Godzilla: King of the Monsters - General Discussion

[LSD Jellyfish]

I'd say people are viewing Pacific Rim through the lens of the sequel. I mean, I enjoy Pacific Rim: Uprising. But as a movie it feels more like a generic blockbuster compared to the original which feels more special.

To be very clear, I still like PR1 a lot, I just remember when it first came out I was really overwhelmed by it and saw the film in theaters three times in a short span.
I no longer feel the same sense of being overwhelmed, and I can pinpoint the other recent Godzilla and Kong films as why. There was a novelty there I can't explain and the novelty excused the flaws.

I think it's interesting that PRU and KOTM make good parallels to PR1 and G14. Both are noticeably louder and dumber then their predecessors and suffer for similar flaws.

[BlankAccount]

I'd say people are viewing Pacific Rim through the lens of the sequel. I mean, I enjoy Pacific Rim: Uprising. But as a movie it feels more like a generic blockbuster compared to the original which feels more special.

Agreed. PR:U actually pissed me off in how generic, forgettable blockbuster-y it felt. Saw it once, don't really have a desire to watch it again.

[miguelnuva]

Well done, differing opinions yet nobody arguing. I like it!
My list:
KOTM
PRIM
K:SI
G14
Shin
PRU
Ani x3

I’ve seen each several times, except the trilogy since once was enough for me, just didn’t click though I applaud the effort.

I’m now comfortable having digested all the movies, KOTM in the end seemed most like a Godzilla movie, decent plot and humans, good monster fights with creatures with personality and just a touch of silly,

PAC Rim, same thing as above with fun visuals, serious but doesn’t take itself too serious or dark, again a Japanese Monster/mech film in spirit.

K:SI was a visual movie, but it had more of a monster meets Spaghetti Western feel, not as much Asian influence which I liked because it had its own substance.

G14 was a proper reintroduction to Godzilla for the west, giving him character and apparent purpose, sadly a bit too little in the monster fight department but I was quite pleased with it as a reboot.

Shin was strange for me, decent story, odd but interesting take on Godzilla and a nice upgrade for a Toho production but not one I seek to watch.

PRU was Saturday morning cartoons meets live action. Downgrade from PRIM but ok for what it is.

Animated trilogy, so much potential, but too abstract for its own good.

You stole my list lol, I feel mostly the same way here.

[dillonking55]

Well done, differing opinions yet nobody arguing. I like it!
My list:
KOTM
PRIM
K:SI
G14
Shin
PRU
Ani x3

I’ve seen each several times, except the trilogy since once was enough for me, just didn’t click though I applaud the effort.

I’m now comfortable having digested all the movies, KOTM in the end seemed most like a Godzilla movie, decent plot and humans, good monster fights with creatures with personality and just a touch of silly,

PAC Rim, same thing as above with fun visuals, serious but doesn’t take itself too serious or dark, again a Japanese Monster/mech film in spirit.

K:SI was a visual movie, but it had more of a monster meets Spaghetti Western feel, not as much Asian influence which I liked because it had its own substance.

G14 was a proper reintroduction to Godzilla for the west, giving him character and apparent purpose, sadly a bit too little in the monster fight department but I was quite pleased with it as a reboot.

Shin was strange for me, decent story, odd but interesting take on Godzilla and a nice upgrade for a Togo production but not one I seek to watch.

PRU was Saturday morning cartoons meets live action. Downgrade from PRIM but ok for what it is.

Animated trilogy, so much potential, but too abstract for its own good.

Wow! My list would be exactly the same as this & for the same reasons. The recent Toho efforts have done nothing for me & I absolutely adore the MonsterVerse films.

[Manuelito Canelito]

Shin>Godzilla 2014>Pacific Rim>KOTM>KSI>Rampage>Anime Trilogy>>>>Uprising

At least, that's from critical standpoint.

Enjoyment watching?

Pacific Rim>KOTM>Shin>G14>KSI>Rampage>Uprising>>>>Anime Trilogy

[GuardianGhido]

Ooh, here's mine!

Shin >= KOTM = PR >= K:SI >> Rampage > G14 >>> PR:U >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Anime

Shin is totally Kino or whatever it is you kids call it nowadays, no other film has really captured 54's vibe this well

KOTM and PR are both epic, fun and very well done movies. Great tributes to the Kaiju genre that really wowed me with their amazing visuals and giant monster/robot fight choreography. I loved every second of these.

K:SI is both fun and a great movie but not quite as epic. It does have some amazing fight choreography, but the fights aren't really that...grand for lack of a better term. I do really like everything they did with Kong though, the director really managed to make a Kong that belongs in the MV.

Rampage is dumb and bland but at least it's fun. It's a good turn-your-brain-off kaiju movie that shows the monsters throughout the movie and has some good fights, but it's also lighthearted fun that doesn't take itself seriously.

G14 is boring as hell, but the last 5 minutes are kinda worth it I guess. A lot of people loved it, but I find it mostly a snoozefest when the monsters aren't around.

