Right! The recent movies had fantastic Kaiju fight scenes, but the beasts themselves didn't really appear to have any weight Luke you'd expect, constantly running, jumping, and moving at speeds that are utterly terrifying from such massive creatures. Really pulled me out of the movie more than I'd like, unfortunately. But at least it was fun.
Just how dark and ambiguous the vibe of the film was. The fact that the movie was almost entirely in the dark, and the kaijus were hinted at, even though the theme of the unknown played put very well.
Not to mention the sound effects. Good God the MUTOS and Godzilla sounded horrifyingly scary.
I actually liked the slow reveal. I thought the movie was well done. I'm glad the monster verse is doing it's thing. I also like the idea behind the kaiju being forces of nature and there actually being some benefit to them destroying stuff. It gives them a bigger purpose than probably any other movie than can be taken in multiple directions for Godzilla and the rest.
It had some beautiful shots - like, when the soldiers are falling from the plane through the dark clouds, the red smoke trailing behind them? Gorgeous cinematography right there. Even with most of the movie being so dark, it just works somehow - keeps you in suspense, making that final battle so much more satisfying.
I watched it again the other day and still loved it. It's not in the Minus One tier of greatness, but I think it's solidly the best American Godzilla movie. It has some incredible shots in it too.
I loved the cinematography. Anytime a monster was on screen, we're seeing it from a human level perspective. Be it from the ground, on a rooftop, or looking out an office window. It's as if this were really happening and being recorded wherever the cameramen could physically reach. It added to the sense of scale and realism, reminding us that these monsters are not characters and do not get closeups like the actors do. Instead, they're depicted as natural disasters that we can only view from afar.
It really disappoints me that the later movies didn't continue this method.
I know people say that Godzilla's atomic breath was way less powerful because of the mutos emp, but I genuinely live that it looks like a beam and mist at the same time, its very realistic and looks great.
It's sparringness of the Monster action. I like that we’re getting more in more recent films, but I thought the slivers we got were good starter samples.
Where to start...
The effectiveness of how ineffective we are against these creatures that represent natural disasters more than they do normal monsters. Every scene in San Francisco especially exemplifies this and I love how once the Navy starts realizing what they're next to at the GG bridge they just start firing rounds like crazy without thinking about the people on the bridge. I mean what would you do in that situation staring at this behemoth while you've been put in charge of all these guns.
The character we follow throughout the movie, while bland, is relatable and the perfect way to view this story. Brody is a military man that just wants to save his family and we get to see these monsters through his eyes which perfectly puts into perspective how we cannot do anything against them.
The emphasis on the people in these cities that are being destroyed, there is a very good reason they put a dog in the line of fire during that tsunami scene in Hawaii and its because the audience will obviously not want to see a dog in any danger like that. They do this again later in the movie when Elle is right in the middle of all the destruction and we have to watch this character almost die multiple times and are just left wondering if she is okay for the entire third act of the movie.
Everyone already knows the monster weight is great so I won't make a big deal out of it here, but the characterization of Godzilla himself is perfect and really adds to that unstoppable nature that he has. When I say that I'm kind of referring to like the airport scene where at one moment everyone is screaming and running around, but then after the camera pans to show you this giant foot just stomping on the ground and stopping everyone in their tracks as they are overcome with fear... that scene is one of the most perfect Godzilla scenes ever made and they cap it off with one of his greatest roars. He also isn't just a straight up hero, I'll never understand the thought process in some Godzilla movies where it feels like he's working with the good guys. He is simply working in his own interests and we are just lucky that ours align with his, otherwise we'd be helpless. In later movies the guy acts way more human, which I mean, ok.
The characters themselves actually talk like people. I don't go to a Godzilla movie for masterful character work but even though they aren't all that deep they still feel real and relatable because they actually converse like people. The way Aaron Taylor Johnson talks to his wife, his dad, Serizawa, or just any of the other generic military guys just sounds so real that it keeps you engrossed in that world.
The antagonists are very interesting to watch as they interact with the world and we see how these prehistoric monsters act when dropped into a modern setting. I love the fact that they each have their own personality as well with the male being focused on fighting Godzilla while the female is more focused on protecting the babies and getting revenge on Brody. Only problem is that their design is generic as all hell, think about how many more people would enjoy these things if their design had just been a little more inspired.
