The 'realism' of the American Godzilla Discussion

[SuperSaiyan4Godzilla]

Batman has always been about the gadgets and the tech regardless of their plausibility.

What I mean is the idea of Batman as a superhero without powers kind of expands to the rest of the world in this interpretation. Ra's isn't literally immortal, Joker has makeup in place of bleached skin, Bane is a powerful mercenary without the super steroids, etc. They stray from the traditional mythology but are true to the purpose of those characters. I don't think it's being realistic for the sake of it or looking down on anything else, just trying to remain consistent with the semi-grounded nature of the main character.

Ra's not being immortal is fine, the Joker wearing makeup is fine as well.

Bane is an issue, really. We know that super steroids to exist, and we know oddball chemical concoctions exist in the Nolanverse (the fear gas, for example). Taking the Venom away from Bane takes away a core element of his character. Of course, Nolan's interpretation is horrible, anyway.

Additionally, Nolan's said he thinks the genre is ridiculous and using realism is his way of it being "serious." So, there's that shadow hanging over his Trilogy.

[Jiragozira14]

1. The stray "stalk feet" are only seen on animals that walk on four legs so having them on a creature that walks on two is just unrealistic.

2. You dont need gills to live under water. And since G man like to hang on the bottom of the oceans he probably grabbed what he needed from underwater vents.

3. It was weird that this version was reacting to normal fire by backing away. Didnt seem like his skin was that tough.

1. His C.O.G is in his hip, not his shoulder, so yes the stumpier feet is realistic; especially since big floppy Heisei-style feet would be useless for a 100-metre tall animal to walk on.

2. ....Yeah, you do need gills to live underwater indefinitely, as Godzillas are wont to do. Gills are water-lungs, so saying he doesn't need gills to live underwater for more than about a few hours is basically like saying he doesn't need lungs to live on land.

3. Godzilla is at his core an animal; and the natural reaction to fire is to run from it, so Godzilla running from fire is about the same thing as you doing so. He's trying to survive first and foremost, so why the heck would he move towards a painful thing? Preservation instincts are a thing for a reason, and saying Godzilla shouldn't posess them is basically making him into a one-dimensional "omg it's godziller" prop.
One of the (many) reasons I like 1985 over Final Wars is how they characterize Godzilla; one potrays him as an victim of nuclear warfare, an innocent being that was horrifically mutated and, at his core, was no less a "monster" than any other animal on the planet...and the other makes him a Deus Ex Machina to use to stop the baddies and save the day.

I mean, I know Showa sort of devolved into that, but at least then it was entertaining. :p

[Kaiju Claws]

I must have missed it somewhere in the movie, but when does Godzilla move away from fire in it? I don't recall seeing that at all.

[Beef Bigshot]

I must have missed it somewhere in the movie, but when does Godzilla move away from fire in it? I don't recall seeing that at all.

Other than GRA and GvKK, I dont recall another time where Godzilla strayed away from flames. Could he be referring to the missiles exploding on him?

Also whats this talk of Batman? We should get back on topic before someone calls a mod in here.


*cough* anyways, sorta just remembered that G14 DID indeed come from a time where there was MUCh more radiation on the earth than in normal time. Could that attribute to any of his abnormalities other than the atomic breath and radiation eating thing?

[Kaiju Claws]

I must have missed it somewhere in the movie, but when does Godzilla move away from fire in it? I don't recall seeing that at all.

Other than GRA and GvKK, I don't recall another time where Godzilla strayed away from flames. Could he be referring to the missiles exploding on him?

During the bridge scene maybe, as justification for crashing through the bridge vs continuing to get hit by the missiles from the ship? I can totally understand moving away from missile strikes (then again, the MUTO was in the city or on it's way, so he needed to go that way anyhow). They may not have done any lasting harm, but I'm sure it can't feel good to be shot by a missile! We've seen Godzilla in pain before, in G2000 when he's bombarded with missiles prior to the arrival of the UFO, and we've seen him move away from human attacks, in Godzilla 1985, where he submerges to finish his approach on Tokyo vs. simply enduring the jet/artillery assault.

Unless we're literally talking about fire here, which I don't remember seeing him move away from in the new movie at all, though I agree that it could be chalked up to survival instincts.

[Vatarian]

Ah, yes, the time he ran away from fire......


Wait.....


That didn't happen.

Were you reffering to the high-caliber depleted uranium shells they were firing into his neck by the dozen? Those? Yeah, I'd have moved too. Especially since he had something to do. Y'know, kill the MUTOs?

[Gelo]

Am I the only one who sees his atomic brearh not coming from his throat? I see that it starts from the middle of the inside of his mouth, and nothing from the back, like a gas sort of thing? Hopefully someone understands me.

[Jiragozira14]

Am I the only one who sees his atomic brearh not coming from his throat? I see that it starts from the middle of the inside of his mouth, and nothing from the back, like a gas sort of thing? Hopefully someone understands me.

No, it looks like it's coming from the back of his throat to me.

[LazerWhale]

Should I bring in my atomic breath examination again? That is still my best explanation of Godzilla's most fantastical weapon.