Now, PR:U is fun and all but being fun doesn't save it from being utter crap, and I hate how it poops all over the first entry with what it did to Mako among tons of other things they skreeonked up.

And last and least, the Anime Trilogy. The Absolute worst Godzilla ever. Second only to my berserk button. It's a mind numbingly boring pile of poop with confusing as hell morals, almost zero kaiju action, telling but not showing and letdowns filled to the brim with completely wasted potential. It's only above my berserk button because it's still Godzilla and I don't have a hateboner for it.

You know your hateboner,legally speaking,is still Godzilla right? Toho has confirmed it as such and it's still bundeled with the other Godzilla films.

The letter, not the spirit.

Yeah pretty much this. Thanks LC for stating my reasoning in a far less profane way then I would have. I was about to explode but this kinda calmed me down. Glad to know others understand where my irrational hatred stems from.


The thing is, despite how horrible AnimeGoji is, you can tell that it's Godzilla without any sort of namedrop. He doesn't even have the standard qualities of being a radioactive reptilian monster (he's some plant creature that showed up out of nowhere who's just invincible to nukes but not explicitly nuclear, heck his breath is electromagnetic or something and not atomic) but from the way he's portrayed, you can still tell that he is indeed Godzilla. The iguana on the other hand is indeed Godzilla In Name Only. It's like if the Predator was named Godzilla and the movie was touted around as a Godzilla movie or something. The tunahead might have some of the necessary Godzilla characteristics, but they're just there to push the point that "THIS IS TOTALLY GODZILLA GUYZ" and it in no way carries the spirit of the character as a nigh-unstoppable giant monster that brings humanity to it's knees and brings about a moment of true desperation that may or may not defeat him (TV Tropes calls it the "Godzilla Threshold"). The fish-eater is more like one of the monsters in Rampage and is easily dispatched by the military. It even lays eggs and creates a Jurassic Park slash Aliens plot which in no way fits the Godzilla spirit IMO. Sure Toho might begrudginly consider that abomination part of the Godzilla franchise for some reason, but that doesn't mean I'll accept it or that it's deserving of it's position amongs the true Godzillas.

[UltramanGoji]

[BlankAccount]

Angry GuardianGhido noises

You know you could have just sum it up as even Godzilla himself doesn't like G'98 and be done. No seriously, Hurricane Ryu walked out on G'98 saying it didn't have the spirit and Chris has a pic of Haruo Nakajima sticking his tongue out at G'98's figure.

Personally I'm past it now, it's a part of Godzilla's history, oh well. I'm just annoyed it gets brought up anytime I talk to people about King of the Monsters, like damn, I know some people found G2014 forgettable but to remember a movie made in 1998 before it?

[Gigantis]

Angry GuardianGhido noises

You know you could have just sum it up as even Godzilla himself doesn't like G'98 and be done. No seriously, Hurricane Ryu walked out on G'98 saying it didn't have the spirit and Chris has a pic of Haruo Nakajima sticking his tongue out at G'98's figure.

Personally I'm past it now, it's a part of Godzilla's history, oh well. I'm just annoyed it gets brought up anytime I talk to people about King of the Monsters, like damn, I know some people found G2014 forgettable but to remember a movie made in 1998 before it?

TBF,once you do watch 98,it's really hard to forget it! It's just THAT fun to watch and nothing is gonna change that for me.

[Terasawa]

Angry GuardianGhido noises

You know you could have just sum it up as even Godzilla himself doesn't like G'98 and be done. No seriously, Hurricane Ryu walked out on G'98 saying it didn't have the spirit and Chris has a pic of Haruo Nakajima sticking his tongue out at G'98's figure.

Personally I'm past it now, it's a part of Godzilla's history, oh well. I'm just annoyed it gets brought up anytime I talk to people about King of the Monsters, like damn, I know some people found G2014 forgettable but to remember a movie made in 1998 before it?

Kenpachiro Satsuma was the one that walked out of the ‘98 screening. Hurricane Ryu never played Godzilla.

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

He played A Godzilla but not THE Godzilla.

[miguelnuva]

Say what you want about G98 but Toonzilla earned the name.

[GuardianGhido]

Say what you want about G98 but Toonzilla earned the name.

I agree. ToonZilla was a Godzilla. Heck, even SnickersGoji was a Godzilla. G98 though is NOT GODZILLA. AND THAT IS THE OBJECTIVE TRUTH.

[Gigantis]

Say what you want about G98 but Toonzilla earned the name.

I agree. ToonZilla was a Godzilla. Heck, even SnickersGoji was a Godzilla. G98 though is NOT GODZILLA. AND THAT IS THEOBJECTIVE TRUTH.

I don't think you know what the meaning of objective is...

[GuardianGhido]

Say what you want about G98 but Toonzilla earned the name.

I agree. ToonZilla was a Godzilla. Heck, even SnickersGoji was a Godzilla. G98 though is NOT GODZILLA. AND THAT IS THEOBJECTIVE TRUTH.

I don't think you know what the meaning of objective is...

