Talkback: Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)

[edgaguirus]

When a movie first comes out, you tend to get some knee jerk reactions, but over time people can process it better for what it does well and not. It's not a great film, but I've seen worse.

[MechaGoji Bro7503]

When a movie first comes out, you tend to get some knee jerk reactions, but over time people can process it better for what it does well and not. It's not a great film, but I've seen worse.

Agreed. And one scene I particularly adore from FW is the scene of the grandpa and grandson watching Godzilla destroy the countryside, and he asks his grandpa why Godzilla is so mad. The grandpa's response is great, and he frames it in a way for a young kid to understand, and likewise makes it feel that any story from the last 50 years could fit. Makes the final payoff where the children of both man and monster want the fighting to stop, that much more sentimental.

[LP Productions]

Godzilla Final Wars is the ultimate “take it or leave it” movie. In my case I’ll take it. I dig it because of its excess, and the “anything but the kitchen sink” approach. And yes, I’m one who approves of Keith Emerson’s music. The series has gone through some many diverse styles and genres that a progressive rock soundtrack doesn’t really feel out of place. If anything, it enhances the experience quite a lot. The score certainly brings a vibe to the proceedings that might have not been achieved with a more “traditional” Godzilla score. Remember, this is the movie where an action hero is made to look like Joseph Stalin.

Part of me thinks that if divorced from the 50th anniversary context it would probably have been ignored or at least perceived in a very different light. To be fair, the Millenium era is ultimately uneven, while it has movies like this one and GMK, the other half is the dull and formulaic Masaki Tezuka movies, which did very little for me.

[Mechagigan]

I'll just never get over how the movie loses track of itself, repeatedly. I suppose it's meant to tribute the toku side of these films, or a parallel to the monsters, all the mutant-action-cutaways... but I don't like that stuff. And it's barely ever been part of Godzilla. It totally brings the film down to cut away from actually fun monster action to angry Shonen boys doing Matrix-fu. I don't even dislike the characters themselves, either! They're largely quite memorable. Just zero interest in the vast majority of boring human fight scenes. Could've at least got a kaiju involved during said scenes to keep it, like, relevant.

[edgaguirus]

Just zero interest in the vast majority of boring human fight scenes. Could've at least got a kaiju involved during said scenes to keep it, like, relevant.

Relevant? I think I see your point, but making a scene more epic or exciting doesn't necessarily make it better. We all know Kitamura loved American films, and he mixed up a few to try and make a big human story to accompany the kaiju scenes. It was the 50th anniversary after all.

[Mechagigan]

Just zero interest in the vast majority of boring human fight scenes. Could've at least got a kaiju involved during said scenes to keep it, like, relevant.

Relevant? I think I see your point, but making a scene more epic or exciting doesn't necessarily make it better. We all know Kitamura loved American films, and he mixed up a few to try and make a big human story to accompany the kaiju scenes. It was the 50th anniversary after all.

That's true. I guess I meant, like, have the monsters be more literally part of those human fights in some way. They sort of do this with Keizer vs Godzilla / X vs the Mutant kid, parallels. I dunno how well that scene works, though. I just think all the human action ends up distracting and maybe even a little boring.

[daveblackeye15]

Yeah each time I try to give Final Wars a shot I always get bored with all the Ozaki vs Alien leader fight.

[MifuneMovieManiac]

https://kaijuunited.com/2026/09/25/in-m ... o-yoshida/
Gigan & Hedorah's suit actor for Final Wars died. I don't have much to say but may he rest in piece

[Dr. Professor]

Hedorah wasn’t on screen long enough to make an impression, but Gigan is one of the highlights of GFW and Yoshida did a fantastic job playing him.