Unpopular Godzilla Opinions

[Dr. Professor]

More power to anyone that claims G54 as his or her favorite. I can’t. It’s a very good movie (the best of its genre) but boy is it ever depressing: Godzilla kills millions, Serizawa sacrifices himself, and not even the couple he gives his blessing to is happy at the film’s conclusion. Oh, and Yamane predicts another Godzilla will arrive if nuclear proliferation continues and he’s right.

That’s not even mentioning the sounds and images of the tortured victims, both those dying and those suffering the loss of another.

Like I said, it’s a powerful movie but not one I can watch constantly. I watched KOTM last week and although it’s not as harrowing as the original version, it still put me in a minor funk.

Ya know, I've never actually seen somebody cite that as their reason for it not being their favorite. It's a fair point though. While I don't watch it as much as some of the others for that same reason, it's also the reason why it is my favorite. The sheer emotion of the film is what drives me to love it so much.

[Mr_Goji_and_Watch]

Godzilla is such a wonderful film. The directing glues everything together into an impactful experience. I love the look Honda and Tamai bring out with the visual language and atmosphere that comes with it. The use of sound and editing to bring out tension is also really good. Tsuburaya was doing great stuff. His footage and editing matches extremely well with the stuff Honda shot. There might be some cheesy effects and errors but it's easy to ignore them. One of the little neat things I liked was the parallel with the birdcage in Yamane's house and that one shot of a huge cage composited over Godzilla, the stuff that came from the two working together was great. Another cool thing little bit is when Honda employs a tracking shot, the camera moves horizontally from Emiko across the cloudy fish tank and stops at Serizawa. It's an effortless move that conveys their relationship and just builds tension. The writing could have served Ogata better but the depth Honda brings out with the WW2 allusions and callbacks makes it powerful in spite of that. All of the film's elements really come together and make a borderline masterpiece. it's in a league of it's own for Japanese sci-fi, I don't think any of Honda's best sci-fi films following 54 come close as an overall package outside of The Human Vapor. Shin Godzilla was pretty great but I think it needed a more human impact, but that could be chalked up to taste. I do think everybody could agree that the pacing could have been picked up.

I flip flop between calling Godzilla or Mothra vs Godzilla my favorites in the series. Godzilla is a more thematically engaging film with more opportunities for visuals that heighten the messages and storytelling. The latter is more of a thrilling spectacle that doesn't have as much thematic elements to chew on, but it's a totally worthwhile and technically as solid of a production (arguably more so) on it's own right. You could learn a lot about film from analyzing the two.

[Maritonic]

More power to anyone that claims G54 as his or her favorite. I can’t. It’s a very good movie (the best of its genre) but boy is it ever depressing: Godzilla kills millions, Serizawa sacrifices himself, and not even the couple he gives his blessing to is happy at the film’s conclusion. Oh, and Yamane predicts another Godzilla will arrive if nuclear proliferation continues and he’s right.

That’s not even mentioning the sounds and images of the tortured victims, both those dying and those suffering the loss of another.

Like I said, it’s a powerful movie but not one I can watch constantly. I watched KOTM last week and although it’s not as harrowing as the original version, it still put me in a minor funk.

Yeah this is where it comes down to objective quality compared to personal favorites or enjoyment. Objectively it's a fantastic, incredible piece of cinema. But,as you said, it may not be the most "fun" movie to watch given it's dark subject matter.

It's in my top 5, personally. I love it dearly. But I completely understand your perspective on this. It's heavy subject matter.

[LSD Jellyfish]

I’ve seen each Godzilla movie more then probably a dozen times each, and 54 is one of the few that rarely dies down or take pauses. In other words it’s consistently been my favorite in terms of I’ve never been bored of it. Shin is quickly competing with 54 though.

[Godzilla165]

I mean, I've never just watched '54 if I wanted to have fun with a Godzilla movie. There's no doubt that it is the undisputed best film in the franchise, and therefore, there is a reason why Gojira is constantly referred to as, "the original Japanese masterpiece". It's an incredibly emotional, thought provoking and powerful film that doesn't pull any punches, and almost makes one forget they're even watching a science fiction movie. The themes that Gojira presents are heavy, but are done so in a very subtle and clever way. Godzilla himself is genuinely terrifying to watch, but you also kind of feel sorry for this animal turned abomination from mankind's negligence, who is clearly in pain and suffering.

'54 is utterly fantastic and remains the champion of the Godzilla franchise. However, it's not a film that I watch very often because of the dark and depressing subject matter at hand, the images and the haunting sounds. There is a certain mood that I always need to be in before I return to this film, and after I've rewatched it again, I find myself inadvertently thinking about what all I just witnessed even now, and my heart feels heavy as all bloody hell.

For that reason, and many others, is why Gojira is the best in the franchise, bar none. But, that doesn't in any way mean that it's the most fun to watch.

