Favorite Godzilla Era

For discussions covering more than one Toho film or show that span across more than one “era.”
User avatar
Shacker9227
Monsterland Worker
Posts: 155
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2011 4:10 pm
Location: California

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by Shacker9227 »

After having rewatched most of the Showa series, I have to name it my favorite era. Yes, including films such as Godzilla's Revenge and Godzilla vs Megalon. Most of the '50s and '60s films had great quality while the '70s films (which weren't the greatest films) were fun to watch since they were playful.

Millennium goes second for improving on -what I felt- were the flaws of Heisei plus the execution of the films turning out a bit better. This is coming from the guy that enjoyed GFW by the way.

Heisei is third. After rewatching it, there were only three films that were genuinely appealing (RoG, GvB, and GvD.) The rest just felt like they were missing something. Also I felt the plots weren't terribly interesting and the characters seemed flat. Even the special effects were flat since everything was sparks and animated rays. I did like the on-going continuity between the films and the scores.
"Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice. Pull down your pants, and slide on the ice." - Sydney Freedman, M*A*S*H

Legion1979
Justiriser
Posts: 15791
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 7:45 pm

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by Legion1979 »

^Not a bad assessment. I'd flip Heisei and Millennium since I dislike GFW, G2K and GxM enough to bring that era below the Heisei series, but I like your reasoning.

User avatar
eabaker
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 13758
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:16 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by eabaker »

Legion1979 wrote:^Not a bad assessment. I'd flip Heisei and Millennium since I dislike GFW, G2K and GxM enough to bring that era below the Heisei series, but I like your reasoning.
Same as what you said, except the three that I'd rank low would be GFW, Tokyo SOS, and GxMG. Those are the only Toho-produced Godzilla movies that I find flat-out unpleasant to watch.
Tokyo, a smoldering memorial to the unknown, an unknown which at this very moment still prevails and could at any time lash out with its terrible destruction anywhere else in the world.

User avatar
mechabrent
Monarch Researcher
Posts: 357
Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2013 7:49 am
Location: Maryland

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by mechabrent »

eabaker wrote:
Legion1979 wrote:^Not a bad assessment. I'd flip Heisei and Millennium since I dislike GFW, G2K and GxM enough to bring that era below the Heisei series, but I like your reasoning.
Same as what you said, except the three that I'd rank low would be GFW, Tokyo SOS, and GxMG. Those are the only Toho-produced Godzilla movies that I find flat-out unpleasant to watch.
I dislike all of the movies of the millenium series except for G2K and GMK
The United Nations are represented by the little brightly-colored dolphin boat.

User avatar
LiquidG
Terminated
Terminated
Posts: 3902
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:47 pm
Location: Church of Satan
Contact:

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by LiquidG »

I think each series has its faults and strong points, and one things the Millennium series has over the Heisei series is the Effects, its nice seeing a building explode or a monster get hit with something and not see millions of fucking sparks go flying everywhere like its the 4th of July.
TK's official member of the "Three L's of the Apocalypse"


Image

User avatar
eabaker
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 13758
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:16 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by eabaker »

^While I recognize that the Millennium fx have some technical superiority over the later Heisei fx, I find that, in the cases of all three of Tezuka's films (though particularly Against Mechagodzilla and Tokyo SOS), the lighting on the fx scenes is awful, and the visuals are just boring.
Tokyo, a smoldering memorial to the unknown, an unknown which at this very moment still prevails and could at any time lash out with its terrible destruction anywhere else in the world.

User avatar
LiquidG
Terminated
Terminated
Posts: 3902
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:47 pm
Location: Church of Satan
Contact:

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by LiquidG »

eabaker wrote:^While I recognize that the Millennium fx have some technical superiority over the later Heisei fx, I find that, in the cases of all three of Tezuka's films (though particularly Against Mechagodzilla and Tokyo SOS), the lighting on the fx scenes is awful, and the visuals are just boring.
I just think as a whole series the millenniums era fairs ever so slightly better in terms of effects, the first three Heisei films without question have better effects than most of the Millennium films. but as a whole the era had more sub par effects than the Millennium era, say what you will about the Kiryu saga but there's no question that Mothra looked beautiful in SOS, the mobility was top notch, especially compared to the 92 version.
TK's official member of the "Three L's of the Apocalypse"


Image

User avatar
eabaker
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 13758
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:16 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by eabaker »

