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[Daingurse]

As far as I remember, that's exactly how it happens:

Spoiler

Humanity's use of nuclear weapons in Japan awaken Godzilla, and humanity's attempts to kill Godzilla with nukes then awaken the MUTOs.

That's what I recall as well. The implications are actually quite disturbing, if I understand it correctly . . .

Spoiler

Godzilla, the Mutos, and whatever that enormous fossil was, are natural aberrations, as opposed to mutants created by man's hands. Truly made Godzilla and the Muto's feel like something primordial. Fuck, the whole Toho roster could be lying dormant underneath the earth, just waiting for the next nuclear disaster. I'm curious what sources of radiation Godzilla was feeding on. I was surprised to see the Muto's doing what Godzilla was doing in 1985, attacking subs and nuclear plants, as opposed to you know . . . Godzilla lol.

You also know what this movie reminded me of? Primal Rage, despite Godzilla and the Muto's being very animal-like in their behavior, they still felt like something beyond flesh and bone. Something elemental.

 

[Chaotic-Strike]

As a person that grew up loving Godzilla I found this movie to be good and must see in a theater.

Spoiler

The story is a typical Godzilla type one and the way they explain why these creatures are around and how they are still alive is pretty well done. I was kinda of surprised at this part. The "human" part of it was terrible as expected. The monster fights were good but the fights weren't long enough. When Godzilla is on screen they really nailed all those scenes he was in though. Putting this up against all the other Godzilla movies and I feel this is one of the best ones but it's not THE best if that makes any sense. The movie really left me wanting more and I guess that is a good thing because I want another movie really bad right now!

I really loved at the end when Godzilla burns the female monsters head off and holds the head up and roars like a fucking Gladiator! That part was so fucking awesome!

The original Godzila film still remains the best and it's commentary on nuclear weapons still rings true today.

This one has obvious flaws that keep it from being a great movie but it went through at least 3 script writers so that probably explains the flaws in the characters.

 

[Zombine]

What's the next logical step for this new Godzilla series? Are they going to continue to create new Kaiju, or are we going to get rebooted versions of Mothra, Hedora, Rodan, King Gedorah, ect?

Edit: The more time I've had to think about the film the more I think I enjoyed it. It has some flaws but I think I can look past that. I have to go check it out again.

 

[Daingurse]

What's the next logical step for this new Godzilla series? Are they going to continue to create new Kaiju, or are we going to get rebooted versions of Mothra, Hedora, Rodan, King Gedorah, ect?

I definitely wouldn't mind more original monsters, as I really liked the MUTOs. However if we get more movies, I really want to see some re-imaginings of classic monsters.

 

[The Mule]

They killed

Spoiler

Cranston

way too early. He should've died in the last 1/3 or 1/4 of the movie as a self-sacrifice to save

Spoiler

his son

. Maybe he could've stayed behind to

Spoiler

destroy the eggs

or something.

 

[Branduil]

It was a pretty good movie. You can tell that Gareth Edwards really gets Godzilla, and he gives us one of the best depictions of the king of monsters ever. Most of my criticisms would be related to stuff that could have been done better, rather than things that are legitimately bad. Basically, it would have been a better film if

Spoiler

Cranston

was the main character. The film in particular drags from

Spoiler

the moment Godzilla and Muto face off in Hawaii until the climax in San Francisco

. But the parts before and after that are golden.

 

[Brakke]

As far as I remember, that's exactly how it happens:

Spoiler

Humanity's use of nuclear weapons in Japan awaken Godzilla, and humanity's attempts to kill Godzilla with nukes then awaken the MUTOs.

I'm actually not positive how this goes. My eyes were glazed over by the seventh bozo trip to exposition land.

But the bombs don't awaken the Mutos, mining does. The Mutos are some Mines of Moria / Balrog anti-industrialism noise.

Except they aren't because nothing really reads as a metaphor.

The presence of nukes isn't as important as knowing how/not to use the weapons. The balance is in humanity knowing to respect nature in its attempts to progress technologically and as a civilization. You don't go around exploding nuclear weapons and experimenting with dangerous forms of new technology on your planet without expecting any consequences.

