Monster-verse after Godzilla vs. Kong

 Actually watching Kong Skull Island and followed up by Shin Godzilla, I can't agree that Kong is the better film. Kong is a fun movie with the monster action, but the story and characters don't hold up too well except John C Reilly. He's the only character I thought made the film feel saved. While Shin Godzilla doesn't have the equal amount of monster action, it is played safely and effectively once Godzilla is on screen, and the characters in Shin Godzilla are the second best characters since the cast of Monster Zero 1965. The story itself, is great. Japanese politics and their form of government. 

Personally there are quite a few Godzilla characters I'd prefer to follow than Shin's group. They're not bad or anything, but I think their strength is what they represent rather than the characters themselves.

In characters I can't say I personally was any more invested in Shin's than K:SI.

@The Legend of Brian

Agreed for some reason I'm not hyped at all for Monster Planet, but am getting more and more excited for G:KOTM 

I really cant hold the two up to the same light and say what is better than the other.

in one hand if you say what was a better action movie I think K:SI is a lot of fun and there is plenty of action. Its sometimes funny and tragic. But when one of the cast dies (except J Goodman, that scene made me jump when he died), I didn't feel terrible. I kinda cheered. Shin G wasn't supposed to be a full on action movie, even though there are action scene's in it. Shin belongs more to a suspense.

Shin to me was more of a horror flic! those opening scenes left me knowing I was not going to see a normal Godzilla movie.

But for my movie night my patrons wanted to see the new Monster movies and since they know I have both in my possession they wanted to see what I have been raving about. They are in no way committed G fans like we all are. They just want a Double Creature Feature, featuring the newest monsters. So I'm giving them what they want. im sure they can enjoy both in one night. cant wait to see their faces watching Shin G tho.

That it true comparing K:SI to Shin is like apples to oranges in most senses.

And like apples and oranges your preference for one is based largely on taste alone rather than one being objectively better than the other.

Yeah, I like Skull Island a lot, but for completely different reasons than Shin Godzilla. During my immediate Blu-ray viewing, I was a little more bored during it than what I remember experiencing in theaters. Whereas I was completely attentive and in to Shin Godzilla yesterday. (In fact, my friend watching it with me flat out said Shin Godzilla will be the first Godzilla movie he owns--He's never been much of a fan of the series.)

I think the reason is that Skull Island is just really, really dumb. It's okay if a movie is dumb as long as it knows it and takes advantage of it--Sort of like Jurassic World or The Avengers. Skull Island makes use of its spectacle and outlandish ideas and goes crazy without apologizing. It's a lot of fun, but as a result there's not a whole lot to chew on after the fact.

Shin Godzilla makes you use your noggin a bit more. The movie is very re-watchable because it's easy to miss things--Going back to explore details about the government process, story and Godzilla's biology feels fresh each time because its so dense with information. Shin Godzilla says a lot. Skull Island asks us to check our brains at the door. Both work, but for different reasons.

TrapZilla,
You keep mentioning missiles "bouncing off" Godzilla as if it were cartoony. But those weren't missiles. They were free-fall-bombs dropped by F2 fighters. They're not suppose to detonate until after they hit their target. The noise you keep complaining about is the mechanical component igniting the bomb. These bombs have been portrayed the same way in other movies, including Hollywood. A very silly reason to walk out of... well... any movie.

I think K:SI is the best Kong movie since the remake of 1976. Peter Jacksons was fun and all but waaaaaaay to long. and some scenes to me did not have to be in there(for ex: the ice skating scene, kong just killed some people a few minutes ago but let make sure everyone see's his soft playful side, uh....no thank you).

But hopefully we do see a different kind of Kong when GvKK shows in theaters. 

   I appreciate everyone defending ShinGodzilla and pointing out the positive aspects of the movie. It will definitely allow me to see it in a different light this next go around.

@riggazamortis that sounds freaking epic! I hope to have a personal theatre room one day where I can just chill and watch all the G movies on the big screen as they were intended to be seen.

