Godzilla (2014)

[asarg2001]

You really think they were going for "serious family drama"? I think they were going for "keep just enough happening with the human beings to allow a movie to exist," and it worked brilliantly.

[TheAtomizer]

I'm hoping there is a cool limited edition release for this film. Def a day one purchase though for me without a doubt.

[TheAtomizer]

Originally Posted by BouCoupDinkyDau

SO BORING.

[Show spoiler]Ugh. Two hours of FEMA triage camps and the usual assortment of ridiculous Hollywood military lingo and procedure, for maybe 10 minuets worth of mediocre monster fighting. To make matters worse, 3/4 of the film is about an army guy (who just happens to know how to work with nukes despite having a specialty in disarming IEDs) that I don't care about at all trying to get back to his wife and kid (who I also do not give two shites about). I didn't drop 16 bucks to see a brain-numblingly dull family drama, I dropped it to see monsters fighting. And what's with the unimaginative design? Why steal the Cloverfield monster? Sheesh.

This movie tried to juggle a serious family drama with a popcorn flick, and as a result managed to accomplish neither. Glad my daughter and I went to a matinee. Very disappointed. Save your money.

*shakes self off and sighs*

Glad to get that off of my chest.

They didn't steal the cloverfield monster whatsoever. They don't look anything alike and "dumb family drama"? Most Godzilla films have human drama in them in some form or another and no different from this one. Yes Godzilla is pushed to the last 1/3 of the film, but I feel that was done for suspense and to keep you interested in the story and events leading up to his appearance. The film harkens back in that essence to the original Gojira of 1954 and it is a timeless classic. Some people will obviously have beef like you did with that and just want Godzilla all throughout the film and with hardly no human plot lines involved but sadly that's not the case and that doesn't make a solid Godzilla film either.

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Guys, the original films with men in rubber suits stomping on Toytown were 1000% more entertaining than this.

When we got out of the theater, my daughter said, "They shouldn't have called that Godzillia, they should have called it Brody, because I saw a whole lot of him and very little of the monsters."

[Count Orlok]

I'm hoping for a 7.1 track. A lot of WB releases have it lately. I'd love that!

[Dubstar]

Originally Posted by Count Orlok

I'm hoping for a 7.1 track. A lot of WB releases have it lately. I'd love that!

just not 'Gravity'

[Brett C]

It would also be nice if it does not end up with a 30hz filter like most of Warner's big releases.

[Count Orlok]

Originally Posted by Dubstar

just not 'Gravity'

Well that and 16 bit audio

[Astro Zombie]

Absolutely loved it. Here's my review if anyone's interested:

I've been a fan of Godzilla since I was a kid. Although I have yet to see all of the films (not to mention the Japanese original), I have enjoyed watching various Godzilla films over the years, from Terror of MechaGodzilla to Roland Emmerich's Godzilla (that's right). So it goes without saying that I was more than a little excited to see this new take on Godzilla, coming 16 years after the first American reboot. The trailers made this out to be the most epic Godzilla film yet, and fortunately the film delivers.

I honestly have almost nothing but praise for the film. For one, the pacing is excellent. The movie never feels overlong, and although it has several small action beats throughout, it builds up to a fantastic climax. One complaint I've seen leveled against the film is the apparent lack of screen-time for Godzilla himself. While I will admit that I would have liked to have seen a little bit more of him, the film is so well-paced that it's forgivable. Godzilla's introduction in the film sent chills up my spine; it's fittingly epic and completely awesome. The MUTO's make for formidable monsters, and while I would have liked to have seen a monster with more variety (they're both similar), the monsters are a good match for Godzilla.

The cast itself is great, but unfortunately they were the weakest part of the film for me. Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe are the clear standouts, each giving great performances. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a good actor, but seemed kind of bland here. He never really stood out to me as the lead, he was just kind of there. Same with Elizabeth Olsen, who doesn't have much to do, but does what she can with her role. Still, it's a small complaint. I should also mention the score, which was appropriately grandiose and epic. Even better was the fact that there were several scenes with no score, just silence and the sounds of the monsters. It really gives these scenes an ominous feel.