Yes that would be a fine theme but none of this is in the text. The very last things humans do with regard to weapons is deploy one against the monsters. An even bigger one. For this transgression, as punishment for not learning any lessons, humans are saved from the Mutos. Godzilla's shown no propensity for punishing or even regarding humans at all, so if went went right on using them there's no reason to believe giant monsters would push back again. In fact now we know we have a protector to save us if something goes bad.

The only way "balance is restored" is if the sequel opens on the UN Security Council passing comprehensive disarmament resolutions or something. Which would be hilarious. But the theme you're trying to read requires a retcon in order to stand up.

 

[bob_arctor]

Spoiler

I won't lie at first, that first atomic breath, though cool, looked like it did no impact or damage....... But when he shot it down the female muto's throat and her head came off.... I never saw people throw their hands up in the air in a theater like at a sporting event..... That was a sight and experience to behold.

I threw both my hands up too! Whole theater exploded. Goddamn that was awesome. Some primordial beast cathartic shit right there.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

Wait, does MUTO stand for something?

 

[Brakke]

Yes, something dumb. The TO was Terrestrial Organism I remember, because as soon as they said it it turns out the MUTO wasn't terrestrial and I laughed.

Edit: oh yeah MU was Massive Unidentified

Also people kept calling the things "parasitic" but nothing they did was parasitic at all. Pretty clear this script was rewritten by a few different people.

 

[jackal27]

I liked how Pacific Rim just gave them code names. That seems to make more sense. Knifehead is way catchier anyway.

 

[gspec]

Wait, does MUTO stand for something?

Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism

 

[BlueDogAnchorite]

Just got back from watching this. Great movie. I would give it a B+. I think Pacific Rim is the better movie though.

 

[Chaotic-Strike]

Yes, something dumb. The TO was Terrestrial Organism I remember, because as soon as they said it it turns out the MUTO wasn't terrestrial and I laughed.

Edit: oh yeah MU was Massive Unidentified

Also people kept calling the things "parasitic" but nothing they did was parasitic at all. Pretty clear this script was rewritten by a few different people.

Spoiler

In an original draft they needed Godzilla to stick a chrysalis in him to reproduce. The skeleton in the beginning of the movie originally was an ancient pre-mutated Godzilla that the MUTO used to give birth.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Also people kept calling the things "parasitic" but nothing they did was parasitic at all. Pretty clear this script was rewritten by a few different people.

They were found inside the carcass of another huge kaiju.

 

[HalfBakedProphet]

Yes, something dumb. The TO was Terrestrial Organism I remember, because as soon as they said it it turns out the MUTO wasn't terrestrial and I laughed.

an animal can have the ability of flight and still be terrestrial

 

[Brakke]

Well there you go.

Also you don't need to spoiler tag something from the original and discarded draft. There is no way it could spoil anyone. Because nobody is going to read it except as a curio. It will never be produced.

 

[Daingurse]

This movie really has been in my mind all day, glad the family is seeing it tomorrow, definitely going with. I think my step-dad is going to fall asleep though lol. I think he really demands stimulus from his media, he can't fucking stand cut-scenes, and hates slow parts of movies. I don't think he's gonna appreciate the build up whatsoever, no chance in hell.

 

[The Driver]

I think a lot of the people going overboard on the criticisms for the movie are missing the woods for the trees.

Outside of Godzilla 54' the bar isn't exactly high for Godzilla films, ESPECIALLY the American ones, and we finally, FINALLY got a good-to-great one. I'm fucking ecstatic, and have so much hope for a sequel. This is a celebration motherfuckers!

 

[Calcium]

I just got back from seeing it. Ultimately I was disappointed with the film. I'd give it a 7/10 overall. Here's a few thoughts: (Spoiler wall, just in case)

Godzilla was perfect. I loved everything about him.

Spoiler

The logistics of Ford being at the right place at the right time for every monster encounter was just insulting to the audience. He should have been at the beginning with his father and in the final mission at the end. That's it.

The sound design was quite poor. I expected the monsters fighting in the city to be almost deafening as building crashed to the ground, but most of the fight scenes were almost muted. It also seemed like unless you were meant to see or hear the monsters they didn't exist. These things are huge, there should have been stomping sounds as they walked around but there really wasn't much of that.