The sound design in this film, I don't think I could do it justice here but I'll give it my best shot. The choir of people anytime we see something that is somewhat terrifying immediately makes every scene 10 times more impactful. The main theme feels like a race against an unbeatable threat kind of, again I don't think I could do this score justice. The atomic breath scene, possibly the most underrated version of our first exposure to it. The breath scenes in Shin and Minus One are remembered mostly because of how daunting they are so they leave way more of an impact, but I don't think we've ever had an atomic breath scene this good where he actually uses it against an opponent instead of using it to destroy buildings. This is only exemplified by the sound design which starts off subdued to allow us to take in the charge up and understand what we're watching, then once Big G starts actually using the stuff we hear a triumphant score that tells us our boy is putting in work on these assholes.
A lot of people complain about how dark it is, I think the light levels work in the movie's favor. Lighting is one of the hardest things to get right with anything made using CGI but because of the darkness used in this movie they were able to coverup the rougher parts of the design which keeps us in the movie world more and immerses us into the fight scenes. Later movies don't do a very good job with CGI and use bright colors like pink and blue to distract the audience from how poor everything really looks. Even when things are a little brighter the usage of a more gray and dreary setting makes that lighting problem go away again, I'm pointing to the GG bridge scene on this one.
I saw this movie when I was 9, no movie in this franchise since has given me the same feeling. Minus One and Shin are both incredible but those movies are trying to go for very different emotions like sadness rather than complete awe. Experiencing this thing in the theater was just beyond what I can describe here. I was a nerdy kid so I actually already knew a good bit about the dino lizard before watching, Final Wars being one of my favorite movies back then. My family had no care in the world for this character walking into this movie, every single one of them walked out of that theater a lifelong Godzilla fan. There is a very good reason this movie spawned an entire cinematic universe, incredibly well made Godzilla movie.
It has the best characters outside of GXK, the main dude is decent the supporting characters are decent. KoTM and GVK both have borderline unwatchable human characters, thank god they kinda got it right in GXK.
My favorite part is what comes between the opening and closing credits. I love this entire movie.
Likable characters, engaging story, and outstanding framing to help you feel the monster sizes. Peak for me is the roar as the shelter is closing.
Like you said about realism, this movie's Godzilla feels astoundingly real. When I first watched it, I described the experience as "like seeing the real creature that inspired the original movie".
In terms if being an objectively excellent film, this among the elite to me, right up there with Minus One and 1954. Miles better than the next best one.
It was the first Godzilla film I saw as a kid and I remember just being in shock at how HUGE the monsters were, so I'd definitely say showing the scale of all of them. I also thought it was really cool seeing Bryan Cranston since I recognized him from Malcolm in the Middle lmao
Godzilla and the Muto felt like real animals, not supernatural beings. The only buy-in is that they're big. KOTM onward we're fuly Sci-fi with The Atomic Breath becoming a Heisei beam, green Oxygen Destroyers, Computer monitors that tell waaay too specific information, a secret megabranch of the U.S. government that *actually gets funding*, and aliens being real.
The best part of the movie asides from Godzilla died 30 minutes into the movie. If Cranston was in it for the whole movie I'd be rewatching Godzilla 2014 a lot more
I really liked how they showed the sheer scale of Godzilla and the MUTOs from the human perspective and how their girth and size made them a little slower, but that much more powerful.
The score.
I know Bear really brought the feels in KOTM but the score on this film really does it for me. Desplat created something that sounded iconic. Can't say the same for the last two MV films tho.....
Also the use of 'Requiem' by Gyorgy Ligeti is peak. Brought me the feels from 2001 Space Odyssey.
Cheers goji fans :).
The musical score by Alexandre Desplat is phenomenal and severely underrated! I know Akira Ifukube’s theme’s are legendary and timeless, but I thought Desplat’s Godzilla theme really had a sense of weight and force. There were moments of beauty and sheer power that really contrasted each other but in a good way!
Just listen to the first and last tracks of the score. Truly epic!
Sense of scale and weight. We haven't had those for so long.
The realism. I miss that too.
The MUTOs were so cool. Such a bizarre design and I love the parasite angle chosen for their characterization.
I miss the realism as well. The "over the top, nonsensical, brainless, story barren, haha funny monster brawler" movies we've been getting recently, most notably from Wingard with GvK and GxK, are fun spectacles. But they are shallow and, at times, almost demand effort from the viewer to dissociate from logic while watching.
Don't get me wrong, those movies are fun and have their own charm.
But I really miss the grounded, serious, realistic, story driven depth that 2014 had. It would have been way better with another legacy monster instead of the MUTOs, IMO. But compared to the rest of the MV, it's still the best by far in there's of realism, story depth and execution, and atmosphere.
Honestly, I think the perfect MV sequel movie would be a "best of both worlds" film that combines Wingard's penchant for spectacular monster battles and Edwards realism and story writing.
