Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

For the discussion of Toho produced and distributed films or shows released from 1999 to 2015.
Post Reply
User avatar
Dr. Professor
Futurian
Posts: 3575
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2013 5:37 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by Dr. Professor »

It's the fifth worst for me. I just find it sooooo boringggg. But there are some cool visuals I guess.
Resized Image
(Art by Lisa Naffziger)

Co-host (Nick) of G-Force: A Kaiju Podcast
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

RIP Evan A. Baker :serizawa:

User avatar
SoggyNoodles2016
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 6133
Joined: Wed May 30, 2018 7:37 am
Location: My parents' basement

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by SoggyNoodles2016 »

Godzillian wrote:I feel like the final battle in this film is one of the hardest to get invested in. What are the stakes? More Megaguirus rule the world but why do we care? The characters give us no reason too.
I agree. I love the final fight but that's just because it's fun. The only reason to care is if the viewer wants Godzilla to win.
Image

RIP Evan.

User avatar
JAGzilla
Sazer
Posts: 11816
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 6:45 pm
Location: Georgia

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by JAGzilla »

This Godzilla incarnation is an entertaining badass, though, so he's easy to root for. Another thing that bears reiteration is that there are a lot of cool, original action sequences in this movie that are unlike anything else in the series. People seem to get caught up in the poor structure, bad characters, and controversy over the DT (I love the thing, personally) and disregard the elements of this movie that do deserve praise. If you accept that it was never trying to be anything other than dumb fun, Megaguirus is a blast.
"Stop wars and no more accidents. I guess that's all I can ask." -Akio

User avatar
Red-Death Gigan
Interpol Agent
Posts: 531
Joined: Sat Jul 24, 2010 6:53 am

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by Red-Death Gigan »

This movie entertains me. Little room for boredom. Godzilla & Megs both look cool. 'Nuff Said.
... Godzilla lives inside each one of us.

User avatar
PitchBlackProgress
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2189
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2017 12:15 pm

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by PitchBlackProgress »

Hate the “Made for TV” quality this film sports.
Yeah, Godzilla wins... sometimes. I mean, he was killed by Dr. Serizawa's patented bubble-bath formula, heartburn, missiles, and poor box office returns, got his ass kicked by a drunken, circus-escaped gorilla, then he was beaten by two newborn worms, yeah some “king”.
#slatternking

User avatar
jackzilla
Interpol Agent
Posts: 594
Joined: Tue May 28, 2013 11:23 am
Contact:

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by jackzilla »

To me this is in the middle of the franchise in terms of ranking. It's not one of the best of the franchise, but it's not one of the worst either. It has plenty of issues, but it's a fun one overall. I don't understand why some people would consider it one of the worst of the series though. I was baffled when I saw a couple previous post call it "one of the top five worst". It's not THAT bad.

Unpopular Opinion: Godzilla vs Megagurius is better than Godzilla vs Biollantie, YEAH I SAID IT
LONG LIVE THE KING

User avatar
eabaker
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 13758
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:16 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by eabaker »

jackzilla wrote:To me this is in the middle of the franchise in terms of ranking. It's not one of the best of the franchise, but it's not one of the worst either. It has plenty of issues, but it's a fun one overall. I don't understand why some people would consider it one of the worst of the series though. I was baffled when I saw a couple previous post call it "one of the top five worst". It's not THAT bad.

Unpopular Opinion: Godzilla vs Megagurius is better than Godzilla vs Biollantie, YEAH I SAID IT
I was with you right up until that last sentence, which strikes me as utter, vertiginous madness.
Tokyo, a smoldering memorial to the unknown, an unknown which at this very moment still prevails and could at any time lash out with its terrible destruction anywhere else in the world.

User avatar
Gojira1963
Gotengo Officer
Posts: 1732
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:33 pm
Location: Under the Bodhi tree
Contact:

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by Gojira1963 »

jackzilla wrote:To me this is in the middle of the franchise in terms of ranking. It's not one of the best of the franchise, but it's not one of the worst either. It has plenty of issues, but it's a fun one overall. I don't understand why some people would consider it one of the worst of the series though. I was baffled when I saw a couple previous post call it "one of the top five worst". It's not THAT bad.

