This is essentially THE FORCE AWAKENS of the Godzilla franchise in that its both a sequel and a reboot that hits the same story beats of the original.
As much as I have enjoyed some of the cheesier aspects of the later Shōwa films, it’s nice to see Godzilla back as a terrifying force of nature. This ignores all other sequels, and is a direct follow up to the original, with some extra scenes added for the American cut. I actually enjoyed most of the additions this time, but found one line in particular that directly contradicts the events of the first film. One of the men says they they never found a body last time Godzilla was defeated, but he’s very much reduced to a skeleton in the original.
The opening with the ship immediately sets a dark and serious tone for the film, while giving us an indication of the power of Godzilla. The rest of the plot feels like a mix of the original, and the more recent SHIN GODZILLA. Rather than spend all of our time with a scientist and his family, a great deal of the film focuses on the Japanese government dealing with this crisis.
Godzilla himself is much improved. The difference in effects is night and day, and while it’s still not up to par for a modern film, it’s enough to take Godzilla seriously again. I do think his eyes are still a little too cartoony, but it’s fine. It’s literally a rubber suit, I can’t expect it to look that realistic. Regardless, this version of Godzilla feels more powerful than anything we’ve gotten in the past, and it’s spectacular.
It’s difficult to say if this one actually surpasses the the original. It looks much better, but lacks a little bit of the emotion. Godzilla feels less sympathetic and more like he’s out for revenge. That said, I think this one is much more rewatchable. It still has fairly deep themes while being incredibly entertaining. Whatever, I’ll just say it: I like GODZILLA 1985 better than GOJIRA. Sue me.
This is essentially THE FORCE AWAKENS of the Godzilla franchise in that its both a sequel and a reboot that hits the same story beats of the original.
As much as I have enjoyed some of the cheesier aspects of the later Shōwa films, it’s nice to see Godzilla back as a terrifying force of nature. This ignores all other sequels, and is a direct follow up to the original, with some extra scenes added for the American cut. I actually enjoyed most of the additions this time, but found one line in particular that directly contradicts the events of the first film. One of the men says they they never found a body last time Godzilla was defeated, but he’s very much reduced to a skeleton in the original.
The opening with the ship immediately sets a dark and serious tone for the film, while giving us an indication of the power of Godzilla. The rest of the plot feels like a mix of the original, and the more recent SHIN GODZILLA. Rather than spend all of our time with a scientist and his family, a great deal of the film focuses on the Japanese government dealing with this crisis.
Godzilla himself is much improved. The difference in effects is night and day, and while it’s still not up to par for a modern film, it’s enough to take Godzilla seriously again. I do think his eyes are still a little too cartoony, but it’s fine. It’s literally a rubber suit, I can’t expect it to look that realistic. Regardless, this version of Godzilla feels more powerful than anything we’ve gotten in the past, and it’s spectacular.
It’s difficult to say if this one actually surpasses the the original. It looks much better, but lacks a little bit of the emotion. Godzilla feels less sympathetic and more like he’s out for revenge. That said, I think this one is much more rewatchable. It still has fairly deep themes while being incredibly entertaining. Whatever, I’ll just say it: I like GODZILLA 1985 better than GOJIRA. Sue me.
