Position: The American Godzilla movie isn't all that bad - Page 2

Captain Caveman is deep, Dan. I don't know what you're jabbering about.

I've never been able to get past the abysmal production values of the Japanese Godzillas. I've always found them on about the level of a saturday morning cartoon, and undeserving of the praise heaped on them as stories. As social evidence of post-WW2 Japanese psychology, I guess it works, but as far as entertainment, I enjoyed the American Godzilla far more than any Japanese version.

Assuming the criteria for a Godzilla movie is that it features the big guy as the main character, the American Godzilla was definitely a Godzilla movie. If you didn't like it, that means it was a Godzilla movie you didn't like, not a fake Godzilla movie.

A few questions to those who hate the American Godzilla: Did you like Jurassic Park? If so, what made Jurassic Park a good movie and Godzilla a bad movie? Would Godzilla have been a good movie if it showed Godzilla more, or was keeping the monster on the peripheral a good move?

Check it out. Your kid and you'll love it. However, don't believe the rumor about two different endings. There is but one.

Blasphemy!!!

But that's just it. That American thing wasn't Godzilla. He was just a big T-Rex. Jurassic Park promised dinosaurs. It had dinosaurs. Godzilla promised Godzilla. It had dinosaurs. And yeah, it should have had 'Godzilla' more. The movie was named after him. He should have been more than a supporting character.

- Edited to say he was a big T-Rex, because him being a bit T-Rex makes no sense.

First off, I've been watching Godzilla movies since birth (and still do to this day). That said, I mildly enjoy the American version. I think the absolute main problem is that Devlin and Emmerich had no respect for the source material, and even admitted it in a few reviews. I still watch it as background noise sometimes when it's on TV though.

Anyway, I can't wait to see the Big G kick the pansy American version's ass in Godzilla: Final Wars.

No, it was a giant lizard movie. Godzilla is a character. Not a particulalry deep character, granted, but he's far from generic. There's a reason why large or unstoppable things are still given the "-zilla" suffix. There's a reason he's been in over 20 films and lasted 50 years. Generic monsters don't have that sort of global cultural impact. Like them or loathe them, there's an iconic quality to Godzilla that is directly attributable to the appearance and - yes - personality of the monster.

No, it was just a shitty movie. And a fake Godzilla movie to boot. But the first reason is why I dislike it so much.

One was well written and directed and was driven forward by the director and the author personally wanting to put this story on the screen. A director who was passionate about the source material, enthusiastic about the concept, cares about actors and drama, and who is, arguably, the greatest living purveyor of smart blockbuster entertainment.

The other was a studio-driven marketing decision that was offered to dozens of directors before they settled on a director who specialised in creating glossy but generic identikit event movies using elements cribbed from better films, and who openly admitted he had no interest in the character or source material or indeed anything beyond the paycheck.

The only thing Jurassic Park and Yankzilla have in common is they feature CGI creatures.

The issue was marketing

Godzilla was a RUSHED production. They didn't even have tp to screen or do reshoots because of all the Tie-in contracts with taco-bell and the toy manufacturers. I thought the actual creature was great, but I have to agree with Dan and state that this movie was a souless, hemmoraging failure. It made almost 400 million dollars and we still have no sequel.

I would love it if Del Torro did a sequel and just knock it out of the park.

When I saw the first Godzilla trailer (the museum one) in theaters, I was absolutely hyped for this. The ID4 director doing Godzilla for the big screen? Oh yeah, though I was really sceptical about two things:

would the new design stand up to the old one? and
would there be another set of stupid characters (hated the president and the farmer in ID4) with an equally stupid set of dialogues?

Well, the new design turned out to be great. He was smaller than his predecessor, but looked more agile, more realistic and looked really evil - I definitively didn't want to see this destroying my city. Then the first clips, of Godzilla arriving at the docks and the little earthquake in Manhatten with all these jumping cars. Goose bumps.

It turned out to be an lengthy cgi graphics demo, but no film to care about. All the characters sucked. French secret agent. Wormboy. Maria who? The boat attack with the mumbling japanese, "godzilla.... godzilla" was just plain ridiculous. And Godzilla, the biggest and most powerful creature ever to walk earth - runs away and digs tunnels ? Do we run away when we get bothered by ants and flying bugs? No, we get them out of the way, or just simply crush them. But no, Emmerich made Godzilla a shy animal that we are supposed to cry for when he/she/it dies in the end.

It was an explicit threat to mankind, with no choice of catching it alive or getting it to a place where it can't be dangerous anymore. To assure mankind, it had to be killed - so where's the point?

The babyzilla complex completely felt like taken out of another screenplay - it was not funny, not entertaining. nothing that connects with the title. And I'm sure the final scene wasn't Emmerich's idea, but the studio's.

If you wanna make a 120 m dollar US remake of Godzilla, have an interesting group of lead characters. They don't need to be realistic, but you gotta root and care for them. And no more funny sidekicks or resurrected love stories. There's only ONE Godzilla, no son, no additional eggs. He's the man and he'll survive. Period. No speculation about his sex for christ sakes, he's just big, evil and a serious threat to mankind, that's enough to know.

And guys - just for correction: in the scene where Godzilla bows down, screams and a fire comes up - the reason is the colliding cars, not Godzilla's bad breathe. He can't spit fire like a dragon, Emmerich confirmed this.