Every time they cut to the human side of the story I just sighed. It was funny the first time they only showed the fighting on the news, but after 3-4 cutaways I was just tired of it.

Edit: Now that I think about it, the first time Ken Watanabe said

Spoiler

"Godzilla"

a bunch of people in my theater laughed. What the hell is up with that? Is that line funny?

 

[Regulus Tera]

It was soooooo fucking good. Mostly, I'm just glad that there seems to be a boom in big budget actually good kaiju movies lately.

I know there are people mad about the

Spoiler

cutaways

, but I think it paid off for the end. Great pacing.

 

[Ithil]

I like how Godzilla

Spoiler

basically 100% ignored humanity for the whole film, apart from two moments where the Navy attacked him and he smashed the Golden Gate Bridge in retaliation, and the moment where he locked eyes with Brody briefly. Otherwise, he was solely interested in killing the MUTOs and left again immediately.

Humanity played zero role in Godzilla's "quest", they were just spectators.

 

[MC Safety]

Ah, well. I enjoyed the film, but it turns out my concerns were dead-on. I'd much rather have had Godzilla the film's one and only monster.

Spoiler

I winced when the Japanese scientist said not once but twice, "Godzilla will bring balance!" And, then, "Let them fight!" No, no, it's totally cool, scientist dude. We'll let these three monsters sort it out because the winner is just going to walk off into the sunset when it's done.

 

[Sephzilla]

Just got back from the movie.

Spoiler

Fucking loved it.

 

[Fancy Clown]

I just watched Godzilla '54 in preparation for this (first time seeing it since I was a kid). What a fantastic, beautiful, somber film. And the effects must have been jaw dropping for the time, because they impressed me now. An there were so many great shots, and the soundtrack was of course amazing as well.

How does this Godzilla compare to the original? Is it similar in tone? And if Big G only gets as much screen time as he does in the original I'd be ok with that because every time he came on screen in the original it fucking mattered.

 

[Timu]

This was an awesome movie and I liked the 3D in it, easily one of the best Godzilla movies out there. The MUTO rocked as well but Godzilla steals every scene he was in.

 

[Daingurse]

I like how Godzilla

Spoiler

basically 100% ignored humanity for the whole film, apart from two moments where the Navy attacked him and he smashed the Golden Gate Bridge in retaliation, and the moment where he locked eyes with Brody briefly. Otherwise, he was solely interested in killing the MUTOs and left again immediately.

Humanity played zero role in Godzilla's "quest", they were just spectators.

Yep, he paid them no mind. He he was pretty damn gentle for Godzilla. Compare him to the mindless Return of Godzilla version, that thing seems so ruthless now.

Also Off-topic, Shouta you were right. I can tell from the damn title sequence alone that The Return of Godzilla is a better version than 1985, this is a real ass title sequence. I do like me some Burr though.

 

[Branduil]

It was soooooo fucking good. Mostly, I'm just glad that there seems to be a boom in big budget actually good kaiju movies lately.

I know there are people mad about the

Spoiler

cutaways

, but I think it paid off for the end. Great pacing.

The film is very old-school in a good way, in that it understands how to build tension and gradually raise the stakes, rather than follow the Michael Bay school of all-sensory-overload-all-the-time. The main character could have been better and more interesting

Spoiler

by being Bryan Cranston

but the structure and direction of the film is on a level above most blockbusters.

 

[Kinsei]

I really like that they didn't

Spoiler

depict the MUTO's as evil. They were just animals following their instincts and they just happened to have an immense amount of power. It really went a long way in making you feel bad when they died.

Since this seems to be doing well, it'll hopefully usher in a new era of Kaiju movies.

 

[Ithil]

I just watched Godzilla '54 in preparation for this (first time seeing it since I was a kid). What a fantastic, beautiful, somber film. And the effects must have been jaw dropping for the time, because they impressed me now. An there were so many great shots, and the soundtrack was of course amazing as well.

How does this Godzilla compare to the original? Is it similar in tone? And if Big G only gets as much screen time as he does in the original I'd be ok with that because every time he came on screen in the original it fucking mattered.