    I'm fairly young so the first G movie I ever saw in theatres was Godzilla 2000.(loved it) As of right now the only big Toho movies I haven't seen are Mothra(1963) and War of the Gargantuans. I'm sure there's a few I don't know about. I'd like to re watch all of the showa movies post GvK62, especially with GKOTM coming out but it seems they quit printing all of them.

^

I think you can buy the DVDs online, I think, don't take my word.

@gman I still can't get over that noise! It just sounded so silly. It makes sense though if it's not supposed to detonate until after it hits it's target. Though if you're trying to hurt a giant monster you'd think the millitary would like for it to blow up on impact.(more damage)

     Anyways, I'm going to take into consideration what you've said and hopefully that will allow me to be more open minded and enjoy the movie this time around.

TrapZilla,
Honestly, those issues seem very superficial. I had no issue with the free-fall-bombs hitting Godzilla and I thought the execution and sound effect was very cool and pretty spot on for that kind of artillery.

What's more important is the film's meaning, what it says and understanding what kind of film it is. I'm reminded of a recent foreign language Meet Me group my girlfriend went to. She told me she and a friend of hers spoke to a Japanese fellow about Shin Godzilla. He asked them if they liked it and both of them said they enjoyed it immensely. The Japanese man was somewhat surprised because apparently Japan sees Americans as a culture that can only appreciate action movies. He very avidly admitted Shin Godzilla was not strictly an action movie by any stretch, but that's not uncommon for a movie like that in Japan.

Additionally, he felt that countries outside of Japan simply wouldn't get it because most people outside of Japan don't understand what's going on currently in the nation. And that is what the movie is really about. It is very Japanese and it uses Godzilla in a strictly Japanese sense.

This is why I feel none of the Hollywood Godzilla movies can ever reach the heights of movies from Toho--At best, Legendary's Godzilla will be a convincing doppelganger of something very strictly Japanese. It's not that it isn't Godzilla, but it can't be used in the same way here in America. I said in one of my articles,

"The monster was born of the post-war's socio-political climate and he continues to embody ideological shifts in Japanese culture. GMK and Shin Godzilla represent the most important facet of the character's career—The ability to encapsulate cultural anxiety and compel the Japanese people to engage it."

There are many things about the character that America simply can't relate to. Thus, he can't always represent the same, more poignant ideas.

So, on the actual main topic of the OP whilst also incorporating the recent discussion, how could we possibly get our "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" of the MonsterVerse?

A film that's generally quite well received critically, and is often cited as pursuing interesting and mature themes and world developments that resonate with modern audiences?

What kinds of issues or current events could influence what kind of thematic approach the future of the MonsterVerse could potentially take? The war on terror? The shifting global economy? Something else entirely?

I think GKOTM has potential to be the Captain America: Winter Soldier(Loved that movie) of the MonsterVerse.

How about the war on monsters?

* quote from Randa when he's talking to general Packard*

"This planet doesn't belong to us. Ancient species owned this Earth long before mankind, and if we keep our heads buried in the sand they will take it back. My agency is known as MONARCH. We specialize in the hunting of Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms."

"I'm sorry for your men. Believe me I truly am. Get us home. With proof. So that we can send the cavalry."

 Sounds like MONARCH may be sending the Calvary after Rodan/Mothra/Godzilla/Ghidorah.

   Also, I would love to see the mazer guns return or any super weapon, with humans confidently attempting to stop these monsters only for it to horribly fail.

   Just thought of this but, in GKOTM,  I'd love to see a Godzilla who feeds on radiation by destroying power plants or nuclear weapons facilities in the city killing hundreds of thousands, leaving hummanity unsure whether he is a friend or foe. Only for Ghidorah to show up as the true villain. It would have hummanity running in circles trying to figure out what to do, possibly having them make an irrational decision to destroy all the monsters. Leaving them feeling like idiots when  Godzilla and his buddies save the Earth.

