GodzillaSpawn
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I wonder if it releases at a certain time. Any chance for a midnight viewing.
Legendary Pictures' GODZILLA - !!SPOILERS!!
- Thread starter MaulFan
- Start date
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I've never looked, but I know all my iTunes preorders are available first thing in the morning when I go to work, downloaded the OST for the movie and listeded on the car ride in. If I'm awake I may check at midnight. Downloading it to my phone, work computer and home PC.
Hologram AI
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Made a gif for the Atomic Breath. 
Watching this now.
''Let them fight''
AND LET US ****ING SEE IT!!!!
''Let them fight''
AND LET US ****ING SEE IT!!!!
1080p gallery of the entire San Francisco fight from the first glimpse of Godzilla and the muto during the halo jump to Godzilla passing out at the end.
FULL GALLERY BELOW
https://www.flickr.com/photos/maulfan/sets/72157646450889137/
FULL GALLERY BELOW
https://www.flickr.com/photos/maulfan/sets/72157646450889137/
Gallery full of black rectangles... Malevich would've been proud.
Viking Spawn
Super Freak
jye4ever
Broke and happy
The movie in 3D wasn't even this dark, wtf is going on here. 
Hologram AI
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Arguably my favorite scene given how Godzilla was portrayed here.
GodzillaSpawn
Super Freak
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Got the digital copy....it isn't really any brighter than the theater sadly. The end fight scene is still hard to catch everything in the dark. Bummer.
Review of Godzilla (2014)
I’ve been a Godzilla fan for 27 years. In 1998, the news of an American Godzilla film was the most exciting thing ever in my time as a fan. By that point, CGI was prevalent in blockbusters and doing amazing things, and it was my hope that Godzilla in the hands of an American studio would mean getting a classic Godzilla film which utilized our more advanced film technologies and a more relatable story as I am not part of Japanese culture.
What we got failed to resemble Godzilla in any capacity and left a dream unfulfilled. In 2010, when it was announced that Legendary secured rights to Godzilla, I once again found myself hopeful for a Godzilla film that would embody the things I’d come to love in the franchise while presenting them in a more advanced way. I spend the next 4 years going from wondering if a movie would even be made to getting caught up in a reveal and marketing campaign beyond my dreams, only to have to wait longer to ultimately see the movie I’d longed for.
EXPECTATIONS VS REALITY
After following numerous interviews and watching every piece of marketing material, I was led to believe that this movie would depict a Godzilla who is as much a threat to man as he is his foes, and that we’d see Godzilla destroying man’s world as much on his own as part of his combat with the MUTOs. I essentially expected the equivalent of Godzilla vs. Biollante.
What I got was a serious spin on late Showa era Toho films where Godzilla saved mankind while ridding earth of a terrible force.
While the movie wasn’t what I expected, that didn’t make it less enjoyable. I still wish we could get the movie I expected at some point, and perhaps the sequels will deliver.
STORY
As I said, this movie feels a lot like previous Godzilla films in structure and I rather enjoyed the story. It’s a classic man and Godzilla racing to defeat and rid the world of an evil foe story and for the most part it flows really well.
Overall I found the story solid, but there were a few small areas of character development that could have benefitted from elaboration. In this film, Ford Brody actually mirrors Chief Brody from JAWS fairly closely in their basic situation in that there is a great threat to themselves, their family and their town/country. Each feels a strong determination to defeat their enemy. Where Ford falls short of the chief is that Godzilla doesn’t pit his family in direct peril until the climax of the film and by that point you’re engrossed in the action and the time to emotionally invest has passed. While Ford’s father dies because of the MUTO, it doesn’t carry a lot of weight for Ford’s situation as he doesn’t necessarily feel his remaining family threatened immediately by this, where in JAWS, the chief’s family was always around the threat and that continued to build up in him until his son was nearly eaten. Ford never hears of or sees his family in jeopardy, Sam was on the bridge but as far as Ford knows he got to Oakland and Elle was in the city. Had something happened to Elle or Sam or if Ford knew how close to danger Sam had gotten, his fight to protect his family would have had deeper meaning.