Unpopular Opinion: Godzilla vs Megagurius is better than Godzilla vs Biollantie, YEAH I SAID IT
I enjoy this movie a lot. I love the suit design, it's my favorite design, I love the scene with the Godzilla getting attacked by the Meganulon and I love the sci-fi element of the black-hole. The battle with Megagurius is cool. Yes, I like this movie more than Godzilla vs. Biollante.
Liam F.

My science fiction/Fantasy blog. with Godzilla content! http://foleyfunfilmfacts.wordpress.com/

User avatar
jackzilla
Interpol Agent
Posts: 594
Joined: Tue May 28, 2013 11:23 am
Contact:

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by jackzilla »

Gojira1963 wrote:
jackzilla wrote:To me this is in the middle of the franchise in terms of ranking. It's not one of the best of the franchise, but it's not one of the worst either. It has plenty of issues, but it's a fun one overall. I don't understand why some people would consider it one of the worst of the series though. I was baffled when I saw a couple previous post call it "one of the top five worst". It's not THAT bad.

Unpopular Opinion: Godzilla vs Megagurius is better than Godzilla vs Biollantie, YEAH I SAID IT
I enjoy this movie a lot. I love the suit design, it's my favorite design, I love the scene with the Godzilla getting attacked by the Meganulon and I love the sci-fi element of the black-hole. The battle with Megagurius is cool. Yes, I like this movie more than Godzilla vs. Biollante.
Image

But anyway...yeah, I think this movie isn't anything great, but it's a fun one overall. I think Megagurius is a really cool looking monster. And yes, I think it's better than Biollante :P
Last edited by jackzilla on Sun Jul 08, 2018 5:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
LONG LIVE THE KING

User avatar
Dr. Professor
Futurian
Posts: 3575
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2013 5:37 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by Dr. Professor »

I find Godzilla vs. Biollante to be extremely overrated, but I still prefer it over this one. But I will say that one thing Godzilla vs. Megaguirus has over GvB is that it doesn't grind to a halt when Godzilla shows up. The Godzilla scenes in GvM elevate the film, which is how it should be. However, the human characters are either so incredibly dull or obnoxious that the rest of the film is a pain to sit through, which is absolutely not how it should be. So basically both films are boring as shit in my opinion, but for completely opposite reasons.
Resized Image
(Art by Lisa Naffziger)

Co-host (Nick) of G-Force: A Kaiju Podcast
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

RIP Evan A. Baker :serizawa:

User avatar
OneMillionTomsBC
GPN Volunteer
Posts: 134
Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2016 6:52 pm

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by OneMillionTomsBC »

I loved this movie. Underrated as hell. One of my favorite moments was Godzilla has Megaguirus pinned down and lunges to bite it, misses, and comes back up with a mouth full of trains and debris. Classic cheese. Throwing a black hole at Godzilla doesn't destroy the earth or Godzilla either. It's an amazing movie. :D

User avatar
Maritonic
Admin | Forum Manager
Admin | Forum Manager
Posts: 6680
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2016 6:26 am

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by Maritonic »

Really dislike the main guy in this movie. The one thing I DO enjoy in this is the intro of Godzilla in older attacks. That's neat. The final fight is so...eesh. I don't know, man. This has been in my bottom 5 for a very long time, and no matter how many times I try it's never broken out of that ranking. I can't really find much redeemable about it for me personally.

Re: Biollante. I'll agree that's a VERY overrated movie around here, but man...Megaguirus better than Biollante? Nah.
Image
Any issues, please feel free to private message me or e-mail me at MaritonicTK@gmail.com.
Bruno says we're not supposed to hate.
MechaGoji Bro7503 wrote: Tue Jan 31, 2023 3:24 pm Don't go to a friend's wedding, send him 100 copies of Gamera vs Zigra instead. Be a man.

