TALKBACK: Godzilla (2014) - (OBVIOUS SPOILER DISCUSSION)

[Jorzilla]

I didn't have a stop watch. Even if it's not half, it sure feels like it. They basically didn't show any of the fighting in this movie for the trailers. This is good. They also cut away from the fighting constantly, which is bad. The major set pieces/shots were used in the pre-release footage. This is a fact, unfortunately.

To illustrate my point:





Those images take place at the END OF THE MOVIE. It's kind of telling that they didn't have a lot of footage to work with consider that last image: yeah, that's the last tracking shot of the entire film before credits.


As for a post-credit scene, I didn't stay because everyone said there isn't one.

[Dorkzilla]

I kind of assumed that those parts would take place at the end, so that doesn't bother me.

Something about everyone's thoughts towards the film makes me think that the film really does need a sequel to flesh out more stuff(i.e Godzilla's atomic breath actually weakening him or not, etc)

I know that Gareth stated that he wanted the film to be standalone, but it really sounds like an introduction to a larger story.

Maybe it'll work like the original Star Wars trilogy in that regard, where the first film is mostly setting up stuff mixed in with a basic beginning middle end, and then the sequel will go all out.

[mrbluehair]

I'll post my review tomorrow....long night and let's just say that we got there early and they said we (my son and I) would get in, and then said they were cutting us off, I didn't take no for an answer. Sure we had to sit in the front row of a Regal RPX theater, but all the more reason to see it again.

That said, I really enjoyed it, great flick and one that can be built upon with stories to still tell.

[ebirahsmeg1]

Honest Trailers - Godzilla 98 (2014 flick is referenced as well).




Plus:
Screen Junkies: Movie Monster Showdown

[jellydonut25]

Also, I didn't get ANY Jurassic Park out of the beginning of the movie.

How is a scientist who is forced to sacrifice his wife due to an accident who then tries to uncover a mass conspiracy to the extent that it causes him to become somewhat estranged from the rest of his family while the government monitors the radiation consumption of a massive cocoon Jurassic Park derivative? Because there's a moment with a giant skeleton?

Also, I didn't think this was MUTOs movie and not Godzilla's. Godzilla is the focal point of discussion for like 1/2 the film, the MUTOs for 1/3 and whenever they talk MUTO they talk Godzilla as well. Godzilla's really built-up throughout the movie.

I think the rest of your "stuff they got wrong" is more or less valid, possible exception of they kept cutting away when things got interesting...they only did that ONCE where it kinda bothered me. The rest of the time felt very "Godzilla" in that they were bouncing back and forth between humans and kaiju, and I thought we got to see PLENTY of interesting shots in that final battle.

[jellydonut25]

I dunno about anyone else who has seen it so far, but my theater's audience got pretty into it. There was lots of in-theater reaction. To me, that's encouraging, it means people are buying in and having a good time. Forgetting they're watching a movie and just rolling with the plot, characters, and spectacle.

So, parts in my screening where people out and out CHEERED:
-Right at the very beginning before the movie proper started
-When the title "Godzilla" showed up onscreen
-Godzilla's first appearance
-"Let them fight" (I kinda started the cheer on this one...)
-Atomic breath
-Godzilla's tail slam on the male MUTO (I kinda started the cheer on this one too)
-Godzilla defeating the female MUTO
-When Godzilla gets back up and again a little louder when "King of the Monsters" was shown
-The end of the movie

Also, there were moments of laughter, some of them I'm SURE somewhat intended by Gareth Edwards, for example:
-There's a scene where Elizabeth Olsen starts running FROM the male MUTO, and as she's running down the street, Godzilla shows up at the other end of the street and it's like...oh...DAMN. Everyone chuckled.
-The first tease, when it cuts from what you think will be a fight to the news footage.

And a couple unintended laughs:
-When Watanabe says, "Gojira". About half the audience laughed, thinking it was the movie mocking how Japanese people speak. You could tell these people weren't Godzilla FANS since the word "Gojira" meant nothing to them aside from "Japanese accents r funnee!"
-I feel like there was one other, where I was sitting there like, "I don't think this is supposed to be FUNNY" and a few people were chuckling like it was cheesy.

And actually a few times where there were some definite emotional groans of concern/people getting the feels (not all of these were SAD moments, just moments where the movie turned kinda south for one or another character and people were either sad, or felt like that character shoulda caught a break there or something)
-When Cranston has to shut the door and then ESPECIALLY when everyone on the other side starts pounding on the door...his wife being there was kinda the capper on it all, but just in general, when he's standing there, shaking his head "no I can't open the door" and everyone is screaming on the other side, my crowd had some feels
-when the giant building fell on top of Godzilla
-when ATJ is on the boat and he's about to get away, and then the female MUTO just plops her claw down next to him and towers over the boat.
-when Godzilla collapsed after his battle and especially when he's still motionless as the sun rises.

So, for me, it was just cool to see the crowd get into it and feel it. Some people certainly weren't given some of the comments I heard afterward...but it seemed like a majority of the people were feelin it.


Jorzilla, as to your other point about all the shots in the movie being ruined or whatnot...to me they kinda weren't because:
-there were a lot of shots in the movie that looked like something from the trailers but shot at a different angle or with a different filter or something
-there was a lot of dialogue in the trailers that wasn't in the film
^given that, I threw aside anything I'd seen in the trailers because I wasn't even sure it would be IN THE MOVIE
-also, I got so into the movie, at a certain point, I stopped going through the mental checklist of "that shot was in the trailer...where's the next one gonna come?"