[eabaker]

The original is absolutely my favorite (I have a lot of affection for both the Japanese and American cuts, since the latter is the one I was blown away by as a kid). It has a ton of re-watch value for me.

Yes, other entries in the series are more fun. But fun is only one of the many reasons I love movies. A lot of the time, I'm int he mood to be enchanted by beauty (and moments in Gojira definitely have a dark, even slightly surreal beauty to them), or to have a good cry, or two be in awe of the might of something that demonstrates humanity's tiny place in a grand and incomprehensible universe.

[Kaiju-King42]

The 1954 movie is my favorite as well. King of the Monsters was always my favorite Godzilla movie as a kid (I was a weird kid.) It's only natural that in adulthood, after seeing the Japanese cut, that my favorite changed to that movie.

Maybe this is an unpopular opinion in itself, but the depressing story of Gojira has never really bothered me enough to put me off watching it. Maybe it's because I've seen it so many times, but between Gojira and G:KotM I've probably watched that movie more than any other Godzilla movie.

[Giratina93]

I don't think it's much of a stretch to say G54 is the objectively best godzilla movie... but favorite? I... can't really say that. It's sorta the default answer for most people to give anyways, so saying "Gojira is my favorite movie" half the time doesn't really tell me anything about the person who's saying that aside from "They know the default answer to give"

Really, it's the second and third favorites listed that can tell me a lot about a person. That's where you start to see the spice in a person's tastes. And for me, you could say those would be Godzilla vs King Ghidorah (yes, I have a hell of a soft spot for this movie, even if it's not a good movie), and GvB, with G14 in third and Gojira in fourth. Those are the movies I enjoy the most and can just rewatch a lot. Gojira, I can watch it once a month or every other month, but... maybe I'm just weird like that.

[eabaker]

And for me, you could say those would be Godzilla vs King Ghidorah (yes, I have a hell of a soft spot for this movie, even if it's not a good movie)

That one is right near the top for me (ranking too precisely seems kind of arbitrary), and honestly, while it has it's flaws, I'd absolutely say it's a good movie. It's conceptual strengths and the power of certain sequences and images are simply too impressive to be brought down by some clunky effects shots, a few bad performances from English-speaking non-actors, and any quibbles about time travel logic.

[JAGzilla]

^^ Does that imply that you watch the others more than once a month? If so, that's dedication. I think I'd have gotten sick of them a long time ago if I did that, but then I guess that's my own way of being weird. I used to have no problem watching things over and over, but now I like to space out my viewings of any given movie or TV episode by a few years. Helps keep every watch fresh.

[eabaker]

When I was a kid/teen, I could easily re-watch the same movies over and over. In my mid-teens, there were certainly times that I watched certain Godzilla movies several times in the same months - a few times, I'm sure I watched the same ones multiple times within a week!

I honestly don't know if I'd have the excitement and attention to do that now. I tend not to spend a lot of time hyper re-watching in part because adulthood leaves less time for it overall, in part I have access to so many things I want to watch that I wouldn't want to deprive myself of some by overdoing others, and in part because I'm mostly watching with my wife or with friends who don't necessarily want to watch the same things I do ad infinitum.

[KaijuCanuck]

Yes, Gojira is the objective best. But my personal favourite is Destroy All Monsters. Definitely the one that is the most endlessly rewatchable for me. I never ever get tired of it and it's a blast from start to finish.

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

Godzilla 1985 is still my personal favorite though I find Son of Godzilla has the most rewatch value. Its just such a cute and infectiously entertaining film.

[Ivo-goji]

G54 is both the best film and also my personal favorite.

I'm not sure which movie I've watched more; when I was a kid I had tv recordings of multiple films on the same tape, and I'd usually watch them all in the same sitting.

[Godzilla165]

Godzilla 1985 is still my personal favorite though I find Son of Godzilla has the most rewatch value. Its just such a cute and infectiously entertaining film.

It helps that the action and effects in that movie are some of these best in the Heisei era. Such a good bloody film.

[Dr. Professor]

What solidified Godzilla as my favorite was the last time I watched it. It impacted me harder that time than it had on any other viewing. Everything about it just clicked for me. For this time this film nearly brought me to tears because of how powerful it is. I used to have it at the top of my list because I saw it as the #1 spot, but that viewing made me realize that it really is my favorite.

[Godzillian]

Despite all the films problems, Godzilla vs King Ghidorah is one of my favorites in the franchise

[_JNavs_]

So there weren't any Godzilla 2014 threads this would fit into and it wouldn't fit into the Unpopular opinion thread since it consists of Godzilla,
so I figured I'd put it here. Imo the G14 poster is a homage to the Cloverfield poster from back in the day.

[JAGzilla]

You might be on to something. They do undeniably have some similarities.

[UltramanGoji]

I don't see what's directly a reference beyond "skyline amidst a cloudy day" which is hardly unique.