User avatar
Godzillian
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5789
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 9:36 pm

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by Godzillian »

What do you guys like about the final battle so much? I'm not attacking you or anything, just curious. To me its just Godzilla wrestling with a stiff puppet for 5 min. Most of the "best" moments from it are the comedic stuff like Godzillas body slam or Mega dropping the building on Godzillas head. I do agree that the swarm attacking Godzilla is one cool sequence. GVM was something I didn't mind as a kid and now that I' older its flaws just get more and more obvious everytime I see it.
Image

User avatar
Maritonic
Admin | Forum Manager
Admin | Forum Manager
Posts: 6680
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2016 6:26 am

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by Maritonic »

Godzillian wrote:What do you guys like about the final battle so much? I'm not attacking you or anything, just curious. To me its just Godzilla wrestling with a stiff puppet for 5 min. Most of the "best" moments from it are the comedic stuff like Godzillas body slam or Mega dropping the building on Godzillas head. I do agree that the swarm attacking Godzilla is one cool sequence. GVM was something I didn't mind as a kid and now that I' older its flaws just get more and more obvious everytime I see it.
Agree with every single thing you say here. The swarm is pretty cool, but I've never understood the love for the final fight.
Image
Any issues, please feel free to private message me or e-mail me at MaritonicTK@gmail.com.
Bruno says we're not supposed to hate.
MechaGoji Bro7503 wrote: Tue Jan 31, 2023 3:24 pm Don't go to a friend's wedding, send him 100 copies of Gamera vs Zigra instead. Be a man.

User avatar
Godzillian
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5789
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 9:36 pm

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by Godzillian »

Maritonic wrote:
Godzillian wrote:What do you guys like about the final battle so much? I'm not attacking you or anything, just curious. To me its just Godzilla wrestling with a stiff puppet for 5 min. Most of the "best" moments from it are the comedic stuff like Godzillas body slam or Mega dropping the building on Godzillas head. I do agree that the swarm attacking Godzilla is one cool sequence. GVM was something I didn't mind as a kid and now that I' older its flaws just get more and more obvious everytime I see it.
Agree with every single thing you say here. The swarm is pretty cool, but I've never understood the love for the final fight.
Megaguirus isn't even that interesting as an enemy kaiju. We don't see it do anything as a threat to the humans, other than when she hatches she just pops up on que to battle Godzilla. I'm glad we have an old man telling us how terrible she is and what a horrible thing she is rather than us seeing her attack a city or aggressivly go after a jet liner or something.
Image

User avatar
Gojira1963
Gotengo Officer
Posts: 1732
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:33 pm
Location: Under the Bodhi tree
Contact:

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by Gojira1963 »

jackzilla wrote:
Gojira1963 wrote:
jackzilla wrote:To me this is in the middle of the franchise in terms of ranking. It's not one of the best of the franchise, but it's not one of the worst either. It has plenty of issues, but it's a fun one overall. I don't understand why some people would consider it one of the worst of the series though. I was baffled when I saw a couple previous post call it "one of the top five worst". It's not THAT bad.

Unpopular Opinion: Godzilla vs Megagurius is better than Godzilla vs Biollantie, YEAH I SAID IT
I enjoy this movie a lot. I love the suit design, it's my favorite design, I love the scene with the Godzilla getting attacked by the Meganulon and I love the sci-fi element of the black-hole. The battle with Megagurius is cool. Yes, I like this movie more than Godzilla vs. Biollante.
Image

But anyway...yeah, I think this movie isn't anything great, but it's a fun one overall. I think Megagurius is a really cool looking monster. And yes, I think it's better than Biollante :P
LOL! I love Stepbrothers! Especially that scene! Biollante is a bit of a downer with everyone getting shot.
Liam F.

My science fiction/Fantasy blog. with Godzilla content! http://foleyfunfilmfacts.wordpress.com/

User avatar
OneMillionTomsBC
GPN Volunteer
Posts: 134
Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2016 6:52 pm

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by OneMillionTomsBC »

I don't think Megaguirus is very remarkable really, the design looks cool but I have the same feelings about it as I do with MUTO, typical Godzilla bug enemy but the movie itself is fun and cheesy and easy to laugh at.

I think Biollante is the better film though. Kiss you guys...

User avatar
Terasawa
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5841
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:06 am

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by Terasawa »

This movie has one of the least focused narratives in the entire series and that's a huge reason why I've never liked it. Kiriko wants to stop Godzilla because her commanding officer sacrificed himself during Godzilla's previous rampage to save her. She spends the rest of the film trying to get even with Godzilla. There's also the business about Godzilla returning to Japan each time a new energy source is introduced. This is an interesting and totally underdeveloped idea (also underdeveloped in G2K - by the same writers) that I think should have been the basis for the movie. Think about it: Godzilla is an allegory for mankind's unscrupulous use of nuclear power. How cool would it have been if the movie was about Japan trying to defeat Godzilla for the sake of using nuclear energy? It's an interesting inversion of the message of the 1954 film.

