So after just having seen it a second time, I'll admit I was way too harsh in my initial review..

However I paid far less attention to the human part of the story this go round so maybe that's what did it.

 

I’m watching that when I get home.

 

Finally wrapped up the Heisei era, and here's my review of the last four films:

Godzilla vs. Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992)
After being disappointed by Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, I had low expectations for the follow-up. Fortunately, Godzilla vs. Mothra is a huge improvement. Instead of an overcomplicated time travel plot, this film uses a subtle environmental theme to introduce Mothra and her twin fairies. At the same time, we have the yin/yang motif in the form of Battra, Mothra's evil counterpart. Despite the introduction of Battra, the Big G still remains the bad guy in this film. Sure, the flying effects look cheap and the human characters remain an afterthought, but Godzilla vs. Mothra remains a fun film in the series. Rating: B-

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
Don't let the title mislead you, as Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II is not a sequel to the 1974 film Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. All that aside, this is clearly one of the finest films of the entire Godzilla franchise. The redesign of Mechagodzilla is outstanding, as well as the Garuda flight unit that transforms it to Super Mechagodzilla. Rodan is also a huge improvement over his Showa predecessor. The fight scenes have outstanding choreography, the human characters do their part well, and Baby Godzilla actually works compared to Minilla from the Showa era. Overall, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II symbolizes one of the highest points of the Heisei era. Rating: A-

Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)
Just when Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II gained all momentum in the franchise, Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla nearly has it all crashing down. In this film, we are introduced to SpaceGodzilla, a result of Godzilla and Biollante's DNA blended in a black hole. While that doesn't sound bad, the whole execution is a jumbled mess. The special effects look downgraded compared to the previous film. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. is also significantly inferior to Mechagodzilla. And unlike Baby Godzilla in the previous film, we're not given any reason to care about Little Godzilla, who looks like a throwback to Minilla. As Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla is overglorified filler, just skip it and go directly to the next film. Rating: D+

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)
To celebrate Godzilla's 40th anniversary, Toho decided to kill him off, much like what DC Comics did to Superman. And this installment has Endgame levels of feels. For Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, we're given a look at the Big G reaching critical mass and Godzilla Junior all grown up. The film also calls back to the original 1954 film by referencing the Oxygen Killer as the catalyst for the new big bad called Destoroyah, who easily rivals King Ghidorah as Godzilla's greatest rival. The overarching conflicts leave viewers hanging in suspense, with the JSDF struggling to find a solution to prevent the Big G from exploding and taking all of Earth with him, while realizing that Destoroyah is a bigger problem to the human population than being the solution to stop the Big G. The film's climax goes on a very somber note, with the Big G disintegrating from his meltdown, but his life force reviving a dead Godzilla Junior. In conclusion, Godzilla vs. Destroroyah is a fitting end to the Godzilla franchise in the 20th century, and is a must-buy on Blu-ray. Rating: A

Heisei Era Godzilla
1. The Return of Godzilla (1984)
2. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)
3. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
4. Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
5. Godzilla vs. Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992)
6. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)
7. Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)

Coming up next: The Godzilla Earth Trilogy.

 

"Subtle"?!

 

Sorry can’t help but notice your post on which toy to get.

For me personally, the SH Monsterarts version has the articulation and the sculpt but it’s flaw is that it can be overly multi-jointed and gappy. I don’t quite like the neck pieces of the figure.

With regards to the Neca version, it’s strengths lies in the consistency of the sculpt. The colour is light but the “wash” on the figure is really nice.

Now both figures have similar QC issue - derpy eye.

I have managed to spot a “good” SHM version - the left eye MUST be dead centre. As the problematic eye is the left.

So far, I have helped my buddies in choosing “acceptable” figures.

Neca on the other hand...I can’t spot because the right eye is on blocked by the box. And from the figures I’ve seen, the right eye is the problematic one.

It’s strange because Neca 2014 didn’t have this issue or it wasn’t that bad.

Yeah, I guess that’s how I enjoyed the show. I didn’t pay attention to the human characters.

IMO maybe western audiences are too sophisticated (compared to the east) for the er, bland humans? Hence the poorer critical reaction from the former.

 

... as a wet fart in a crowded elevator.

 

Yeah, it's definitely not subtle. In fact, I did a counter in my review for every time they mentioned it.

 

Godzilla could be considered as tokusatsu as well.

 

Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters - Humans are bad, mmkay?
Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle - Technology is bad, mmkay?
Godzilla: The Planet Eater - Religion is bad, mmkay?

The statement above sums up the Godzilla Earth Trilogy. Sure, the animation and soundtrack are great, but the film trilogy is severely let down by the story and the characters. The post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting takes a lot of cues from Starship Troopers, Attack on Titan, and (God forbid) After Earth. While not really a bad idea, the concept is poorly executed by being overly dark and depressing while not properly resolving anything in the end. Like every other Godzilla film, the trilogy suffers from a plethora of uninteresting human characters; however, Haruo Sakaki takes the cake for most cringeworthy male protagonist. Viewers are forced to endure his Ahab syndrome, as all he thinks about is killing the Big G at any cost, especially getting half of his platoon wiped out the moment they land on Earth.

Planet of the Monsters starts out dead slow, having to resort to exposition throughout the first two acts before the Aratrum refugee ship decides to return to Earth. The action relies too heavily on motion blur, which takes away interest on the battle scenes. City on the Edge of Battle shows some improvement on character development, especially when Haruo is conflicted by his Bilusaludo comrades' desire to assimilate everyone into Mechagodzilla City to defeat the Big G. And then there's The Planet Eater, which attempts to outdo Neon Genesis Evangelion with its heavy-handed use of Exif religion to summon three giant cheese noodles (a.k.a. Ghidorah) to consume the Big G and wreck the planet.

