Monster Discussion: Godzilla (MonsterVerse)

[Dv-218]

My favorite out of all 2014-onward Reiwa incarnations of the character and possibly my favorite one as a whole. Won't lie that it might be partially due to the fact he is the first Godzilla I have ever seen properly on the big screen but he really does encapsulate the character in a a way that's honestly perfect for a western adaptation. KOTM and GvK in particular cemented that imo. His personality, stoic and no-nonsense attitude coupled with his design and sounds make him memorable as hell for me. Plus his atomic charge is peak badass.

[GodzillaDude]

I’ve loved Godzilla since I was a baby and I never thought I’d say it but this American version of Godzilla is my all time favorite! Basically has been since the 2014 film and has only increased since then for me. It’s so respectful to Toho but something of its own as well. The ancient origin hadn’t been done in this way with Godzilla yet and it really worked within the great realm of the Monsterverse. This Godzilla feels like an actual character with thoughts and perspective, he serves a very specific purpose of serving the natural order but then you have moments with Serizawa or even the look held with ATJ in 2014 and you can tell he’s a creature capable of feeling in his own way and can understand. What a brilliant writing for the Big G and I’ve loved getting to see him as many times as we have. Feels like a love letter to everyone that’s been a fan and will be in the future.

[TheRealSpinoRex]

He's perfection.

He's also this decades' defining Godzilla.

60s/70s had Showa
80s/90s had Heisei
00/04 had Millennium
14/- has Legendary

I don't see Reiwa making the same mark because there's no continuity there.

Theres no continuity in Millennium either aside from the two Kiryu movies

[TheRealSpinoRex]

This guy is the go-to modern Godzilla for me. Anyways, anyone care to speculate where he lies in the evolutionary tree? I think he is some kind of creature within the greater Crocodile/Alligator lineage.

I think he's a stem-mammal synapsid related to Dimetrodon

[Kaijuboi]

Honestly, this incarnation probably has some of the best designs in my opinion. It has this basic silhouette of Godzilla mixed with early reptilians we would see in nature. I also like how he's in a way a babysitter for the planet if things go downhill. Not to mention the way his atomic breath charges up with that windup noise.

[king_ghidorah]

Still my favorite G design of all time. I’m not sure it can ever be topped.

Now….about that small head.

1. I think having a smaller head makes Godzilla look less animalistic and more noble/powerful. A bigger head, the sort that would be used as a primary means of attack, makes Godzilla more T. rex ish.

2. Godzilla having a smaller head is pretty much the only way you can have him offensively engage in hand to hand combat in a convincing way. If his hands and arms can’t even clear past his mouth, then it’s hard to see how he can fight in anyway but biting foes. And back to point one, to me, that just seems to make him less of a character and more of a creature.

3. I think the bigger dorsal spines in GKOTM make his head look smaller in comparison, but it's for the better. If you look at the pre-viz work in the behind the scenes stuff for GKOTM, it has the 2014 proportions and it looks....off.....dog-like instead of noble god. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWLi8PMfo_s&t=201s


Additionally, Dougherty made the changes so when presenting Godzilla on film he’s presented as less awkward looking. When he made the changes he knew how he planned on depicting him....I don’t think Wingard had that same connection and he didn’t know exactly what Dougherty had in mind when visualizing Godzilla-the end result being some occasionally derpy shots of Godzilla. Wingard for instance tends to have G with his head craned forward which elongates the neck and makes the head seem smaller. Dougherty presents Godzilla in a more Heisei esque pose with his head pulled back and it looks great in my opinion.

Lastly, comparisons matter. Godzilla looks better in GKOTM also in part due to his foes having similar proportions. Kong, has a gigantic head in comparison. It looks great on Kong but at times, it does look goofy in comparison to Godzilla.

Again though, if you look at how big they are compared to each other stats wise, it doesn’t look bad. It’s just the angles that were chosen.

That may make it seem like I'm down on Wingard but he did some great things with the character as well....his version of Godzilla probably has my favorite personality out of the three and I like the new version of the intimidation display.

