A Mildly Long MonsterVerse retrospective...
sonictiger
MemberGiganFeb-26-2021 3:28 PMTo be honest, I've always had mixed feelings about WB and Legendary's MonsterVerse. Sure, it sounds ambitious to bring together some of the greatest movie monsters of all time into a shared universe. But I guess what Warner Bros is doing right about the marketing for Godzilla Vs. Kong is that they're largely sidestepping all the connective tissue of the franchise. Some elements do remain like Titan-Hunting organization MONARCH, Madison Russell, and Mark Russell but it's largely a standalone movie (besides the fact that Godzilla: King Of The Monsters and Kong: Skull Island might need to be watched). But anyways lets get to the retrospective. I never watched Godzilla 2014 because Godzilla barely shows up until the third act, and who wants to watch that??? So onto Kong: Skull Island, that movie is not only the strongest MonsterVerse offering but also it has the most original plot. It definitely is vastly different due to the fact that this isn't just the same King Kong story again. It's a new, unique take on a popular character and therefore it works. There's almost nothing wrong with this movie and therefore is the best MonsterVerse movie. Onto Godzilla: King Of The Monsters. This movie is good, but not great. The dialogue is bad, the human characters are total dinguses (besides Madison), and the fights are a bit repetitive. But this movie has a lot of good going for it as well. It has an ambitious story (even though it sucked), the family drama element is executed pretty cleanly, and the CGI is great. This movie did a good job of setting up Godzilla Vs. Kong, and it also was more fast-paced and better at doing the non-monster scenes than the previous two entries. But anyways on the divisive response to the series, it is a lot of weight to pull for GvK and hopefully it will be good. My verdict so far is that it had a choppy road to Godzilla Vs Kong, but hopefully the movie is great. Because that's what the MonsterVerse needs in order to survive. A massive, kaiju-sized success.
sonictiger
MemberGiganFeb-26-2021 3:28 PMFirst comment on my own thing
G. H. (Gman)
AdminGodzillaFeb-26-2021 3:52 PMHow have you not seen the flick that kickstarted this whole thing? Godzilla 2014 is at least as good as Skull Island in some respects and far, far better than King of the Monsters.
Admittedly, my opinion of the film has retroactively improved when compared to King of the Monsters.
But really, the Monsterverse isn't doing anything Toho's already done. The Showa Series was pulling together a cinematic universe concept before the term was even coined.
Djdndnejwnwn
MemberGiganFeb-26-2021 5:03 PMI honestly surprised that people haven’t exploded in outrage against each other. KOTM was a touchy subject, but people have gotten over it for the most part. I’m not going to comment on my opinions, because I don’t want keep defending them. But I thought it was interesting
expecting the worst, sets you up for thr worst
Xenotaris
MemberGiganFeb-26-2021 10:07 PMAs much as like King of the Monsters, I do have some issues with it. I get Dougherty wanted to homage key points of godzilla franchise but some things I think they should have omitted or at least save it for another time.
1. the massive HQ jet, reminds me of that dumb drill-aircraft from Final Wars.
2. Ghidorah should of had more build up and should have been a solo monster rather than using an outdated alpha pack structure
3. The Oxygen Destroyer being used as a minor plot device (read: throwaway weapon) rather than a major plot device (read: last ditch weapon) that requires more build up to its importance
4. Burning Godzilla should have been saved for a later movie but that is just me. The Heat Spiral ability would have sufficed.
