Godzilla (2014)

[DeeCee]

I was just about to post this-

 

San Francisco is almost in a straight line between Yucca and Japan.

 

Then I realised Yucca is between Las Vegas and San Francisco.  Epic fail.  The  movie is ruined now.  Why would the MUTO head away from the other MUTO then head back again?

[Gopher]

It's weird that a movie portrays its monsters and their effects on the world so damn well, yet cannot create human characters worth caring about who live for the majority of the movie. The end ATJ/Olsen reunion did so little for me that it took me out of the film entirely.

[Kevin Bacon]

Let's track ATJ's movement...

 

Home in Japan to school: A growing boy needs to attend school, even if it's in Japan and the poor son of a bitch probably has class in the summer.

 

20 YEARS LATER

 

Airplane to home: He just arrived home from his job doing Navy things.

 

San Francisco to Japan: His dad was arrested.

 

Japan to Hawaii: He was dropped of there to catch a flight to San Francisco, which makes sense geographically. This is conveniently where the first Muto shows up, because movies.

 

Hawaii to city with train in it: He caught a ride with the military back to the mainland, thanks to his Navy status.

 

Trainville to bridge: He talked a military dude into letting him on the train. Muto attacks, as the train is carrying a nuke, which Mutos are fond of. He survives after separating himself from the train to look around and hiding from the Muto.

 

Bridge to San Francisco: The other military guys find him, and he's now needed to find and defuse the bomb since all of the other assigned bomb guys were killed in the train accident. The action finds itself here because it's where ATJ's family lives, and the Mutos clearly have it out for the guy.

 

Nest to boat: He and the other guys are running the bomb out to sea, and through circumstances I don't recall everyone except him is killed. He, on the verge of death, activates the boat, Godzilla and Muto finish their business.

 

 

 

I dunno, you can't say it's not contrived at all, but I'd say for the most part it's reasonable.

[Kevin Bacon]

It's weird that a movie portrays its monsters and their effects on the world so damn well, yet cannot create human characters worth caring about who live for the majority of the movie. The end ATJ/Olsen reunion did so little for me that it took me out of the film entirely.

It's the contrast of Edwards' killer direction against the writers' lousy script. Did anyone look up who was writing this and take that as a reason to be concerned beforehand? I was very worried about DOFP early on because of who was writing it but I guess that was unfounded, but I never bothered looking at who penned this. I understand that Monsters was great for its portrayal of humans in a monster-driven disaster, but that one was written by Edwards himself and not a couple nobodies hired by the studio.

[Deep Wang]

It's weird that a movie portrays its monsters and their effects on the world so damn well, yet cannot create human characters worth caring about who live for the majority of the movie. The end ATJ/Olsen reunion did so little for me that it took me out of the film entirely.

Especially the offscreen reunion with the son! But, we had seen so little interaction with the family as a whole it didn't really matter by that time.

[BoxOfficeZ]

Especially the offscreen reunion with the son! But, we had seen so little interaction with the family as a whole it didn't really matter by that time.

Interestingly, they did film this scene but didn't make the cut.

[RobinHood26]

Ok so you guys are going to hate me, after 2 viewings one 2D RPX, one IMAX 3D and now a day of refection I have decided to change my grade yet again. This movie has stumped me more then any in recent memory. Im torn, so because of that Im going to settle on 

 

B (85)

 

Locked, recored, added to record books, final score. 

 

Problems all still there, but its fun as fuck and isn't that what movies are supposed to do, provide enjoyment. 

[Claire of Themyscira]

Ok so you guys are going to hate me, after 2 viewings one 2D RPX, one IMAX 3D and now a day of refection I have decided to change my grade yet again. This movie has stumped me more then any in recent memory. Im torn, so because of that Im going to settle on 

 

B (85)

 

Locked, recored, added to record books, final score. 

 

Problems all still there, but its fun as fuck and isn't that what movies are supposed to do, provide enjoyment. 

   

 

Marriage Material.

 

[mattmav45]

It's a shame the film either too embarrassed or perhaps just too incompetent to be the all-out monster film it clearly is meant to be.

 

The end result is 20% is pretty badass and the remaining 80% is a exercise in bland, lame ass storytelling.

[Ezen Baklattan]

Oh god, this is Super 8 all over again.

[Sam]

It's weird that a movie portrays its monsters and their effects on the world so damn well, yet cannot create human characters worth caring about who live for the majority of the movie. The end ATJ/Olsen reunion did so little for me that it took me out of the film entirely.

Agree. And it's a bummer since the trailers give emphasis on human elements, and I was going "wow, looks like this will be one of the rare times they're doing the human elements right in a monster movie"But yeah, guess not. These monsters movies seriously need to learn a thing or two on how to handle human elements in The Host.

[dashrendar44]

Despite the thin characters, there were numerous little touches I liked about them. I like how there wasn't a stock human villain. I liked how people behaved sensibly and didn't make stupid decisions simply for plot-related reasons. I liked that AJT, despite being the bomb expert, didn't save the day by shutting off the timer with three seconds left.

So you just admit ATJ´s pretext to insert himself into the military mission (Being capable of dismantling a giant ass atomic bomb with a mechanical timer, like he was the only one expert in the US army able to do it.So they carry an atomic bomb with no dismantling expert just in case shit happens until ATJ showed up out of the bush to offer his expertise) didn't pay off at all in the end. Yeah good job Mr Script...

