Canon-Strike XIII: Godzilla

[QualityChimp]

Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters was okay from memory, so I rewatched it for this thread as I realised I couldn't remember much of it.

Yeah, I can see why I forgot about so much of it. Some cool ideas like abandoning Earth after kaiju appearances or the co-ordinated attack on Godzilla and the idea that after all that effort and loss of troops, he was just a kid (or something), but it's so glacial in it's rolling out of the story.

That can be an anime thing though. Just standing looking broody, so you don't have to animate the mouths?
I dunno, it just feels like a lot of anime has this moments of nothing. Slow pans across a city or similar.

Don't think I'll bother with the others.

[Neon Ignition]

Movie 34 - Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle
A direct sequel to the prior animated entry, this film continues the humans efforts to reclaim Earth but this time they deploy Mechagodzilla in their efforts. The film wasn't well received but commissioned as a trilogy another entry was close behind.




City on the Edge of your Attention Span?

[QualityChimp]

Yeah, having been underwhelmed by part 1, I'll probably skip the other two.

Deffo going to carry on watching the older ones I've missed/not seen for years.

[CMcK]

Movie 14 - Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla
A concept so ridiculous it would never be used in a US made Godzilla movie... right?
A prophecy states that a black cloud will emerge and a monster will destroy the Earth which shortly is followed by a cloud appearing and a now normally peaceful Godzilla going on a rampage. The destruction continues until another Godzilla appears and during their battle the destructive one is revealed to be a mechanised fake. With Godzilla and the monster King Caesar ultimately coming together to unite and battle the space metal, alien origined Mechagodzilla. Despite the fame of the new robo-monster, the film didn't attract back missing audience numbers earning enough for the franchise to continue though.

Did this entry mecha your day?

Watched this over the weekend. Its a bit mad. Probably the strongest opening to any Godzilla movie with all the destruction and the big reveal. I really do like the design for Mechagodzilla. Kind of like a kaiju knight in a suit of armour. All that advanced space tech but there's rivets all over the place! And the initials on the body like some kind of monogrammed shirt or something is just daft fun too.
Shame they couldn't have come up with a better name than Black Hole Planet 3 though. What are we meant to call the aliens then? And the aliens outfits are some straight out of the sixties quasi retro futuristic shiny fun.
Just got Terror of Mechagodzilla to go now then might be time for a wee breather.

[Neon Ignition]

Given how widely unpopular these ones are we might as well knock the last one out now:

Movie 35 - Godzilla: The Planet Eater
The end of the animated trilogy, the film continues the humans tale of reclaiming the Earth mixed with Godzilla facing off against King Ghidorah who transcends the known universe. Whilst the film didn't score greatly, it did get better reactions than the two previous films due to its ability to focus on delivering a definitive end to this timelines story.




Finish on a high?

[QualityChimp]

Amazing efforts catching up on your homework, [MENTION=8265]CMcK[/MENTION]!

Yeah, the start is great where everyone is wondering why Godzilla is being a big jerk all of a sudden.

Classic MG looks so much cooler than the newer versions.
He's got that vacant but bloody evil look!

[QualityChimp]

King Ghidorah looks great in Godzilla 3, but I've heard he doesn't quite work in practice.
Will probably swerve.

[CMcK]

Drifting slightly OT but I was wondering whether it's worth watching Pacific Rim 2? I wasn't all that keen on the first one despite the work done on the kaiju and Jaggers.

[QualityChimp]

Drifting slightly OT but I was wondering whether it's worth watching Pacific Rim 2? I wasn't all that keen on the first one despite the work done on the kaiju and Jaggers.

Definitely not, then.

I like the first one, which is great but doesn't quite hit the mark for a film about giant robots fighting giant alien kaiju, which is the kind of thing written for me. Maybe it's all the night time fights?

I do like it and want to rewatch it, though.

The sequel just fails. It's boring and forgettable, with only a Voltron-style ending that's remotely rememberable, IMHO.

I really, really wanted to like it, though.

[briareos_kerensky]

I echo QC's sentiment. I loved the first, but the second is meh. I guess that's what you get when Del Toro is not directing. Such a shame, Boyega is a good actor who never got to be in a better movie than Attack On The Block.

[CMcK]

Mmmmm might just give it a miss then.

[Neon Ignition]

Movie 36 - Godzilla: King of the Monsters
The Monsterverse struck back, finally delivering a US made direct sequel. Eco-terrorists awaken multiple monsters causing Godzilla and Mothra to rise in Earth's defense with the human plot following the terrorists and a family who's members straddle both sides of the battle. The film received mixed reviews and underperformed at the box office but a follow up film was already deep in development.



Was the shift to increased spectacle the right move for this follow up?

[Dogg Thang]

I adore this movie. It borrows many ideas from previous Godzilla films and brings together Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah in an epic scale story. Given the endless challenge with Godzilla movies of how to handle the humans, this feels more like the Japanese movies compared with the previous one and, overall, doesn't do too bad a job at that element.

But what this movie does best is all in the art. It looks incredible. It looks like the most amazing concept art brought to life. It allows the frames to be pieces of art in themselves. It is truly beautiful and I don't think any Godzilla movie has ever looked this good. It is visually stunning. I love that it leans into that majesty and the spectacle. It is awe-inspiring.

This is definitely a top tier Godzilla movie for me. I love it.

[QualityChimp]

I'm with Dog Thang on this one, I think it's a real treat.
It just amps everything up to borderline cartoon levels and it's so much fun.

The first Legendary film was quite broody, with long sections of character introspection, but when the monsters appeared, they fought at night, in fog, wearing black trousers.

This is all bright colours and spectacle, which is what a film about giant monsters fighting should feature!

Just look at it!

[briareos_kerensky]

I too enjoy Legendary's second Godzilla movie. It understands the subject at hand and has fun with, from the music (quite like the Mohtra theme, as well as that little bit of BOC in the credits) to the various citations from all around the franchise, like the oxygen destroyer used by the military. I also like the idea of making Godzilla an animal with behavioural patterns and people studying them, and Ghidora is back being a badass planet-destroying monster. Not completely sold on the eco-terrorist side of things, but hey, monkey aliens might have been a bit too much.