Grading The Monsters Of 'GFW'

[Kaijufan]

[ebirahsmeg1]

Godzilla A- Definitely Wakasa's best suit, and this coming from someone who is no fan of Wakasa's suit designs. ..but to his credit, he struck gold here. The only downside is the weak, flimsy jaw, a weakness in all of Wakasa's suits' heads/faces.

Rodan - B Definitely an upgrade from Fire Rodan, but still not up to par with the Rodan suits from the 50s and 60s, and the wings lack texture and look like plastic.

Angilas- B+ Didn't like it at first, but slowly it grew on me...the rolling ball attack in inspired. Was a little too pudgy.

Manda - A- Looks terrific...the CGI was shoddy however.

Ebirah- A+ BEST SUIT BY FAR....who would have ever thought that out of all the kaiju , Ebirah would end up having the best scene stealing moment of the film? Simply put, Ebirah looks terrific and far surpasses his showa incarnation :rockon:

King Ceasar - C Not near as bad as everyone claims and the original showa version wasn't all that great either (this is why King Ceasar was never that popular with fans in general), but it lacks the power to reflect energy beams with its eyes as in the showa series, which brings it down quit a bit. Love the ears though!

Minilla- A+/F- This was hard to grade....if you're a fan of Minilla, this suit definitely gets an A+ as it's easily leaps and bound better than the showa Minilla...if you're not a fan of this kaiju like I am, then it still gets an F. :puke: Just a horrible design that is flawed from the very first day it was designed in the showa series. Had no business in the film....but if one has to use Minilla, they do use him effectively for the ending.

Hedorah- D- Suit doesn't look near as good as the showa series, which was a massive and really looked like a sludge monster. This one looks humanoid and plastic looking. In this suit's defense, however, we never get to see it executed on screen, for he gets roasted in seconds by Godzilla. Hedorah was one of Godzilla's deadliest enemies in the showa series, right up there with KG, MG, and Gigan....in this film, he's easier fodder than Zilla.....doesn't seem right at all. Also, no flying stage of Hedorah either.

GINO- C+ TOHO still has a ways to go with CGI, but looked good enough to get the job done. GINO's design is super lame anyways. When you see him next to the real Godzilla, it just makes you wonder what in the hell D&E were snorting during preproduction of their joke of a film....

Gigan - B Didn't like it at first and not as good as the showa suit, but it grew on me quickly. Good to finally see him with his eye beam, and hit weaponary are inspired and fit Gigan well. Wish he would have put up a better fight against Godzilla, but I loved seeing him roast Mothra :turnbad:

Mothra: A :kitty: Looks the same as always....sorry, I know she has had a huge role within Godzilla's history, but I am so burnt out on Mothra. I would have preferred to see a different take on her, similar to the more wasp looking design from GMK to liven things up.

Kumonga - B+ Very cool looking...webbing could have looked more realistic, but nice to see Kumonga back...I like the yellow stripes.

Kamakuras/Gimatis - B Also very good, and I like that they changed his color scheme from redish orange to the more traditional green color common with its real life counterparts.

Monster X - C TOHO had a chance to do something crazy with Godzilla's new foe, but instead just another uninspiring bipedal foe :-\

Keizer Ghidorah - C+ This suit is a mixed bag. It's downfalls are plenty, the 4 legs thing doesn't seem to fit my image of KG, his roars and sounds are almost as bad as KG91, his skin texture lacks detail and the golden scales. The upside.... *FINALLY* KG is once again in his rightful place and truly Godzilla's worst enemy and most powerful foe as he was in the Showa series. However, I do agree with Legion...why can't TOHO just use a more traditional design for KG (such as a Mothra 3 type design) along with his old roars and sound effects?

[Giganfan]

[Nippon]

[TitanoGoji16]

Holy crap, this took forever to finish...