 I also think it would be pretty cool if the prescence of Ghidorah wakes up Rodan and Mothra, making them true protectors of Earth. 

*Sorry guys just started fantasizing about GKOTM*

I don't know... Stuffing a bunch of characters in need of origin stories into a single movie feels a lot less like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and more like Spider-Man 3 or The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

In terms of themes, I think the best lead we have is the animal rights issues that Millie Bobby Brown mentioned Dougherty was passionate about. He's also hinted this on his Twitter. I'm not sure how relevant such a topic is, especially to the Godzilla series, but at most I can say it would be a unique issue to bring up in the franchise.

I like that in Monarch there are agents bent on destroying MUTO's and others that want to simply study them. I think one movie can feature a shift in agenda within the agency. I think that would be a cool way to get into the KKvG.

@TrapZilla, I have a big backyard, I built a huge projection screen out of some 2X4's and a california king bed sheet that I can roll up and move around. I hook up my projector to a 400 watt amp sound system(never needing that much) and hook up all my 4 speakers around my yard to project the sound all around my beer shaped fire pit, my DIY tiki bar "The Friki Tiki", and in my basement near the basement bar. I'm not wealthy by any means, but i know how to make a set up with little or no money at all. My friends love my house, unfortunately they are not as big on Godzilla as I am. If they were, I would have marathons every weekend of the summer. Need some of you guys to come over to experience this fun. haha

I have never seen the captain America movies, but one day i hope to have a marathon of them in order to catch up. But i know of the synopsis and know enough what you all are talking about. I just hope Monarch comes out into the public eye and we see how the world in this universe adapts or rebels against the fact that MUTO's are out there.

I have not read the K:SI comic yet. Does Agent Randa and Serizawa ever meet? Im not sure when the old Serizawa died, and his son joins Monarch? I know the answer is in G:14 comic but not sure if its ever really mentioned.

I want to see a movie about Gigan's origin.

At first, he has this design.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3597/3609469461_f5696ef5d5_o.jpg

He is found barely alive by aliens visiting a planet after being brutally attacked by other monsters on the planet. They haul him onto their ship and turn him into a cyborg to be used as a war machine in an ongoing inter-planetary war and is named Gigan. Gigan is an efficient fighter at first but gets pulversized and mutilated in battle with another cyborg monster. Gigan wins, but has suffered fatal skin damage and his spikes and wings are completely destroyed. The side that made Gigan into a cyborg won the battle, but the enemy takes Gigan's dead body back to their planet, revive, repair, and upgrade him so he looks like he did at first in Final Wars. Gigan is reprogrammed and used in another war and is defeated, but not before wiping out a third of the enemies defenses. Gigan is upgraded AGAIN, this time into the Final Wars version with chainsaws and destroys the enemy completely, acting on his own the whole time, just obeying orders. At the end, the aliens arriving in our solar system. It ends on a zooming shot of Gigan's red-glowing visor and Earth being reflected in it.

@Evil Gigan, you got some pretty good ideas there. I'd love to see an evil Gigan team up with Mecha G and Mecha King Ghidorah, all being rebuilt/cloned by some transformers like technology from some aliens. It would make for one hell of movie special effects wise. They could do some pretty crazy stuff with Gigan especially.

I would love to see Gigan come into play. Unfortunately I do not see it happening in the Monsterverse. Maybe again in the toho comeback movies but I highly doubt it. I love the idea of a back story though. To maybe see what Gigan looked like before he turned into a cyborg. pretty sweet.

This is what I thinking for Monster-Verse

1) Godzilla (2014)

2) Kong: Skull Island (2017)

3) Godzilla: King Of The Monsters (2018)

4) Godzilla vs. Kong (2020)

5) Godzilla: War Of The Monsters (2022)

6) Kong: Return To Skull Island (2023)

etc...

I just hope they don't include mechagodzilla, unless its of alien origin.