Godzilla is not scary enuff

[tenup]

Seems like nobody has pointed this out. The "Monsterverse" as they call it has turned Godzilla in the direction of superhero instead of horrifying threat. I think this has been my issue with Godzilla's depiction since 2014. Godzilla merely appears to solve military problems instead of being one himself. That being said I think after GvK is completed there should be a new direction for Godzilla with a whole new retelling of the character.
I suspect that the Monsterverse will not be a lasting franchise like those of the Fast & Furious and MCU properties and Legendary would be wise to pitch new projects before they lose the chance to make a more terrifying Godzilla movie.

[Dv-218]

We already got not one, but 2 incarnations depicting a terrifying and destructive force of nature Godzilla from 2016 onward. While I agree that seeing a Hollywood Godzilla that acts as a true, destructive threat would be cool as hell, there is nothing wrong with a more anti-heroic protector type retelling- it's been a while since we had one, so why not? And the Monsterverse didn't "turn" him into an hero, he played this role several time already in Toho films. And in a much less subtle way at that

[GuardianGhido]

Goji hasn't always been a terrifying destroyer though, in the Showa era he eventually progressed into a full on hero and we haven't gotten anything like that since the Monsterverse so it's a refreshing take on the character IMO. A heroic protector of nature Godzillla who according to Ken Watanabe is "burdened with humanity" instead of the other way around is pretty unique. In most stories, Godzilla is a punishment bestowed upon humanity for their sins. In this one he's a guardian of life that considers us to be part of his "kingdom" as well and while he protect us, he will keep us in line if we try to go too far. And as seen in KOTM, humans themselves are starting to coexist with him and understand Godzilla's position as they used to in ancient times with Dr. Serizawa even sacrificing himself for Godzilla.

This makes him unique among the other Godzillas (and one of my personal favorites).

[Dv-218]

Goji hasn't always been a terrifying destroyer though, in the Showa era he eventually progressed into a full on hero and we haven't gotten anything like that since the Monsterverse so it's a refreshing take on the character IMO. A heroic protector of nature Godzillla who according to Ken Watanabe is "burdened with humanity" instead of the other way around is pretty unique. In most stories, Godzilla is a punishment bestowed upon humanity for their sins. In this one he's a guardian of life that considers us to be part of his "kingdom" as well and while he protect us, he will keep us in line if we try to go too far. And as seen in KOTM, humans themselves are starting to coexist with him and understand Godzilla's position as they used to in ancient times with Dr. Serizawa even sacrificing himself for Godzilla.

This makes him unique among the other Godzillas (and one of my personal favorites).

100% agreed with this take. Honestly, I view Legendary Goji as some sort of an "ultimate" logical conclusion to the heroic Godzilla concept introduced in the Showa series, the same way Shin is a logical conclusion to the scarred and mutated punisher of humanity he initially was in 1954. A sworn protector of planet earth that rises each time someone threatens it's balance- be it parasitic arthopods or aliens. This extreme representation of those equally valid sides of Godzilla is what makes both Legendary and Shin so endearing and interesting to me, they are like a flip-coin version of his entire character- basically, the Ying and Yang of Godzilla incarnations.

Besides, as you said, pretty much every Godzilla in the last decade played on the same harbringer of destruction schtick in one way or another, it's nice to see a more heroic, Showa-type Goji to shake things up a little.

[GuardianGhido]

Goji hasn't always been a terrifying destroyer though, in the Showa era he eventually progressed into a full on hero and we haven't gotten anything like that since the Monsterverse so it's a refreshing take on the character IMO. A heroic protector of nature Godzillla who according to Ken Watanabe is "burdened with humanity" instead of the other way around is pretty unique. In most stories, Godzilla is a punishment bestowed upon humanity for their sins. In this one he's a guardian of life that considers us to be part of his "kingdom" as well and while he protect us, he will keep us in line if we try to go too far. And as seen in KOTM, humans themselves are starting to coexist with him and understand Godzilla's position as they used to in ancient times with Dr. Serizawa even sacrificing himself for Godzilla.