LiquidG wrote:
eabaker wrote:^While I recognize that the Millennium fx have some technical superiority over the later Heisei fx, I find that, in the cases of all three of Tezuka's films (though particularly Against Mechagodzilla and Tokyo SOS), the lighting on the fx scenes is awful, and the visuals are just boring.
I just think as a whole series the millenniums era fairs ever so slightly better in terms of effects, the first three Heisei films without question have better effects than most of the Millennium films. but as a whole the era had more sub par effects than the Millennium era, say what you will about the Kiryu saga but there's no question that Mothra looked beautiful in SOS, the mobility was top notch, especially compared to the 92 version.
Like I said, I'll agree that there were technical improvements. It's just that, with storytelling and photography that dull, I honestly can't bring myself to pay enough attention to the fx scenes to really enjoy those improvements. I've have never been able to focus on Tokyo SOS all the way through; as soon as the monsters start showing up, I just start zoning out.
Tokyo, a smoldering memorial to the unknown, an unknown which at this very moment still prevails and could at any time lash out with its terrible destruction anywhere else in the world.

User avatar
LiquidG
Terminated
Terminated
Posts: 3902
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:47 pm
Location: Church of Satan
Contact:

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by LiquidG »

eabaker wrote:
LiquidG wrote:
eabaker wrote:^While I recognize that the Millennium fx have some technical superiority over the later Heisei fx, I find that, in the cases of all three of Tezuka's films (though particularly Against Mechagodzilla and Tokyo SOS), the lighting on the fx scenes is awful, and the visuals are just boring.
I just think as a whole series the millenniums era fairs ever so slightly better in terms of effects, the first three Heisei films without question have better effects than most of the Millennium films. but as a whole the era had more sub par effects than the Millennium era, say what you will about the Kiryu saga but there's no question that Mothra looked beautiful in SOS, the mobility was top notch, especially compared to the 92 version.
Like I said, I'll agree that there were technical improvements. It's just that, with storytelling and photography that dull, I honestly can't bring myself to pay enough attention to the fx scenes to really enjoy those improvements. I've have never been able to focus on Tokyo SOS all the way through; as soon as the monsters start showing up, I just start zoning out.
Indeed, to be honest I actually like Battle for Earth better than a majority of Millennium of films.
TK's official member of the "Three L's of the Apocalypse"


Image

User avatar
eabaker
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 13758
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:16 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by eabaker »

LiquidG wrote:Indeed, to be honest I actually like Battle for Earth better than a majority of Millennium of films.
Actually, so do I. The only Millennium film I can definitively say I'd rank above it would be GMK.
Tokyo, a smoldering memorial to the unknown, an unknown which at this very moment still prevails and could at any time lash out with its terrible destruction anywhere else in the world.

User avatar
LiquidG
Terminated
Terminated
Posts: 3902
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:47 pm
Location: Church of Satan
Contact:

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by LiquidG »

eabaker wrote:
LiquidG wrote:Indeed, to be honest I actually like Battle for Earth better than a majority of Millennium of films.
Actually, so do I. The only Millennium film I can definitively say I'd rank above it would be GMK.
Yeah GMK is pretty much a Diamond amongst a pile of dirty rocks, I would put the worst of the Heisei series ( save for Mechagodzilla ) above most of the Millennium series actually, I'm not saying the latter 90s films are masterpieces but damn were they more entertaining, at least to me.
TK's official member of the "Three L's of the Apocalypse"


Image

User avatar
three
Keizer
Posts: 9474
Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2013 7:26 am
Location: Hueco Mundo

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by three »

either i'm late to this, or i've been here and completely drew a blank just now.

either way, my favorite era of films is heisei. the reasons are pretty simple: a different kind of continuity, the designs of the monsters of the early films, a lack of the hand of CGI (which i can explain, if need be), the sheer fun of the era (stay with me here -- showa is MORE fun to me but it has its moments where my interest dulls), and finally the character development of kaiju and human individuals.

the earlier films, everything from RoG to GvMG2 had great design IMO. even though the Rodan prop was stiff as a board, the look and powerup were both pretty neat. showa Rodan looked...well like a puppet. a bad one. and showa Rodan wasn't exactly flexible either, so i cut plenty of slack for heisei Rodan (which i also can see the fault in, so i don't really blame other members for disliking h Rodan either).
other cool designs were King Ghidorah, who looked like a real monster and was beautiful in that weird, evil gold bar way. Biollante really doesn't need a ton of explanation -- creative concept and well executed. Godzilla's suit looked fantastic after RoG and up until MG2 when he "bulked" up. speaking of MG2, he looked pretty nifty as well, and i prefer this version of him (in terms of look as opposed to personality) because he looks sleeker, more mechanical -- you've got that polished gloss going on, and super MG is a weapon no kaiju can take lightly.

