Godzilla (2014) Part Three (NON-SPOILER DISCUSSION)

[Shonokin]

Unlocked. Behave. Aggressive or passive-aggressive behaviour will not be tolerated. Debate the ideas, do not attack the members.

[Bluejira]

We know scenes in the movie go back to at least 1954. We also know we have a secret organization involved called M.U.T.O. Could its origin also come from 1954. Researching Godzilla or similar legends.

[Jinzo Ningen]

I'm very intrigued with the whole MUTO/M.U.T.O. concept. It adds a cool X-Files/Fringe-type vibe to this new Godzilla universe that Legendary & Edwards are creating. It also gives a lot more for the human characters to do in a giant monster story. And it actually makes me want to see this movie just to find out the whole backstory on M.U.T.O. Has this outfit been creating these things since ??? 1954 ??? Why?!? Genetic research to try a discover a weakness that could be employed against Godzilla in case he ever appeared again? Bio-weapons for some twisted military application? For the hell of it? Or perhaps other, far more sinister applications??? Was Godzilla's DNA the building block for M.U.T.O.'s research? If so, how did M.U.T.O. get the tissue samples from the Japanese government: buy them, make a deal in exchange for something Japan needed/wanted, or just steal the stuff? Have they also possibly acquired extraterrestrial genetic tissue samples (Roswell, etc.) that may result in other, even more bizarre life forms (Gigan or King Ghidorah anyone?), etc., etc. Makes me wonder if M.U.T.O. will end up being behind the creation of the entire roster of monsters that Godzilla will battle throughout the upcoming trilogy (obviously being kinda optimistic here ).

Also wondering if this will lead to a M.U.T.O. base/containment facility location (Monster Island) should Gareth Edwards decide to go all-out hogwild and attempt a Destroy All Monsters-type scenario as his finale ...IF the film is successful enough to warrant a trilogy/series. The playing field is wide open and untouched at this point and all controls have been reset for Gareth & his creative team, so just about anything is possible. With his vision of a world where monsters really exist clearly established in the first film, Edwards could springboard just about anything if he has the right script and decides to stay the course and stick with Godzilla beyond the first film. This then begs the question... for future films, would Legendary try to utilize pre-existing monster characters from the Toho's Godzilla stable, (which seems like a no brainer), or would they choose to create their own army of kaiju foes, in order to circumvent Toho's rather extravagant licensing fees? All speculation at this pint, but it sure is fun to think about.

[jellydonut25]

[XvGojira]

[Gojistomped]

First time posting here but a lifelong Godzilla fan. Ive lurked for quite some time and generally don't involve myself with message boards, but this place seems about the best environment to reconnect with the fandom that exists online so here I am.

I have to say the new design is stellar in my opinion, stumpy feet and all. Different enough to be it's own unique incarnation but not deviating too far in any direction from what makes the character an icon.

Im personally curious to see how they tie events into 1954 if at all, a theme in the first movie was that there could be more than one Godzilla. With the confirmation of period scenes in the upcoming movie it's really got me excited to see how that pans out and if the 1954 attack happened in this timeline or not. While this is an origin story I don't see why that couldn't be tied in together, doesn't seem mutually exclusive to me at all.

The MUTO enigma Is another aspect that has my imagination running wild, with that fun bit of viral marketing really stoking the fires. Are they pre-existing creatures man experimented on and made apocalyptically dangerous or will their origins be tied into the same vein as Godzillas himself? The organization itself almost seems like something that will at first seem benevolent but may evolve into something Red bamboo-like in the context of the movie.

From what we saw on the teaser the cinematography is looking stellar, I can't wait for tidbits of the score to start becoming public, hopefully DeSplat can create a score that's not only original but just as iconic as Ifukubes work.

[Bluejira]

The vault could possibly be a MUTO containment area for biologic specimens.

[Russzilla]

From ComingSoon.net...