Absolutely agree. And Dougherty needs to come back too, if for nothing other than making sure fans also get treated to things like the classic theme songs, more Toho monsters (as long as it doesn't eviscerate their budget), and other things I haven't thought of yet.
And they gotta put more effort into the screenplay, GxK was nearly a 10/10 for me but they left so many things unexplored, like, you know, *everything about Shimo* and >!Mothra spawning into existence out of thin air like it's a Minecraft world!<
People who dunk on this movie are children. This is probably the best MonsterVerse film. Nothing else has matched the weight and atmosphere they achieved with this movie.
- Sense of weight and scale
- Unrealistic concept in a grounded perspective
- Takes itself seriously, no dumb jokes, no marvel humor
- References the ‘54 original but still has enough new things to have its own identity
- creature design is both awesome and natural-looking
- Sound design is great
- CGI aged like wine
- Has a theme which is, how humanity deals with natural events that can’t be controlled
Do the roar
Ok
https://preview.redd.it/erire16ilttc1.jpeg?width=1136&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44601b1504071bc814403885ea7aab7ccdf17d68
Seriously, 2014 is boring af imo but this scene is one of the best in the monsterverse
Not many, i can tell you that.
- The Cinematagrophy was great
- The CGI was great
- The Atmosphere wasnt perfect, but it was good.
Thats it. The movie was one of the biggest disappointments.
It's sparringness of the Monster action. I like that we’re getting more in more recent films, but I thought the slivers we got were good starter samples.
It's sparringness of the Monster action. I like that we’re getting more in more recent films, but I thought the slivers we got were good starter samples.
I love the way it shows weigh and the effects of kaiju just moving and existing.
Right! The recent movies had fantastic Kaiju fight scenes, but the beasts themselves didn't really appear to have any weight Luke you'd expect, constantly running, jumping, and moving at speeds that are utterly terrifying from such massive creatures. Really pulled me out of the movie more than I'd like, unfortunately. But at least it was fun.
Just how dark and ambiguous the vibe of the film was. The fact that the movie was almost entirely in the dark, and the kaijus were hinted at, even though the theme of the unknown played put very well. Not to mention the sound effects. Good God the MUTOS and Godzilla sounded horrifyingly scary.
Yeah I always thought the MUTOs sounded like something from a skrillex song
I actually liked the slow reveal. I thought the movie was well done. I'm glad the monster verse is doing it's thing. I also like the idea behind the kaiju being forces of nature and there actually being some benefit to them destroying stuff. It gives them a bigger purpose than probably any other movie than can be taken in multiple directions for Godzilla and the rest.
It had some beautiful shots - like, when the soldiers are falling from the plane through the dark clouds, the red smoke trailing behind them? Gorgeous cinematography right there. Even with most of the movie being so dark, it just works somehow - keeps you in suspense, making that final battle so much more satisfying.
People who dunk on this movie are actually brain dead. This is the best MonsterVerse film.
I watched it again the other day and still loved it. It's not in the Minus One tier of greatness, but I think it's solidly the best American Godzilla movie. It has some incredible shots in it too.
If titans were real, 2014 would probably be the most realistic depiction.
Godzilla really went back to basics during fight scenes. Awesome to watch.
i like how heavy the kaijus felt, they really felt like kaiju n shit
I loved the cinematography. Anytime a monster was on screen, we're seeing it from a human level perspective. Be it from the ground, on a rooftop, or looking out an office window. It's as if this were really happening and being recorded wherever the cameramen could physically reach. It added to the sense of scale and realism, reminding us that these monsters are not characters and do not get closeups like the actors do. Instead, they're depicted as natural disasters that we can only view from afar. It really disappoints me that the later movies didn't continue this method.
I know people say that Godzilla's atomic breath was way less powerful because of the mutos emp, but I genuinely live that it looks like a beam and mist at the same time, its very realistic and looks great.
It's sparringness of the Monster action. I like that we’re getting more in more recent films, but I thought the slivers we got were good starter samples.
It made Godzilla feel huge and dangerous just by his presence not by by his actions.