The problem was Emmerich and co probably thought the pure fantasy of the original would be too much for western audiences (and producers to put up the money), and so some semblance of 'realism' was brought to the adaptation (along with a Hollywood template story ridden with cliches), which of course is ludicrous, because its just about a fucking lizard stomping all over a city. Which makes me think of another thing: The lack of mass scale destruction. I'm sure we see skyscrapers just knocked the fuck over in the original movies, but in the Hollywood adaptation I dont think much was actually destroyed, its like he just clips buildings now and then and leaves footprints, which is kinda pathetic and a copout.

Definitely not a Godzilla movie.

The original Godzilla was a perfect example of Perry Mason's ability to over act..........
The American was the perfect example of Roland and Emmerich's ability to make you want to stuff hotdogs in your eyes and ears, in the hopes that you may make your self blind and deaf by mustard poisoning, and then you won't have to go through one of thier abortions ever again
Give me the young Perry Mason any day

When I was dating this girl down in LI, she knew I was a big G fan and wanted to take me to that movie. I was so psyched to go because of the name. After seeing the movie I was so depressed and ticked off. Yep it's Jurassic Park 2 1/2. Everyone posted all the reasons why it was so bad. The only good thing I saw in the movie, near the end of the movie (forgot what secene) but I saw the Independance Day Toy in the background when they were in the square. I thought that was funny.
I just picked up Godzilla vs Hedorah one of my favorites, to my G collection. It's very small but it will grow
have G vs Space G and G vs Destroyah. Also have Bioante on VHS (waiting for DVD on that one0, but the American Godzilla will never be apart of that collection.

All of the Ishiro Hondo Godzilla films have subtext and themes going on in them. In fact, he rejected the move to turn the series into predominantly films for children (which is ironic since he did direct the entry most for children "Godzilla's Revenge", although it is quite dark). The problem with a lot of people's understanding of Godzilla movies is that A. Much of the themes are firmly rooted in Japanese ideas and culture, alot of which western audiences miss or so not understand and B. much of the ealier more mature films were edited, cut or altered and much of the subtext (hell, main plot points have been changed and rearranged). To make matters worse, Godzilla has gained an unfair reputation because some of the worst films of the showa series (yeh i'm talkin Godzilla vs Megalon) fell into public domain or were recycled over and over on TV, while most of the rest of the series was less shown, or in the case of the original NEVER shown. The hensai series from the late 80s and 90s are also quite mature in their themes and subject matter but those were not largely exported here until tristar finally released some of them.

Also, while it is true the genesis of Godzilla came about because of the success of American giant monster movies, Godzilla is distinctly japanese and clearly uses the themes of nuclear radiation and proliferation as more than just a gimmic to explain Godzilla's origins. Godzilla is not a mutated lizard, he is more akin to a dinosaur who was awoken by nuclear testings and irradited to give his nuclear breath.

Speaking of those, are they ever going to release Godzilla vs. Biollante?

I've got a US VHS of Godzilla vs Biollante that was released by HBO Video/Dimension.

Daniel - you and I are gonna' make a little movie...

And lemme' tell you, sire - Biollante brings back beautiful memories. I met a girl over that movie. I was watching my con-cribbed bootleg in the back of my mass media class - she was the Japanese girl who walked over and told me what the hell was going on in it. We dated until she went back to the homeland.

Tamami was love.

I agree with Dan Whitehead's points, especially on the evacuation of Manhattan-- really bad move.

And I especially hate the design of Amerizilla. He's a giant T-Rex but with big muscular man-arms. No, he's a giant mutated iguana. No, he's the villain from Dick Tracy with the big chin. Yeah, that's it.

Nothing coarse about the design of the American Godzilla. Or his execution - the model is amazing. Its movements are really awesome. Anyone who watches the film and doesn't see the craftsmanship in such a well-realized beast is a tarded.

Your problem with it is more than likely MY problem with it - that's not GODZILLA. It's a cool funky monster reptile beast - but it's not Godzilla. It has personality - but it's not Big G's - unless by "Big G" you mean Bill Goldberg - who I've always felt, for some odd reason, was the creature's true inspiration.

Probably because of the former WCW Champion's penchant for laying eggs.

There were designs floating around the net before the film hit - some of which were basically the American Godzilla's body with an OLD SCHOOL Godzilla head. He had a bit more beef about him...I remember specifically a drawing of the creature swimming away from the viewer...looking over his shoulder...and thinking, "FUCK - they've done it."

Turns out they didn't. I don't mind the film. Don't love it. Don't hate it. I'd watch it before I'd watch Megalon (God of Draperies) - but that's not saying much.

But to disparage that design and its amazing execution because the film is by and large weak is the wrong way to look at it.

I guess it all comes full circle then when the Big G goes toe to toe with 'Zilla in Godzilla:Final Wars. I'm sure we can all guess who comes out ahead.

Kitamura sure didn't have the Devlin/Emmerich budget either, because the CG Zilla looks pretty bad.

Now this thread has inspired a "The 1976 Kong was a great movie" thread.
The gates of hell have truly been opened......

If the name Godzilla were not attached to it, it would be a decent, stupid movie. Nothing worth going out of your way for, but nothing offensive, either.

Good moments: baby Godzillas sliding on the floor as they turn the corner. Jean Reno doing Elvis. Um...I think that's about it.