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Post by Ryan_MYeah on Dec 5, 2023 6:01:10 GMT
Monsterverse found dead in a ditch.
A wildly entertaining update to the classic Godzilla mold (definitely drawing from Spielberg at a couple points), that gives it something we desperately needed… human characters to actually care about. Taking place in a post WWII Japan, the country is still rebuilding after the fallout, with Godzilla standing as representative of the lingering, haunting trauma that will always last. Let it not be mistaken, there is some really powerful drama in this film, and some standout performances as well.
All that’s before getting into the action itself. It’s frankly astonishing how good this movie looks on a $15 million dollar budget. While some shots of the big G look wonky, the title creature strikes immediate fear every time he shows up. The destruction and battles scenes strike a good balance between mortifying tragedy, and heart-racing spectacle. But that would be nothing without the emotional heart at the center of it, to the point that I didn’t mind when the main lizard took a backseat. In fact, this movie is all the better because of it.
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Post by countjohn on Dec 5, 2023 6:08:28 GMT
The best human story outside the original which really makes a difference in these things when you don't want the humans to die. Also couldn't believe this cost 15 mil. CG maybe isn't as detailed as Hollywood but it seemed like they only used it when they needed it and used real stuff the rest of the time which is the way to do it. Not all these big green screen sequences that take you out of the movie. PD is terrific too. For criticisms I did think some of the cinematography felt very made for TV (lots of random fadeouts to end scenes, overlit) and I think bringing Noriko back was the wrong choice. Her dying was the emotional centerpiece of the film and spurred the main character's whole arc. Still probably my third favorite of the Toho series besides the original and vs Destroyah.
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Post by DeepArcher on Dec 5, 2023 7:36:58 GMT
Really really good. The minesweep set-piece and destruction of Ginza in particular are two of the best sequences I’ve seen all year.
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Post by mikediastavrone96 on Dec 10, 2023 5:36:03 GMT
As a pretty big Godzilla fan, I was hyped for this movie and still monumentally blown away. This might be the finest film in the 70 year history of the character.
Much like last year's Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water, this film does not try to play into subversion or surprise. I was not particularly shocked at any part of this movie, but I was roused just the same. The investment is rooted in narrative fundamentals where drama is created out of characters with their own motives taking on challenges in a specific context. Making the film a period piece of post-WWII Japan provides a natural shorthand to all of our characters: the struggle of the citizens of Tokyo as they pick up the pieces of a city reeling from American air raids, and of course bringing back Godzilla's original context as a metaphor for nuclear disaster. It's the same trick as the original film and an easy way to get the audience to care for the characters. Almost cheap, were it not for how excellently the film fleshes out these characters, their inner turmoil having to live with the effects of the war, and the frustrations at the Japanese government both for the war itself and for the events of the film. This city is (barely) alive and these people are scraping together what they can to keep themselves from completely falling apart. And then Godzilla shows up and the movie becomes Jaws - which itself was influenced by the original Godzilla in a nice bit of game recognizing game.
A movie that made me fist pump and cry in back-to-back scenes and contains more beauty and humanity in a single scene than the current American MonsterVerse has shown in its entire franchise. I greatly look forward to forcing all my friends, most of whom have somehow never watched a Godzilla movie, to watch this over and over.
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SZilla
Badass
Posts: 1,464
Likes: 995
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Post by SZilla on Dec 10, 2023 18:07:19 GMT
Absolutely loved it. Godzilla in the first boat scene was terrifying and this may be my favorite cast of human characters in the franchise. A surefire top 5 for Zilla films in general and maybe in my top 5 overall of the year as well.
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Post by Illini Guy on Dec 10, 2023 22:41:47 GMT
sounds good
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Post by Martin Stett on Dec 11, 2023 1:24:05 GMT
Imagine if this released earlier in the year and we got Oppenzilla
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Post by countjohn on Dec 11, 2023 16:15:10 GMT
Imagine if this released earlier in the year and we got Oppenzilla Someone on Reddit suggested this. Mods also need to merge this with the other thread on this movie that got posted.
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Post by sterlingarcher86 on Dec 31, 2023 3:44:09 GMT
I love that they made a Godzilla movie that was actually scary again.
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Post by mikediastavrone96 on Dec 31, 2023 4:17:59 GMT
I love that they made a Godzilla movie that was actually scary again. Have you seen Shin Godzilla?
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Post by Martin Stett on Dec 31, 2023 4:39:48 GMT
I love that they made a Godzilla movie that was actually scary again. Have you seen Shin Godzilla? Shin Godzilla was more funny than scary. It was at its best as a comedy of bureaucratic errors. I never found anything especially scary about it - sure, it did lots of damage, but there were no relatable characters to speak of, so who cares? The 1954 Gojira was scary because it had a strong human core, and I'm hoping Minus One will go back to that.
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