. In all honesty, I think that was because Cranston's character had the inverse affect and lost a bit of his luster. His character and arc come off more melodramatic and soapy than before. He's still the best part of the entire film, though, and the movie still would have been superior if he survived in Ford's place.

However, the main thing that truly drug the movie down was how half-baked it all was. Absolutely nothing is developed. All the ideas are half-assed, the characters barely exist as outlines, the story isn't fleshed out or well-paced, there's no unique ideas anywhere the be found, etc. etc. The entire movie is mostly just a dull slog, which can at least be partially blamed on the dull cinematography. While there are some good shots (one in particular of the MUTO reflected in Ford's gas mask being a highlight), the best way to describe it is that the camera itself is always moving in slow motion. The speed and pans found in every single shot are all identical; there's no variation. This is only exacerbated by the film's relentlessly dull color palette. There are very few scenes set in the daytime, and the entire film is awash in dark browns and Man Of Steel grays (there's no neon signs to liven up the nighttime scenes ala Pacific Rim).

That's ultimately what the film winds up being: dull. It's just a lifeless film lacking any real vision.

[20th Century Boy]

,,,female character blatantly objectified,

I think there's a really fine line between just being straight-up bland/stereotypical and being objectified, in this case. Her only character is mom/sex-giver, definitely, but at the same time, that's a pretty common stereotype and it probably wasn't ill-intentioned.

That doesn't mean she wasn't annoying and pointless, which she was, IMO

I don't mean objectified as "stereotyped", but rather being treated as an object of reward for the hero rather than an actual human being that does stuff. Her only role in the story is to be Ford's reward for completing his mission. This is very apparent when she promises him time with her after he picks up Joe Brody, has many "princess is in another castle" moments that prevent them from reuniting, and finally reunite while kissing at the climax. All the scenes with her in between all that were just scenes with her worrying over him. I know I sound like an SJW, but it really bothered me. I wouldn't have a problem with it if it weren't so... obvious, I guess is the word I'm looking for?

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

It's especially a shame cause her job as a nurse could have made for some really interesting and heartfelt drama. I also agree with Eabaker. It's not so much Godzilla is a bad film as its just overly bland. Theres so many little things that could have been done to make it more interesting. It almost felt like they were so worried about pissing fans off ala Gino that they were too afraid to try anything unique or special. FX work aside I found it barely any better than the last few films Japan had pumped out. Also as Eabaker said for a 2+ hour film not a whole lot really happens. It was almost like an hour and a half plot needlessly extended an extra half hour. Many other Godzilla films have told similar plots in a far smaller time frame. I fact G14 would probably work a lot better as a shorter film.

[three]

i did feel like it ran for longer than it had to. then again, if we're going to complain about what the movie failed to do in two hours, i would imagine that a shorter movie would gain more criticism.

what little nuance it did have that fans found tolerable, or made the film more palatable, it would have lost with a shorter runtime.

[kamilleblu]

,,,female character blatantly objectified,

I think there's a really fine line between just being straight-up bland/stereotypical and being objectified, in this case. Her only character is mom/sex-giver, definitely, but at the same time, that's a pretty common stereotype and it probably wasn't ill-intentioned.

That doesn't mean she wasn't annoying and pointless, which she was, IMO

I don't mean objectified as "stereotyped", but rather being treated as an object of reward for the hero rather than an actual human being that does stuff. Her only role in the story is to be Ford's reward for completing his mission. This is very apparent when she promises him time with her after he picks up Joe Brody, has many "princess is in another castle" moments that prevent them from reuniting, and finally reunite while kissing at the climax. All the scenes with her in between all that were just scenes with her worrying over him. I know I sound like an SJW, but it really bothered me. I wouldn't have a problem with it if it weren't so... obvious, I guess is the word I'm looking for?

Since Ford is the main character, we're seeing things from his point of view. His goal was getting back to his family. And what's wrong with rewarding someone for doing something you want them to do? People do it in real life. Especially lovers and friends.

[three]

well what point does his son serve then? are they not both rewards for staying alive?

i don't think they were objectified so much as just plot devices. he needed a reason to follow the MUTO. they were heading to his home. it brought the story together. they still served no real purpose outside of being the draw.

[eabaker]

Yeah, "objectified" isn't precisely the right word. "Reductive" might be a better fit.

As I've stated before, I think it was a mistake to present so much of the movie from Ford's point of view; I would have favored a more splintered perspective, and I think Elle could and should have been a big part of that.

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

In all fairness we don't know what or how much was cut for the theatrical version. Still I totally agree it's actually what I was kind expecting initially. It's a shame all the better actors and more interesting characters were pushed aside for ATJ/Ford. It was a huge shame to cast so many great actors and then barely use them. As for Ford himself, in the end it's hard to tell if the problem is ATJ's acting, Borenstein's lackluster writing (or lack of) or a bit of both.

[20th Century Boy]

Since Ford is the main character, we're seeing things from his point of view. His goal was getting back to his family. And what's wrong with rewarding someone for doing something you want them to do? People do it in real life. Especially lovers and friends.

All that would be completely fine if the characters were actually treated as humans first and foremost. As another member mentioned, there was a lot of unfulfilled potential for creating some intense drama using Elle's profession as a nurse. And the kid had, like, what? Four or five lines?