[Jorzilla]

The Phillipines Island scene is completely derivative of Jurrassic Park. They even open the movie the the same type of helicopter. Dr. Serizawa and his aide land at the site to be greeted by a 'lawyer type.' They go under ground to discover a mystery that was discovered while mining. There were piratically shot for shot homages to Jurassic Park.

The MUTO hatching SERIOUSLY reminded me of both the T-Rex escape, but also the tone/lighting/cinematography of the raptor scene from the very beginning of JP.


The last instance was the female MUTO inspecting Ford and the other soldier on the train bridge. It felt incredibly similar to the T-Rex scenes when it escapes and is looking into the SUV. Both characters are told not to move. The monster/dinosaur looks at them closely. They almost get chomped, etc.

I am not the only person to point this out in reviews (in fact reading one is why I was more aware of this aspect). Gareth Edwards has quoted Jaws and Jurassic Park as his inspiration/plot structure that he wanted to follow.




As for this being the MUTO monster: Yes it is. Godzilla is the key to ending the crisis, sure. The plot is completely driven from the start of the film by the MUTO threat. The conspiracy is about the MUTO, not Godzilla. It isn''t until the aircraft carrier scene that they even mention Godzilla outside of the opening credits. So Godzilla is finally in his movie almost an hour into it. I was with it to this point, it was kind of cool. But with that being said, the drama on screen is STILL driven by the MUTOs attacking SF, Vegas, Yuca Mountain, the nests, the nuke, etc. Those are plot elements that are primarily focused at the MUTOs (though they hope to kill Godzilla as well with the nuke). When you finally start to see Godzilla fight the MUTOs, they continually cut away from Godzilla to show either human characters (which is why I think people will be bothered by Olsen's character, they tried to use her as a way to increase the tension by putting her at the epicenter of destruction, it didn't work for me obviously), or to drive the plot for Ford attacking the MUTO nest/diffusing the bomb.

[jellydonut25]

[Henry88]

[Jorzilla]

[Russzilla]

Is there anything towards the end of the movie that sets the tone for a hopeful future sequel?

[jellydonut25]

[Russzilla]

I know that some people are a little concerned about Godzilla's screen time in this movie. Consider this. In some of what I consider Godzilla's best movies, he doesn't show up or is actually shown in entirety until very well into the movie. Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, Mothra vs. Godzilla, Terror of Mechagodzilla, Godzilla '54, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, etc.

[jellydonut25]

[Jorzilla]

Just another thought on what I heard coming out of the theater:

People loved the movie and I saw a LOT of smiles considering this was a general audience pre-screening. One thing that kind of bugged me: no fault to the audience but these old ladies were happy that they took Godzilla in a 'new direction' by making him a good guy.

The inner nerd in me wanted to correct them that he has been a super hero in the past. That being said, there is literally no reason to be terrified of Godzilla in the least in this movie. I would actually say that Gamera in Gamera 3 had a more menacing screen presence, especially given that they showed him blowing people up.

Godzilla on the other hand only caused death as an inconsequential effect of being too large. Same thing with Godzilla's breath: the first time he uses it, it doesn't work on the female MUTO. The second time he uses it, it's concentrated down her throat, and while that causes damage (I mean, it beheads her), it never really felt like it had the same kind of OOOOOMPH that a Japanese Godzilla has. He never uses it as a weapon against humans or buildings, so it's more of a cool ability that he has, and isn't necessarily something to be feared.

Again, I just want to say that I ENJOYED THIS MOVIE. I just don't think it was the best Godzilla film ever made. It's setting up the franchise for a nice sequel. Honestly, I expect Mothra to be next considering how many shots had a butterfly motif in them (seriously, count how many times you see a butterfly on screen, it's kind of insane).

[Henry88]

‘Godzilla’ Screenwriter Explains Why There's So Little Godzilla in ‘Godzilla’
https://movies.yahoo.com/news/godzilla- ... 00231.html

[jellydonut25]

The nerfing of the breath bothered me AT FIRST....but it "doesn't work" on the female MUTO to the effect of knocking her on her ass and incapacitating her for a while...I forget exactly how everything played out, but I think it was long enough for Godzilla to be able to take out the male, but I can't remember the exact order of things at this point (i'll confirm on Thursday, but I thought Godzilla killed the male AFTER use of his breath, not before. Not sure right now though)

Also, if Godzilla vs. Monster Zero were released today, would it bug us that Ghidorah shows absolutely NO reaction whatsoever to the breath? Because he doesn't. At least female MUTO recoils from it like it's painful.

[Jorzilla]

[Gojira-2000]

Rodan didn't seem to too bothered by Godzilla's atomic breath in Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster, either.

[jellydonut25]

[Henry88]

‘Godzilla’ May Stomp to Biggest Monster Movie Opening Ever
http://www.thewrap.com/godzilla-may-sto ... ening-ever

[Jorzilla]

[Shin_Edda_Robo!!!!!]

Godzilla using his breath as a finisher is something that developed late in the Heisei series, and really got it's big focus in the Millenium movies. As long as it looks like it really friggin hurts (and even in the Showa movies Gigan nor Megalon didn't No Sell it either. It HURT them.), I'm cool with this.

[Jorzilla]

[Gorjira54]

so what happens with the train scene? I know a muto attacks but what happens?