Godzilla
Suit/prop design: A+
Easily one of the best suits of the series, in my honest opinion. It drops the bulk of most of the Heisei/Millennium suits while still retaining a powerful look. The fins may be a bit smaller than I'd prefer, but look great despite their size. Like most of the other Millennium suits, the face looks a bit funny from the front, but looks fine from other angles.
Execution: A+
The FinalGoji is the Millennium equivalent of a Showa suit, allowing Godzilla to move faster and with more range.
Role: A-
While I love Godzilla whooping everyone's behind and easily asserting himself as King of the Monsters, he's rather easily led around by the Gotengo, and doesn't really get a decent fight (Three monsters!! THREE!) until Monster X shows up.
Overall: A

Rodan
Suit/prop design: A-
The design of the suit itself is perfect, quite possibly the best suit since Rodan '56 (a massive improvement over Fire Rodan). Unfortunately, I think the colors are just a little bit too bright. Personally, I think they'd look a little better a few shades darker.
Execution: A
Rodan's flying scenes are awesome. The CGI really works. And... that's about it. He only spend about 5 seconds on his feet, there's not much else to talk about other than his flying.
Role: A
Out of the "fodder" monsters, Rodan gets some great scenes, and is the first Earth kaiju scene in the Xilians' invasion. His attack on New York is beautiful, though he is oddly lacking his shockwaves when he battles Godzilla... He gets a nice hit on Godzilla during their fight (the only blow from the Earth kaiju to get Godzilla to use his injured shriek), and that's about it.
Overall: A

Angilas
Suit/prop design: A+
There's almost nothing bad to say about this suit. After a 30-year absence, Angilas is back and better than ever. I love the smaller spikes added to the sides of his legs. The only problem I have is how dinky his nose horn is. It could stand to be twice as long as it currently is. Other than that, though, the suit is perfect.
Execution: A+
Angilas moves around great, and not once do you think, "Come on, the guy's on his hands and knees." His new Thunderball attack is also an awesome and inspired idea.
Role: A
Angilas' role is more or less similar to Rodan's, attacking Shanghai and then partaking in the handicap battle against Godzilla, though he is the only of the trio to get a little stand-off against him before the fight begins.
Overall: A+

King Caesar
Suit/prop design: A-
While I agree that the eyes are a little too big, it doesn't distract from the suit too much (and honestly, I didn't even notice them until everyone on MZ went "BIG EYES!!11!!ONE!"). A little less fur than the Showa incarnation, but overall, a decent suit. I mean, come on - it's King Caesar.
Execution: A-
He moved alright in his attack on Okinawa, but moved a little too human-like in the fight against Godzilla (though I did like his leaping kick to Angilas' Thunderball).
Role: A
Pretty much the same as Angilas and Rodan's roles, except with a little less screentime, and he didn't get a hit in on Godzilla.
Overall: A-

Zilla
Suit/prop design: A+
Zilla's CGI is a highly impressive feat for Toho, who couldn't even make passable water three years prior in GMK. He looks pretty much the same as he did in Godzilla.
Execution: A
He moves great most of the time, but when he's flung into the Sydney Opera House he appears a little stiff.
Role: A
Another of the attacking Earth kaiju, Zilla actually gets a little more screentime than King Caesar does. One thing I appreciate about Zilla's role in GFW is that they don't shove "LOOK! It's the American Godzilla! In a Godzilla movie! To be laughed at!" down our throats (the Controller's tuna-head line comes close, but doesn't quite cross the line). Zilla's just treated like one of the gang.
Overall: A

Ebirah
Suit/prop design: A+
They actually made Ebirah look cool. I mean, that's a huge accomplishment right there. There's a definite Legion influence in the design, but it works.
Execution: A
His first appearance on dry land, Ebirah moves around quite well, though we never actually see his legs moving him around. Oh well.
Role: A+
One of the attacking Earth kaiju, Ebirah easily gets one of the highlight scenes of the film, battling the mutant soldiers at the Tokai chemical plant. This great scene easily more than makes up for his later "battle" against Godzilla, where he is blasted out of the sea and vaporized alongside Hedorah in about 5 seconds.
Overall: A+

