G2000 wrote:Like I said I'm perfectly fine with reviving hero Godzilla with a nuke but those who don't like it do have some valid points that I can agree with. For one, the decision to use nukes is portrayed fairly casually; there's no discussion, no hand-wringing, no suggestion of alternatives. All that happens is Mark suddenly gets a bright idea and then one scene later everyone's gone along with it and the Navy's handed MONARCH a submarine and some warheads no questions asked.
Contrast that with G14 where the decision to use nukes is a clear last resort; Stenz has to get presidential authority to use them and Serizawa is vehemently opposed as a result of his family's history with Hiroshima. In KoTM though, Serizawa doesn't even bat an eye when Mark suggests breaking out the nukes. If anything he's downright supportive, and he doesn't mention Hiroshima once outside of occasionally rubbing his father's watch (which many non-fans either didn't know or forgot the significance of; fake actually thought it was supposed to have been a gift from Graham). It really undermines the character established in G2014.
I think what they tried to do, was make it so that Serizawa was confronting the nukes/his past, but they failed utterly. If we ignore Godzilla for a second, and the franchise as a whole, yeah you're right of it not making much sense in the context of G'14, or even Serizawa's backstory in Awakening. I know I'm beating a dead Serizawa, but that's why the whole fortune cookie thing doesn't work, as it's bizarre humor that detracts from the sense of emotional weight in the scene. But wow, I didn't realize how contradictory KOTM is with it's own prequel.
I know I'm reiterating some stuff again, but the whole nuke sequence is also why I take issue with the films supposed environmental issue. The film wants to critique pollution, and the damage that humans have done to the earth. A lot of environmental damage, is a result of desperation of poor people (people cutting down rain forests to make farm land, overusing the land...etc...) and haphazard decisions that seem good in the moment, but have disastrous repercussions. While I do not want to get into a debate with anyone over the usefulness or economic benefits of shale mining/fracking, in the early to mid 2010's there was a gigantic shale boom. The science/method behind it, had a lot of risks, but people did it anyone, and there are recorded instances of Fracking damaging the environment. Additionally, many of these Shale companies, and towns newly based on the boom, are now defunct. The same mentality is what leads to Godzilla's revival; desperation and haphazard decisions. For the film to embrace the very same mentality it wants to be criticizing, is ridiculous.
And yeah, it's still weird how most of the film is talking about how humans and environmental damage are bad, only for the big solution to be blowing up an underwater nuclear weapon, destroying what was probably a pristine and unique biome. It's not that the film needs to have some large debate, but there's little acknowledgement or regret to any of this.
Another thing, is that KOTM wants to be an environmental film, but places the onus of responsibility outside of people. It's not humanities goal or responsibility to take care of the earth, it's the literal nature gods sleeping in the earth. A good example, is while in Godzilla vs. Hedorah, while of course Godzilla ultimately defeats Hedorah, the humans throughout the film debate the problem and play a pivitol role in the climax. After defeating Hedorah, Godzilla angrily snarls towards the people, perhaps warning them not to keep fucking up, and it proceeds to then warn the viewers that there might be another Hedorah. The implication is that although Godzilla defeats the big bad, it's up to humanity to change their ways. KOTM does not do this at all, and even has at least according to the ending montage where everything is or should be just peachy, despite humanity not learning anything, or having anyone try to change their ways.
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