TALKBACK #28: Godzilla Final Wars

[Dr Kain]

[Rody]

The monsters in Monster Zero feel much more influential than in FW, though. Once Ghidorah is introduced, the film's focus moves entirely to the Xilliens retrieving & wielding Godzilla & Rodan; and when the Xilliens betray mankind, the focus goes to cutting off the Xilliens' control over the monsters, thereby eliminating their offensive force. Yes, the primary conflict is the relationship between humanity and the Xilliens, but the monsters are an integral part of that from start to finish.

FW tries to use the same setup, but it's far less focused; there's too much extraneous human drama/action. The mutant sub-plot doesn't really amount to much overall, the motorcycle fight is completely irrelevant, and most of the action scenes post-betrayal come & go so quickly it all feels like a lot of fluff. On top of that, Godzilla's trek across the globe and the Gotengo's flight to the mothership feel almost completely divorced from each other.

[lhb412]

DAM felt like it had less of a script and more of and outline stringing together various effects set-pieces. GFW feels like an anniversary special or an old-fashioned comic book annual; a story that has no concern with hanging together as a film and instead resolves to squeeze in as many classic monsters and callbacks amid a fizzy combination of adventure and scenes that are basically comic sketches.

It's funny, but when you think about making that kind of movie, a Godzilla movie that's basically a series of vignettes throwing as much stuff at the audience as possible... imagine what a hardcore fanboy like Kaneko or a true creative visionary like Takashi Miike would have done with that format!

[Gentleman]

Takashi Miike doing a Godzilla movie? Now THAT would be interesting.

[lhb412]

^I certainly loved Miike's two Ultraman Max episodes!

[lhb412]

With one 'new' Godzilla film behind us, a proper Hollywood version that time, and a new Japanese Godzilla film a few months away, and the Kong/Godzilla shared universe on the horizon I think it's time to sit back and reflect on just how weird a final note to go out on Godzilla Final Wars was.

Because that was very, very weird.

[jellydonut25]

[Hybrid Gojira]

[Benjamin Haines]

[Hybrid Gojira]

[Benjamin Haines]

I'm familiar with that Ed Godziszewski interview, and I've seen that alleged Ryuhei Kitamura quote (and others like it) put forth by other Godzilla fans on various message boards and social media groups even before that interview, but what is the source of that quote? Where and when, specifically, did Kitamura say it himself? Was it in a press interview published online? In a magazine? On television? That's something I'm very interested to know.

The quotes I included in my previous post were stated directly by Kitamura in two interviews conducted by Ira Cord Rubnitz and Biff L. Peterson at the Renaissance Hotel in Los Angeles on November 27, 2004, one day before the Godzilla: Final Wars world premiere, and published on Henshin!Online on April 11, 2005. Both interviews can be read in full (scroll down the page).

[jellydonut25]

Interesting he cites GvMG and some 60s-era stuff as influences on him, when GFW falls prey to the follies of most (all?) of the post-70s Godzilla films: it tries to get SO epic (especially in the finale) that it becomes kinda unintentionally comical rather than FUN.

My two-year old is starting to take notice of the Godzilla things I have, and she's pointed to posters and played with toys and says, "Godzilla. I like it!" and dances to a video I made to BOC Godzilla with tons of Godzilla clips...

...so the other day, I figured I'd pick out a movie off the top of my head that had a lot of Godzilla action for a fairly extended time, and just randomly grabbed GMK. She CRIED. She got scared.

Today, I put on Son of Godzilla, and whenever Godzilla wasn't around (which wasn't too often, I chapter skipped a lot) she would ask "Where's Godzilla?" and she kept pointing out "Baby Godzilla" and loved it.

Keep in mind, I'm not really giving her the FULL experiences here, she's TWO, her attention span is kinda limited to pointing out Godzilla, and maybe another monster and saying, "Woah!" when things blow up. Just based on the aesthetics of the fight scenes alone, GMK made her cry while Son of Godzilla made her SUPER happy.

I feel like GFW has more scenes than maybe any other Millennium film that she'd be cool with (the fights against Kamacuras, Kumonga, Rodan Anguirus and King Caesar) where they're more fun and less "zomg! EPIK!" but that finale I think would scare her....

...so it's interesting to me that Kitamura says he's aping the 60s and 70s, when the climax of his film feels just as post-70s as any of the others.





Of course, being a toddler, she might have just been in a "mood" when I put on GMK, and might just as easily have been scared by Godzilla's Revenge at that moment, and all of this is moot.

[Hybrid Gojira]

[planetxleader]

I was giving serious consideration to watching this again in light of the Shin Gojira trailer, wanting to pick up Toho Godzilla from where last left off, but I've kind of lost the motivation.

[lhb412]

I completely forgot Kenji Sahara was in this. I also completely forgot they ripped off the dagger thing from Gamera 3.

So, movie's still a total mess with some fun bits, but they're not consistent enough to make this some sort of camp classic. I'd like it a lot more if the kaiju scenes were better done, and though I used to like seeing all the returning monsters, now I wish we had less and developed those fewer more.

... I feel like it's been taking forever to work through these Sony Blu-Rays. With this out of the way I only have Mothra II left (meanwhile, pretty sure I've gone through the Gamera trilogy twice during this time).

[MekaGojira3k]

[lhb412]

I'd like to add that Don Frye is totally a highlight, though. He seems to be trying to make the movie work by sheer force of his personality.

[MekaGojira3k]

[Rodan]

[GFan]

Watched this yesterday for the first time in years... for me it's still the biggest "mixed bag" Godzilla film EVER. Parts of it I love for the hyper over-the-top zaniness and everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach... then parts of it I absolutely loathe for being so cringe-inducing, and absolutely terrible [the Matrix, ID4 and Return of the Jedi rip-off scenes, the REALLY bad English lines].

Random thoughts...

My favorite thing from this movie? Godzilla. I adore the FW suit design and the way this incarnation of Goji is portrayed. He's intelligent, well-versed in fighting other monsters, and hates everyone. It's the first time since ToMG that Godzilla can physically fight other monsters to good effect.

I love most of the Showa-era homage/cameos/etc... except Minilla. He just feels so out of place in this movie (both the design and execution). I would have vastly preferred a good ole Godzilla-turns-around-and-returns-to-the-ocean ending.

I'd really like to hear the original audio of the pimp/cop scene. It must have been like dialog from a Tarantino movie.

Don Frye is awesome.

I think every Godzilla fan on Earth agrees the motorcycle chase scene should have been cut from the film.

I would have been perfectly happy with a Godzilla vs. Monster X & Gigan movie.

Someone who speaks English should have gone over the parts of the script anytime a character is speaking English.

I've never watched a movie were I kept saying "I love this movie" then "I hate this movie" in such rapid succession.

[Specium Ray]

I agree with every criticism against this movie, but Don Frye's scenes always make me smile.
I also love it for legitimizing "Zilla". Toho made it canon, the crazy SOBs!

[eabaker]

I absolutely do not get why people consider Don Frye a highlight of this movie. I've become a lot more forgiving of GFW over the years - more willing to accept it as an interesting historical footnote, I guess? - but Frye's performance is one element I just can't get over.

[klen7]

I think its the camp factor, like a William Shatner performance.

[O.Supreme]

TBH I have not seen this film in years. But I'd love to see if there is a fan cut, maybe about 80-90 minutes (about the length of most Showa films), where most of the human plot is removed...That would I think improve this film immensely.

[canofhumdingers]