Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by gfan84 »

Does anybody here in the fandom own the toho 2016 masterpiece dvd of this movie. I ask because there is a commentary by chiharu niiyama. If anybody own this could you translate the commentary.

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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by Jermobooka »

Easily, and I mean very easily, my third favorite Godzilla film and one of the best Godzilla films ever

Great action, characters, and plot with a cool mysticism theme. Godzilla is badass, design and all, and the three guardian monsters are pretty cool too (would’ve very much liked to have seen Kaneko’s original vision with Varan, Anguirus, and the Gotengo though).
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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by LegendZilla »

I know I have said this before, but the whole "lost souls" angle to me is like how the inclusion of Aliens in Indiana Jones 4 is to most other people. Indy in that movie was still Indy in form and function, so I don't get why most people will take beef with it.

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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by Terasawa »

LegendZilla wrote: Sat Jun 12, 2021 6:13 pm I don't get why most people will take beef with it.
Please forgive my pedantry: people have beef with something or someone. If they were to take beef with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it would probably be as a course of a meal. That itself is an interesting thought experiment, but personally, I don't believe any meat could improve my opinion of that dismal movie. (:
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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by SoggyNoodles2016 »

LegendZilla wrote: Sat Jun 12, 2021 6:13 pm I know I have said this before, but the whole "lost souls" angle to me is like how the inclusion of Aliens in Indiana Jones 4 is to most other people. Indy in that movie was still Indy in form and function, so I don't get why most people will take beef with it.
Because the aliens had no purpose in the story. It could have been Mayan gods or you know, an actual myth and not a fake ass conspiracy "artifact" they used because they ran out of ideas (which was the other thing, the aliens were the least of the many problems of Crystal Skull) The Lost souls had a purpose in the story of GMK.

Also, doesn't it kind of ruin your point if you yourself point out at the end of the day, the main character worked despite the element you dislike?
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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by eabaker »

SoggyNoodles2016 wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 9:48 am
LegendZilla wrote: Sat Jun 12, 2021 6:13 pm I know I have said this before, but the whole "lost souls" angle to me is like how the inclusion of Aliens in Indiana Jones 4 is to most other people. Indy in that movie was still Indy in form and function, so I don't get why most people will take beef with it.
Because the aliens had no purpose in the story. It could have been Mayan gods or you know, an actual myth and not a fake ass conspiracy "artifact" they used because they ran out of ideas (which was the other thing, the aliens were the least of the many problems of Crystal Skull) The Lost souls had a purpose in the story of GMK.

Also, doesn't it kind of ruin your point if you yourself point out at the end of the day, the main character worked despite the element you dislike?
I believe his point is meant to be in favor of both the aliens and the lost souls.

But I definitely agree with your point about why one is richer storytelling than the other.
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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by Tyrant_Lizard_King »

I do like GMK but it really feels like its missing something. The writing is much weaker than Kazunori Ito's contributions to the Gamera films. It kinda lacks the freshness of those films. Some of Kaneko's hallmarks are still very much there but in some ways it feels like a lesser effort.
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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by cloverfan98 »

Tyrant_Lizard_King wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 9:43 pm I do like GMK but it really feels like its missing something. The writing is much weaker than Kazunori Ito's contributions to the Gamera films. It kinda lacks the freshness of those films. Some of Kaneko's hallmarks are still very much there but in some ways it feels like a lesser effort.
I don't know if I agree with it being a lesser effort but Kaneko and Ito had a whole trilogy to flesh out Gamera and they had to fit in new origins and mythology for Godzilla, Baragon, Mothra, and King Ghidorah into one single film and that doesn't leave a lot of room to flesh things out.

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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by eabaker »

cloverfan98 wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 8:46 pm
Tyrant_Lizard_King wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 9:43 pm I do like GMK but it really feels like its missing something. The writing is much weaker than Kazunori Ito's contributions to the Gamera films. It kinda lacks the freshness of those films. Some of Kaneko's hallmarks are still very much there but in some ways it feels like a lesser effort.
I don't know if I agree with it being a lesser effort but Kaneko and Ito had a whole trilogy to flesh out Gamera and they had to fit in new origins and mythology for Godzilla, Baragon, Mothra, and King Ghidorah into one single film and that doesn't leave a lot of room to flesh things out.
A lot can be established in 100 minutes if the time is used economically. I love GMK, but it is not a perfectly paced/structured narrative, and a couple of more passes on the script could have made it a richer and more fulfilling experience.
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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by cloverfan98 »