EDITING
I want to bring up editing because there are moments where I feel like there may have been more to the story that were cut but could have made the whole make more sense. The military starts referring to Godzilla and information about him without us ever seeing where they got the information from as the presentation was made to Ford. Serizawa’s feelings about Hiroshima and his father felt cut short like there was more to it that got cut out. Little areas like that. Deleted scenes may prove to fill in these gaps.
MONSTERS / CGI
Above all else, the depiction of the monsters and the CGI behind it were some of the most amazing in film for me. Godzilla and the MUTOs were injected with emotion and character despite having little to build that with, an amazing feat of storytelling in my book and the CGI with which they were executed was easily the best I’ve ever seen. I am often critical of CGI animals as not feeling real in the way they move, often seeming to move faster or more fluidly than a real animal could, but both Godzilla and the MUTOs move with weight and speed that sell their size and realism, it was amazing. What was greatest for me was how they were able to make Godzilla and even the femal MUTO move around like a person in a costume like the Toho films of old while using CGI to do it with a realism suitmation could never achieve. This was one of my biggest hopes with the prospect of an American Godzilla film and they delivered.
CHARACTERS / ACTING
Personally, I feel like a lot of the hype I’ve read around Bryan Cranston’s Joe Brody has more do to with Breaking Bad than his Godzilla performance. Don’t get me wrong, he did a great job and was very believable and enjoyable, and he delivered on key dialogue, but his greatest acting moments were emotional tirades, there weren’t really many moments of deep dramatic acting, he didn’t have enough screen time for it.
I rather like Ford Brody, I found him relatable and someone I could enjoy going on the journey with. As I mentioned with story, there could have been more to get invested in him with than what was there, but he wasn’t bothersome where I wanted him out of the story or anything like that, and I believe his portrayal has more to do with how the character was crafted than ATJ’s acting ability, he was able to give solid emotion in scenes with his father, but once the MUTO threat was out, I simply saw him as becoming a focused and determined soldier not allowing himself to get emotional. I also rather enjoyed the moment between Ford and Godzilla, they weren’t trying to work together but ultimately they were both fighting with everything they had to defeat the MUTOs and found themselves in a moment of near defeat and digging down to find the strength to finish the job. I’ve heard some say this moment felt like just a Godzilla staring at a human moment, but I found there to be a greater connection between the characters. They’re the same character with the same ultimate goal in the end, self preservation and eradication of the MUTOs and the film is about their race to it.
I was surprised by Elizabeth Olsen and I felt like her character had more to offer and was cut too short. I think she showed solid acting and could have brought more emotion if given more screen time.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
While the lighting at night can be too dark depending on the medium you’re watching with, overall, this is one wonderfully shot film, I enjoyed the cinematography so much that I really hope Seamus McGarvey returns for the sequels. Not only were the overall visuals spectacular, but the shots of the monsters were some of the most amazing visual moments in the whole Godzilla series. I’ve never found so many images form a single movie that I enjoyed as much as what’s packed into the brief screen time of the monsters in this film. The crew really understood monster movies and how to portray the monsters and I hope that continues with the sequels.
SCORE
I’ve read comments that people felt like this score was a very generic one and not fitting but I quite disagree. I enjoyed a lot of the score just listening to it on the OST, but putting it into the context of the film made me appreciate it even more, and there were nice pieces in the movie that aren’t on the OST sadly. I think Desplat did a great job of brining and other-worldly feel to the film and giving Godzilla and the MUTOs ancient and in Godzilla’s case, noble sounds fitting of the characters and for the few deeply emotional human scenes, his soft piano work and other cues work great. I will say this score felt very modern, but certainly not generic. I still think there was room to work a variation of classic Godzilla themes from I***ube into the movie, but I don’t look down upon this score for not featuring it. The only negative I would say against the score is that, while there is a Godzilla theme, it’s a bit more subtle than something like I***ube’s Godzilla theme or Darth Vader’s theme, etc. where it’s very distinct from the rest of the score, Desplat’s blends into it all.