This is everything I could have wanted from a Godzilla film. I had a great time at the theater, and even with some small complaints, it doesn't take away from the fact that the film is a near-perfect summer blockbuster. If you're not grinning from ear-to-ear by the time Godzilla's spine turns blue and unleashes his atomic breath, there's really no hope for you.

4.5/5

[DMRI2006]

As much as I thought the director was teasing us all for too much of the movie, I don't know how a die-hard Godzilla fan could not absolutely love the last section of this movie. The crowd went wild and absolutely got into the final fight...even though I wish there was more of that, it was fantastic to see Godzilla finally treated right on the big screen. Just great!

[TheAtomizer]

Originally Posted by Astro Zombie

Absolutely loved it. Here's my review if anyone's interested:

I've been a fan of Godzilla since I was a kid. Although I have yet to see all of the films (not to mention the Japanese original) , I have enjoyed watching various Godzilla films over the years, from Terror of MechaGodzilla to Roland Emmerich's Godzilla (that's right). So it goes without saying that I was more than a little excited to see this new take on Godzilla, coming 16 years after the first American reboot. The trailers made this out to be the most epic Godzilla film yet, and fortunately the film delivers.

I honestly have almost nothing but praise for the film. For one, the pacing is excellent. The movie never feels overlong, and although it has several small action beats throughout, it builds up to a fantastic climax. One complaint I've seen leveled against the film is the apparent lack of screen-time for Godzilla himself. While I will admit that I would have liked to have seen a little bit more of him, the film is so well-paced that it's forgivable. Godzilla's introduction in the film sent chills up my spine; it's fittingly epic and completely awesome. The MUTO's make for formidable monsters, and while I would have liked to have seen a monster with more variety (they're both similar), the monsters are a good match for Godzilla.

The cast itself is great, but unfortunately they were the weakest part of the film for me. Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe are the clear standouts, each giving great performances. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a good actor, but seemed kind of bland here. He never really stood out to me as the lead, he was just kind of there. Same with Elizabeth Olsen, who doesn't have much to do, but does what she can with her role. Still, it's a small complaint. I should also mention the score, which was appropriately grandiose and epic. Even better was the fact that there were several scenes with no score, just silence and the sounds of the monsters. It really gives these scenes an ominous feel.

This is everything I could have wanted from a Godzilla film. I had a great time at the theater, and even with some small complaints, it doesn't take away from the fact that the film is a near-perfect summer blockbuster. If you're not grinning from ear-to-ear by the time Godzilla's spine turns blue and unleashes his atomic breath, there's really no hope for you.

4.5/5

Do yourself a favor and go watch the original Gojira 54 film now!!

I haven't seen the film yet, plan to Sunday due to busy schedule, but I'll give my two cents along with a sixpence on the film when I see it.

[koover]

Originally Posted by BouCoupDinkyDau

Guys, the original films with men in rubber suits stomping on Toytown were 1000% more entertaining than this.

When we got out of the theater, my daughter said, "They shouldn't have called that Godzillia, they should have called it Brody, because I saw a whole lot of him and very little of the monsters."

There will be more Godzilla movies to come. Bet the farm on it. This movie is building a story and setting up things to come with plenty of screen time for Godzilla in the future.

I so agree with other posters in this and other threads who said this film is emulated off the original from 54. It has that same feel with a lot more story, buildup and seriousness instead of wall to wall destruction. If they would have went that direction for the first movie, it would have been same old same old and THAT would have been boring.

How opinions are so different, even for children. Our 10 year old daughter thought this movie rocked and thought the suspense was excellent making the payoff at the end that much better. She can't wait for the next movie.

Not every movie is like transformers where there's action every single second.
To each their own and your opinion is duly noted and respected. I just don't agree with it.

[Astro Zombie]

Originally Posted by TheAtomizer

Do yourself a favor and go watch the original Gojira 54 film now!!

