Post by Xenorama ™ on Jul 24, 2005 11:00:42 GMT -8
GMK (Universe DVD, 2002)
I figured I’d finally chime in on this Godzilla movie, since I just recently watched it for the second time. It’s nice to be able to review something that the readers of this zine are so familiar with, so I don’t have to bother with the story, I can just get into talking about the rest of the stuff in the movie. It sure is different for a Godzilla movie. You can really point to three other movies in the entire series that are different from the rest- GODZILLA, GODZILLA’S REVENGE and GODZILLA VS THE SMOG MONSTER. There are minor differences in the rest of them, but most involve Godzilla battling another monster (except GODZILLA 1985, which is just the audience battling sleep while watching it). The latter two movies also generate a fair amount of controversy among fans because they are so different from the rest of the movies.
This movie adds a healthy dose of mysticism to the series, which hasn’t been seen since King Shisa showed up in 1974. It’s really what makes it different, as opposed to the remake of GODZILLA VS MOTHRA, which felt the need to scientifically explain Mothra (can’t have fairies now, can we?).
This movie really needs about 10 minutes taken out of it, to make it flow better. Too many scenes are drug out and repeated over so we poor viewers can get the point of why things are happening.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t always make much sense as to why the monsters show up. We are told at the beginning that other monsters have been showing up in other countries, but apparently none of them were mystic monsters. I don’t mind the non-explanations of why the monsters show up, but why are they guardian monsters? There should be some kind of internal logic in the movie, right?
And as nice as it is to see Eisei/Hideyo Amamoto, his explanation of the monsters is just accepted as fact, no other proposals even put forth.
The score by Ko Otani is nothing I’m fond of, really- some of it works, mostly as background music, but some of it is very jarring (the scene where we see the drill missiles the first time). Mostly it sounds “un-grand”. When the familiar Ifukube theme is played over the credits, you really understand just how powerful that music is after the previous score. Did anyone else hear the “boing” noise when the truck driver fell out of his truck?
I like the way Godzilla looks, mostly (he really reminds me a lot of Marvel’s Godzilla- red energy eyes are missing) except when in profile. That looks awful. His arms seem kind of puny though. Mothra looks fine enough, as does Baragon.
But poor King Ghidorah. That’s just sad what was done to him/her/it. And regenerating twice? Once was fine, I guess, but the second time was overkill. However, the suit works well, except for the feet (immovable, much like Godzilla’s). It just lacks the majesty of the original (as does the 91 mongrel version).
There’s another problem I have with the movie- nothing was going to stop Godzilla at all. Not three monsters, not the fakey cgi missiles or anything. There was no suspense generated by the monster battles. I can understand Baragon getting wiped out easily, to show how powerful this Godzilla is. But then having the other two beasts killed that easily (one killed that easily three times, even) just made the movie drag. I know Godzilla was supposed to be all-powerful, making us wonder what could stop him, but all I saw was something nothing could possibly stop. Ever. So there was no suspense generated at all- three monsters couldn’t stop this Godzilla.
The way Godzilla was stopped was cool, actually, with the sub inside him (haven’t seen that since GAMERA VS MONSTER X) but did we really need the final shot? Might as well have had Jack Harris’s patented “The End…?” afterwards (you really didn’t think GODZILLA 2000 invented it, did you?). It would have been more gutsy to have had Godzilla been D-E-D dead. It was a scene everyone watching the movie could see coming. Again.
Anyway, it’s a fun movie all in all. It does have the same flaws all the newer movies do, no real sense of wonder. At least this Godzilla is not a “force of nature”. That sure got old in a hurry. I do wonder what I’d think of it had I seen it at a much younger, more impressionable age.
I almost forgot- I really enjoyed the 60s wannabe credits a lot.
I figured I’d finally chime in on this Godzilla movie, since I just recently watched it for the second time. It’s nice to be able to review something that the readers of this zine are so familiar with, so I don’t have to bother with the story, I can just get into talking about the rest of the stuff in the movie. It sure is different for a Godzilla movie. You can really point to three other movies in the entire series that are different from the rest- GODZILLA, GODZILLA’S REVENGE and GODZILLA VS THE SMOG MONSTER. There are minor differences in the rest of them, but most involve Godzilla battling another monster (except GODZILLA 1985, which is just the audience battling sleep while watching it). The latter two movies also generate a fair amount of controversy among fans because they are so different from the rest of the movies.
This movie adds a healthy dose of mysticism to the series, which hasn’t been seen since King Shisa showed up in 1974. It’s really what makes it different, as opposed to the remake of GODZILLA VS MOTHRA, which felt the need to scientifically explain Mothra (can’t have fairies now, can we?).
This movie really needs about 10 minutes taken out of it, to make it flow better. Too many scenes are drug out and repeated over so we poor viewers can get the point of why things are happening.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t always make much sense as to why the monsters show up. We are told at the beginning that other monsters have been showing up in other countries, but apparently none of them were mystic monsters. I don’t mind the non-explanations of why the monsters show up, but why are they guardian monsters? There should be some kind of internal logic in the movie, right?
And as nice as it is to see Eisei/Hideyo Amamoto, his explanation of the monsters is just accepted as fact, no other proposals even put forth.
The score by Ko Otani is nothing I’m fond of, really- some of it works, mostly as background music, but some of it is very jarring (the scene where we see the drill missiles the first time). Mostly it sounds “un-grand”. When the familiar Ifukube theme is played over the credits, you really understand just how powerful that music is after the previous score. Did anyone else hear the “boing” noise when the truck driver fell out of his truck?
I like the way Godzilla looks, mostly (he really reminds me a lot of Marvel’s Godzilla- red energy eyes are missing) except when in profile. That looks awful. His arms seem kind of puny though. Mothra looks fine enough, as does Baragon.
But poor King Ghidorah. That’s just sad what was done to him/her/it. And regenerating twice? Once was fine, I guess, but the second time was overkill. However, the suit works well, except for the feet (immovable, much like Godzilla’s). It just lacks the majesty of the original (as does the 91 mongrel version).
There’s another problem I have with the movie- nothing was going to stop Godzilla at all. Not three monsters, not the fakey cgi missiles or anything. There was no suspense generated by the monster battles. I can understand Baragon getting wiped out easily, to show how powerful this Godzilla is. But then having the other two beasts killed that easily (one killed that easily three times, even) just made the movie drag. I know Godzilla was supposed to be all-powerful, making us wonder what could stop him, but all I saw was something nothing could possibly stop. Ever. So there was no suspense generated at all- three monsters couldn’t stop this Godzilla.
The way Godzilla was stopped was cool, actually, with the sub inside him (haven’t seen that since GAMERA VS MONSTER X) but did we really need the final shot? Might as well have had Jack Harris’s patented “The End…?” afterwards (you really didn’t think GODZILLA 2000 invented it, did you?). It would have been more gutsy to have had Godzilla been D-E-D dead. It was a scene everyone watching the movie could see coming. Again.
Anyway, it’s a fun movie all in all. It does have the same flaws all the newer movies do, no real sense of wonder. At least this Godzilla is not a “force of nature”. That sure got old in a hurry. I do wonder what I’d think of it had I seen it at a much younger, more impressionable age.
I almost forgot- I really enjoyed the 60s wannabe credits a lot.