5. MUTO 3 being subserviently to Godzilla when their species are supposed to be his natural enemies!
Djdndnejwnwn
MemberGiganFeb-26-2021 11:19 PMNot natural enemies, Parasites. They are not competing for resources
expecting the worst, sets you up for thr worst
Xenotaris
MemberGiganFeb-26-2021 11:49 PMTechnically the MUTO were parasitoids but only their young, I think the MUTO were large enough to be considered a natural enemy since both Godzilla and the MUTO feed on radioactive material
Gabriel Salomon
MemberBaragonFeb-27-2021 3:46 PMI really do think you should give G14 a go and then form your opinion on that film by what you see rather than what you've heard from other people. I do understand the complaints about Godzilla's screen time, but I'm honestly so glad the writers decided to hold it off until the last third, because it's worth it. Gareth's direction is very ambitious, and the way in which he handled these creatures (particularly in the climatic battle) is far better than anything you see in KotM imo. Undoubtedly my favorite in this universe thus far, though I think I need to give KSI a rewatch.
"What’s so great about discovery? It’s a violent, penetrative act that scars what it explores. What you call discovery, I call the rape of the natural world."
— Dr. Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park (1993)
G. H. (Gman)
AdminGodzillaFeb-27-2021 4:10 PMGabriel Salomon,
Agreed. Godzilla '14's biggest strength is nuance and looking different from most blockbusters these days or at the time. It doesn't pound you over the head with a lot of visual noise or assault your senses in the way King of the Monsters does. (Or even Skull Island in some ways.)
Its weaknesses in carnage and character writing is balanced by its strengths in visceral imagery and nuanced directing. It's not a masterwork, but it definitely works.
As always, watch a film in its entirety before judging it. I see this a lot on this forum for some reason.
Djdndnejwnwn
MemberGiganFeb-27-2021 8:57 PMWell other people get influenced by other people’s opinions. So it’s easier to just use someone else’s opinions instead of actually watching it.
expecting the worst, sets you up for thr worst
KoldWarKid62
MemberBaragonFeb-28-2021 11:47 AMNot going to get into my opinions on the first three movies. I've done that ad nauseum, and there are plenty of other opinions here to mull through. I will say you definitely need to watch it before coming to any conclusions, and watch it/them more than once. And then? Let us know what you think!
Gabriel Salomon
MemberBaragonFeb-28-2021 4:48 PMMy thoughts exactly, G. H. (Gman). The tone and visuals in G14 are taken with a more simplistic approach with respect to the subsequent films in this franchise whilst simultaneously conveying the sheer grandeur of the on-screen events. That's why I find that film more rewatchable than KotM; it doesn't try to overwhelm its audience with crazy, smudgy visuals, but it does understand how to create a sense of scale, dynamic battles, and even suspense in certain cases (e.g. the Hawaiian airport scene or the halo jump). That's what sets it apart from much of Hollywood's current action flicks, though I do believe certain films prosper with that more overwhelming approach, so long as they remain self-aware throughout. A great example of this is Aquaman, which I think succeeds in all the ways KotM wants to.
"What’s so great about discovery? It’s a violent, penetrative act that scars what it explores. What you call discovery, I call the rape of the natural world."
— Dr. Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park (1993)
Gabriel Salomon
MemberBaragonFeb-28-2021 5:01 PMTrue, it is helpful to take the words of reliable critics/friends if you want to know whether or not you should waste your time on a certain film, but it is impossible to form your own opinion on said film without having even seen it. People are too heavily influenced by the opinions of others nowadays.
"What’s so great about discovery? It’s a violent, penetrative act that scars what it explores. What you call discovery, I call the rape of the natural world."
— Dr. Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park (1993)
sonictiger
MemberGiganMar-01-2021 9:21 AMGman, I don't think it's that fun to have just humans for most of a Godzilla movie and save the real star for the third act. That's just wrong.
Gabriel, KotM is in no way like Aquaman.
SarcasticGoji, I agree about the outrage part, KotM was the MonsterVerse's Last Jedi
Xenotaris, you can't bring in the Oxygen Destroyer without bringing in Destroyah.