Kamacuras
Suit/prop design: B+
Like Rodan, the design of Kamacuras alone is perfect. It looks more lifelike than ever before. But my problem with it lies with the colors. I don't care if it's more realistic, Kamacuras is red, darn it.
Execution: A+
Kamacuras moves and behaves almost exactly like a real insect, and his brief attack on Paris is awesome (again like Rodan, the CGI really works here). His prop also moves quite well, especially when he jerks his head around after being impaled by the electrical tower. The new chittering sound they add goes well with his old cries.
Role: A-
Another of the attacking Earth kaiju, Kamacuras' attack on Paris lasts as long as Hedorah's fight with Godzilla (but what there was was sweet). He gets a decent-yet-brief "fight" with Godzilla.
Overall: A-

Spiega
Suit/prop design: A
Though not exactly the same as the Showa Spiega (no hair, a different color design), Spiega looks very nice. A little smaller than before, but the look works nicely.
Execution: A
The way Spiega's legs move is somewhat creepy, and his jumps are believable enough. The only real lacking area is Spiega's web-nets. The spray looks fine when coming out, but when they explode into the net, it just looks... not right. The zipper sound used when the nets open doesn't really help, either.
Role: B
During the Earth kaiju invasion, Spiega smashes a trailer in Arizona. He gets a fairly good fight against Godzilla and is tossed into the horizon.
Overall: B+

Mothra
Suit/prop design: A-
Despite this being the awesome prop from Tokyo SOS, for some reason, it just doesn't look the same. It's like the GvsThe Thing prop being reused in Sea Monster. It just looks really battered and worn and not as awesome as its debut film.
Execution: A
Mothra moves about as good as she did in SOS. She moves a little shakily when flapping her wings at Gigan at the start of their fight, but other than that, is just fine.
Role: B
Despite the fact that Gigan is Mothra's sworn enemy, and the Shobijin promise that Mothra will be mankind's ally, Mothra doesn't even wake up until right before the final fight starts. She completely ignores the initial invasion of the Earth kaiju, the second invasion of the Earth kaiju (this time aided by Xilian fighters), and lets Gigan's resurrection come and go. She finally gets off her butt to help Godzilla against Monster X (and, again, not her ancient foe, Gigan) but is eventually ingited by Gigan and uses a kamakaze attack to finish him. And, considering she's the only kaiju other than Godzilla fighting against the Xilians (and is doing so by choice), her death goes by unnoticed by anyone, not even the freakin' Shobijin. I'm surprised the Controller noticed her enough to send Gigan after her.
Overall: B

Minya
Suit/prop design: A-
Minya actually looks pretty good. A little more cute than the Showa incarnation, but hey, it's Minya. My only problem with the suit is the face. It looks way too inspired by Littlefoot from Land Before Time.
Execution: B+
The Showa Minya acted like an infantile Godzilla. GFW Minya acts too much like a typical goofy kids' movie character. Another minus against him was the replacement of his old cries with what sounds like a warped CD. His donkey whine should most certainly have been used when he was smashing against the truck, and who wasn't expecting/wanting him to go "Pwa-pwa" in the final scene?
Role: A+
Minya spends most of his screentime trying to catch up and reunite with Godzilla, a nice idea, though admittedly it's not developed very well. The climactic scene, where Minya finally reunites with Godzilla and convinces him to spare the heroes, is nice and almost touching.
Overall: A

Manda
Suit/prop design: A
Manda looks superb in his battle against the Gotengo, in both prop and CGI forms. His horns from Atragon return, but not his whiskers, making him look a little bit like one of Heisei Ghidorah's heads.
Execution: B+
While the prop works well, the CGI version moves way too fast and looks like something out of a videogame. Not that a giant snake shouldn't move fast, just... not that fast.
Role: C+
Manda isn't even involved in the global kaiju attack only to be wasted by Godzilla in five seconds, he's simply wasted in a scene that basically says, "Oh, ho-hum, another day, another daikaiju!"
Overall: B

Hedorah
Suit/prop design: A
I really like the new Hedorah design. Instead of just a big pile of sludge, Hedorah actually looks like a bunch of waste merged together into a living form. The uneven look (like the different eyes, and the extra-drippy hand) and the tubes jutting out look great.
Execution: A-
Well, from what little we saw of Hedorah (including the brief clip during the end credits), he acted a little more erratic, waving his arms around wildly and spraying smoke from his tubes. Not quite the calm creature he was in Smog Monster.
Role: D
BOOM.
Overall: C+