[Godzilla18]

Hey, why hasn't Legendary Godzilla and Kong's BIOS been updated? They've taken time to add in other monsters and creatures by what gives with leaving their bios untouched since their first respective movies and comics?

[Follinollante]

Haven't seen any of the MV films yet, but IMO he's too fat.

[VOID GHIDORAH]

Haven't seen any of the MV films yet, but IMO he's too fat.

Heisei is far more obese.

The CGI model and development stuff shows that it’s actually mostly muscle.

[Follinollante]

Haven't seen any of the MV films yet, but IMO he's too fat.

Heisei is far more obese.

Just the legs. The torso and up always looked fine to me.

[SpiderZilla]

Haven't seen any of the MV films yet, but IMO he's too fat.

Heisei is far more obese.

Just the legs. The torso and up always looked fine to me.

I’ve always wondered why they made his legs so large in Heisei. Was there ever an explanation?

[Follinollante]

Of course, Godzilla's seen chonkier days.
*Insert Hanna-Barbera Godzilla*

[MrRockett]

Of course, Godzilla's seen chonkier days.
*Insert Hanna-Barbera Godzilla*

RWARRRR I wasn't fat, that wasn't a beer belly, I was drawn from a low perspective to show how tall I was... I'm offended!!

Cordially,
HB Godzilla

Added in 9 minutes 41 seconds:
My favorite is 1998, it's the perfect iteration of a modern Goroarus...Wait, we are talking Godzilla...Sorry.

I am really happy with MV Goji, his evolution etc. They've managed to give him personality (maybe a little too much in the grin, could have been handled a little better but I digress) When he collapsed in 2014 and you see Brody look at him as the dust enveloped him, like "I'm not the enemy" his rebellious roars in KTOM Ghidorah battles or when he braces himself on the building after the electro shock like, OK dammit that hurt.

Could the head be a smidge bigger? Sure...they corrected the feet somewhat but at least the stump feet had reasoning behind them. I'd say each director has shown Godzilla love in their own way and it's worked, he's a dynamic creature and the mythos being developed supports it.

[Mac Daddy MM]

When G'14 came out, I thought it was a good Godzilla. It wasn't one of my favorites, but I felt it was a solid Godzilla design and character. And then KoTM and GvK happened and really gave me the Godzilla I've been wanting since I was a kid. The Force of Nature Godzilla is my favorite personna of the monster, and KoTM and GvK really highlight this. KoTM and GvK fixed what lil issues I had about the G'14 design (toes, not a fan of the whip tail and spines). LOVED the 54 spines. Now, I just hope GxK swaps up the spines again, maybe base them on '62's. And I'd love to see the spines get a traditional silver/bone color to them.

The only thing I really don't care for MV Godzilla is the super drawn out roar. They've done some shortened versions of it, but I really wish they'd just stick with a deeper classic roar.

[Gojira18]

MV Godzilla was the incarnation that really solidified myself as a Godzilla fan. Bit of a hot take here but this is my favorite version of a "Heroic" Godzilla in terms of character. Yes, even moreso than Showa.
GareGoji is honestly my go-to Godzilla design in general. I know it's sacrilege, especially on here, to prefer a filthy CGI American design but GareGoji is honestly just an amazing design. A few nitpicks aside, it hits all the main check marks I'd expect from a great Godzilla design and also has some new details (Gills, the more crocodilian morphology, his dorsal spines) that help him stand out from his Japanese counterparts while still remaining faithful.
As for DougheGoji, I also really like the design overall and I can definitely see why it's a lot of casual fan's go-to design. It's shoulder to shoulder with Bio and Kiryu Gojis as second place. That said, the design tweaks have their pros and cons. On the one hand, I like the 1954 spines and the feet are better, and I like that it's a smidge more in line with the classic Toho designs. But on the other hand, shrinking the head and tail was unnecessary and while he is more like a classic Godzilla, he does lose a bit of what made this American Godzilla unique from its peers.

[Dv-218]

I will say, one of the things that I actually do like about GareGoji more is the coloration. It’s a pretty niche aspect but the brown with a more defined countershading had a nice vibe to it. Idk why it was changed to uniform gray.

