Current Events > AlisLandale Vs Every Godzilla Movie SPOILERS

(+) Yeah! (+)

I tried this before, but school got too much and I gave up. Ive been out of school for a while now, Ima start this up one more time.

My goal is to watch every Toho Godzilla film (in no particular order) and review/rate them.

Today's film is... Godzilla 2000!

I always wanted to see this as a kid, but missed it in theaters and now, 18 years later, I can finally see it!

Movie opens up with Goji messing stuff up. So hype to see the monster this early in the run time. The human protagonists are a dad and his daughter, who operate an independent Godzilla "fan club". What they actually do is track/study Godzilla, sharing info to help minimize damage Godzilla causes. They're joined by some magazine photographer.

This set-up is soooo adorable. I love the dad and his daughter. The photographer is also funny. Tbh I'd watch a 24 episode series of just these three chasing Kaiju and studying them, running afoul of the govt and being cute.

Godzilla in the beginning acts more curious than immediately aggressive, reminds me of the tyrano from Jurassic Park.

Anyways, after some scientists dislodge a rock in the ocean, there's a maaaassive lull where not much happens until the end, when the rock turns out to be an ancient alien.

Godzilla fights it because reasons, kicks its butt, and walks off to continue burning Tokyo out of sheer anger over the 1998 TriStar movie.

Overall...kind of meh. Which is a shame because the beginning and end are SO strong. But the middle bogs down the entire movie to a bore. The alien, Orga, is really cool. I love its genetic copy ability and its remote control UFO that can tag team enemies. The fight itself is kind of lackluster, though.

There's some time spent on vague philosophy, but not much comes of it. Science being reckless. Humans being monsters like Godzilla? These concepts are name dropped but never given due attention. Feels kind of lazy.

But Godzilla looks great, wrecks stuff, and the protags are adorable together. Even if it was disappointing, Im glad I saw it.

If yall want me to check a specific film, let me know. Hesei and Millennium films will be easier for me, since I dont own any Showa discs and am procrastinating on a Starz sub. >_>
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have you done shin godzilla?
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Tag
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Kelystic posted...

have you done shin godzilla?

I saw it in theater twice ^_^
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Godzilla 2000 kinda sums up 2000 as a whole. There was a lot of hype surrounding, and some cool things about it, but it wasn't as amazing as you were led to believe it was going to be.

Orga is a pretty cool monster though and I did enjoy the fight. Now that I think about it, it is kind of a retread of Godzilla Vs. Biollante, but that's okay.

The main thing I would've changed about the film -- aside from getting rid of the intentionally bad CGI (a dig at Roland Emmerich) -- is that I would have made it a direct sequel to Godzilla Vs. Destroyer with the film's Godzilla explicitly being stated as Little Godzilla grown to adulthood.

At the time the movie came out, I think we all sort of assumed he was. But the subsequent films had no continuity and the Godzilla 2000 look more or less became the canon design for Godzilla going forward.

Skye Reynolds posted...

Godzilla 2000 kinda sums up 2000 as a whole. There was a lot of hype surrounding, and some cool things about it, but it wasn't as amazing as you were led to believe it was going to be.

This speaks to me. Y2K was supposed to by like, the dawn of a new era. Though even if we're not living in a magic fantasy wonderland, I kind of miss the optimism of the late 90's and 2000.

And you're right about the Biollante, thing, now that I think about it. There's even a parallel with both monsters being augmented by Godzilla dna. Still, while Biollante was a plant, I wish Orga was more mobile. But I guess that's what the UFO is for.
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Are you doing a MST3K kind of thing?

Ruvan22 posted...

Are you doing a MST3K kind of thing?

Unfortunately, I am not nearly as witty as I wish I were, and wouldn't be good at riffing movies. Also, it wouldn't lend itself well to text. >_>

These will mostly be my general thoughts on each film. Though if anyone else wants to chime in with their opinions, they're more than welcome.
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Day 2!

Today I'll review the efficiently named Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidora: Giant Monsters All-out Attack

We follow Yuri, a kawaii actress/producer working for a schlocky TV studio. (Think "History Channel" after everything became aliens). Initially unhappy with her job, when giant monsters start travelling across Japan, blowing stuff up, and she chases them down, filming them for posterity.

Why are monsters attacking? Because the collective souls of dead Japanese soldiers from WW2 are pissed off at modern society, and resurrected Godzilla as a zombie-specter of destruction.