It's not nearly as dark and grim as Godzilla '54, but it's not light hearted, I don't think there's a single moment of humour in the whole film. It's more of a monster movie, or disaster movie, than a charged allegory like Godzilla '54, but it's very enjoyable if you want paced, measured and well made monster brawling, with no forced humour or handholding.

Godzilla has about the same amount of screentime in this film as the original, he doesn't even appear for nearly an hour into the film and is still only glimpsed briefly until the final act.

Godzilla (more character spoilers, no plot spoilers)

Spoiler

is not good or evil in the film, the damage he causes is mostly collateral, he's solely interested in fighting the other monsters and ignores the humans mostly

.
More notable spoilers

Spoiler

Godzilla rising from the ocean and making landfall causes a tsunami that clearly kills a few hundred people, and he doesn't give a shit, he just goes after the MUTO. So he's full anti-hero.

 

[DanteSparda504]

I really enjoyed the movie. It was outstanding really. The only complaint would be

Spoiler

Godzilla not being in it much, but it's totally made up by the fact that any moment he was on screen was absolutely breathtaking. He completely commanded everyones attention when he he was there.

I really enjoyed the human element of the movie, it wasn't the greatest told story in the world, but it's a Godzilla movie. I just want the human side to be interesting and enjoyable and I think it was. I really enjoyed the characters and I am a big fan of the actors. There was never a dull moment, unlike most of the classic films, which focused on cheesy story lines. The moment when Godzilla started powering up his atomic breath was incredible. My theater all was like "Holy shit...."

I hope to god this does well enough for a sequel. I'd love for Edwards to return and do this again. Next time bring back another classic monster and introduce another one as well. A bit of the old and a bit of the new. I think it's the logical next step. Toho would be crazy not to license out another monster.

 

[Fancy Clown]

It's not nearly as dark and grim as Godzilla '54, but it's not light hearted, I don't think there's a single moment of humour in the whole film. It's more of a monster movie, or disaster movie, than a charged allegory like Godzilla '54, but it's very enjoyable if you want paced, measured and well made monster brawling.

Godzilla has about the same amount of screentime in this film as the original, he doesn't even appear for nearly an hour into the film and is still only glimpsed briefly until the final act.

Okay cool. I would have liked to see the same level of grimness as the original Because it made the whole film incredibly moving and powerful, especially the scenes in the hospital with kids.

I can definitely live with well crafted monster movie, though.

 

[D1renegade]

This was a solid flick.. Though the constant teasing of Godzilla early on got kinda annoying.. After watching this I really wanted to watch Pacific Rim again. This also makes me want a new War of the Monsters game so bad!

 

[orochi91]

FANTASTIC MOVIE!

The intentional

Spoiler

avoidance of a full blown Godzilla/Muto fight till the end

was a masterstroke!
The payoff was incredibly satisfying. The humans were good too!

This movie did justice to the original 1954 movie; the MUTO creatures were extremely
well done.

 

[Branduil]

I just watched Godzilla '54 in preparation for this (first time seeing it since I was a kid). What a fantastic, beautiful, somber film. And the effects must have been jaw dropping for the time, because they impressed me now. An there were so many great shots, and the soundtrack was of course amazing as well.

How does this Godzilla compare to the original? Is it similar in tone? And if Big G only gets as much screen time as he does in the original I'd be ok with that because every time he came on screen in the original it fucking mattered.

There are a lot of ways it feels like a sort of spiritual sequel to the '54 film. Obviously it's not completely the same, and the way Godzilla in particular is depicted has a lot more influence from his later characterizations, but there's a definitely an influence from the seriousness and slow build-up of the original.

 

[Ithil]

There are a lot of ways it feels like a sort of spiritual sequel to the '54 film. Obviously it's not completely the same, and the way Godzilla in particular is depicted has a lot more influence from his later characterizations, but there's a definitely an influence from the seriousness and slow build-up of the original.

This mainly comes across in how seriously the film takes the threat posed by the monsters. It's not the same kind of political message as the original film, but it's the opposite of something like Transformers that destroys cities and threatens the Earth in the same breath as cooking breakfast and washing the car.