Edited May 19, 2014 by dashrendar44

[baumer]

I just didn't like or care for any of the characters.

[John Marston]

the trailers made the movie look a lot more dark and grim than it really felt. 

[Kalel009Shel]

the trailers made the movie look a lot more dark and grim than it really felt. 

Agreed there, but that is what a trailer is meant to do..Get folks excited  and in many cases they use misdirection so folks cant easily guess the plot.  I for one thought there were enough 10/10 moments( the openning scene  and references to 1954 and the Jaws like references, the incredible build up with Cranston and having to lock his wife and his world inside to die).. The whole thing of them studyingg the male in his cocoon form and its aftermath, godzilla coming on the scene and the battle etc.

You can nickpick alot of films to death, but this film delivered a near a class experience of movie enjoyment and the little knick knacks that need improvement are easily correctible with the sequel with more writers and possibly more input from Gareth with the screenplay.

 

Also I think if your going to not let us have it with Godzilla, they need to show some more wow shots of what our legendary hero is doing before the big moments.. Perhaps in the next movie some glorified  secret government trying to kill him, capture him or  something cool going on where during the build up we see just how destructive Godzilla can be if he wanted to be..

 

I definitely want to see Godzilla forced to kill some evil humans in the next one..

 

I love the misdirection, but alot of us in the forums suspected that Gareth would not have Godzilla be evil in this film..

[Kalel009Shel]

I just didn't like or care for any of the characters.

I think you just didnt like ATJ Baum .. I do agree was a big mistake to not have Cranston live to the end as the human hero element or at least die near the end of the film.. Im shocked Gareth didnt correct that. lol . THough rem he might have not realized how the film could have used Cranston. Rem the films like this are not shot in  sequence.. So perhaps to do reshoots would have been too costly, and other things going on with Cranstons scheduling and more.

 

LOve  Cranston in almost every scene, surely you cared about his charater and whoever played his wife.

[Cmasterclay]

I've made sure to see it twice and waited three days so I didn't give a reactionary review that I changed three hours later like last summer with MOS and STID. With all that passion subsided....I still fucking loved this movie. It was everything I want in a blockbuster in this day and age. What made it so special for me was how it nailed the tone and the structure. It was slow-burning, tension-building, and plot driven like the classics of my childhood. It didn't make jokes in the face of thousands of deaths- it was dark, terrifying, visceral, but still an absolute blast. Moments like when Godzilla is first revealed and the two atomic breath moments were genuine movie magic moments that made me want to stand up and cheer. Credit to the film making involved- every shot was brilliantly composed, and Edwards did a fantastic job making the tension and emotional beats build through his directorial hand.

 

Yes, the human CHARACTERS were generally boring. But the human STORY grounded this film and gave it a structure that provided a strong context and foundation for the monster action to unfold. It was a conspiracy thriller with a human element that led to this magic with the monsters, ala Jurassic Park. The movie sorely misses a Jeff Goldblum like presence after Cranston dies, though. ATJ wasn't bad as I expected, but just as bland and boring as can be. So many better actors could have elevated the material. Olsen was wasted, and Watanbe had the same look you have when you forget where you left your car keys through the entire movie. This could have been a summer classic with better casting than ATJ, IMO. Still, it was absolute magic, and the kind of blockbuster I wish every film was like, in terms of moments, structure, and tone. 

Edited May 19, 2014 by Cmasterclay

[redfirebird2008]

Interestingly, they did film this scene but didn't make the cut.

 

Probably because Mulder's worst nightmare (the little kid) ruined the scene.

[Kalel009Shel]

I've made sure to see it twice and waited three days so I didn't give a reactionary review that I changed three hours later like last summer with MOS and STID. With all that passion subsided....I still fucking loved this movie. It was everything I want in a blockbuster in this day and age. What made it so special for me was how it nailed the tone and the structure. It was slow-burning, tension-building, and plot driven like the classics of my childhood. It didn't make jokes in the face of thousands of deaths- it was dark, terrifying, visceral, but still an absolute blast. Moments like when Godzilla is first revealed and the two atomic breath moments were genuine movie magic moments that made me want to stand up and cheer. Credit to the film making involved- every shot was brilliantly composed, and Edwards did a fantastic job making the tension and emotional beats build through his directorial hand.

 

Yes, the human CHARACTERS were generally boring. But the human STORY grounded this film and gave it a structure that provided a strong context and foundation for the monster action to unfold. It was a conspiracy thriller with a human element that led to this magic with the monsters, ala Jurassic Park. The movie sorely misses a Jeff Goldblum like presence after Cranston dies, though. ATJ wasn't bad as I expected, but just as bland and boring as can be. So many better actors could have elevated the material. Olsen was wasted, and Watanbe had the same look you have when you forget where you left your car keys through the entire movie. This could have been a summer classic with better casting than ATJ, IMO. Still, it was absolute magic, and the kind of blockbuster I wish every film was like, in terms of movements, structure, and tone. 

Amen CmasterI think its going to do very very good repeat business, unlike a certain abysmal wall crawler. Im glad you loved it

[mattmav45]

The problem isn't really that there was an attempt to make the film story and character-driven.

 

The problem lies in the fact that the story and characters were so awful that the film was flat-out boring and lame whenever it didn't focus on the monsters.  If you're going to make a story and character-driven monster flick, you better make damn sure the story and characters work.

 

Enough said.