This makes him unique among the other Godzillas (and one of my personal favorites).

100% agreed with this take. Honestly, I view Legendary Goji as some sort of an "ultimate" logical conclusion to the heroic Godzilla concept introduced in the Showa series, the same way Shin is a logical conclusion to the scarred and mutated punisher of humanity he initially was in 1954. A sworn protector of planet earth that rises each time someone threatens it's balance- be it parasitic arthopods or aliens. This extreme representation of both equally valid sides of Godzilla's character is what makes both Legendary and Shin so endearing and interesting to me, they are like a flip-coin version of his entire character- basically, the Ying and Yang of Godzilla incarnations.

Besides, as you said, pretty much every Godzilla in the last decade played on the same harbringer of destruction schtick in one way or another, it's nice to see a more heroic, Showa-type Goji to shake things up a little.

Heck, this protector role can also make him scary. Because he will not let anything threaten the balance of the world he protects, that includes humans as well. If humans go too far with the stuff they're doing to the planet (stuff like using the Oxygen Destroyer irresponsibly or trying to take control of the Titans for themselves), they will face the wrath of the King. Godzilla does not show mercy to any enemy of the world even if they are the inhabitants. The only reason he doesn't go on rampages and stop pollution making factories is because the world-healing effects of the titans radiation (seen in the ending credits) completely eclipse any harmful effects on humanity.

It's like not minding termites (humans) in your house when you have extremely large "anti-termites" (Titans) that repair and improve the house exponentially faster than the termites harm it. But if the termites start biting huge chunks out of the house, you can guarantee that they'll be squished (but not moreso than necessary because termites are a part of the house too plus they're not all bad as seen with Serizawa)

[Dv-218]

Goji hasn't always been a terrifying destroyer though, in the Showa era he eventually progressed into a full on hero and we haven't gotten anything like that since the Monsterverse so it's a refreshing take on the character IMO. A heroic protector of nature Godzillla who according to Ken Watanabe is "burdened with humanity" instead of the other way around is pretty unique. In most stories, Godzilla is a punishment bestowed upon humanity for their sins. In this one he's a guardian of life that considers us to be part of his "kingdom" as well and while he protect us, he will keep us in line if we try to go too far. And as seen in KOTM, humans themselves are starting to coexist with him and understand Godzilla's position as they used to in ancient times with Dr. Serizawa even sacrificing himself for Godzilla.

This makes him unique among the other Godzillas (and one of my personal favorites).

100% agreed with this take. Honestly, I view Legendary Goji as some sort of an "ultimate" logical conclusion to the heroic Godzilla concept introduced in the Showa series, the same way Shin is a logical conclusion to the scarred and mutated punisher of humanity he initially was in 1954. A sworn protector of planet earth that rises each time someone threatens it's balance- be it parasitic arthopods or aliens. This extreme representation of both equally valid sides of Godzilla's character is what makes both Legendary and Shin so endearing and interesting to me, they are like a flip-coin version of his entire character- basically, the Ying and Yang of Godzilla incarnations.

Besides, as you said, pretty much every Godzilla in the last decade played on the same harbringer of destruction schtick in one way or another, it's nice to see a more heroic, Showa-type Goji to shake things up a little.

Heck, this protector role can also make him scary. Because he will not let anything threaten the balance of the world he protects, that includes humans as well. If humans go too far with the stuff they're doing to the planet (stuff like using the Oxygen Destroyer irresponsibly or trying to take control of the Titans for themselves), they will face the wrath of the King. Godzilla does not show mercy to any enemy of the world even if they are the inhabitants. The only reason he doesn't go on rampages and stop pollution making factories is because the world-healing effects of the titans radiation (seen in the ending credits) completely eclipse any harmful effects on humanity.

