TALKBACK: Godzilla (1998)

[MouthForWar]

[eabaker]

Saw that, too. I write it off as trolling.

[lhb412]

They may offer you fortune and fame!
Love and money and instant acclaim!
But whatever they offer you -

[MekaGojira3k]

Ugh. "Kaijus".

[eabaker]

^I was so busy being annoyed by everything else, I didn't even notice that!

[Legion]

[Gman2887]

[jellydonut25]

A creature whose size changes depending on the situation in which it is placed? Doesn't sound very 'possible' to me.

[MekaGojira3k]

[Benjamin Haines]

[eabaker]

[Jorzilla]

Unfortunately kids who grew up watching GINO as their only Godzilla film are now a major demographic for cinema (15-20 year olds). We are going to see a LOT more backlash against the new film since it's not going to be what some people expected.

There's something especially soul-crushing seeing the major of twitter comments with #godzilla provide up-to-date commentary on a Godzilla (1998) TV appearance, with people exalting how emotional, entertaining, and under-rated the film is.

What can I say, I'm Godzilla-elitist.

[eabaker]

[Benjamin Haines]

[jellydonut25]

[Destroysall]

[lhb412]

Just watched this film for the first time in... probably a decade.

I figured I had to have a copy of the film to complete my collection - especially with Legendary Godzilla seemingly giving the concept of American Godzilla films legitimately (by actually having Godzilla in them).

Ironically, I feel this film has the Godzilla most restrained by special effects: GINO is always crouching uncomfortably into the frame, always hesitantly interacting with anything around him (much of which are rather nice model buildings), and we never really get a sense that he weighs as much as he's supposed to or takes up as much space as he's supposed to. In the end it makes for a rather insubstantial monster.

The story is pretty boilerplate monster-on-the-loose stuff, but it lacks any sense of urgency or scale required to make it fulfilling. The buildup to the monster's appearance is pretty good, but once we roost in NYC the movie stops and starts. We never feel a sense of fear or tension that Godzilla could show up at any moment, only a sense of relief that the many many many comic relief moments involving the human cast will cease temporarily (but they manage to work them into the monster scenes, too). This team's previous film, ID4, managed to tie in the apocalyptic disaster with the characters much better. Here they almost seem like they're from different films: are we really invested in how this whole Godzilla thing ties into Audrey becoming a reporter or Nick forgiving Audrey or that military guy's constant stuttering?

In the end, the strange thing about this film is all the production stuff around it: the idea that the old Godzilla films were cheesy junk and that now Hollywood and $100+ in computer special effects was gonna turn out the serious, realistic monster than could only be possible in modern times... but the film itself is neither serious or realistic. It's at least 70% goofy, but with groan worthy humor and lacking the sorts of goofy things people expect and like in Godzilla movies.

[Russzilla]

This movie has been making the rounds on cable/satellite the past couple of months. I actually sat and watched it today on AMC for the first time since it's cable premiere 14 years ago. Wife walked in, saw what I was watching, she quickly said " I can't believe you're watching that hun." My reply... "Neither can I." Just simply reminded me why he's called GINO.

[Psycho Soldier]

For some odd reason, I keep thinking about buying it whenever I see it in a store. GINO is one of the few media products from my childhood that inspires more loathing than nostalgia, even though I kinda liked it when I first saw it. So I have no idea why I'd want to throw money at it, except for some weird idea that it would fill in a gap in my collection. And I guess I'm interested in seeing it in HD - there's a "4K-Mastered" edition out right now that looks kind of enticing, although I don't have a setup that's 100% suitable for it.

[lhb412]

^The interesting thing about the film, upon revisiting it, is just what a big deal it caused and how it still inspires such heated feelings... when the movie itself is really so bland and forgettable. I watched it yesterday and yet hardly any of it stuck! A good film, a bad film, an interesting film I watch and it stays in my head for at least a few days.

I was forgetting GINO by the afternoon!

[MekaGojira3k]

The only intense dislike I ever really held for the movie was when I first watched it and Godzilla got killed by missiles of all things. I think I justified it in my head by saying "Well they had to kill him so they could do the egg hatching ending". Even that doesn't match the disgust a lot of people feel for this. I mean, it's bad, but I don't feel like I have to separate it from the series and pretend it never happened.

[Ernesth100]

If GINO was a part of the Godzilla universe which era would he be?

[klen7]

I've heard it argued both ways and I don't know that I buy either. If someone made me choose, I would say Heisei..but for all the wrong reasons

[MekaGojira3k]

[Ernesth100]