Gigan
Suit/prop design: A+ (both forms)
Gigan is much more menacing than ever before. He looks very much like a living machine
Execution: A
Gigan moves a little more human-like than he did before, but somehow, it works with his new design. While I thought his new chainsaw arms would be a little overkill, they fit Gigan's character well. Unfortunately, his flying mode doesn't come across well at all, as it's way too stiff.
Role: B+
Gigan is a mummified Xilian cyborg from 12,000 years ago, and is resurrected by the Controller to help smash stuff. He's decapitated by Godzilla in a moment, but at least his upgraded form puts up more of a fight. He takes out Mothra and helps Monster X pummel Godzilla, but then accidentally decapitates himself and is taken out by a suicide attack from the big bug. As someone else on the net put it, GFW Gigan is the ultimate "badass dumbass."
Overall: A

Monster X
Suit/prop design: A
While nothing new if you factor in Ultraman, Super Sentai, etc., Monster X is certainly an inspired creation within the Godzillaverse, a skeletal, armored beast with twin tails and half-skulls on his shoulders.
Execution: A
Monster X's movements are quite human-like, but unlike King Caesar, this doesn't detract from his performance. It actually works as he fights against Godzilla. His transformation into Keizer Ghidorah is also well done.
Role: B+
The Xilians' last-ditch effort, summoned right after Godzilla blasts Gigan's head off. He finally lands in Tokyo after all the other monsters have been wiped out, Monster X leaps into battle against Godzilla and actually gives him a great fight. Eventually, though, he's overpowered by Godzilla and is transformed into Keizer Ghidorah.
Overall: A

Keizer Ghidorah
Suit/prop design: B
Easily the best of the secondary Ghidorahs (Mecha, Death, Keizer), but nowhere near the beauty of Grand Ghidorah. While they were definitely headed in the right direction with Ghidorah's massive size, making him dwarf Godzilla, there was absolutely no need for him to have four legs and Dorat-sized wings (I actually wouldn't mind if Keizer Ghidorah didn't even have wings).
Execution: B-
As the biggest Godzilla opponent since Biollante, Keizer doesn't really move all too well. He either uses his gravity beams to throw Godzilla round, or he flops around on his hind legs, which actually looks kinda stupid. His necks/heads move nicely, though, and definitely give off a sinster vibe. His new roar, however, is terrible, and is even worse than the reused Rodan cry used for Heisei Ghidorah/Grand Ghidorah.
Role: A+
When the Xilian Mothership is destroyed, Monster X transforms into a massive, four-legged version of King Ghidorah. Keizer Ghidorah immediately proves to be Godzilla's superior, smacking him around with his gravity beams, stomping on him, then eventually begins sucking him dry like a vampire. While he gets beaten rather quickly once Godzilla is repowered, his ultimate destruction is quite awesome.
Overall: A-

[Giganfan]

[Giganfan]

[Lord Ghidorah]

[Rican87]

[yeast]

[redkiryuranger]

[Bored Gamer]

-Godzilla- 9/10- Easily one of my favorite Big G's, simply because of how easy it was for him to move in the film, not to mention the menacing look they brought to him.

-Mothra- 8/10- Better looking than the Tokyo SOS Mothra. My only problem with her is that she should have been used a little more in the film than just one battle. Her movements were great, though.

-Angilas- 7/10- The spikes were great looking, but his face looked a little too leathery. At least they gave him decent involvement in the film.

-Rodan- 7/10- While this is my favorite Rodan suit, I have to say he still looked a little too leathery at times, plus his involvement in the film should have been a little better.

-King Ceasar- 5/10- Giving him a slightly more menacing look was okay, but the fact that his eyes were just over the top, that he moved too much like something out of Power Rangers, and that his role was so limited kept him from being anything close to what he should have been.