It's like not minding termites (humans) in your house when you have extremely large "anti-termites" (Titans) that repair and improve the house exponentially faster than the termites harm it. But if the termites start biting huge chunks out of the house, you can guarantee that they'll be squished (but not moreso than necessary because termites are a part of the house too plus they're not all bad as seen with Serizawa)

Exactly! Imo a big point of the movie, which is alluded to with the whole ancient civilization aspect, is that the coexistence is possible only if both sides accept it. As you said, humans at their base are too small in his eyes to even care- especially when much bigger threats to the balance like a MUTO infestation or Ghidorah are present. But, if we do something that goes against it, it's entirely possible he will consider humanity a threat that needs to be dealt with too. Dr. Chen's "for now" line is a pretty good foreshdowing. For now the coexistance works, but if one of the world goverments does something like killing a Titan they view as a threat, Godzilla might not be too forgiving in that regard.

[gottatalktothefake]

Godzilla is a very diverse character. He is one of the few characters that you can fill up alignment charts with him alone.

Godzilla has meant a lot of things, he isn’t solely about nuclear destruction. And it’s sad that so many people think that he can only represent that one thing and it’s unfaithful if he isn’t.

Godzilla is so flexible that it’s a disservice to say that any one incarnation is unfaithful because of what they represent or how good or evil they are.

[Dv-218]

Godzilla is a very diverse character. He is one of the few characters that you can fill up alignment charts with him alone.

Godzilla has meant a lot of things, he isn’t solely about nuclear destruction. And it’s sad that so many people think that he can only represent that one thing and it’s unfaithful if he isn’t.

Godzilla is so flexible that it’s a disservice to say that any one incarnation is unfaithful because of what they represent or how good or evil they are.

I wish there was an option to like posts on this site, because this is a perfect take. Godzilla as a chracter has changed and evolved through the years depending on what the time stood for, and his basic character has been explored in every imaginable way- an heroic Godzilla is not only valid, it's a natural evolution of his character. As I said before, Legendary Godzilla is simply this concept taken to it's most logical extreme.

To imply that Godzilla has to be one way in particular and that all the others are invalid/inferior, especially after how he evolved through the years, is honestly a bit close-minded. The character's sheer flexibility thanks to his many years of existence and changes stemming from the things he stood for depending on time is what makes him so interesting to work with- he can be a hero, a villain, a metaphor, a savior, a punisher and everything in-between.

[Gerdzerl]

We haven't really had a heroic Godzilla (not counting the Hanna-Barbera and TriStar cartoons) since 1975, every Godzilla since then has been either a neutral-ish anti-hero or an antagonistic force, so the MonsterVerse Godzilla being semi-heroic is honestly really refreshing.

[NSZ]

Joy, the first movie with Godzilla being distinctly in the good guy role since 1975, and we're already starting with the "DAE bomb allegory?" head-up-ass'ing.

[LamangoKaijura]

54= Force of Nature
Showa = Uncaring towards humans fully until 1971, and then became a hero.
Heisei = Force of Nature
1999 = Force of Nature
2000 = Force of Nature
2001 = Actively evil
2002-3= Force of Nature
2004= Force of Nature
2014 - 2019 = Force of Nature-Hero
2016 = Force of Nature
Anime = Possibly evil?

Yeah, too many times he's a hero. Bring back the force of nature aspect.

[G2000]

54= Force of Nature
Showa = Uncaring towards humans fully until 1971, and then became a hero.
Heisei = Force of Nature
1999 = Force of Nature
2000 = Force of Nature
2001 = Actively evil
2002-3= Force of Nature
2004= Force of Nature
2014 - 2019 = Force of Nature-Hero
2016 = Force of Nature
Anime = Possibly evil?

Yeah, too many times he's a hero. Bring back the force of nature aspect.

This is sarcasm right

[Gigantis]

to be fair, "force of nature" isn't really a hero or villain, far more of an anti-hero. though maybe we do need more full on hero or villain types of Godzilla considering how many FON ones there are.