Speaking of the Big G, while other incarnations of Godzilla are physical consequences of nuclear weapons testing, Godzilla Earth goes further by becoming the demonic nature of, well, nature. Standing at over 300 meters tall, this is the largest and most OP Big G ever. Too bad he's only in this anime trilogy. Such wasted potential.

In terms of sub vs. dub, the English dub is actually pretty good. Too bad all the talent is wasted on such a mediocre title.

In conclusion, skip the Godzilla Earth Trilogy, as it shows that co-director Hiroyuki Seshita is not a Godzilla fan and does not care what the fans want. Sound familiar?

Story (Overall): C-
Animation: A-
Soundtrack: B+

 

wat

The CGI in the anime movies is so freaking bad. It’s stilted, lifeless, and unengaging.

 

Quoted for truth!

 

Shin Godzilla (2016)
Aside from the Monsterverse films by Legendary Pictures, Shin Godzilla has been the most talked-about Godzilla film over the past decade. But is it any good?

The key to watching Shin Godzilla is to not think of this as a traditional Godzilla film. Yes, we still have the Big G terrorizing Tokyo, but this is, in no way, an action film. Instead, it's the thinking man's Godzilla film, with emphasis on real-world situations. The events of Shin Godzilla are viewed through the eyes of the Japanese government, which is heavily burdened by red tape and traditional political methods when it comes to dealing with the imminent threat. The government's constant reliance on the chain of command proves ineffective against the Big G; then the country has to resort to the U.S. to bring out the big guns.

While many Godzilla films have been criticized for having weak human characters, it's the complete opposite in Shin Godzilla. The main cast ponders heavily on how the Big G's presence affects the country, from the safety of the citizens to the consequences to the yen and the stock market. This gives the film a more realistic feel not seen in past Godzilla films. While everyone has a serious look on their faces, Satomi Ishihara gives an over-the-top performance as U.S. Special Envoy Kayoco Anne Patterson, as she exaggerates an American accent in her Japanese dialogue.

As for Godzilla himself, instead of being the byproduct of nuclear weapons testing, his creation is heavily inspired by the 2011 tsunami and earthquake that devastated the Tohoku region and caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. As a result, he is initially treated more as a natural disaster than a giant monster. The Big G's first mutated stage is depicted as a confused animal writhing in pain after being splashed with harsh chemicals. But it's his full form that strikes fear among those who see it, especially with the way he fires his atomic breath.

Long-time anime fans will immediately recognize director Hideaki Anno's style throughout the film, from the camera angles on the characters to the heavy use of kanji text reminiscent of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The score by Shiro Sagisu features new renditions of his "Decisive Battle" theme from Evangelion, as well as his take on Akira Ifukube's classic Godzilla theme.

If there are any flaws in this film, it's the use of CGI. There are many scenes where the Big G's rendering looks overly rushed and does not blend well with the live-action backgrounds. But given the film's meager US$15 million budget compared to how much Warner Bros. and Legendary spend, the visual flaws can be forgiven.

Overall, if you watch Shin Godzilla with an open mind, you'll see why it is one of the best films to come out of Japan over the past century.

Rating: A-

 

Yeah, I don't know how anyone could give the animation anything more than a D- at best. It's the worst looking anime movie I have ever seen. Hell, it makes that one American made CGI movie Food Fight look amazing.

 

Loved Godzilla as a kid, thought the 2014 movie was pretty good back when it came out, but after seeing King of the Monsters and absolutely adoring it, I'm going through a bit of an obsession. Putting on hold my project of watching every episode of every Power Rangers series to watch every Godzilla movie.

The original 1954 movie was fantastic. Very different from the modern style, it was most definitely a tragedy. You can feel the emotional scars from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The shots of the aftermath of Godzilla's rampage are eerily similar to the photography I've seen of the aftermath of the bombing. Dr Serizawa's struggle as a scientist with the consequences of his creation being used for more destruction vs the morality of doing nothing and letting Godzilla continue his rampage was really well acted. It's a shame his the next movie, Godzilla Raids Again, was nowhere near as good.

Introducing another kaiju for Godzilla to fight, Angirus, was a cool idea, and would be a pretty defining part of the franchise, but outside of an ok kaiju fight that ended only halfway through the movie, there was really nothing else interesting about it. The plot was extremely basic, and none of the characters really did anything to stand out.

Next stop on my journey was Giant Monster of the Sky, Rodan. I really enjoyed this one. It had a really interesting approach of starting off as just a normal sized monster movie, with the mysterious murders in the mine at the hands of the horrific insect, Meganulon. With the heroic sacrifice of our protagonist, Shigeru, the bugs are killed and the mineshaft they were coming from is collapsed. Movie's over, right? Except there's still around 2/3rds left. For a movie bearing his name, we don't see Rodan till pretty late in. You get a brief glimpse around 35 minutes in, but you don't get to really see him till around 40 minutes. The rest of the movie is more straightforward kaiju stuff, Rodan flies around Japan, causing mass destruction, the military tries to stop him to no avail, then things get even worse when it turns out there's a second Rodan. In the end, the only was to stop a natural disaster is with a second natural disaster, and the two are killed with a volcanic erruption, and a bit of a bitter sweet ending when it's implied the second Rodan purposely dove into the lava to join the first rather than live alone.

Up next is King Kong vs Godzilla, which I'm not particularly interested in, never having been the biggest Kong fan. Oh well, we'll see how it goes

 

KvG is worth it just to see Kong stuff a tree down Godzilla’s mouth. Otherwise... yeah, nothing great.

 

Try playing this without crying.