MISSED OPPORTUNITES
For all the hype about the realistic depiction of events in this film, I feel the greatest missed opportunity was the depiction of the human casualties of the situations portrayed. Janjira, Hawaii and San Francisco all show great scenes of devastation and some implication of human loss, but there’s never and really focus on it. I feel like a focus on the bad side of things the likes of Gojira would have made the movie more dramatic and emotional, but instead, it felt like it went through a Hollywood filter where it makes it on screen but it’s so cleaned up it loses all impact.
I also feel like there were some shots and scenes from classic Godzilla films that could have been done here with the advanced CGI and made for some incredible moments. I’d hoped we get some full shown shots of Godzilla rising out of the ocean or travelling through the water from the waist up, or scenes of Godzilla fighting back at the military. I understand wanting him portrayed as a hero, but where he still resulted in the deaths of at least hundreds, he’s not all that good so having him lash back at a military vessel or two wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but that also raises how Godzilla’s negative actions were also glossed over like the rest of the human cost. They show and imply people being washed away in Hawaii and buildings smashed presumably with people in them but the film spends little time focusing on his doing that and more focuses on the MUTO destruction. He also sends a good amount of the Golden Gate bridge into the ocean but you only realize that in a quickly passing shot.
OVERALL
All in all, I enjoyed Godzilla 2014 more than most Godzilla films from start to finish, I could get into the characters and enjoy the story more than most of the Japanese films and do not feel a need to fast forward to the monsters. I understand the frustration of the fight cutaways but I feel like once you’ve finally seen it all and got the payoff end fight, the cut aways end up being a neat take on this sort of film. I’ve read people say they didn’t like the pacing but I felt like the movie was pretty fast paced and slew down appropriate amounts and if anything, may have been too fast at times and could have slowed down a bit. I’d definitely put this in my top 5 most enjoyed Godzilla movies from start to finish.
This movie delivered on almost all of my hopes and dreams for an American Godzilla film and after 4 years of waiting I’m very happy with the end result and can’t wait for the sequels.
I’ve been a Godzilla fan for 27 years. In 1998, the news of an American Godzilla film was the most exciting thing ever in my time as a fan. By that point, CGI was prevalent in blockbusters and doing amazing things, and it was my hope that Godzilla in the hands of an American studio would mean getting a classic Godzilla film which utilized our more advanced film technologies and a more relatable story as I am not part of Japanese culture.
What we got failed to resemble Godzilla in any capacity and left a dream unfulfilled. In 2010, when it was announced that Legendary secured rights to Godzilla, I once again found myself hopeful for a Godzilla film that would embody the things I’d come to love in the franchise while presenting them in a more advanced way. I spend the next 4 years going from wondering if a movie would even be made to getting caught up in a reveal and marketing campaign beyond my dreams, only to have to wait longer to ultimately see the movie I’d longed for.
EXPECTATIONS VS REALITY
After following numerous interviews and watching every piece of marketing material, I was led to believe that this movie would depict a Godzilla who is as much a threat to man as he is his foes, and that we’d see Godzilla destroying man’s world as much on his own as part of his combat with the MUTOs. I essentially expected the equivalent of Godzilla vs. Biollante.
What I got was a serious spin on late Showa era Toho films where Godzilla saved mankind while ridding earth of a terrible force.
While the movie wasn’t what I expected, that didn’t make it less enjoyable. I still wish we could get the movie I expected at some point, and perhaps the sequels will deliver.
STORY
As I said, this movie feels a lot like previous Godzilla films in structure and I rather enjoyed the story. It’s a classic man and Godzilla racing to defeat and rid the world of an evil foe story and for the most part it flows really well.
Overall I found the story solid, but there were a few small areas of character development that could have benefitted from elaboration. In this film, Ford Brody actually mirrors Chief Brody from JAWS fairly closely in their basic situation in that there is a great threat to themselves, their family and their town/country. Each feels a strong determination to defeat their enemy. Where Ford falls short of the chief is that Godzilla doesn’t pit his family in direct peril until the climax of the film and by that point you’re engrossed in the action and the time to emotionally invest has passed. While Ford’s father dies because of the MUTO, it doesn’t carry a lot of weight for Ford’s situation as he doesn’t necessarily feel his remaining family threatened immediately by this, where in JAWS, the chief’s family was always around the threat and that continued to build up in him until his son was nearly eaten. Ford never hears of or sees his family in jeopardy, Sam was on the bridge but as far as Ford knows he got to Oakland and Elle was in the city. Had something happened to Elle or Sam or if Ford knew how close to danger Sam had gotten, his fight to protect his family would have had deeper meaning.