[Dv-218]

54= Force of Nature
Showa = Uncaring towards humans fully until 1971, and then became a hero.
Heisei = Force of Nature
1999 = Force of Nature
2000 = Force of Nature
2001 = Actively evil
2002-3= Force of Nature
2004= Force of Nature
2014 - 2019 = Force of Nature-Hero
2016 = Force of Nature
Anime = Possibly evil?

Yeah, too many times he's a hero. Bring back the force of nature aspect.

This is sarcasm right

Pretty sure it is...I think
But yeah, excellent points above. If anything the fact that we got a full blown force of greater good Godzilla for the first time since 1975 is honestly a breath of fresh air. We had an entire decade of the "force of nature" Godzilla, and two incarnations that are straight up destroyers post 2010. Time to boost herogoji up a little lol.

[Showa Gojira]

Like others have said part of what makes Godzilla so great is how flexible he is as a character. Good or bad I love Godzilla either way but it has been ages since we had a truly heroic Godzilla, in case you couldn't have guessed from my username that is my favorite version of him. Also like Dv-218 said I like that we got both Legendary Godzilla and Shin Gojira back to back because they sum up the two extremes Godzilla can lean towards in his characterization. I for one hope Godzilla does not end up becoming a villain in the Monsterverse.

[Hokmuto]

54= Force of Nature
Showa = Uncaring towards humans fully until 1971, and then became a hero.
Heisei = Force of Nature
1999 = Force of Nature
2000 = Force of Nature
2001 = Actively evil
2002-3= Force of Nature
2004= Force of Nature
2014 - 2019 = Force of Nature-Hero
2016 = Force of Nature
Anime = Possibly evil?

Yeah, too many times he's a hero. Bring back the force of nature aspect.

This is sarcasm right

Noooo

[master_of_monsters]

want him to be scary? simple solution, piss him off

[Vakanai]

Seems like nobody has pointed this out. The "Monsterverse" as they call it has turned Godzilla in the direction of superhero instead of horrifying threat.

And I for one welcome this refreshing change of pace!
We haven't had a heroic Godzilla since the Showa series ended in the 70s! Does every single incarnation of Godzilla from now on really need to be scary and bad? Really? There's room for us fans of hero Goji in this fandom too.

[BARAGONBREH]

In 2014, I thought they did it perfectly. It was left rather ambiguous whether Godzilla was truly as heroic as Serizawa thought. He shielded those kids on the bus from getting blown up, but it wasn't clear if he had done so on purpose. He was fighting the MUTOs, but MUTOs were a parasitic species he had a longstanding rivalry with. It wasn't entirely clear that Godzilla cared about humans, positive or negative. And in that context, there were certainly some "sort of" scary scenes with Godzilla; the airport reveal and the first-person skydiving shots come to mind.

Of course, that's no longer the case and you're right: Godzilla is now a super hero. Sloppy Dougherty threw most of G14's ambiguity out the window, just as he threw any ambiguity about anything out the window. In fact, Sloppy wants to be so unambiguous that his characters describe things you just saw, or give speeches about histories that were already implied. Just in case you're as dumb as he apparently believes you are.

[Dv-218]

It's the same character portrayal he had in 2014 tho. An alpha predator that rises in order to elimimate other titans he views as a threat to the balance of the world's ecosystem- it was the MUTOs in the first movie, and Ghidorah in this one. It's not any less ambigous than 2014, it's quite literally the same exact thing in execution and character. He doesn't even show clear alligeance towards humans, his goals just happen to coincide with theirs- he even shows slight intolerance towards them in some scenes. I fail to remember the explicitly heroic moments you are supposedly talking about, in most cases it was coincidental just like in 2014. Yes a big plot point of the movie was that an ancient civilization lived in a symbiotic relationship with Godzilla, but that's the key word- symbiotic. He protects the natural balance from other creatures that can harm it- and as a result, indirectly protected them, while the civilization in turn provided him with an endless radiation supply temple.

And finally, even if it is less ambigous as you claim, there is nothing wrong with a more unambigously heroic Godzilla. We had the same anti-hero/destructive force of nature portrayal for a decade already, why not bring back another version of his character?