Godzilla – Page 7 – Colin McMahon

Godzilla's Revenge A.K.A. All Monsters Attack A.K.A. What the F*ck am I Watching?

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Colin McMahon

Right now there are brutal things happening around the world. Whether locally in Ferguson or abroad in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, it seems like right now is not a shining moment for the human race. While I could (and at some point will) talk about these horrific events, I felt I needed a change of pace for a moment. So let’s talk about another Godzilla movie, that’s always fun! Winding the clocks all the way back to 1969 (teehee), today’s post focuses on the tenth film in the series, All Monsters Attack, later known as Godzilla’s Revenge over here in the States. This film was the immediate follow-up to 1968’s Destroy All Monsters, and is commonly known as the worst Godzilla movie ever made. Personally, I feel that this is an unfair label. Yet while Godzilla’s Revenge may not be the worst film in the series, it certainly is the most bizarre.

Actually, even that may not be true.

Bizarre in this case means that Godzilla’s Revenge is simply not like any other Godzilla movie ever made. “How could that be?”, you ask. Well, for starters: Godzilla is not ever really in the movie…. yeah, that is a little strange.

But he's right there on the poster! — But he’s right there on the poster!

Everything about that poster is a lie.

Godzilla’s Revenge is about a small boy overcoming parental neglect and bully problems. Oh, also he fights two burglars, pre- Home Alone style.

I am not kidding. If you’re saying to yourself: “what does that have to do with Godzilla?” Fair question. Here is a rundown of the ‘plot.’

Godzilla’s Revenge follows Ichiro Miki, he is our young protagonist living somewhere in Japan. Both of Ichiro’s parents are always working and the kid does not appear to have any real friends, aside from a young girl and an elderly toymaker. Worse than that, he has a bully: a slightly less small child whom he calls Gabara. That’s all okay though since Ichiro has his best friend, Minilla!

Seen here are the two of them on a play date.

Minilla is better known as the Son of Godzilla (originally from the movie of the same name). Minilla is also usually roughly 18 meters tall and, you know, a monster. In case it was not already apparent, Ichiro is not actually friends with the ‘real’ Minilla. Godzilla’s Revenge is a movie where all the monster portion takes place inside the imagination of a boy. While this sounds strange, it does not sound like a terrible idea. Godzilla had already appeared nine times at this point, so a new spin sounds like an inventive way to create a sequel.

It probably didn't help that this film came right after Destroy All Monsters, a movie which featured an awesome battle royale and more monsters than any prior Godzilla film. — It probably didn’t help that this film came right after *Destroy All Monsters*, a movie which featured an awesome battle royale and more monsters than any prior Godzilla film.

Yet for imagination, a lot of the monster footage is insanely familiar. Maybe Ichiro watched all the earlier Godzilla movies since the vast majority of monster footage in this movie is from prior films, namely Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster and Son of Godzilla. Yeah, those looking for a new movie in Godzilla’s Revenge only got about half of their wish. Couldn’t Ichiro imagine something cooler?

Nah, he’s too busy talking to Minilla. Yeah, that thing pictured above talks. Here’s what it sounds like in the English dub:

Awesome.

Ichiro talks to Minilla about bullying problems, something that the monster is all too familiar with. That is the bulk of this movie: dealing with bullies. Again, this does not sound like a horrible idea on the surface, just a puzzling one. The Godzilla series is, by its nature, a series about conflict so making an anti-bullying movie sounds challenging. Well, this movie is not anti-bullying.

Minilla seen here solving his own bullying problem. Looks like it is going great!

Yeah, Godzilla’s Revenge is the movie you show your kids to encourage them to fight. Great morals Japan! Minilla and Ichiro both need to stand up to a bully named Gabara, and both do… through fighting. Remember children, if someone you know is bullying you, tell an adult… unless that adult is Godzilla… just don’t talk to Godzilla. So there’s that.

Sounds to me like Godzilla is being really judgmental.

Oh, and remember those burglars I mentioned earlier? Well Ichiro gets kidnapped. Yeah, the kid left all on his own is abducted, but do not worry (and this is another moral of the movie) he knows his parents are busy and he needs to be more responsible. Yes children, if you’re alone and you get kidnapped: it is your fault.