So don't expect Godzilla 54 but do expect a disaster movie that takes its disaster seriously and has major reverence for its monsters.

 

[DanteSparda504]

I read there wouldn't be weeks ago, so I didn't stick around but just to make sure. There wasn't any scene during or after the credits right?

 

[Brakke]

Yo that cut-to-kid-watching-Kaiju-fight-on-TV part was the best bit in the whole movie. Shit was proper subversive! "Hey you goofballs in the theatre this is you you're kids who just want their monster-bashing".

 

[witness]

How's the 3D?

 

[Calcium]

I read there wouldn't be weeks ago, so I didn't stick around but just to make sure. There wasn't any scene during or after the credits right?

Some kids in front of me in line asked someone as he was coming out of the previous showing. So according to that guy, no. I took his word for it and walked out.

 

[Imm0rt4l]

Did you see Man of Steel? It was incredibly dreary.

This.

 

[Regulus Tera]

The film is very old-school in a good way, in that it understands how to build tension and gradually raise the stakes, rather than follow the Michael Bay school of all-sensory-overload-all-the-time. The main character could have been better and more interesting

Spoiler

by being Bryan Cranston

but the structure and direction of the film is on a level above most blockbusters.

You make Bryan Canston's character the protagonist and then you'd have to make even more contrived excuses as to why he keeps facing the MUTOs and Godzilla. Going with the soldier was the right decision for the kind of set pieces they wanted to make.

 

[Fancy Clown]

This mainly comes across in how seriously the film takes the threat posed by the monsters. It's not the same kind of political message as the original film, but it's the opposite of something like Transformers that destroys cities and threatens the Earth in the same breath as cooking breakfast and washing the car.

So don't expect Godzilla 54 but do expect a disaster movie that takes its disaster seriously and has major reverence for its monsters.

Excellent, that's all I really needed to hear. And I can tell from the trailers that this Godzilla will have the best cinematography of any Godzilla movie that's not '54 (and could very well top that as well, although the stark black and white imagery of the original lends itself to a different visual tone than what it looks like Edwards and Garvey are going for).

 

[Regulus Tera]

I really like that they didn't

Spoiler

depict the MUTO's as evil. They were just animals following their instincts and they just happened to have an immense amount of power. It really went a long way in making you feel bad when they died.

Since this seems to be doing well, it'll hopefully usher in a new era of Kaiju movies.

I never got the impression that the MUTOs were regarded as evil. Everything about them, including their purpose, had very animalistic grounds. It was always a tale of survival in which they had the upper hand against humanity.

 

[Chiggs]

If the U.S. Military acted as incompetent in the real world as they do in Godzilla 2014, America would not be a superpower.

 

[Regulus Tera]

How's the 3D?

I watched it in 3D because I didn't want to wait another hour for a 2D showing. I stopped noticing it by the time the monsters start rampaging, which seems counter intuitive to the whole 3D shebang.

 

[Shrennin]

Basically, it would have been a better film if

Spoiler

Cranston

was the main character.

Yeah, this. I liked the movie overall, but the characters apart from

Spoiler

Cranston and Watanabe

dragged it down for me. The others just weren't capable of making the

Spoiler

non-Godzilla

parts interesting, which is unfortunate since that's the

Spoiler

majority of the movie.

 

[Toa TAK]

If the U.S. Military acted as incompetent in the real world as they do in Godzilla 2014, America would not be a superpower.

Can't we say that for most movies featuring them?

 

[Dominator]

This was actually my first Godzilla movie so I went in completely fresh after only having seen the first full trailer. I enjoyed it a lot. Aaron-Taylor Johnson was a bit wooden at times but overall he was fine. Cranston was the stand-out for the time he was in the film.

I'd give this a solid 8/10. CGI looked pretty damn great to me too. I couldn't see any problems with it. When the big man was actually on the screen I was floored.

 

[gspec]

You make Bryan Canston's character the protagonist and then you'd have to make even more contrived excuses as to why he keeps facing the MUTOs and Godzilla. Going with the soldier was the right decision for the kind of set pieces they wanted to make.

This.