Kaiju Fan Confessions

[Godzilla21]

So I just watched Godzilla 1998 for the first time in several years and...I kinda like it? It's got some cute moments, and Hank Azaria and Jean Reno are genuinely fun to watch. Don't get me wrong, it's a bad movie, but it has a kind of dumb charm to it...

It really hits nostalgia sensors for me these days. I was 13 when it hit and I remember all the hype and excitement. It was the first film that I closely followed online and actively looked for rumors and such and discovered Godzilla message boards (Project G, the old Centropolis boards), and Godzilla news sites (Monster Zero). As for the film, it still sucks and the CGI has not aged well at all. The acting is subpar beyond Azaria and Reno. I still don't know if I'm supposed to be rooting for Godzilla or not. But I can watch it and be transported back to less complicated time.

Oh and I hate shipping giant monsters.

13 in '98.... God you're old.

Unlike us younglings

*why that light saber sound effect all of a sudden appears*

Hey you're only a few years behind son. Be ready for the creeping dread of your late 30s

[goji89]

It really hits nostalgia sensors for me these days. I was 13 when it hit and I remember all the hype and excitement. It was the first film that I closely followed online and actively looked for rumors and such and discovered Godzilla message boards (Project G, the old Centropolis boards), and Godzilla news sites (Monster Zero). As for the film, it still sucks and the CGI has not aged well at all. The acting is subpar beyond Azaria and Reno. I still don't know if I'm supposed to be rooting for Godzilla or not. But I can watch it and be transported back to less complicated time.

Oh and I hate shipping giant monsters.

13 in '98.... God you're old.

Unlike us younglings

*why that light saber sound effect all of a sudden appears*

Hey you're only a few years behind son. Be ready for the creeping dread of your late 30s

Dude, I'm barely 25

[Voyager]

It really hits nostalgia sensors for me these days. I was 13 when it hit and I remember all the hype and excitement. It was the first film that I closely followed online and actively looked for rumors and such and discovered Godzilla message boards (Project G, the old Centropolis boards), and Godzilla news sites (Monster Zero). As for the film, it still sucks and the CGI has not aged well at all. The acting is subpar beyond Azaria and Reno. I still don't know if I'm supposed to be rooting for Godzilla or not. But I can watch it and be transported back to less complicated time.

Oh and I hate shipping giant monsters.

13 in '98.... God you're old.

Unlike us younglings

*why that light saber sound effect all of a sudden appears*

Hey you're only a few years behind son. Be ready for the creeping dread of your late 30s

Buckle up for your mid-life crisis.

[_JNavs_]

13 in '98.... God you're old.

Unlike us younglings

*why that light saber sound effect all of a sudden appears*

Hey you're only a few years behind son. Be ready for the creeping dread of your late 30s

Dude, I'm barely 25

Damn bro you're a dinosaur

[edgaguirus]

I only dislike one kaiju roar in the Godzilla franchise: Kamacuras. It hurts my ears so.

Too bad that it bugs you. How do you feel about the roar of the Deadly Mantis?

[Cryptid_Liker]

I only dislike one kaiju roar in the Godzilla franchise: Kamacuras. It hurts my ears so.

Too bad that it bugs you. How do you feel about the roar of the Deadly Mantis?

Good one.

The Deadly Mantis just uses stock roars but at the very least, it doesn't make me want to shove 1000-degree screwdrivers up my eardrums. I'd say the best a mantis kaiju roar can get is Preytor from War of the Monsters.

[godjacob]

To be blunt I don't even remember Kamacuras' roar, but Titanosaurus cackle makes me want to jab spikes in my ears.

[Voyager]

Not as bad as the Showa Gamera monsters’ poor excuses for roars. But when it comes to Toho, nothing beats Megagirus’s ‘roar’. Goddamn I hate Megaguirus that roar.

[edgaguirus]

I don't mind any of the roars, cackles, shrieks, etc., but bad dubbing hurts.

[godjacob]

I don't mind any of the roars, cackles, shrieks, etc., but bad dubbing hurts.

One of the leads (The guy who gets captured with the natives) in Godzilla vs. Ebirah is a stand out example of this.

[eabaker]

I don't mind any of the roars, cackles, shrieks, etc., but bad dubbing hurts.