Well, maybe you should be more useful, child! On a serious note, I feel like scenes like this one are poignant and the film misses the mark of being a truly interesting movie. — Well, maybe you should be more useful, child!
On a serious note, I feel like scenes like this one are poignant and the film overall shows the potential of being a much better movie than it ever is.

If it sounds like I’m describing a nonsensical plot that kinda jumps all over the place, it is because I am. Godzilla’s Revenge is not a particularly well put together movie. It is a combo of stock footage and questionable lessons for children. All that said, I do not think it is the worst Godzilla movie. Simply put – it is too different to really compare it to other films. There is no common structure here. Is the film entertaining: sure, in a really campy kind of way. Well, that’s already more than people can say about Godzilla vs. Gigan.

This movie is just weird, from the imagination scenes to the talking Minilla to a kid fighting everyone to be more adult. Why was it called All Monsters Attack? No clue. Who is Godzilla actually taking revenge against, apart from bullies? Fair question. What the f*ck am I watching? Godzilla’s Revenge.

Legendary, Universal, and the Inevitable King Kong vs. Godzilla Remake

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Colin McMahon

The San Diego Comic Con, the place where movies, shows, and all other forms of entertainment go to get hyped. It doesn’t appear that companies need to show much to grab headlines. For example, examine the Warcraft movie logo. I have attached it underneath. That is all that was shown off. Yes, there is a lot to get excited about there. They do know how to spell ‘Warcraft’ correctly.

I’m not kidding, this was all they publicly showed… and people still talked about it.

Yet sometimes it is great to be teased. As a Godzilla fan, I was thrilled to hear much more on the sequel to the 2014 reboot. It seems like Toho is sending more of their monsters as at least Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah are joining the fight. Again, nothing was publicly shown but at least that is an announcement that gives a large clue as to what the second American Godzilla movie will be about. The monster news did not stop there, however. Legendary Pictures appeared keen to move on its other franchises as a new Pacific Rim and King Kong movie were also teased. Wait, what? Since when has Legendary owned the film rights to King Kong?

Since July 10th apparently.

Universal Pictures and Legendary have entered a five-year partnership. They will create films together and seek ways to create profitability with whatever large franchises they own. Franchises like Universal’s King Kong and Legendary’s Godzilla. The chips are falling to create a remake of epic proportions… and really it is a no brainer.

Look at this, how does it not scream blockbuster?

When the original King Kong vs. Godzilla debuted back in 1962, it was a smash hit. The film is the highest grossing Godzilla film of all time in Japan and earned over a million dollars at the U.S. Box Office (back when that really meant something – the film was distributed for only 200k). With the recent success of crossovers like The Avengers, Hollywood knows that there is money to be made in putting franchises together. All that is needed are solo films to build hype.

That would explain the Skull Island movie announcement. King Kong has not appeared in theaters since 2005… and that movie did not leave much room for a sequel. While Peter Jackson’s King Kong arguably had more to say than most monster movies, it clearly was not made to start a franchise. This new film will likely have nothing to do with 2005 remake and simply be aimed at reestablishing Kong as the Eighth Wonder of the World… and part of the same universe as Godzilla.

Kong will have to be beefed up a bit. He is currently only 25 feet tall after all.

As for the currently dubbed Godzilla 2, many Godzilla fans (myself included) were surprised at the announcement of King Ghidorah. Anyone familiar with the series knows that Ghidorah is the grand enemy of Godzilla. He is to Godzilla as Joker is to Batman – the greatest of all the villains. Hollywood appears to operate under the model of escalation for their sequels: everything has to be bigger and better in the next one. That said: why Ghidorah so soon?

King Ghidorah has appeared as the main villain in seven Godzilla movies.

Legendary has already unveiled plans for at least three Godzilla movies so the decision to include Ghidorah in the second one comes across as a bit odd. After all, what monster could create more hype than Ghidorah? Oh wait:

Yes, move over Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (take your skinny Wonder Woman with you), Godzilla vs. King Kong looks to be coming to theaters soon.

“Legendary continues to prove that big ideas are relevant and profitable with our global moviegoing audience.”

-Universal Studios COO Ron Meyer

Oh, and by the way: they also own Pacific Rim. Imagine that crossover.

Godzilla Raids Again: A Review of Godzilla 2014

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Colin McMahon

Godzilla is back.

