Godzilla 2014 (spoilers)

skuts · September 18, 2014, 10:36:57 AM

I finally caught Godzilla 2014 on DVD last night. I can't really call G14 a "bad" movie, although it's not really that "good". The first part of the film starts out OK being reminiscent of the latter Japanese Godzilla films. Then the fun stops and the tedium sets in. Cranston's wife begs him to lock her and her crew inside the atomic hallway, then shows up moments later to rub it in his face when he does it.
Can you smell radiation? Does radiation really look like a smokey back-lit cloud?
The MUTO's looked like something hastily doodled on a napkin and resembling the awkward Cloverfield monster. Then, they kill off their star 30 minutes into the movie. Then we're left with Ken Watenabe (sp?) who seemed to be on quaaludes most of the time. He had so little dialog that I assumed they were paying him by the word.
The default "hero", Cranston's son "Ford" (who names their kid that? Some weird sort of product placement?) wanders around, getting into all kinds of improbable situations and accomplishes basically nothing. No one questions why this active duty soldier is not with his unit.
The monster battles were a major disappointment, being mostly very short clips and so shrouded in smoke that I could barely make out what was happening. Godzilla's fight with the flying Muto looked like he was swatting at a demented turkey.
The literal darkness of the movie was a major annoyance. The original 1954 Godzilla also took place mostly at night but you could still see what was happening. The scene with the train on the bridge was so dark you couldn't make out what the heck was going on.
The Mutos had no special powers other than a lame EMP discharge and were quite weak as far as Godzilla adversaries go. Even Mothra was more of a challenge than these guys.
The filmmakers saved Godzilla's atomic breath but ditched his iconic roar for some generic grumbles.
Why was everyone cheering when Godzilla revives at the end and shuffles off on his stumpy little hooves? After all, he just killed thousands of people, including a bunch of kids in school busses on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Why did all the power come back on once the Muto's were dead?
Just about everything you expect from a Godzilla movie was missing from this lame flick. Even the music was boring, generic, monster movie fare.
Another creepy detail - all the young kids in this movie seemed to be autistic.
Still better than the Emmerich Godzilla, though.

I had bought the dvd/Blu-ray combo. All of the extras are on the Blu-ray disc, none on the dvd. The plain dvd package seems to contain only a few of the extras.

Flangepart · September 18, 2014, 05:12:55 PM

Well, having read the novel, I can see some details, plot wise that might be a problem. Ford is a Navy Lt. and get's tagged due to the confusion and desperation cause by the situation, so that I could live with.

BUT- that EMP thing...it seems there to avoid having the military give the MUTOs a beating. Even in the book, it seemed Godzilla had the strength to stand up to a typical Army throw down; the MUTOs not as much. They took out an Army ground force, but if the Marines/Navy/Air Force planes had been in on it, Godzilla would have had an easier time of it.
Oh...and you never got to see the actual army/monster fight in detail, right?

skuts · September 19, 2014, 11:14:21 AM

Quote from: Flangepart on September 18, 2014, 05:12:55 PM
Well, having read the novel, I can see some details, plot wise that might be a problem. Ford is a Navy Lt. and get's tagged due to the confusion and desperation cause by the situation, so that I could live with.

BUT- that EMP thing...it seems there to avoid having the military give the MUTOs a beating. Even in the book, it seemed Godzilla had the strength to stand up to a typical Army throw down; the MUTOs not as much. They took out an Army ground force, but if the Marines/Navy/Air Force planes had been in on it, Godzilla would have had an easier time of it.
Oh...and you never got to see the actual army/monster fight in detail, right?

The Mutos were the weakest monsters to fight Godzilla since the giant shrimp in G v the Sea Monster. it took him mere seconds to swat the first one out of the sky and rip the big one's head clean off.
The military seemed superfluous in this movie.
Everything we've come to love and expect from a Godzilla movie was missing from this film.

akiratubo · September 19, 2014, 09:38:30 PM

I didn't like the music, either. I was hoping they'd use Jimmy Castor's "Godzilla" for the end credits music but no luck.

indianasmith · September 20, 2014, 12:03:19 AM

I guess the fact that I hadn't watched a single Godzilla film SINCE the 1998 Matthew Broderick version made me like this one better.
And I guess, before that, my last Godzilla film was GODZILLA 1985.