Of the trailers that debuted the last two weeks, which one was your favorite?
Godzilla 40.1%
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 32.2%
Interstellar 9.3%
300: Rise of an Empire 6.4%
Edge of Tomorrow 5.9%
Jupiter Ascending 3.3%
Pompeii 1.2%
Bad Words 0.6%
Rio 2 0.4%
The Legend of Hercules 0.2%
Nurse 3D 0.2%
Earth to Echo 0.0%

[MekaGojira3k]

Saw the Hobbit, and though it was a small crowd in this theater (as tends to be the case with this theater in general) the trailer got 2 reactions
"Is that Godzilla?" -at the brief glimpse of Godzilla during the jump sequence
and
"Well...damn.." - at the very end when the title "Godzilla" comes up.

[Hybrid Gojira]

^ Cool info from Coming Soon

Saw the Hobbit and the trailer.

Small crowd in a large theater. My brother and sister's boyfriend loved the trailer. A person behind us was laughing, but hard to tell if that was actually trailer related or just because he was was his friends.

[Jorzilla]

There are a few different types of laughing though. The person behind me laughed at the reveal, but then said we, "We HAVE to see that in IMAX 3D." They were laughing because it caught them off guard, and because it was bad ass. Not because they thought it was cheezy.

[XvGojira]

[william newell]

Saw The Hobbit on Saturday (which I really enjoyed, and, despite popular opinion, I'm still digging the HFR versions) and my luck for missing trailers still holds. No Godzilla trailer, but I did get to see the new Spiderman trailer...yay?

[Gojiraknight]

[Snowdenzilla]

A friend of mine saw the trailer play out before Hobbit opening night. He mentioned that NONE of the other trailers got remotely the response that GODZILLA did.

If word of mouth is good, I think this film has the potential to be quite a hit.

[jellydonut25]

[Gojiraknight]

To each their own. However, I believe it's safe to say it didn't land with the thunderclap Godzilla did. Which is good news for us.

[jellydonut25]

[Jinzo Ningen]

It's heartening to hear that the trailer is generating (mostly) positive response in the Hobbit crowds. I am hoping to go sometime soon, perhaps this weekend, so I cannot wait to experience first-hand the audience response... that is if I can hear anything over my own squeals of delight. LOL

Regarding the film and future sequels... it would be interesting if Edwards does stay the course and follows thru directing any/all follow-ups. Potentially, he could use the blueprint from the ALIEN franchise. Since the first film is at least partly a more horror-based "Alien" outing, he could then change up the flavor and turn the second film into a over-the-top action spectacle like "Aliens" was. I still feel that the MUTO organization could be the key to keeping this series at least semi-grounded in reality. By giving a more tangible origin for the varied creatures set loose on the world, the creative team at Legendary has a better starting point with which to push the envelope. They can have more dinosaur-based monsters (Gorosaurus, Angilas, Titanosaurus), insectoid-based (Kumonga, Kamakuras, Megalon), and maybe alien DNA-based (Ghidorah). Honestly, I would prefer that King Ghidorah just be kept an enigmatic force of doom with no attempts at rationalizing him; just make him a badass space dragon sent to wipe out mankind and reset the board for an invading force, or maybe re-invented him as an ancient, living doomsday weapon-type creation aimlessly drifting thru space, wiping out any & all life it encounters. They could even set up MUTO's downfall having rogue agents within the organization splinter away, taking DNA or living embryotic beasts with them, who attempt to create their own non-sanctioned monsters, but without proper facilities the creature doesn't develop properly, forcing them to employ cybornetic implants and limbs to activate & control it (Gigan). There truly are no limits at this point.

[Jorzilla]

One thing that isn't immediately obvious in individual Godzilla films, but it's obvious when you watch chunks of similar chronological films is the acceleration in human development due to the kaiju threat.