I'M TRIGGERED AND I HARDLY KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING AT THIS POINT. (I should probably take another break lol, at least from this thread.)

[Gigantis]

I agree. ToonZilla was a Godzilla. Heck, even SnickersGoji was a Godzilla. G98 though is NOT GODZILLA. AND THAT IS THEOBJECTIVE TRUTH.

I don't think you know what the meaning of objective is...

I'M TRIGGERED AND I HARDLY KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING AT THIS POINT. (I should probably take another break lol, at least from this thread.)

Yes,go do that so i can say i like G98 without possibly getting attacked.

[BlankAccount]

Too be fair it is kind of eye rolling when reviewers bring up and compare G'98 to KOTM as opposed to the movie it's a sequel to. It's just as random to me as comparing it to Shin, the anime films or G'54, other than the fact it's it's a U.S. Godzilla film they really aren't all that comparable, it's like apples and oranges. Yeah they're all Godzilla films but why not compare it to the film that came out 5 years ago, the one it's a sequel to? Or heck K:SI? Sure it's not a Godzilla film, but it's part of the same universe.

[G2000]

Too be fair it is kind of eye rolling when reviewers bring up and compare G'98 to KOTM as opposed to the movie it's a sequel to. It's just as random to me as comparing it to Shin, the anime films or G'54, other than the fact it's it's a U.S. Godzilla film they really aren't all that comparable, it's like apples and oranges. Yeah they're all Godzilla films but why not compare it to the film that came out 5 years ago, the one it's a sequel to? Or heck K:SI? Sure it's not a Godzilla film, but it's part of the same universe.

G’98 was, for many people, their first real exposure to Godzilla (particularly in many markets where the Showa films never really made it like they did in America, like Hungary for example). It had a nigh-inescapable and all-pervasive marketing campaign and as far as I know is still getting shown on TV from time to time. Most of the people in their twenties and thirties now were children when this came out and grew up with this film being their only real knowledge of Godzilla. Maybe in another 20 years and a few hundred airings of the Monsterverse on TV Legendary will usurp Tristar’s place as the definitive Godzilla in the eyes of the American and international audiences, but I don’t know.

And at the risk of sounding like GuardianGhido, that’s why I continue to be kind of bitter that the De Bont film got shafted in favor of Emmerich and Devlin. It wouldn’t have been a perfect film, but it’s script was arguably better than G’98’s, and it wouldn’t have warped Western perspectives on the character nearly as much as what we got

[master_of_monsters]

Too be fair it is kind of eye rolling when reviewers bring up and compare G'98 to KOTM as opposed to the movie it's a sequel to. It's just as random to me as comparing it to Shin, the anime films or G'54, other than the fact it's it's a U.S. Godzilla film they really aren't all that comparable, it's like apples and oranges. Yeah they're all Godzilla films but why not compare it to the film that came out 5 years ago, the one it's a sequel to? Or heck K:SI? Sure it's not a Godzilla film, but it's part of the same universe.

G’98 was, for many people, their first real exposure to Godzilla (particularly in many markets where the Showa films never really made it like they did in America, like Hungary for example). It had a nigh-inescapable and all-pervasive marketing campaign and as far as I know is still getting shown on TV from time to time. Most of the people in their twenties and thirties now were children when this came out and grew up with this film being their only real knowledge of Godzilla. Maybe in another 20 years and a few hundred airings of the Monsterverse on TV Legendary will usurp Tristar’s place as the definitive Godzilla in the eyes of the American and international audiences, but I don’t know.

And at the risk of sounding like GuardianGhido, that’s why I continue to be kind of bitter that the De Bont film got shafted in favor of Emmerich and Devlin. It wouldn’t have been a perfect film, but it’s script was arguably better than G’98’s, and it wouldn’t have warped Western perspectives on the character nearly as much as what we got

he was for me, love him to death but god that movie sucked

[GojiDog]

My take on G98 nowadays is "eh, I'm not mad anymore".

At the time I was bewildered and disappointed. I was 13 and blissfully ignorant to the red flags surrounding the film. I was just happy to be getting a big budget American Godzilla film, and then I saw it, and I was in a state of shock and anger. It was so bad, that when Phantom Menace came out a year later, I felt nothing. "Oh, you Star Wars fans think you have it bad? You don't know what pain is. THEY KILLED GODZILLA WITH MISSILES!!!!"

In the years that followed, we finally got stateside releases for the 90s Heisei films, I have seen two Japanese Godzilla films in theaters (G2K and Shin), I got a whole new series of 6 Godzilla films following the 98 film, I got a good big budget American made Godzilla film and a sequel that gave us Ghidorah, Mothra and Rodan, and I've gotten arguably the best Godzilla comics ever made (Half Century War FTW).

It is hard for me to stay mad at a 21 year old film that disappointed me when I've gotten so much good stuff in the time that followed it. Granted, I still don't like the 98 film (to date, it is the only Godzilla movie I've watched less than 3 times) but again, I'm not mad at it anymore.