RCMerchant · September 20, 2014, 05:55:52 AM

Gosh-I was really hyped to see this-but now I'm let down -and I ain't seen it yet!

Hopefully the sequel-which is supposed to bring in a couple of old school Godzilla foes-will be better.

indianasmith · September 20, 2014, 08:30:48 AM

Ronnie - don't believe the haters - SEE IT!

It was great fun!

Andrew · September 20, 2014, 09:23:51 AM

There was an earlier thread on the film that I posted in after seeing it in the theater. I don't think it is perfect, nor a great Godzilla movie, but I enjoyed it.

The MUTOs were not that bad. I prefer them to opponents like Ebirah, Orga, Space Godzilla, and Gabara. I just wished the fights were more like the battles in Pacific Rim: massive and relentless. The human story was useless filler for me, but that is usually the case in kaiju films.

indianasmith · September 20, 2014, 10:56:34 PM

I just rewatched this one on video (saw it twice in the theaters).

I absolutely LOVE this movie and am totally stoked for the sequel.

Just hope the final fight is in broad daylight this time! LOL

Flangepart · September 22, 2014, 08:22:08 AM

Quote from: Andrew on September 20, 2014, 09:23:51 AM

The human story was useless filler for me, but that is usually the case in kaiju films.

Well, like Joe Bob Briggs said, 'In these movies, the monsters are the stars, the human actors are furniture."

Bushma · September 22, 2014, 08:33:26 PM

I liked this movie a lot. It was the best American Godzilla movie so far. What I didn't like was that I had to agree with the Japanese. Godzilla was fat and slow. I thought it was the dumbest thing ever that Godzilla had to take a nap after fighting.

WingedSerpent · September 22, 2014, 08:54:07 PM

One of the common defenses for this movie was that is was treating Godzillla similar to the shark in Jaws. The logic goes that the creature as more of a presence then actually showing up more often has more impact. I have a problem with that argument. Godzilla is a giant dinosaur, Jaws is a shark. I know what a shark looks like. I can see a living shark fairly easily, the nearest zoo/aquarium isn't that far from me. When I go to a giant monster movie, I want to see the giant monsters.

As for the MUTO's, their overall design didn't bother me. I figured if this new reboot got around to Mothra, that the male MUTO gave us an idea of what she or Battra might look like. The biggest problem I had with them is that name -M.U.T.O. Sound too...cute. Like if there was a mutation based super hero cartoon from the 80's, MUTO would be his sidekick's name.

Negativity aside, the brawl in the city was pretty cool. I liked that Godzilla used a building to end one of his foes. Using his environment to his advantage. Killing the female MUTO looked like one of Reptile's fatalities from Mortal Kombat.

Well, since the origins are out of the way, bring on the sequel

Ted C · September 22, 2014, 10:05:22 PM

I enjoyed the movie moderately, but it had one major problem. The "villains" got more backstory than the "hero". We learned a lot about the origin of the "MUTOs", but we learned very little about the origin of Godzilla. That isn't terribly auspicious for a new "origin story" intended to revitalize a franchise.

WingedSerpent · September 22, 2014, 10:27:09 PM

Quote from: Ted C on September 22, 2014, 10:05:22 PM
I enjoyed the movie moderately, but it had one major problem. The "villains" got more backstory than the "hero". We learned a lot about the origin of the "MUTOs", but we learned very little about the origin of Godzilla. That isn't terribly auspicious for a new "origin story" intended to revitalize a franchise.

I heard this in an extra on the DVD/Blue Ray but the movie needed more moments like this.Godzilla - Operation: Lucky Dragon

The whole conspiracy angle covering up Godzilla's existence really didn't play into the movie like it should have

Flangepart · September 23, 2014, 08:11:59 AM

Good 'ol Gumint conspiracy...that box is now checked.