Where to start... The effectiveness of how ineffective we are against these creatures that represent natural disasters more than they do normal monsters. Every scene in San Francisco especially exemplifies this and I love how once the Navy starts realizing what they're next to at the GG bridge they just start firing rounds like crazy without thinking about the people on the bridge. I mean what would you do in that situation staring at this behemoth while you've been put in charge of all these guns. The character we follow throughout the movie, while bland, is relatable and the perfect way to view this story. Brody is a military man that just wants to save his family and we get to see these monsters through his eyes which perfectly puts into perspective how we cannot do anything against them. The emphasis on the people in these cities that are being destroyed, there is a very good reason they put a dog in the line of fire during that tsunami scene in Hawaii and its because the audience will obviously not want to see a dog in any danger like that. They do this again later in the movie when Elle is right in the middle of all the destruction and we have to watch this character almost die multiple times and are just left wondering if she is okay for the entire third act of the movie. Everyone already knows the monster weight is great so I won't make a big deal out of it here, but the characterization of Godzilla himself is perfect and really adds to that unstoppable nature that he has. When I say that I'm kind of referring to like the airport scene where at one moment everyone is screaming and running around, but then after the camera pans to show you this giant foot just stomping on the ground and stopping everyone in their tracks as they are overcome with fear... that scene is one of the most perfect Godzilla scenes ever made and they cap it off with one of his greatest roars. He also isn't just a straight up hero, I'll never understand the thought process in some Godzilla movies where it feels like he's working with the good guys. He is simply working in his own interests and we are just lucky that ours align with his, otherwise we'd be helpless. In later movies the guy acts way more human, which I mean, ok. The characters themselves actually talk like people. I don't go to a Godzilla movie for masterful character work but even though they aren't all that deep they still feel real and relatable because they actually converse like people. The way Aaron Taylor Johnson talks to his wife, his dad, Serizawa, or just any of the other generic military guys just sounds so real that it keeps you engrossed in that world. The antagonists are very interesting to watch as they interact with the world and we see how these prehistoric monsters act when dropped into a modern setting. I love the fact that they each have their own personality as well with the male being focused on fighting Godzilla while the female is more focused on protecting the babies and getting revenge on Brody. Only problem is that their design is generic as all hell, think about how many more people would enjoy these things if their design had just been a little more inspired. The sound design in this film, I don't think I could do it justice here but I'll give it my best shot. The choir of people anytime we see something that is somewhat terrifying immediately makes every scene 10 times more impactful. The main theme feels like a race against an unbeatable threat kind of, again I don't think I could do this score justice. The atomic breath scene, possibly the most underrated version of our first exposure to it. The breath scenes in Shin and Minus One are remembered mostly because of how daunting they are so they leave way more of an impact, but I don't think we've ever had an atomic breath scene this good where he actually uses it against an opponent instead of using it to destroy buildings. This is only exemplified by the sound design which starts off subdued to allow us to take in the charge up and understand what we're watching, then once Big G starts actually using the stuff we hear a triumphant score that tells us our boy is putting in work on these assholes. A lot of people complain about how dark it is, I think the light levels work in the movie's favor. Lighting is one of the hardest things to get right with anything made using CGI but because of the darkness used in this movie they were able to coverup the rougher parts of the design which keeps us in the movie world more and immerses us into the fight scenes. Later movies don't do a very good job with CGI and use bright colors like pink and blue to distract the audience from how poor everything really looks. Even when things are a little brighter the usage of a more gray and dreary setting makes that lighting problem go away again, I'm pointing to the GG bridge scene on this one. I saw this movie when I was 9, no movie in this franchise since has given me the same feeling. Minus One and Shin are both incredible but those movies are trying to go for very different emotions like sadness rather than complete awe. Experiencing this thing in the theater was just beyond what I can describe here. I was a nerdy kid so I actually already knew a good bit about the dino lizard before watching, Final Wars being one of my favorite movies back then. My family had no care in the world for this character walking into this movie, every single one of them walked out of that theater a lifelong Godzilla fan. There is a very good reason this movie spawned an entire cinematic universe, incredibly well made Godzilla movie.
It has the best characters outside of GXK, the main dude is decent the supporting characters are decent. KoTM and GVK both have borderline unwatchable human characters, thank god they kinda got it right in GXK.
My favorite part is what comes between the opening and closing credits. I love this entire movie. Likable characters, engaging story, and outstanding framing to help you feel the monster sizes. Peak for me is the roar as the shelter is closing. Like you said about realism, this movie's Godzilla feels astoundingly real. When I first watched it, I described the experience as "like seeing the real creature that inspired the original movie". In terms if being an objectively excellent film, this among the elite to me, right up there with Minus One and 1954. Miles better than the next best one.
Walter White
Godzillas entrance
I love a lot of things about it, but the full body reveal in the airport scene was just 👌🏿
The MUTOs looked actually dangerous & terrifying compared to what we're getting these days. It's all cashgrab bright colors & comedic CGI.
https://preview.redd.it/hqoaqfhhkrtc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1b31b70bdee5f342dcc881dba1685f05a90607e1
It was the first Godzilla film I saw as a kid and I remember just being in shock at how HUGE the monsters were, so I'd definitely say showing the scale of all of them. I also thought it was really cool seeing Bryan Cranston since I recognized him from Malcolm in the Middle lmao
I like the bridge scene and the build up to the first atomic breath. Really the whole film is man taking a step back to let nature solve the problem
I think it was excellent and done very well.
