The human side of the movie

[edgaguirus]

With the recent talk about human stories and such on the unpopular topic, it sounds like a good discussion on its own. The movies have had some great stories and dramas, from the everyman view of kaiju destruction in GRA, ragtag groups fighting evil in GvsTSM and G vs Gigan, to epic and/or tragic tales like KK vs G and ToMG. These stories not only give audiences characters to relate to, but help establish the feel of the movie. It especially helps when the stories really get us engaged in the non-kaiju parts.

I think the best example of these is GvsTSM. The story and characters truly carry this film, with Godzilla and Ebirah providing the monster spectacle.

[eabaker]

For me, the original Gojira still has hands-down the most compelling human drama of the series. In particular, of course, Emiko and Serizawa are both faced with monumental moral/ethical choices that will shape the fate of the world, but force them to question the values they believe they stand for. Serizawa, in particular, I consider far and away the most significant and affecting human character of the entire series.

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

I know the franchise is often criticized for its lack of fun or compelling human characters but it's a big misconception. So bad in fact that even some fans of the franchise believe it. Yeah we're not talking high drama here but they don't always need to be. As much as I despise Edwards and G14 at least they tried something a bit more meaningful even if it was mostly a massive failure.

[Spuro]

I know the franchise is often criticized for its lack of fun or compelling human characters but it's a big misconception. So bad in fact that even some fans of the franchise believe it.

The popularity and impact of the Heisei series probably doesn't help that perception.

[Breakdown]

It's a no-brainer that Gojira has some of, if not THE best human characters in the series. I'd also argue Godzilla vs Biollante has some good ones, namely Dr. Shiragami.

[TheLastGezora]

I think it's a darn shame how often people downplay or ignore the human side of Godzilla films. I often find the plots of these films to be highly engaging, and it's the actions and emotions of the human cast that makes them so engaging. Gojira gets its dues (as it absolutely should) but I think there are a lot of other films in the series with well-performed human plotlines: King Kong vs. Godzilla, Invasion of Astro Monster, Terror of Mechagodzilla, Godzilla 2000, etc.

I know the franchise is often criticized for its lack of fun or compelling human characters but it's a big misconception. So bad in fact that even some fans of the franchise believe it.

The popularity and impact of the Heisei series probably doesn't help that perception.

I think a lot of the Heisei series has this weird issue where its protagonists and point-of-view characters tend to be boring and/or underdeveloped, but its periphery characters have arcs of their own which make them stand out a lot more.

Who do you remember more from Godzilla vs. Biollante? Kazuhito and Asuka, or Col. Gondo and Dr. Shiragami?
Who do you remember more from Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah? Terasawa and Morimura, or Shindo and Emi Kano?

I'm guessing they were trying to make the protagonists "everyman" characters to make them more relatable, which might be a good idea but it has the countereffect of also making them less memorable.

[szmigiel]

When I look at the list of my favorite Godzilla films to watch, the ones with the most compelling human storylines always rise to the top.

The original Godzilla is a great example of mixing the monster with an engaging human drama, everything fits so well and I am never asking when Godzilla is going to show up again, because of the intriguing story.

Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster has a good secondary plot with the police trying to protect the amnesiac princess that is part of an assassination plot.

I still think Invasion of the Astro Monster would be one of my favorite Toho sci-fi films even if the Kaiju were cut from the plot, and it was just Planet X plans to invade Earth and Fuji and Glenn trying to figure out what they are up to, and how to stop them.

Ebirah the Horror of the Deep has the best human plot line of the franchise. It is better as a castaway vs the evil organization on a remote island film, than a kaiju film. Each of the castaways plays a major role in the plot and dealing with Red Bamboo. The most boring part being seeing the Infant Island natives asking if Mothra is ready yet.

Even Son of Godzilla has a storyline where the characters are actively trying to avoid the kaiju that have taken over their island, so there is almost a parallel storyline between the human and the kaiju that keeps intersecting.

I do give Godzilla Vs Hedorah credit for the human trying to deal with pollution turned into a kaiju storyline, even if I find the kid on the annoying side.

I find Return of Godzilla interesting in the 1st act as the build suspense, and the movie actually gets worse once Godzilla shows up.

Godzilla Vs Biollante has a very compelling storyline with the Doctor, the bio-engineering, and corporate espionage aspects. The super assassin is a little hit or miss.

I also enjoy the investigation angle being a big part of Godzilla Vs King Ghidorah, just sucks that the time travel plot is bungled so badly.

GMK is a great human drama with the film being spilt between the daughters investigation and the fathers dealing with the threat.

Again I like the human vs Xiliens storyline of Final Wars, and don’t mind it taking up most of the 1st half of the film.

Shin Godzilla is a thought provoking look at how a government deals with an unprecedented disaster.

Lastly I like all the techno-babble of Godzilla Singular Point since it is the core of what is happening in the story.

[eabaker]

It's a no-brainer that Gojira has some of, if not THE best human characters in the series. I'd also argue Godzilla vs Biollante has some good ones, namely Dr. Shiragami.

Shirigami is a damned good character, as is fan-favorite Gondo, and my personal favorite Kuroki. But I think the real success of the human side of GvsB is in how it balances such a large and varied ensemble, with the characters bouncing off of one another in different interesting combinations, and each contributing in some significant way to the plot. It's a very solidly built script.

Added in 2 minutes 16 seconds:

Even Son of Godzilla has a storyline where the characters are actively trying to avoid the kaiju that have taken over their island, so there is almost a parallel storyline between the human and the kaiju that keeps intersecting.

I'd say that SoG is ultimately more a story about the collective efforts of the human cast to survive and accomplish their goals than it is a story about the monsters.

[Jetty_Jags]

The human story is all but required to emotionally ground the genre's special effects flair (with the exception of very specific hypothetical kaiju story a la the other discussion) and raise genre entrees beyond destruction porn. While execution on the human element clearly varies throughout the series, and as a whole the human arches tend to be quite narratively simple (although I'd argue the best entrees are narratively efficient with characters), that does not mean they are inherently bad, unimportant, or most offensively removable. I think the greatest concern facing any continued monsterverse entrees is the insistence on following monarch as it morphs into the mv's version of shield. From a technical standpoint, this trend makes sense, as it has proven successful in the past, and allows for narratively simple explanations to tie monster behavior to character behavior. However, the shift towards what are effectively high-futurism CIA mixed NASA operatives, is that it becomes increasingly complicated to make relatable and grounded human plot elements that aren't overtly convoluted. Even Godzilla vs Kong which largely jettisons any human development outside of Jia, has to work backwards via exposition to justify Skarsgard's (amongst others) connection to the plot.

[edgaguirus]

The human story is all but required to emotionally ground the genre's special effects flair

When a movie's narrative makes you feel for the characters, you know it's one that will grab people. Gojira does this very well with Emiko and Serizawa having to make difficult choices, while characters like Shiragami and Katsura move us with their circumstances or motivations. G14 had a great dramatic and emotional element in Joe. It's easy to become invested in Joe and the pain that drives his quest.