EDITING
I want to bring up editing because there are moments where I feel like there may have been more to the story that were cut but could have made the whole make more sense. The military starts referring to Godzilla and information about him without us ever seeing where they got the information from as the presentation was made to Ford. Serizawa’s feelings about Hiroshima and his father felt cut short like there was more to it that got cut out. Little areas like that. Deleted scenes may prove to fill in these gaps.
MONSTERS / CGI
Above all else, the depiction of the monsters and the CGI behind it were some of the most amazing in film for me. Godzilla and the MUTOs were injected with emotion and character despite having little to build that with, an amazing feat of storytelling in my book and the CGI with which they were executed was easily the best I’ve ever seen. I am often critical of CGI animals as not feeling real in the way they move, often seeming to move faster or more fluidly than a real animal could, but both Godzilla and the MUTOs move with weight and speed that sell their size and realism, it was amazing. What was greatest for me was how they were able to make Godzilla and even the femal MUTO move around like a person in a costume like the Toho films of old while using CGI to do it with a realism suitmation could never achieve. This was one of my biggest hopes with the prospect of an American Godzilla film and they delivered.
CHARACTERS / ACTING
Personally, I feel like a lot of the hype I’ve read around Bryan Cranston’s Joe Brody has more do to with Breaking Bad than his Godzilla performance. Don’t get me wrong, he did a great job and was very believable and enjoyable, and he delivered on key dialogue, but his greatest acting moments were emotional tirades, there weren’t really many moments of deep dramatic acting, he didn’t have enough screen time for it.
I rather like Ford Brody, I found him relatable and someone I could enjoy going on the journey with. As I mentioned with story, there could have been more to get invested in him with than what was there, but he wasn’t bothersome where I wanted him out of the story or anything like that, and I believe his portrayal has more to do with how the character was crafted than ATJ’s acting ability, he was able to give solid emotion in scenes with his father, but once the MUTO threat was out, I simply saw him as becoming a focused and determined soldier not allowing himself to get emotional. I also rather enjoyed the moment between Ford and Godzilla, they weren’t trying to work together but ultimately they were both fighting with everything they had to defeat the MUTOs and found themselves in a moment of near defeat and digging down to find the strength to finish the job. I’ve heard some say this moment felt like just a Godzilla staring at a human moment, but I found there to be a greater connection between the characters. They’re the same character with the same ultimate goal in the end, self preservation and eradication of the MUTOs and the film is about their race to it.
I was surprised by Elizabeth Olsen and I felt like her character had more to offer and was cut too short. I think she showed solid acting and could have brought more emotion if given more screen time.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
While the lighting at night can be too dark depending on the medium you’re watching with, overall, this is one wonderfully shot film, I enjoyed the cinematography so much that I really hope Seamus McGarvey returns for the sequels. Not only were the overall visuals spectacular, but the shots of the monsters were some of the most amazing visual moments in the whole Godzilla series. I’ve never found so many images form a single movie that I enjoyed as much as what’s packed into the brief screen time of the monsters in this film. The crew really understood monster movies and how to portray the monsters and I hope that continues with the sequels.
SCORE
I’ve read comments that people felt like this score was a very generic one and not fitting but I quite disagree. I enjoyed a lot of the score just listening to it on the OST, but putting it into the context of the film made me appreciate it even more, and there were nice pieces in the movie that aren’t on the OST sadly. I think Desplat did a great job of brining and other-worldly feel to the film and giving Godzilla and the MUTOs ancient and in Godzilla’s case, noble sounds fitting of the characters and for the few deeply emotional human scenes, his soft piano work and other cues work great. I will say this score felt very modern, but certainly not generic. I still think there was room to work a variation of classic Godzilla themes from I***ube into the movie, but I don’t look down upon this score for not featuring it. The only negative I would say against the score is that, while there is a Godzilla theme, it’s a bit more subtle than something like I***ube’s Godzilla theme or Darth Vader’s theme, etc. where it’s very distinct from the rest of the score, Desplat’s blends into it all.