[Beef Bigshot]

oh cool, instead of me typing all that LC did it for me. Thanks buddy, I aporeciate the solid. Now im just gonna go around copy and pasting that around

[three]

for him to exist, there's a level of suspension of reality you need to engage. if you do not reject some reality, Godzilla can't exist. we do this in every movie; whether it be the romance that just happens to work every single time, or the movie in which the poor virgin always ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time when there's a monster on the loose, who just happens to want to kill (wait for it) a virgin. and it's always some poor chick.

that stuff, that's fine. not explaining the science of Godzilla in great detail, or BSing science to pretend it makes sense is cool. i like it when movies try to do that, because they don't want to write us a fairy tale. they want to present a believable story. i agree with LC's correction on the word. it makes it more palatable to a modern audience, who has technology that supersedes expectations in the palm of their hand that they use for playing games, that drives electric cars with buttons instead of keys, that has been to and from the moon, i think presenting a story that tries to explain itself a bit instead of just saying "screw what you know, this is just how it is". you've got to remember, this isn't magic we're talking about, it's something else. it's nature, and nature is bound by certain inescapable laws, one's we may not totally understand yet. take advantage of that and just make it believable, and you're good.

[Breakdown]

This is kind of related, but how would Godzilla's unique anatomy affect our understanding of science?

Think about it. We'll scramble over each other to unlock Godzilla's secrets. A creature that can survive at the most crushing of ocean depths and the heart of a nuclear explosion would have to have an incredible biology in order to survive. This could advance our medicine, make humans immune to disease and radiation.

And it could also be used to create weapons. Godzilla's skin is incredibly thick and heat resistant, and a type of armor modeled after the structure and function of his plate-like skin would be ideal for tanks and ballistic vests. We could deduce the nature of his atomic breath and possibly replicate it to create plasma weaponry.

[Godzilla69]

Godzilla has stayed away from fire before. Remember when Megalon trapped him in a ring of fire on Godzilla vs. Megalon? He wouldn't go anywhere near it. Btw, since we are on the topic, my opinion on the realism is that I don't really see the need for it. As long as something is well made and has a good script, I'm fine with it.

Too much realism takes away the imagination in my opinion. I think Gojira & 2014 balanced the realism and fiction perfectly. Sometimes though, realism doesn't belong or fit. I think they should try to avoid too much realism in the new movies sequel. It has Mothra & Ghidorah in it. Mothra & Ghidorah should not be made realistic imho.
It takes too much away from the characters.

[Shisa Caesar]

1. The stray "stalk feet" are only seen on animals that walk on four legs so having them on a creature that walks on two is just unrealistic.

2. You dont need gills to live under water. And since G man like to hang on the bottom of the oceans he probably grabbed what he needed from underwater vents.

3. It was weird that this version was reacting to normal fire by backing away. Didnt seem like his skin was that tough.

1. His C.O.G is in his hip, not his shoulder, so yes the stumpier feet is realistic; especially since big floppy Heisei-style feet would be useless for a 100-metre tall animal to walk on.

2. ....Yeah, you do need gills to live underwater indefinitely, as Godzillas are wont to do. Gills are water-lungs, so saying he doesn't need gills to live underwater for more than about a few hours is basically like saying he doesn't need lungs to live on land.

3. Godzilla is at his core an animal; and the natural reaction to fire is to run from it, so Godzilla running from fire is about the same thing as you doing so. He's trying to survive first and foremost, so why the heck would he move towards a painful thing? Preservation instincts are a thing for a reason, and saying Godzilla shouldn't posess them is basically making him into a one-dimensional "omg it's godziller" prop.
One of the (many) reasons I like 1985 over Final Wars is how they characterize Godzilla; one potrays him as an victim of nuclear warfare, an innocent being that was horrifically mutated and, at his core, was no less a "monster" than any other animal on the planet...and the other makes him a Deus Ex Machina to use to stop the baddies and save the day.

I mean, I know Showa sort of devolved into that, but at least then it was entertaining. :p

1. Has there been a creature on this planet that walks on two legs and has stumpy feet?

2. G's lungs are huuuuuuuge, he could hold his breath for waaaaaay longer than standard animals. Plus, like i said with the vents.

3. The movie is inconsistent. If the dude can survive being nuked, why was he reacting badly to some normal missiles?

[Unit~NoA]

^I guess it was the impact the missile's had. Its like a hit by water ballon, pillow, or better yet, just shoved by surprise, doesn't burn but kinetic energy will still move you. It wasn't clear how well he took the nuke in the film, but there's a strong chance he could've been pushed underground or back into the water by the force alone.

[three]

There's no reason to think that the nuke didn't hurt him. And many large animals in the past and today have stumpy feet, Shisa. For example, braciasaurus, or more modern: the elephant.

[A Cybernetic Possum]

Brachiosaurs and elephants didn't/don't walk on two legs.

[Jiragozira14]

Brachiosaurs and elephants didn't/don't walk on two legs.

Godzilla's COG is in his hip, not his chest; the hip is every animal's centre of gravity. With his long tail and thick, columnar legs, Godzilla's stump feet are actually twofold useful;

A) They help centre both Godzilla's COG (Centre of Gravity) and COM (Centre of Mass).
B) They prevent the toes from being damaged by walking, as having long slipper-feet would. The smaller foot also makes for a more centered heel, making him even more stable.

Traditional Godzilla feet would have every single pedal digit broken the first two steps they took, with their bouncing off the ground and flopping about...so yeah, it is realistic.

I don't want to make a diagram, but I will if I have to. >_>

[A Cybernetic Possum]

I'm not disputing that, man.

[three]

Brachiosaurs and elephants didn't/don't walk on two legs.

Makes no difference. He said "no animal", and yet, there they are.