If you focus on the Showa films, you have Godzilla - Ghidrah where the humans are basically using standard technology to fight monsters, and losing. By Monster Zero you see the first large leap in technology where humans are using super fast rockets to get to Planet X, and you see the starts of future tech with the brain wave scramblers which appear to be the starting tech or template for Maser Cannons. If you continue down the Showa line in real time you get to War of the Gargantuas where humans are truly using future weapons in the Masers. If you jump to Destroy all Monsters you can readily see how much contact with Planet X has rapidly advanced human technology until the point where monsters are no longer a real threat (until they are simultaneously released).

Heisei followed a similar progression. Godzilla 1985 had super weapons in the form of Laser/Maser cannons, and the Super X. With Biollante you saw the the introduction of TRUE Maser Cannons and the Super X 2. After Mecha King Ghidorah came back from the future, the humans obviously reverse engineered technology because in Godzilla vs. Mothra you start seeing rotar-less helicopters which sound like TIE-fighters. The development of MG and MOGERA follow in the years after.

My point is: Pacific Rim followed a similar structure but condensed. The threat of giant monsters is a huge motivator for governments to pool resources in tech/weapon development which would probably eclipse what you'd see in the Lunar Race.

I hope Godzilla 2014 follows something similar, maybe akin to SHIELD in the Avengers. Secret organizations studied giant monsters and created ways to contain outbreaks. After the appearance of much larger monsters, the public rallied behind these organizations to create weapons to protect human population. This ties nicely into Gareth's comments on a sequel to Godzilla being akin to Destroy all Monsters. My ideal movie progression would be as follows in terms of tech is as follows:

1. Godzilla 2014 - Humans are helpless and rely on conventional tech to fight monsters. Basically succeed in driving monsters away after long, drawn out battles (or until the monster gets bored and leaves).

2. Godzilla 2014 Sequel - Introduction of Maser Cannons.

3. One of 2 more films with advancing technology/change tone of film.

4. First Mech is built. I would love to see a US take on Mechagodzilla.

I don't think every film needs to be a sombre affair. People will get bored of the franchise if it doesn't turn more 'actiony' in the long run. This film should be treated as a reset of expectations around Godzilla. Subsequent films can get into more of the 'VS' aspect of the franchise.

Obviously no sequels are confirmed, but a man can dream, can't he?

[angilas]

One reason for that large jump in Showa tech was the time skip. If you watch monster zero subbed you'll see its set in 198X even though it came out in 65. Not sure when sea monster or SOG are set but I'd imagine after the future skip in DAM, hedorah which features no masers I can remember seemed obviously 70s, gigan could have been 80s or even early 90s as ghidorahs still alive and I don't remember anything besides cot wielding hippies placing it in the 70s. Megalon and the mechagodzillas I'm also not sure of just after gigan sometime ( though megalomaniac came out after the 4th zone fighter ep if you want to place that series as Canon, by MG the series was done). But you raise a great point.
As you said the Hesei series also featured the maser jets and I think they have that same computer they bought from the futurians to predict things in GvM. But time travel sort of accelerated things but the super x 1&2 and masers were a given. G85 also featured some high powered lasers but they had a monster attack 30 years prior.

[jellydonut25]

It certainly is an interesting idea to explore in sequels though...something dealing with the way the emergence of kaiju has pushed humanity to grow and develop faster to respond to the threat.

It could even provide for the first time a GOOD reason for not wanting to kill Godzilla: "Yes, it's terrible when he shows up, but look at all we've accomplished and all the good it's done" Ends justifying the means type of thing.

That's really never been explored very much; instead, we just get the standard, "Think of all we can learn from Godzilla" stuff that rings a little hollow.

[XvGojira]

Jinzo, Jor, and Angilas, ya'll are just hitting the right hype buttons for me! A progression of anti-kaiju tech would make total sense, especailly if M.U.T.O. already has version of it to keep thier test subjects or what not, in check.

I just fear I'm over hyping myself at times and am setting myself up for dissapointment.

[Gojiraknight]

[XvGojira]