To fight back, Japan's ancient guardians awaken. Mothra and King Ghidora. Definitely just those two. If there were a third guardian, they'd be mentioned in the title. >_>

Godzilla ultimately bites it the same way the cockroach from Men In Black did, but not before blowing up the guardians.

Overall, 10/10. Great flick.

The human protag, Yuri, is someone you can cheer for. Movie has some light feminist undertones, underscoring Yuri's motivation to overcome the limitations of her job. ("As a woman" she drunkenly complains at dinner, "you're expected to do as your told") She's likable, and feels real. The movie actually does a great job of fleshing out her relationship with her military father. The two have a great, grounded chemistry.

The movie has some pretty dark humor. The guardian monsters are introduced by accidentally murdering a biker gang and sadistic high schoolers. Ghidorah is found by a man who was about to hang himself in a forest.

The action is great. Barugon, Mothra, and Ghidorah are a diverse gauntlet for the zombie king of monsters, and the fights are fun and flashy. Once it starts, it doesnt let up.

My one criticism is the uneven tone. The film has a mostly upbeat, happy atmosphere and tone, and even a happy ending. This is punctuated by some of the most brutal, depressing civillian deaths I can remember since the original 54 film.

But overall, great flick. If youve never watched a Godzilla film, this self-contained story is a great start point.
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AlisLandale posted...

Today I'll review the efficiently named Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidora: Giant Monsters All-out Attack

If ever there was a Godzilla film which needed a rename, it's that one.

It's been a long time since I saw Godzilla 2000. But I remember being kind of bored with it. I've always liked Orga though. Wish they'd make another Godzilla game similar to Destroy All Monsters Melee/Save the Earth/Unleashed.
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GMK had one of the most hilariously dark scenes in the franchise, where a survivor of Godzilla's first attack is in a hospital and sees Big G coming at her from her window, and she's completely terrified, but he harmlessly passes by and she relaxes. Then his tail swings around and crashes into her room.
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GATTJT posted...

GMK had one of the most hilariously dark scenes in the franchise, where a survivor of Godzilla's first attack is in a hospital and sees Big G coming at her from her window, and she's completely terrified, but he harmlessly passes by and she relaxes. Then his tail swings around and crashes into her room.

Yeah it's definitely the most evil incarnation of Godzilla.I do think GMK is probably the best movie of the Millennium era, though not necessarily my favorite one. Think I would give that one to Final Wars.
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It was good, but a consciously evil Godzilla is completely missing the point of Godzilla as a concept.

So today I'm watching Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla II.

Despite the name, this is actually the 3rd movie featuring Mechagodzilla. Also, it's completely unrelated to the last two. I'd say it's confusing, but between this movie, Dissdia 012, and Evangelion 3.33, I've come to terms with the fact that Japan just doesn't take numbers as seriously as we do.

Very light on plot and characterization. Godzilla and Rodan are at each other's throats, and Mothra's not in this movie to talk any sense into them. Meanwhile, humans have gotten sick of this Kaiju shit, and made Mechagodzilla.

There's a subplot where scientists find a baby Godzillasaur egg and try to raise it, which eventually prompts daddy to fuck Tokyo up some more. But really, this movie is mostly action.

And it's brutal. Godzilla is supposed to be unstoppable, but he gets freaking bodied by Mecha-G, who sports attacks like "Harpoon hands" and "skittles breath" (these are definitely the official names). Mecha G can also absorb energy attacks and reflect them back, Wobuffet style. Meanwhile Rodan got stomped like 30 minutes ago. Poor Rodan.

Godzilla eventually wins and walks out to the sea, and some scientists say goodbye to the baby Godzillasaur who wants to be with his dad.

This one is great. I usually prefer some compelling human characters, but its so satisfying to see the humans dominate for a while. Its not very often Godzilla gets tested the way he is here. Definitely one of the better ones.
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So today I'm throwing back to the original series with Mothra vs Godzilla. A personal favorite of mine, it's my earliest memory of Godzilla.

It's more of a Mothra film than a Godzilla film. The plot is driven entirely by Mothra until Godzilla makes a surprise appearance in the final act. Honestly, Godzilla doesn't have much relevance to the plot at all.

Basically, evil capitalist pig-dogs come across a giant egg, and want to use it as the centerpiece of a new amusement park.