Djdndnejwnwn
MemberGiganMar-01-2021 9:23 AM@Salomon and Gman
Honestly I agree with the scale that G14 brings and the angle shots always being from the view of a person. KOTM did use this sometimes but missed it a lot. I’m not going to get into writing but more of the visual aspect. 14 was grayer while KOTM was more vibrant and booming. I prefer the latter in my opinion, I just find it more appealing. I wish 14 had not done grey but more of yellowish brown, which would really separate the night and day. If you want an idea of the tone color I wanted watch Sin Godzilla.
You can tell I’m biased to Shin.
expecting the worst, sets you up for thr worst
Djdndnejwnwn
MemberGiganMar-01-2021 9:34 AM@SonicTiger
Not to pick a fight, but U can bring the oxygen destroyer without destroyah.
The Showa continuity, and all the Millenium continuity had the oxygen destroyer without Destroyah.
expecting the worst, sets you up for thr worst
sonictiger
MemberGiganMar-01-2021 9:50 AMBut still, Destroyah is the most well-known thing when it comes to the Oxygen Destroyer.
Also, I think Destroyah's MonsterVerse design would probably be awesome
G. H. (Gman)
AdminGodzillaMar-01-2021 12:39 PMsonictiger,
How do you know that's where he comes in if you've never seen it? Because that's not when Godzilla first appears...
Human characters are intregal aspects of the genre whether any of us like it or not and the better movies of the franchise include characters that are not only fantastic, but have indirect or direct story connections to the monsters. In the case of 2014, the main character's "journey" mirrors that of Godzilla's--Both being soldiers, with a mission, attempting to reach their destination, solidified with a glance between the two.
Again, you've only heard what others have said about a movie and it's not entirely correct, giving credence to why you shouldn't just accept other people's opinion to form your own. If we do that, we give systems like Rotten Tomatoes a reason to continue existing. Because why form an opinion when it can just tell you?
SarcasticGoji,
Godzilla '14 was actually a fairly vibrant, beautiful movie with a sepia color tone when it was released in theaters. For some reason, WB Home Entertainment put a gray filter over it when they released it on Blu-ray. Hopefully they fix this problem when it's released on 4K:
sonictiger
MemberGiganMar-01-2021 12:49 PMThe one human character in the whole frickin' MonsterVerse that anyone actually got behind was Madison Russell. That's because her character arc was a lot more compelling than any other human character in the franchise.
Xenotaris
MemberGiganMar-01-2021 1:04 PMI actually liked Ford Brody, I grew up in a military family so I felt connected to character
sonictiger
MemberGiganMar-01-2021 1:17 PMAre you talking about G'14?
Because again, never watched it.
Xenotaris
MemberGiganMar-01-2021 1:21 PMYes Godzilla 2014, it and Godzilla 1954 are my top favorite Godzilla movie. You should give it (G'14) a watch sonictiger
G. H. (Gman)
AdminGodzillaMar-01-2021 1:26 PMActually, Joe Brody was probably the strongest character in the entire Monsterverse, he was just killed off too early. Next would be Marlow from Skull Island--Arguably more-so.
Madison, I agree, was the best character in King of the Monsters, but let's be honest. That's not a very high bar and she didn't really do much until the end of the film.
sonictiger
MemberGiganMar-01-2021 1:30 PMHopefully Godzilla Vs. Kong gives Madison more time to shine, because Millie Bobby Brown is extremely talented. It's a good sign that the actress had a lot of good things to say about her character in the GvK Collider interview.
sonictiger
MemberGiganMar-01-2021 1:32 PMLink: https://movieweb.com/godzilla-vs-kong-millie-bobby-brown-madison-evolution/
This article pulled quotes from the collider interview.
sonictiger
MemberGiganMar-01-2021 1:32 PMThis is my reference link btw Gman.
Djdndnejwnwn
MemberGiganMar-05-2021 1:02 PM@Gman
I didn’t see it in theaters, so that makes more sense.
expecting the worst, sets you up for thr worst
sonictiger
MemberGiganMar-05-2021 1:38 PMThe 4k release is reverting back to the sepia tone, so it'll be fine if you want to rewatch it.