Human cast speculation (occupation, returning characters)

[Chris55]

And the joke just died.

Man, I am just OFF my game this week!

I gotta clear my head. My movie hits magazines starting next month and I'm preoccupied. I'll recharge and get back to you.

[SuperSaiyan4Godzilla]

Ah, yes, but 2&3 plus 1 becomes more interesting than the sum of its parts.

Also, he has an eyepatch; and that makes everything else (even the cliches) niftier by default.

I could probably find loads of other characters that have all three of those characteristics.

I just don't find Dr. Serizawa that's interesting. It may be the melodramatic nature of his character, but I don't.

Of course you could find any number of analogues, but they still wouldn't be in that film, at that time, serving the same purpose. Despite my less than serious tone, I basically concede that Serizawa is not exactly an earth-shattering concept. He's a tormented (mad?)scientist that has been kicked around by the world for a long time. I've seen that before, but damn it, I like the character. Why? It's partially the performance (though it goes over the top a bit) and partially the back-story; but a lot of it is just the decision to include that character type in that specific film.

It's tough to really pin down the source of my affection (nostalgia is certainly an aspect of it, too) but that doesn't alter the fact that Serizawa just works for me. If he doesn't click with you, I'm not going to say your opinion is wrong or anything.

Oh, I just hate the fan wank he gets.

Why stick with a developed character when you can develop other characters? I'm more partial to Steve Martin and Yamane.

[tymon]

Dr. Serizawa is the moral core of the movie, and the embodiment of the film's main theme (that man holds the choice to destroy itself or not, now more than ever with super-weapons). I'd say he's pretty damn interesting.

[Cimmerian Dragon]

Oh, I just hate the fan wank he gets.

Why stick with a developed character when you can develop other characters? I'm more partial to Steve Martin and Yamane.

I think I've made my love of Steve Martin abundantly clear in various threads. I'm going to go all the way and agree with you on this one. Despite being a product of the Americanization, Martin is a likeable everyman, and Burr gives a spectacular performance. The moment where he says "This is it, George...Steve Martin signing off from Tokyo, Japan" is one of the most emotional sequences in the entire series for me. The terror/resignation on his face is very intense without stepping into melodrama (imho).

On the other topic, I'd be just as pleased to see a well-molded depiction of an established character, as I would be to see a new one. Given the choice to see a new Serizawa and Yamane, or some hypothetical Dr. Johannson and Dr. Takahashi that perform exactly the same function, I'd rather see the revamped classics. Of course, if Johannson and Takahashi turn out to be spectacular characters that bear no resemblance to the previously established options, then I'd rather not see them shoehorned into the existing roles just to slake the fanboy thirst, either.

[darthzilla99]

Hm, he has a device that can save and destroy the world.

His girl is banging another guy.

And he's haunted by what he did in WWII.

Still not too terribly impressed.

Also to add to it, his build up. There is a chance that the device can destroy the world later after saving it at first. Also, he had every reason to say screw the world. When you take into account the fact that not only is his girl banging another guy, but said girl tells that guy his secret, goes to that guy's aid after they get into a brief fight, and then later when he destroys godzilla, forgives them and tells them to have a happy marriage right befoe he gives up his life, how can you not be impressed? Just because something is a cliche does not make it a flaw in writing. A well excuted cliche is better then a poor new idea and an equal excuted cliche and an equal excuted new idea are both equal, not one is better then the other when they are excuted equally well. (Also, back then it was not as much of a cliche.)

[Living Corpse]

Would you rather she kept her mouth shut and let Godzilla burn the whole world into ash?

Remember what Ogata said, "you have your fear which may become reality, and then you have Godzilla which IS reality".

[Chris55]

"you have your fear which may become reality, and then you have Godzilla which IS reality".

That'd be an awesome tattoo

[Goji]

"Should he make an appearance" via a flashback re-enactment of the events of the original Godzilla? Assuming it's even considered canon with this film, then yeah sure, why not.

[DaddlerTheDalek]

The Human Characters shouldn't be annoying!

[DaddlerTheDalek]

I would love to see Jeff Bridges as a General!

[Living Corpse]

The Human Characters shouldn't be annoying!

Brilliant!

[shinmattiathekaiju]

The Human Characters shouldn't be annoying!

ZING!

[Shadow]

The Human Characters shouldn't be annoying!

My name is Shadow, and I approve this post.

[shinmattiathekaiju]

I want scientists, brave and bold journalists and dumb, blood knight-ish soldiers.

[Tyler]

I think the politicians should be the dumb ones.

[Living Corpse]

I think the politicians should be the dumb ones.

You mean they aren't already?

[omgitsgodzilla]

Yeah. When was the last time a Godzilla movie put unquestioning faith in politicians?

Godzilla - Bickering and divided, overall rather ineffectual.

Mothra vs. Godzilla - Petty and rather silly, obsessed with their image.

Ghidorah, the three Headed Monster - Helpless and eager to go with whatever outside forces stand a chance.

Invasion of Astro-Monster - Unable to decide on a response to Planet X's ultimatum, forcing the military and scientists to take matters into their own hands.

Destroy All Monsters - Unusually favorable depiction, but they don't really do all that much.

Return of Godzilla - The Japanese aren't a terribly effective lot, and the Americans and Soviets are mostly counterproductive.

Godzilla vs. Biollante - Exploitative and arms-crazy.

...It goes on and on.

[Cimmerian Dragon]

Scientists, soldiers, politicians. The only sorts of people I give two shits about in the midst of a major disaster/unexplainable phenomena.

I hate when there's an alien invasion going on, I have to follow "Earl the Blue-Collar Hero" through the story. I don't give a damn about Earl, his kids, or his truck. I want to be in the lab with the people figuring stuff out, or on the front lines with the soldiers fighting it off. Preferably, I'd like a little of each.

We can check in on Earl from time to time, but only for a brief "and this is what's happening in Tahoe" moments to give perspective to the crisis.

Just my personal taste, of course, but this is a big reason why I prefer vintage sci-fi to contemporary. The scales used to be tipped a lot more in my favor.

[JKN]

Human Characters should all be boring and plain so we wish for more Monster screentime.

On a non silly note I would like to have characters that serve no awful purpose, Final wars had the worst side characters in the world and all the others made it seem like I was watching some funky porno

[Godzillaprime05]

I guess when it comes down to it almost any kind of character would be good in moderation.