eabaker wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 7:21 am
cloverfan98 wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 8:46 pm
Tyrant_Lizard_King wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 9:43 pm I do like GMK but it really feels like its missing something. The writing is much weaker than Kazunori Ito's contributions to the Gamera films. It kinda lacks the freshness of those films. Some of Kaneko's hallmarks are still very much there but in some ways it feels like a lesser effort.
I don't know if I agree with it being a lesser effort but Kaneko and Ito had a whole trilogy to flesh out Gamera and they had to fit in new origins and mythology for Godzilla, Baragon, Mothra, and King Ghidorah into one single film and that doesn't leave a lot of room to flesh things out.
A lot can be established in 100 minutes if the time is used economically. I love GMK, but it is not a perfectly paced/structured narrative, and a couple of more passes on the script could have made it a richer and more fulfilling experience.
Oh for sure like one of my issues with the film is why do the guardian monsters give a damn about stopping Godzilla? They make it very clear that they are the guardians of the land not the people living off of it and Godzilla's rampage is purely motivated by revenge against the people of Japan not the land that nation is occupying. Just a bit of a thematical disconnect. Also now that I think about it was Godzilla's attack in 1954 also caused by the souls from WW2? Has Godzilla always been a spiritual monster in this world?

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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by thecan »

GMK is probably my favorite movie ever made, its just perfect to me, especially the art direction and effects. I really love the godzilla design sooooo much but the other creature designs are great too.

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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by Rando Yaguchi »

The first half of GMK is dope. Once the final battle begins, it just keeps hitting the same beats over and over and gets old real fast.
Tyrant_Lizard_King wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 9:43 pm I do like GMK but it really feels like its missing something. The writing is much weaker than Kazunori Ito's contributions to the Gamera films. It kinda lacks the freshness of those films. Some of Kaneko's hallmarks are still very much there but in some ways it feels like a lesser effort.
Completely agreed. I think a lot of this can be chalked up to Toho - their unwillingness to let Kaneko experiment, and their much shorter production schedule.
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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by Legion1979 »

This movie is great until Godzilla defeats Baragon. Then the whole movie falls apart.

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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

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Legion1979 wrote: Tue Jul 06, 2021 4:45 pm This movie is great until Godzilla defeats Baragon. Then the whole movie falls apart.
I don't agree, but you're right about it having a really steady build up, only to devolve into another narrative about Godzilla fighting Ghidorah and Mothra for the last thirty mins. I think it briefly reclaims it in the final moments, by juxtaposing and focusing back in the narrative of Yuri and Admiral Tachibana, with the latter actually landing the "killing blow" on Godzilla.
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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by Mechabrozilla »

I think the soundtrack is fantastic and GMK as a design is one of my faves alongside it being basically a reanimated ghost-corpse. There's a reason my first X-Plus figure was GMK Goji.

I also have to give props to the suitwork because the moment where Godzilla sneers after Ghidorah charges him up is great.

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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by tbeasley »

Let's be real most Godzilla movies drop a bit after the first half yet remain entertaining and engaging and I think GMK delivers on that with unabashed monster action and strong music/themes.

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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by Legion1979 »

I'm seeing a lot of love for the soundtrack. Conpared to the phenomenal Otani scores for the Gamera trilogy, his score for GMK just lacks something to me. I think its a little too electronic/synthesized for my tastes, and the Godzilla theme is repeated far too often.

The Godzila vs Baragon fight music is undoubtedly the films strongest piece.

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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by Terasawa »

It's not my favorite score either but I can't imagine it without it.

The end titles medley stinks though.
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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by Major sssspielberg! »

I love "Determined to Protect the Future" even though it has some similarity to the Top Gun anthem.
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Re: Talkback: GMK - Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001)

Post by Dinoskell »

cloverfan98 wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 7:52 pm
eabaker wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 7:21 am
cloverfan98 wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 8:46 pm

I don't know if I agree with it being a lesser effort but Kaneko and Ito had a whole trilogy to flesh out Gamera and they had to fit in new origins and mythology for Godzilla, Baragon, Mothra, and King Ghidorah into one single film and that doesn't leave a lot of room to flesh things out.
A lot can be established in 100 minutes if the time is used economically. I love GMK, but it is not a perfectly paced/structured narrative, and a couple of more passes on the script could have made it a richer and more fulfilling experience.
Oh for sure like one of my issues with the film is why do the guardian monsters give a damn about stopping Godzilla? They make it very clear that they are the guardians of the land not the people living off of it and Godzilla's rampage is purely motivated by revenge against the people of Japan not the land that nation is occupying. Just a bit of a thematical disconnect. Also now that I think about it was Godzilla's attack in 1954 also caused by the souls from WW2? Has Godzilla always been a spiritual monster in this world?
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