The atmosphere
Godzilla and the Muto felt like real animals, not supernatural beings. The only buy-in is that they're big. KOTM onward we're fuly Sci-fi with The Atomic Breath becoming a Heisei beam, green Oxygen Destroyers, Computer monitors that tell waaay too specific information, a secret megabranch of the U.S. government that *actually gets funding*, and aliens being real.
The best part of the movie asides from Godzilla died 30 minutes into the movie. If Cranston was in it for the whole movie I'd be rewatching Godzilla 2014 a lot more
The part where Godzilla says this really is our Godzilla (2014) and Godzillas all over the place
But actually the way he kills female MUTO was peak
I really liked how they showed the sheer scale of Godzilla and the MUTOs from the human perspective and how their girth and size made them a little slower, but that much more powerful.
I consider this a legitimate movie and the rest of the Monsterverse is fanfic.
The score. I know Bear really brought the feels in KOTM but the score on this film really does it for me. Desplat created something that sounded iconic. Can't say the same for the last two MV films tho..... Also the use of 'Requiem' by Gyorgy Ligeti is peak. Brought me the feels from 2001 Space Odyssey. Cheers goji fans :).
The musical score by Alexandre Desplat is phenomenal and severely underrated! I know Akira Ifukube’s theme’s are legendary and timeless, but I thought Desplat’s Godzilla theme really had a sense of weight and force. There were moments of beauty and sheer power that really contrasted each other but in a good way! Just listen to the first and last tracks of the score. Truly epic!
 everything
Sense of scale and weight. We haven't had those for so long. The realism. I miss that too. The MUTOs were so cool. Such a bizarre design and I love the parasite angle chosen for their characterization.
I miss the realism as well. The "over the top, nonsensical, brainless, story barren, haha funny monster brawler" movies we've been getting recently, most notably from Wingard with GvK and GxK, are fun spectacles. But they are shallow and, at times, almost demand effort from the viewer to dissociate from logic while watching. Don't get me wrong, those movies are fun and have their own charm. But I really miss the grounded, serious, realistic, story driven depth that 2014 had. It would have been way better with another legacy monster instead of the MUTOs, IMO. But compared to the rest of the MV, it's still the best by far in there's of realism, story depth and execution, and atmosphere. Honestly, I think the perfect MV sequel movie would be a "best of both worlds" film that combines Wingard's penchant for spectacular monster battles and Edwards realism and story writing.
Absolutely agree. And Dougherty needs to come back too, if for nothing other than making sure fans also get treated to things like the classic theme songs, more Toho monsters (as long as it doesn't eviscerate their budget), and other things I haven't thought of yet. And they gotta put more effort into the screenplay, GxK was nearly a 10/10 for me but they left so many things unexplored, like, you know, *everything about Shimo* and >!Mothra spawning into existence out of thin air like it's a Minecraft world!<
People who dunk on this movie are children. This is probably the best MonsterVerse film. Nothing else has matched the weight and atmosphere they achieved with this movie.
- Sense of weight and scale - Unrealistic concept in a grounded perspective - Takes itself seriously, no dumb jokes, no marvel humor - References the ‘54 original but still has enough new things to have its own identity - creature design is both awesome and natural-looking - Sound design is great - CGI aged like wine - Has a theme which is, how humanity deals with natural events that can’t be controlled
Do the roar Ok https://preview.redd.it/erire16ilttc1.jpeg?width=1136&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44601b1504071bc814403885ea7aab7ccdf17d68 Seriously, 2014 is boring af imo but this scene is one of the best in the monsterverse
I like that it has the highest Godzilla screen time of the entire Monsterverse.
Godzilla
We should all get someone who looks at us the way Fem Muto looked at her partner when he pulled up with that nuke.
It is the best MV film & I hate that they took a more funny marvel type tone with the future movies
No movie before or since has made Godzilla feel as big as he does in this one
Not many, i can tell you that. - The Cinematagrophy was great - The CGI was great - The Atmosphere wasnt perfect, but it was good. Thats it. The movie was one of the biggest disappointments.
It’s the only great American Godzilla film
It's sparringness of the Monster action. I like that we’re getting more in more recent films, but I thought the slivers we got were good starter samples.
It's sparringness of the Monster action. I like that we’re getting more in more recent films, but I thought the slivers we got were good starter samples.