One of the leads (The guy who gets captured with the natives) in Godzilla vs. Ebirah is a stand out example of this.

Which dub of that movie are you referring to?

[godjacob]

I don't mind any of the roars, cackles, shrieks, etc., but bad dubbing hurts.

One of the leads (The guy who gets captured with the natives) in Godzilla vs. Ebirah is a stand out example of this.

Which dub of that movie are you referring to?

I don't know the names of the different dubbers and suck get getting soundbites myself so here is a link to a review with said footage.

[eabaker]

One of the leads (The guy who gets captured with the natives) in Godzilla vs. Ebirah is a stand out example of this.

Which dub of that movie are you referring to?

I don't know the names of the different dubbers and suck get getting soundbites myself so here is a link to a review with said footage.

Okay, that's Toho's international dub, as opposed to the (much better) American TV dub.

[LockBite]

I prefer the US version of King Kong vs. Godzilla. Yes it trades a lot of the social commentary for the less compelling (but funny, at times) “international correspondence” bits, but for me that’s made up for by something else...

Here’s the part that’s gonna ruffle some feathers: the Universal music works better than the Ifukube stuff, and the movie as a whole is considerably better for it. I know, I know... Hear me out. Yes, the Ifukube tracks are more thoughtfully composed and pleasant to listen to. In any context outside of watching the movie, I would rather listen to those (although even then, I prefer the renditions Ifukube would compose in subsequent Showa flicks). However, the Universal stuff better suits the onscreen action. The most obvious example here is when Kong goes to hide behind a rock and then grabs Godzilla’s tail. In the US version, the track uses strings to instill tension while Godzilla searches for Kong. The steady drums work surprisingly well to characterize their mass. Then when Kong lunges out, the track explodes into a bombastic tune. In contrast, the Ifukube theme kinda just plays without changing with the action.

My read on the situation is that the filmmakers wanted to make a slapstick action-comedy with something to say. And while the latter is watered down, I believe the former is accentuated. King Kong, Godzilla, the octopus, the fight scenes... the way everything looks and presents itself just feels better suited for the US soundtrack.

[LSD Jellyfish]

I realized I don't like the Monster Planet Trilogy. I defended it a lot, and might still do, but I had a recent realization that it's individual ideas are better than the sum of it's parts. There's a lot of be interested and find interesting, but overall it's bleh.

I had this realization when I've been recently rewatching Godzilla films in preparation of both Godzilla Singular Point and Godzilla vs. Kong. I've rewatched both Ksi and Godzilla 2014 and liked them both a bit. I am going to rewatch KOTM as well, and while I'm not a big fan on it, I can see some moments I will look forward to. I also recently rewatched a few Showa era films and those were a blast. I think the POTM trilogy are the only Godzilla films I have only seen once each. I have not revisited them at all. I think that speaks volumes. Sure I like the world its in, and some of it's concepts, but it's caused the biggest sin by being boring. Godzilla films have mostly always been really interesting and EXCITING. I feel nothing of that excitement except some cool, but still underwhelming moments in all three films climaxes.

[kaijukurt]

However, the Universal stuff better suits the onscreen action. The most obvious example here is when Kong goes to hide behind a rock and then grabs Godzilla’s tail. In the US version, the track uses strings to instill tension while Godzilla searches for Kong. The steady drums work surprisingly well to characterize their mass. Then when Kong lunges out, the track explodes into a bombastic tune. In contrast, the Ifukube theme kinda just plays without changing with the action.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed this. Just watched the Japanese version and thought to myself how the U.S. version music really played up the tension in this scene.

[Gigantis]

TBH the MireGoji design is still my favorite Godzilla design so far.

[Joseph Goodman]

Miregoji's neck always reminded me of the Cardassians from Star Trek.

[edgaguirus]

An interesting resemblance, doctor.

[SoggyNoodles2016]

I legit never gave a shit about King Kong as a kid outside of the 2005 film and the idea of him fighting Godzilla, and even that was a one off monster to me instead of being an intirctae beloved part of the rouges like Rodan or a monster I genuinely adored. It was only KSI being wonderful and me checking out the other films that got me interested him as a character and his legacy.