a different type of continuity refers to the consistency of character rather than actual connect - the - dots continuation within the universe of the films. what i mean to say is Godzilla is unquestionably the problem. he does not sway back and forth -- rather he is always the animal on a rampage and any kaiju caught was merely in the way of what he was trying to do. his enemies are also always (even in the case of MG2) always in the moral wrong.

the fun factor comes from how creative and how much of a sandbox Toho let the heisei films become. heisei has its dull moments, but it's consistently creative and entertaining from movie to movie, and not just in the monster fights.

and tying into calling Godzilla "the problem" there's the development of characters. personally, Godzilla and other creatures like Biollante developed nicely in terms of who they turned out to be, and how they carried that from movie to movie (characters like miki are also good examples.). Rodan's desire to protect his "brother", Space Godzilla's evil desire, all of the kaiju really kinda grew into their own. i enjoyed that.

as for the lack of overwhelming CGI, sometimes it's just better if something is actually in front of the screen, and in the millenium era there wasn't overwhelming amounts but there were horrible CG shots that i just...i don't wanna deal with.

so yea,

heisei

showa

millenium.
:pokeball: :cookie: :mechagodzilla: "I'm on a drug called Charlie Sheen" ~ Charlie Sheen

Gojira is:Very Hiroshima®
axnyslie wrote:I read that too quickly I though you said land MINES. Yes they are still out there so step lightly!
Well, I've read through that handbook for the recently deceased. It says: 'live people ignore the strange and unusual. I, myself, am strange and unusual. ~ Lydia Deetz

sir isaac newton is the deadliest son - of - a - bitch in space.

User avatar
Captain Aktion
Terminated
Terminated
Posts: 5250
Joined: Thu May 05, 2011 10:31 am

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by Captain Aktion »

I swear to God, the only reason anybody posts in a "favorite" anything thread on this forum is to get into an argument.

Favorite Godzilla era??? I don't have one, that's faintly stupid to me and I'm not entirely sure that there's any such thing as an "era" of Godzilla films. Just a designation category happy fans made up to easily compartmentalize the things they like. I have favorite Godzilla films, not a favorite span of years...I mean, what's the point of "era" other than something to disagree on and argue about? Isn't it all one series, whether each and every film is connected or not?
http://captainaktion.tumblr.com/

This website is for noncommercial use only and is not affiliated with, or authorized or endorsed by Toho Co. Ltd.

Forum Rules and Guidelines Excerpt, Section 10:
Staff Accountability
no moderator, administrator, group moderator, forum leader, site staffer, or former member of the aforementioned groups is exempt from scrutiny

Failure by members or ex-members of leadership to avoid such activity may result in termination.

Know The Score

User avatar
Gamera vs Rodan
JXSDF Technician
Posts: 985
Joined: Sat Oct 19, 2013 7:18 pm
Location: Planet X

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by Gamera vs Rodan »

Captain Aktion wrote:I swear to God, the only reason anybody posts in a "favorite" anything thread on this forum is to get into an argument.

Favorite Godzilla era??? I don't have one, that's faintly stupid to me and I'm not entirely sure that there's any such thing as an "era" of Godzilla films. Just a designation category happy fans made up to easily compartmentalize the things they like. I have favorite Godzilla films, not a favorite span of years...I mean, what's the point of "era" other than something to disagree on and argue about? Isn't it all one series, whether each and every film is connected or not?
I'd argue the Heisei era is pretty consistent in a lot of categories. I'd definitely agree it's hard to call all of Showa one era because it goes through so many changes.

User avatar
eabaker
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 13758
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:16 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by eabaker »

Captain Aktion wrote:I mean, what's the point of "era" other than something to disagree on and argue about?
A context from which to think about a film while watching it? One possible starting point for discussing trends in narrative, character, and style?
Tokyo, a smoldering memorial to the unknown, an unknown which at this very moment still prevails and could at any time lash out with its terrible destruction anywhere else in the world.

User avatar
mechabrent
Monarch Researcher
Posts: 357
Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2013 7:49 am
Location: Maryland

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by mechabrent »

three wrote:either i'm late to this, or i've been here and completely drew a blank just now.

either way, my favorite era of films is heisei. the reasons are pretty simple: a different kind of continuity, the designs of the monsters of the early films, a lack of the hand of CGI (which i can explain, if need be), the sheer fun of the era (stay with me here -- showa is MORE fun to me but it has its moments where my interest dulls), and finally the character development of kaiju and human individuals.