Whether you love the new movie or hate it, there is no denying that the creature on the screen is the King of the Monsters. 1998, you are forgotten. This new movie is not the Jurassic Park-wannabe disaster that Roland Emmerich created. That said: do not set expectations fifty stories high. While Director Gareth Edwards has succeeded in creating a new narrative that tells a unique story in the Godzilla universe, this is not the definitive film that some of the early trailers led audiences to believe. For that honor: 1954 still reigns as king.

The plot and focus of the movie draw attention to one of my larger criticisms: I do not feel that this film should have simply been called Godzilla. My review title is in reference to Godzilla Raids Again, the second film of the Showa Series that was released in 1955. This is the Godzilla film that Gareth Edwards’ vision most closely resembles. The good news is that this iteration is much better than what was released nearly sixty years ago.

Fun fact: the United States changed the title of Godzilla Raids Again to Gigantis: the Fire Monster. They didn't think anyone would want to see a 2nd Godzilla movie. Thirty films later... — Fun fact: the United States changed the title of *Godzilla Raids Again* to *Gigantis: the Fire Monster*. They didn’t think anyone would want to see a 2nd Godzilla movie. Thirty films later…

The film opens with the discovery of MUTO. Two eggs are discovered in the Philippines, one of which has just recently hatched. The newly hatched monster heads straight for the first nuclear energy source, which as it turns out is a nuclear plant in Japan under the supervision of Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston). Muto arrives and wreaks havoc, resulting in a family tragedy. Fast forward fifteen years and Brody’s son (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is grown and with a family of his own. He is a military man returned from service who is trying to connect with his family. The problem: Joe Brody has become something of a conspiracy nut in the past fifteen years. He keeps insisting their was something more to the nuclear disaster, something that the military is hiding.

Meet Muto, Godzilla's newest bug bad guy. — Meet Muto, Godzilla’s newest bug bad guy.

Of course, the audience can guess where it goes from here. Brody recruits his son and the two arrive at the old wreckage just in time to witness a full grown MUTO hatch. They meet Mr. Serizawa (Ken Wanatabe) who lets them in on a little secret: MUTO is not the only giant monster out there. Yes, it turns out that Godzilla still showed up in 1954, only this time he did not destroy Tokyo. Enter one of the film’s main weak areas: Godzilla’s origin is glossed over. The audience learns that he appeared in 1954 and that nuclear weapons were used to try and kill him (Godzilla is some type of ancient animal from the day’s when the world was a lot more atomic in nature). The weapons didn’t work and Godzilla has been doing… something for the past sixty years. Don’t worry though, the military has wisely been using that time to not prepare any contingency plans, should Godzilla ever grow aggressive.

The plot doesn’t allow any time to dwell on this rather bizarrely timed bit of exposition. Muto is heading for Hawaii and our heroes must give chase. Notice the problem so far: Muto is driving the story action. This never really ends throughout the movie. Muto is the main monster of the plot. This echoes other Godzilla movies where the antagonistic monster is more closely tied into the story. The problem is that the studio decided to call this film Godzilla, creating a set of expectations that he would be the main presence. Godzilla is in the movie to be sure, but he is not the sole star.

The plot revolves around trying to stop the spread of Muto eggs.

Go back to my title, Godzilla Raids Again. This was the first movie that Godzilla shared with another monster and both kaiju drive the plot forward. That said, Godzilla Raids Again was also attempting to be an incredibly personal story about one family in the midst of this epic monster battle. Edwards’ Godzilla is like this also. The audience follows Johnson’s character, Ford Brody, really from start to finish. Every shot of the movie is at the human level. This is both a strength and a weakness as this film provides some of the most breathtaking perspective in the series, while at the same time some of the fights feel restricted. There’s no areal view to show everything like in Pacific Rim.

The things they are able to do with CGI. This really is a gorgeous film.

Godzilla is an epic, and there is human drama aplenty to carry the film through its 123 minutes. Things never drag and the story maintains a slow, methodical pace (similar to the hulking steps of Godzilla). People seeking monster brawls and plentiful amounts of the big G might be disappointed. The final fight is cool but it isn’t overly long.

This image was from the initial teaser. Evidently there was a monster design that went unused.

Overall Edwards movie isn’t a classic but it isn’t a disaster. It is somewhere in between. If this is to be the first in a series then mission accomplished: the King of the Monsters is back, and I can’t wait to see who else he is going to fight.