I haven't seen the film yet, plan to Sunday due to busy schedule, but I'll give my two cents along with a sixpence on the film when I see it.

I've seen King of the Monsters, but yes, I'm long overdue for a viewing of the original, being a big fan of Godzilla and all

[BluProofie]

Originally Posted by BouCoupDinkyDau

[Show spoiler]Ugh. Two hours of FEMA triage camps and the usual assortment of ridiculous Hollywood military lingo and procedure, for maybe 10 minuets worth of mediocre monster fighting. To make matters worse, 3/4 of the film is about an army guy (who just happens to know how to work with nukes despite having a specialty in disarming IEDs) that I don't care about at all trying to get back to his wife and kid (who I also do not give two shites about). I didn't drop 16 bucks to see a brain-numblingly dull family drama, I dropped it to see monsters fighting. And what's with the unimaginative design? Why steal the Cloverfield monster? Sheesh.

Glad to get that off of my chest.

You probably aren't a fan of the original Godzilla films. My guess is you would be happy with the 1998 film as it's just a mindless disaster movie.

I'm a huge fan of the original Godzilla series and own all 28 and I LOVED this film. I loved the slow burn and the way the film was most inspired by the original 1954 film.

[DMRI2006]

There will be more Godzilla movies to come. Bet the farm on it.

Apparently it might set an all-time May record -- huge grosses coming in all over the place, way over estimations.

Which is good -- not only for more Godzilla movies, but also more catalog Blu-Rays of the old films while we're at it!

[pi2loc]

I went to see this movie on the 15th. And here's my mini review:

What I loved:

CGI
Top-notch. Everything was amazingly done.

Sound
Incredible. 5 stars. The theater was about to collapse with the Godzilla's roars.

Respect to the original

[Show spoiler]The fact that they acknowledged the original Godzilla in so many parts in the movie was great.

__________

What I liked:

Performances
Overall was very good.

The fights

[Show spoiler]Godzilla vs both MUTOs was awesome. I would have liked if they lasted more than they did.

__________

What I didn't like:

Cheesy lines / Cheesy stereotypes

[Show spoiler]Busy guy works 24/7 - doesn't remember his birthday.
I gotta do this!!
Guy misses his family, they're separated, big hug at the end.

Story itself

[Show spoiler]Come on, this movie is called "Godzilla" and I only saw the leg and tail of Godzilla for almost the entire movie. Why should I care about a guy who lost his mother when he was a child. Why should I care about this same guy who loses his father and if he doesn't seem to care that much?

__________

That's pretty much it. It's a fun movie. You have a good time but it wasn't what I was really expecting. Maybe it's my own fault for joining the hype so quickly.

My rating: 7/10

[Dispatch Ninja]

Day one Hopefully gareth does the extended cut.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by DMRI2006

As much as I thought the director was teasing us all for too much of the movie, I don't know how a die-hard Godzilla fan could not absolutely love the last section of this movie. The crowd went wild and absolutely got into the final fight...even though I wish there was more of that, it was fantastic to see Godzilla finally treated right on the big screen. Just great!

My theater cheered and clapped at all the awesome fight parts, and gave it a resounding applause at the end credits. It was so great. This was an 11:30 AM screening too, I imagine the PM crowds would be even more into it.

[Leonidas King]

One of the best movie experiences I've had in a long time. Incredible f*cking movie. Gareth Edwards is the man, the guy handled this movie incredibly. Better than any major director out there.

No doubt a day one purchase.

[Harlock415]

There are a few categories of Godzilla films to me, one of them is where he comes right out and causes destruction from the get go, the other is the slow buildup to a massive punch.

And in this Bay and age of sensory overloaded destruction, I prefer the lumbering G. Also, why paying respect for the Toho Godzilla, this is really an origin story introducing us to Godzilla as if it was the first time. Now with the amounts of Box Office it seems to be getting, I'm gonna assume a sequel will dive right into more action.