Tiny Japanese pop-idols try to warn humans that keeping that egg is a bad idea. It'll hatch into Mothra larvae that, while not intending harm, will probably cause problems as hungry, confused newborns. Shinra Inc doesn't care, but a reporter and his kawaii genki assistant try to use the media to expose them and have the egg returned to Mothra's home.

And then Godzilla shows up. The tiny girls convince adult mothra to go help the humans with an infectiously catchy tune, and they fight.

It's actually pretty hilarious, or sad. Godzilla in this film acts less like a monster and more like someone waking up after a night of wild drinking. Hangoverzilla trips and stumbles across Japan, accidentally fucking up everything. Mothra acts less like a kaiju and more like Godzilla's angry mom chastising him for his poor life decisions. She literally drags him, kicking and screaming, by the tail lol.

Mothra dies (a recurring theme in mothra films), but the egg hatches, and her twin babies String Shot Godzilla into the ocean. Humans watch the tiny girls and mothra larvae travel into the sea.

Another great one. But I'm a sucker for Mothra. Its very campy by today's standards but a lot of fun. There's a sort of melancholy poetry to Mothra's legacy, too. Dying for the sake of others, trusting your ideals and legacy to the next generation. Maybe I'm thinking about a movie about giant bugs too seriously lol.
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Godzilla getting so fucked up in that fight against MechaGodzilla 2 is part of why I've always thought the various MechaGodzillas are Godzilla's true archenemies, not King Ghidorah. Though I guess humanity in general has the highest rate of success against Godzilla. Two of the three MechaGodzillas were human creations after all.
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I love Ghidorah but his feats don't live up to his hype.

Hopefully the 2019 film gives him a good showing. Gonna be so lit. >_>
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Ghidorah compliments Godzilla perfectly, but it's some sort of a weird tradition on their part that Ghidorah loses every fight he's in. He always has some meaningless accolade like killing the dinosaurs or ending life on Venus, then he proceeds to get beaten by every monster he faces.

So today it's Godzilla vs. Biollante technically the first Hesei film, if we're being pedantic. Fufufufufu. Actually, its the 2nd. It's a direct sequel to 1984's Return of Godzilla a functional reboot of the franchise, and opens with a recap of that movie's ending.

Several plots intertwine. A scientist has been working on genetically engineering super plants that can grow in the desert. After his daughter dies, he goes a bit off his meds, adding her DNA to some roses, and hiring Psychics to try and talk to them. (Plants have their own mental energy, we're told.)

Meanwhile, one Gene Engineering corp wants to create a super, nuke-eating bacteria using Godzilla's cells which were recovered from his last rampage, while another corp is trying to steal that research.

The former gets our crazy scientist on board, who just uses them to get his hands on Godzilla's cells. The latter threatens to free Godzilla from a volcano he was dropped into last movie, should their demands not be met.

So the crazy scientist adds G-cells to his forbidden alchemy project, accidentally creating Biollante. Evil corporation accidentally releases Godzilla. And the two monsters fight.

Eventually Godzilla gives up and leaves, having been bested by attacks by both Biollante and the military. Biollante dies, and the dead daughter's soul ascends into the heavens.

This one is very impressive. It has, out of all the ones I've seen, probably the most complex, interesting plot in the series. It's got genetic engineering, corporate espionage, espers, the tragedy of loss and a father's obssession, as well as some slick action from some human terrorists and assassins. And that's before Godzilla shows up. The movie also tackles themes of scientific ethics and responsibility. A lot better than Godzilla 2000 did, for sure.

The fight itself isn't very flashy, but the simplicity is made up for by Biollante's Godzilla-dwarfing size, and the sheer ferocity of the battle. Biollante herself genders sympathy, as its established the daughters spirit was inside.

What impresses me most about this film is how human-driven it is, and how the monsters are extensions of the story, rather than the cornerstone.

Biollante is the culmination of a man's sadness and desperation, his disregard of responsibility. It cannot be born except as a twist of his character arc. Godzilla embodies a human disregard for morality for the sake of personal greed and scientific progress. He's released because somebody wanted something else, but the sought-after prize could never be worth the potential destruction.

In this way, the title fight is the existential clash of two human sins, made physically manifest. The resolution of the monster conflict resolves the human one.

It's probably the most well-written Godzilla flick, and can even be considered a great movie in its own right. One doesn't need to be a kaiju or Godzilla fan to enjoy this one.

If you're not usually one for giant rubber suits and props, give this one a try.
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