Other than that I honestly don’t differentiate both that much. The only changes that are like, more or less obvious are the spines and to some extent the head size. Otherwise they are effectively the same thing and barely differ in function and appearance to the general viewer. I have a slight preference towards DougheGoji due to his bigger, maple leaf plates and better defined sharper claws but both are up there as some of my favorite Godzilla designs. I just love this incarnation as a whole.

[gottatalktothefake]

Tied for my favorite Godzilla incarnation with Heisei.

[Janjira-York]

I will say, one of the things that I actually do like about GareGoji more is the coloration. It’s a pretty niche aspect but the brown with a more defined countershading had a nice vibe to it. Idk why it was changed to uniform gray.

Other than that I honestly don’t differentiate both that much. The only changes that are like, more or less obvious are the spines and to some extent the head size. Otherwise they are effectively the same thing and barely differ in function and appearance to the general viewer. I have a slight preference towards DougheGoji due to his bigger, maple leaf plates and better defined sharper claws but both are up there as some of my favorite Godzilla designs. I just love this incarnation as a whole.

the design was made to have those earth colors and it fucking rocks it

[HeiseiGodzilla117]

Just moving my replies from another thread over here instead just to keep from derailing that thread by talking too much about Godzilla himself.
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Yeah I agree with this ultimately. That's the point, however: Earth is HIS planet. We just live on it. Godzilla protecting his ecosystem benefits us ultimately since we live in it. He's only a hero circumstantially, and he was shown actively destroying things purposefully in GvK

I actually don't think his heroism is circumstantial. Him saving individual humans is circumstantial (as far as we know anyway). But that's not the only thing that defines his heroism. He's a force for the well-being of Earth. And I think he recognizes it. He's intelligent. Yes, he destroys things purposefully in GvK. But, it's for a very good reason. He knows something our protagonists don't know and is seeking to eradicate the threat. When he thinks Kong is going to get in the way, he puts him in his place and gets back to business. So it's not wanton destruction.

There's this sort of anti-hero element combined with a "for the greater good" thing going on with MV Godzilla's personality. At least, that's the reading I get from him. That's why I likened him to Conan, who saves people if he thinks he'll benefit and will smash those who resist without a second though. But also the Man With No Name who is self-serving but also helps others and only kills those who really need killing. In fact, GvK is the movie that solidified that comparison for me because the Hong Kong fight and Godzilla and Kong's final terms had almost a fucked up The Good, The Bad and the Ugly feel to it. Only Godzilla had to stomp Kong's chest instead of forcing him into a noose at gunpoint. And Kong wasn't screeching at Godzilla swimming away at the end. lol

This will probably sound completely ridiculous, but the quote I like to think of regarding MV Godzilla comes from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.


"Safe? Of course he isn't safe. But he is good."

Nah. I don't think it sounds ridiculous at all. I mean, you've seen the comparisons I've made. This is a site loaded with Godzilla fans. So these sorts of conversations are gonna happen.

And I think that's a good interpretation of this Godzilla as well. That's about Aslan in the book, right? I vaguely remember the line, but it's been sooooo long since I read it. But it makes sense. Aslan is dangerous, but undeniably good. MV Godzilla is dangerous, but also good. Though maybe Godzilla is a bit more of a dick and a little more reckless in his approach. lol
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Also, to contribute to this thread a bit more. I love MV Godzilla. He's got a great design and soooo much personality. For me, he's probably my second favorite version of the character. So just below Heisei and maybe juuuuuust a smidge higher than Showa Godzilla.

[MC_Lovecraft]

Thanks for resurrecting this thread.

Yeah, that quote is describing Aslan. Another one, used repeatedly in the books, works good for MV Godzilla too I think. "He's not a tame lion, you know".

Since we're here, I'll say that MV Godzilla is probably my fave. Everything about his design and personality just kind of brings together everything I've loved about him since that first time watching Monster Zero, all those years ago. He's a dinosaur, a dragon, and a symbol that there are some things humanity can't tame. Three of my favorite things.