the earlier films, everything from RoG to GvMG2 had great design IMO. even though the Rodan prop was stiff as a board, the look and powerup were both pretty neat. showa Rodan looked...well like a puppet. a bad one. and showa Rodan wasn't exactly flexible either, so i cut plenty of slack for heisei Rodan (which i also can see the fault in, so i don't really blame other members for disliking h Rodan either).
other cool designs were King Ghidorah, who looked like a real monster and was beautiful in that weird, evil gold bar way. Biollante really doesn't need a ton of explanation -- creative concept and well executed. Godzilla's suit looked fantastic after RoG and up until MG2 when he "bulked" up. speaking of MG2, he looked pretty nifty as well, and i prefer this version of him (in terms of look as opposed to personality) because he looks sleeker, more mechanical -- you've got that polished gloss going on, and super MG is a weapon no kaiju can take lightly.

a different type of continuity refers to the consistency of character rather than actual connect - the - dots continuation within the universe of the films. what i mean to say is Godzilla is unquestionably the problem. he does not sway back and forth -- rather he is always the animal on a rampage and any kaiju caught was merely in the way of what he was trying to do. his enemies are also always (even in the case of MG2) always in the moral wrong.

the fun factor comes from how creative and how much of a sandbox Toho let the heisei films become. heisei has its dull moments, but it's consistently creative and entertaining from movie to movie, and not just in the monster fights.

and tying into calling Godzilla "the problem" there's the development of characters. personally, Godzilla and other creatures like Biollante developed nicely in terms of who they turned out to be, and how they carried that from movie to movie (characters like miki are also good examples.). Rodan's desire to protect his "brother", Space Godzilla's evil desire, all of the kaiju really kinda grew into their own. i enjoyed that.

as for the lack of overwhelming CGI, sometimes it's just better if something is actually in front of the screen, and in the millenium era there wasn't overwhelming amounts but there were horrible CG shots that i just...i don't wanna deal with.

so yea,

heisei

showa

millenium.
I agree on EVERY point! Took the words out of my mouth!
The United Nations are represented by the little brightly-colored dolphin boat.

User avatar
Captain Aktion
Terminated
Terminated
Posts: 5250
Joined: Thu May 05, 2011 10:31 am

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by Captain Aktion »

eabaker wrote: A context from which to think about a film while watching it? One possible starting point for discussing trends in narrative, character, and style?
So, all things that nobody here is really talking about?
http://captainaktion.tumblr.com/

This website is for noncommercial use only and is not affiliated with, or authorized or endorsed by Toho Co. Ltd.

Forum Rules and Guidelines Excerpt, Section 10:
Staff Accountability
no moderator, administrator, group moderator, forum leader, site staffer, or former member of the aforementioned groups is exempt from scrutiny

Failure by members or ex-members of leadership to avoid such activity may result in termination.

Know The Score

User avatar
eabaker
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 13758
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:16 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by eabaker »

Captain Aktion wrote:
eabaker wrote: A context from which to think about a film while watching it? One possible starting point for discussing trends in narrative, character, and style?
So, all things that nobody here is really talking about?
Yeah, pretty much.
Tokyo, a smoldering memorial to the unknown, an unknown which at this very moment still prevails and could at any time lash out with its terrible destruction anywhere else in the world.

User avatar
Mechagigan
Futurian
Posts: 3963
Joined: Thu Mar 20, 2014 12:37 pm

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by Mechagigan »

My thoughts on each era, with them in my preferred order.

Showa - The most creative and entertaining era, and certainly the most famous. Logic was usually thrown out the window, but that wasn't a bad thing at all. However, when logic did stay, classics such as Gojira were made. Though the family-friendly angle was unsuccessful, it made for some great laughs, giving it a pass.
Millenium - Very stylistic and recognizable, with a good mix of fantasy and reality. Each movie treated as its own entity allowed for loads of originality, and the two films that were tied together made a fun mini-series. Sometimes, there were traces of style over substance, along with some designs looking too unnatural, which is never a good thing.
Heisei - Set in an interesting near-reality with an uncommon (in the series) continuity. The monsters usually looked nothing short of amazing, though at times they were truly terrible (For example, the tennis-ball headed Mothra.), and the same goes with the sometimes fascinating, sometimes boring plots. Miki's psychic character devolved noticeably into a preachy annoyance by SpaceGodzilla, and the continuity sometimes made less sense than it made plenty of.

User avatar
attilagodzilla
G-Force Personnel
Posts: 798
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2010 7:40 am
Location: Netherlands

Re: Favorite Godzilla Era

Post by attilagodzilla »

I like each Era, but the showa Era is my favorite.
one of the few Godzilla fans from holland
Top 5 godzilla movies:
Gojira
Shin Godzilla
GMK
Godzilla vs mechagodzilla 1974
Ghidorah the 3 headed monster

Post Reply