MISSED OPPORTUNITES
For all the hype about the realistic depiction of events in this film, I feel the greatest missed opportunity was the depiction of the human casualties of the situations portrayed. Janjira, Hawaii and San Francisco all show great scenes of devastation and some implication of human loss, but there’s never and really focus on it. I feel like a focus on the bad side of things the likes of Gojira would have made the movie more dramatic and emotional, but instead, it felt like it went through a Hollywood filter where it makes it on screen but it’s so cleaned up it loses all impact.
I also feel like there were some shots and scenes from classic Godzilla films that could have been done here with the advanced CGI and made for some incredible moments. I’d hoped we get some full shown shots of Godzilla rising out of the ocean or travelling through the water from the waist up, or scenes of Godzilla fighting back at the military. I understand wanting him portrayed as a hero, but where he still resulted in the deaths of at least hundreds, he’s not all that good so having him lash back at a military vessel or two wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but that also raises how Godzilla’s negative actions were also glossed over like the rest of the human cost. They show and imply people being washed away in Hawaii and buildings smashed presumably with people in them but the film spends little time focusing on his doing that and more focuses on the MUTO destruction. He also sends a good amount of the Golden Gate bridge into the ocean but you only realize that in a quickly passing shot.
OVERALL
All in all, I enjoyed Godzilla 2014 more than most Godzilla films from start to finish, I could get into the characters and enjoy the story more than most of the Japanese films and do not feel a need to fast forward to the monsters. I understand the frustration of the fight cutaways but I feel like once you’ve finally seen it all and got the payoff end fight, the cut aways end up being a neat take on this sort of film. I’ve read people say they didn’t like the pacing but I felt like the movie was pretty fast paced and slew down appropriate amounts and if anything, may have been too fast at times and could have slowed down a bit. I’d definitely put this in my top 5 most enjoyed Godzilla movies from start to finish.
This movie delivered on almost all of my hopes and dreams for an American Godzilla film and after 4 years of waiting I’m very happy with the end result and can’t wait for the sequels.
jye4ever
Broke and happy
Better late than never.
Pixelpiper
Super Freak
Good stuff Maulfan, very well explored review. I didn't feel that the MUTOs were depicted as evil, just a threat. They seemed just about as apathetic as Godzilla with regards to humanity. While their driving force was their own survival and propagation, Godzilla's was their elimination. Who's bad and who's good is all a matter of perspective and it works out in Godzilla's favor because he's strictly interested in putting these other guys down and then going back for a snooze, leaving humanity to its own devices.
GodzillaSpawn
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Arguably my favorite scene given how Godzilla was portrayed here.
I know he's not hurt. by let alone my disdain that Godzilla isn't even attacking these humans, I strongly dislike how it looks like he's retreating.
Watching the film again and I fully agree with MaulFan on the point of it being more fun than many old films, it's one of the best Godzilla movies front to back (but despite me being such a big G-Fan, I really think many of them are just horrible films). This film should have been at least the 2nd best Godzilla film with all the advantages they had over the Toho films. I get not being better than the original, but every other film was up for grabs imo. This and Amazing Spider-Man 2 are my two most contrasting films of the summer. I absolutely love what they do with the films in some regards, and then I loathe how they handle some other things.
I love how the monsters are handled in this movie, and that seems to be across the board we are all in agreement there. But I don't feel the Mutos are villains. In fact, had the movie not had Godzilla in it, chances are we might have been rooting for them. They could have been the role of Godzilla in the old Toho films. They could have been nature's radioactive revenge on mankind. And, they just seemed like regular animals. Whereas Godzilla knows better and seems to want to be man's friend, but he's also the ****-blocker from ancient times. He's literally the original ****-blocker. That's what Godzilla is in this film, for the most part. He's not a radioactive warning. I don't think this Godzilla was ever even mutated or anything since he thrived for radiation way before man walked the earth and his species were that big before than as well. I sort of wish Godzilla was the reason the powerplant collapsed in the beginning. A) It would have felt more Godzilla-y, and B) would have been a better story for Cranston's character. He could have wanted revenge on Godzilla, but then came to understand him and, after confronting his own past and bitterness, come to admire him.