-Zilla- 6/10- He looked okay; I actually thought the original Zilla looked better. His involvement was fitting, as he was basically bred to die.

-Kumonga- 9/10- Easily one of my favorite suits. It looked really killer! My only problem is that I felt he should have had just a little more time on screen, possibly even rampaging a city rather than destroying one freakin' trailer.

-Kamacuras- 8/10- Very good look and great movement, and adequate role.

-Manda- 7/10- Great design, but completely under utilized. I would have loved to see Manda battle Godzilla and have the scene not be deleted.

-Gigan- 10/10- One of the best suits around. He should have been on an episode of "Pimp My Kaiju." Not to mention practically making him more of an A-list villain in this movie...

-Ebirah- 8/10- Nice looking, great involvement. That's about it.

-Hedorah- 6/10- Awesome suit, but pretty much pointless. I felt they could have left him out for a short battle between Godzilla and Ebirah beryond what they showed.

-Minilla- 5/10- He looked like a lost old man with sagging skin. His involvement was done right, but god was he ugly.

-Monster X- 8/10- Very wicked looking, but I felt he should have done just a little more during the battle against Godzilla than simply get owned.

-Kaizer Ghidorah- 9/10- Absolutely wicked suit, but the legs moved kind of funny.

[Danno]

[Stadawim]

Godzilla - 9.5/10. Just some minor tweaks i feel would have made him perfect. There seems to be a meld of the heisei and GMK looks, and if a couple of things were broader and a couple narrower he'd be perfect.

Mothra - 6/10. Yeah, yeah. Even i have to admit she looked as good as she ever has here. BUT, in my book she's still Mothra so i can't in good conscience grade her any higher.

Rodan - 7.5/10. I know with CGI it's possible to do things you can't with suitmation. But if they could've made it look more like a suitmation Rodan doing what this one did, this would've been the star of the show.

Anguilas - 8.5/10. Okay, this was one sharp looking monster. And his new roll-n-rumble attack was the highlight of the film, i think. He's probably never been more 'alive' then here.

Gigan - 8/10. Gigan always looks cool. Now the double saws may have been a little over the top, but his mummification entrance and his fighting style make him quite top notch.

Manda - 8/10. A CGI Manda definitely works well. Its looks and its performance were cool. Too bad it had the ignomius distinction of being taken out by the humans' weapons instead of fighting Godzilla.

Ebirah - 9/10. Wow. I was impressed with the use of the giant lobster. I guess when they decided to showcase one of the kaiju, they got their idea from a Red Lobster commercial deal? But anyway, it's too bad they couldn't have made a 3 hour feature so each monster could get a spotlight like this.

Hedorah - 7/10. Face it, it's a blob. Okay, a flying blob but a blob nonetheless. Which left it out of lots of possibilities. But that splat on the building was quite cool.

King Ceesar - 3/10. Seriously, what the hell was this thing doing here? You ever see that video of the Rolling Stones hiring the Hell's Angels to be bodyguards at Altamont? This looked like one of 'em. Putting Gabara, Gorosaurus or even Megalon here would've been better.

Spiga - 8.5/10. Pretty nifty jumping attack and creepy look. But that web spouting from his mouth and being BIG and YELLOW just detracted from the whole experience.

Kamacuras - 9/10. Schweet! The Deadly Mantis lives! And apparently has chameleon-like abilities. This was a nice touch. Yet another sufferer of too little screen time.

Zilla - 1/10. HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA! WAAHHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! AH HHAHAHAHAHAHA! AH HA! Heh.

Monster X - 7.5/10. While it definitely had a sinister look about it, there was just something about it that seemed too contrived. And it battled in a dark environment that didn't show too much detail to the suit.

Kaiser Ghidorah - 8.5/10. Pretty cool idea. I like the look and the personality of this monster. Even more evil than the original Ghidorahs and maybe even more so than the non-friendly Godzillas. Again, lack of lighting didn't help the screen portrayal.

Minilla - 5.5/10. Hmmmm... Well, they DID make it look like the original. Were we STILL supposed to believe that 'the kid' still could alter his size for no apparent reason than to suit his human child friend? I really hate that.