There's also the Dimension Tide, a superweapon that's probably man's only hope of defeating the KOTM. Its use accidentally creates or transports or something (not clear in the movie) the Meganula which creates Megaguirus. It's like the Oxygen Destroyer (a device used for good - to destroy Godzilla - despite obviously being an even bigger threat to mankind) but without any of the moralizing or ethical decisions involved in its use. The Dimension Tide is a plot device; it brings our team together, introduces Godzilla's foe, and its use sets up the two big Godzilla set pieces.

Megaguirus reminds me more of a classic Gamera villain than anything else because its actions are not really related to anything Godzilla does. It and its spawn show up and flood Shibuya (more on this in a minute). Normally this is the point in a Godzilla film where the big guy shows up to do battle. Instead, the Meganula seek out Godzilla (how they know he's on an island hundreds of miles away is never explained) to attempt to feed on his energy. He destroys most of them... and really this sequence is there to give the Dimension Tide a reason to fail. They all sacrifice themselves to create Megaguirus, which only coincidentally enters into battle with Godzilla. It's destroyed after a minor battle and none of the prehistoric creatures are mentioned again. The monster battle isn't even the climax of the film, despite its title, and the only lasting impact Megaguirus has is the idea that its supersonic ability critically damaged the Dimension Tide.

The flooding of Shibuya is a cool concept that's also underdeveloped. I remember this was a big part of the promotion of the movie and I think everyone probably anticipated Godzilla and Megaguirus to square off in the flooded district. Nope: nothing comes of this idea either, it's just another failed set piece.

Here's a question for ya: how is it that Godzilla can sense Japan's energy sources from far away in the Pacific (even when the production of energy is halted!) but the Meganula can't? Clearly they're aware of Godzilla over hundreds of miles and they swarm to him to tap his energy. Maybe the clean energy generators aren't what they need. Still this is poor writing that shows ideas are introduced with little reasoning just to get the monsters somewhere else.

The whole movie is crammed full of ideas that don't really lead anywhere. Not much critical thought was put into this movie. None of the characters undergo any kind of change. Kiriko only gives up her commander's dogtags - a symbolic but meaningless change considering her act of bravery didn't stop Godzilla. In fact, the last scene before the end credits sets up the idea that the G-Graspers are trying to get the team back together to try again. Nothing is changed except that maybe there won't be another remarkable failed technology to create new monsters next time.

To be fair, I could use these criticisms for nearly all the Godzilla films. But they really stick out to me here. The screenplay is a mess and Tezuka has no visual identity as a director to save it. This might be one of the best "for the monster scenes" Godzilla movies because nothing else really works. And even the monster scenes are mostly average at best. It feels like one of the most perfunctory movies Toho ever churned out. It exists just because it was time to make another Godzilla movie. I don't like it.
寺沢. He/him/his, etc.

User avatar
Zarm
E.S.P.Spy
Posts: 4973
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2016 3:21 pm
Location: USA, East Coast
Contact:

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by Zarm »

Bravo, Terasawa. A perfect rundown.
KaijuCanuck wrote:It’s part of my secret plan to create a fifth column in the US, pre-emoting our glorious conquest and the creation of the Canadian Empire, upon which the sun will consistently set after less than eight hours of daylight. :ninja:
The grace of God is a greater gift than we can truly fathom; undeserved mercy is a kindness humbling in its sheer scope.

The Zone Fighter campaign is complete, with all episodes subtitled! PM me if you need a link location.

Maranatha!

User avatar
Maritonic
Admin | Forum Manager
Admin | Forum Manager
Posts: 6680
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2016 6:26 am

Re: Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Post by Maritonic »

Terasawa wrote:snip
Well done. Sums up exactly how I feel, but was unable to put into words as well as you have here.
Image
Any issues, please feel free to private message me or e-mail me at MaritonicTK@gmail.com.
Bruno says we're not supposed to hate.
MechaGoji Bro7503 wrote: Tue Jan 31, 2023 3:24 pm Don't go to a friend's wedding, send him 100 copies of Gamera vs Zigra instead. Be a man.

Post Reply