Speaking of Cranston, as I watch this film now I absolutely despise how his character was treated. He kicked the film off so damn good and for him to go out that way, that soon, without any real triumph was a disgrace as far as I'm concerned. He didn't really get to absorb it all, he died like he wasn't even an important character, and it really seemed like Monarch was going to be the key to his salvation but he has the most unceremonious death I could have imagined. I couldn't buy into ATJ the first time and I still don't. I watch him and the Olsen sister together and I'm just like it feels too acted. She felt way too okay with him having to leave and go right back to Japan. She wasn't upset at all, after him being gone for 14 months. She was worried about picking up that phone cause she might have to work. The return of your husband after 14 months doesn't justify a damn vacation day!? It seems like little things but all-in-all considering you only get to see them on screen together for about 5 minutes, there was no reason for me to care to see them reunited again. And this dude Ford was fine with not having his wife and son jet out the city the moment he found out giant fricking monsters were all meeting up in the city they live in is beyond me. I would have been like get the **** out of dodge and get to a different part of the country fast.
But seeing Godzilla on screen, this way, was a treat. I do think the sequel will be even better. I think the flaws of this film should be easy to fix for a sequel. And if it doesn't happen, Edwards gotta go.
*oh, another random note, but I hate Godzilla's cow-like groan he does when he fights. It's annoying. It should sound less clumsy and less like something being mutilated, and more like an aggressive, threatening, vicious attack sound. Especially since he's supposed to be this ancient samurai-like warrior. Get it together dude.
GodzillaSpawn
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I do LOVE that moment though where Godzilla and the female muto charge each other and collide and make that big thud sound and then Godzilla just Lawrence Taylor's his way through her.
jye4ever
Broke and happy
Great analysis by MF and GS.
olbertfrog
Super Freak
Thats exactly it.
You dont give a flying **** about soldier boy.
The real drama was with his father.
It should have been his journey.
Poor guy killing him on the day he discovers the truth.
I think that the director did a great job for his first blockbuster but damn the script was weak.
ironwez20
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The only thing that bothered me about this movie is that the marketing and everything made it look like godzilla was going to be a force of nature destroying everything in his path but not becuase he was evil but because he was an animal in a strange world and due to man tampering with nature he has risen from the ocean and walks around from country to country. I didnt like how he was just going in to clean up some left over monsters from earlier times and just go back to the ocean and mind his own business.
When I was a kid i liked hero godzilla but as i grew older I liked the godzilla that just did what he did and take out the monster that is bothering him and I guess thats what that movie kinda is but I would of preferred alittle more godzilla vs the military and the humans trying to get rid of both muto and godzilla. I just wanted godzilla to be more of the main threat than the muto.
Overall it was a good flick. Cant wait for 2018 when i'll be 28 and watching this lol.
When I was a kid i liked hero godzilla but as i grew older I liked the godzilla that just did what he did and take out the monster that is bothering him and I guess thats what that movie kinda is but I would of preferred alittle more godzilla vs the military and the humans trying to get rid of both muto and godzilla. I just wanted godzilla to be more of the main threat than the muto.
Overall it was a good flick. Cant wait for 2018 when i'll be 28 and watching this lol.
jye4ever
Broke and happy
This movie had major behind the scenes script battles that were mostly kept under wraps.
GE played his cards right, the movie was successfull regardless of the battles and he was hired for a Star Wars movie, win win.
GE success will probably afford him to push back more, his vision will carry more weight during the next movie.
GE played his cards right, the movie was successfull regardless of the battles and he was hired for a Star Wars movie, win win.
GE success will probably afford him to push back more, his vision will carry more weight during the next movie.
Centurion
Super Freak
I'm looking forward to watching it again on blu ray.
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