GODZILLA!

Just saw it. Happy to answer questions for non-spoiler types or just do a full review if you want. Request away.

Watching it now, in all its dubbed in Japanese glory

Godzilla vs Space Godzilla

Is it steaming hot garbage like the previews look?

Is it as nasty as the 97 one?

Wait, it's out?!
Now I know what I'm doing after my chiro appointment, after my haircut, but before I frantically pack for my trip to california tomorrow evening.

ryanty22 wrote: Is it steaming hot garbage like the previews look?

Better than some, worse than others. It's very much in the Toho mold, and Toho has put their stamp of approval firmly on it.

Human characters are barely given a single dimension to share among them, but they fare well on talent alone. Especially Ken Watanabe.

The monster stuff has weight and scale, and makes sense within the universe of the movie. The creatures even seem to have more emotional range than most of the humans.

It is approximately 3.6million times better than Pacific Rim.

My biggest single gripe is that while it's an okay movie, it really just serves as the kickoff to the franchise. When star Wars was over, sure you got the feeling that there was a bigger world that this story was told in, but also that you had seen a complete story.

With Godzila, other than laying out the rules of the universe, nothing from this movie will have any emotional weight down the line, when the second, third, fourth and fifth (and probably more) movies are produced.

As a Godzilla fan, I say B+. As a movie fan, I say C+.

Those numbers are better than 80% of the crap Hollywood foists on us these days

JG Pasterjak wrote: It is approximately 3.6million times better than Pacific Rim.

Impressive, I actually enjoyed Pacific Rim

Loved it. Wish they would've focused/shown more of the monsters fighting in classic Toho glory, but overall, it was great. Very Toho fashion to the fighting between the monsters. Absolutely awesome special effects, I saw it in 2D tonight, probably will see it in 3D soon.

Does Brian Cranston keep his pants on?

Does P-Diddy Puffy Shawnison sing the song with Green Day?

What is Toho?

Was that the production company of the original Godzilla movies or something? Sorry my Godzilla nerd-fu is not strong.

I will be waiting to watch it at our drive in

JG Pasterjak wrote: It is approximately 3.6million times better than Pacific Rim.

I'm really glad you threw that in there, because I thought your review reflected my opinion on Pacific Rim up to that point, and I thought that movie sucked hard. I love giant monster movies, but PR had zero dimensional characters, was ridiculously predictable in every way, and had no suspense at all (but I guess those last two kind of go hand in hand). Now I'm kind of looking forward to Godzilla.

Just saw this, thought it was fitting.

16vCorey wrote:

JG Pasterjak wrote: It is approximately 3.6million times better than Pacific Rim.

I'm really glad you threw that in there, because I thought your review reflected my opinion on Pacific Rim up to that point, and I thought that movie sucked hard. I love giant monster movies, but PR had zero dimensional characters, was ridiculously predictable in every way, and had no suspense at all (but I guess those last two kind of go hand in hand). Now I'm kind of looking forward to Godzilla.

Yeah, most of the humans in Godzilla aren't given a great deal of depth. Luckily they're mostly played by actors with some real chops, so they bring a little bit of skill to what would otherwise be completely transparent roles. David Stratharin, in particular. He's an actor I love, playing a character who may as well be named "Admiral Exposition." He starts every sentence with "Here's the situation..."

But overall the dialogue and performance are leagues better than Pacific Rim, even if they are still a bit stilted.

What pushed me more toward a positive feeling about Godzilla was when I came to grips with the fact that it was less of a gritty reboot and more of a well-produced throwback. I love me some gritty reboot, but this ain't one. This is the Saturday afternoon Creature Feature Godzilla movie we all grew up with, just with modern special effects and directing sensibilities.

For irony, did you see any Skylines in the movie?

Appleseed wrote: For irony, did you see any Skylines in the movie?

I did not. Walter White drives a pretty sweet older Forester in 1999, though, in the opening flashback.

I am really starting to hate the "setup for sequel" and "stretch to more movies" trend. 3 movies for the Hobbit?!. The last Hunger Games and Harry Potter are 2 movies! It's fine if you have enough good story, but come on (they are clearly just making s#$t up as filler in The Hobbit)!

I hear the new Starwars movies are going to be what 12 movies?! (I think its really 6?).

Making a movie assuming a sequel, just shortcuts the movie. Wrath of Kahn would have been a far worse movie if they thought they were going to do another one (took them two movies to fix that though).

I'd love to see Sci-Fi and fantasy movies made for love of the craft rather than moichendising. But that will never happen.

My concern, and it would seem to hopefully not be the case, is too much ground view/human perspective(clover, Godzilla 97, ect) rather than wide shots of monsters among the skyline. I think I have a pair of coworkers seeing it in imax tonight, I'm looking forward to their thoughts.

I just got back from seeing it. It has to be the best movie that I have seen today.... Honestly it's Godzilla so you can't expect it to be a great story!

Joe Gearin wrote: What is Toho? Was that the production company of the original Godzilla movies or something? Sorry my Godzilla nerd-fu is not strong.

Yeah, you got it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toho

The original "guy in a suit stomping balsa buildings and smashing plastic planes" place. GZla folklore holds that GZ's roar was actually a creaking rusty gate at the studio. Oh, and the original 1954 film was a much more "serious" movie than the thing that came to the US. I'm actually hearing that the "new" US remake is trying to capture some of that. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/10788996/Godzilla-why-the-Japanese-original-is-no-joke.html

The wife and I went to see Godzilla this weekend. I vaguely remember seeing one of the old "guy in a rubber suit" ones when I was a kid. She had even less Godzilla experience. It was better than we expected. We thought it was a good popcorn flick.

As we walked out we discussed what a positive economic impact monsters destroying a city is. Think of all the research, construction, and government jobs that would be created rebuilding San Francisco!

Excellent popcorn movie! Definitely not an Oscar winner, but who expected that? Sets up more movies? Heck ya! I hear they are talking about a Destroy All Monsters version, which would be awesome! Only gripes I have are (hope I'm not spoiling it for someone), how does the same guy end up in all the action? And I am having a hard time with the fact that the Cranston's son is married to a girl who will be his sister in the next Avengers movie. ;)