What's the Most Polarizing Godzilla Film?

[Gojira18]

I gotta agree and say Final Wars. All the other choices on here have their discourse but they at least have a smaller group of people that say it was just OK. With Final Wars, I have never met anyone that's middle of the road. It's either the BEST or the WORST with NO in between

[Dv-218]

I still remember scouring through hordes and hordes of FW rants on late 2000s YT, while simultaneously going through a literally equal amount of tributes and praise reviews for how “over the top” it was. It absolutely felt like a split that was a product of its time that only got accelerated by the dry period pre-2014. As splitting as opinions got nothing recent can create this much of a Syrian rift lol.

[Gojira18]

I still remember scouring through hordes and hordes of FW rants on late 2000s YT, while simultaneously going through a literally equal amount of tributes and praise reviews for how “over the top” it was. It absolutely felt like a split that was a product of its time that only got accelerated by the dry period pre-2014. As splitting as opinions got nothing recent can create this much of a Syrian rift lol.

I remember all the Final Wars AMVs with Sum 41 or Godsmack on Youtube and never paid attention to the comments haha

[Dv-218]

I still remember scouring through hordes and hordes of FW rants on late 2000s YT, while simultaneously going through a literally equal amount of tributes and praise reviews for how “over the top” it was. It absolutely felt like a split that was a product of its time that only got accelerated by the dry period pre-2014. As splitting as opinions got nothing recent can create this much of a Syrian rift lol.

I remember all the Final Wars AMVs with Sum 41 or Godsmack on Youtube and never paid attention to the comments haha

Truly nothing screams “2007” more than a Final Wars photo slideshow/AMV set to either Sum 41 or Skillet in 360p at max

[Gojira18]

I still remember scouring through hordes and hordes of FW rants on late 2000s YT, while simultaneously going through a literally equal amount of tributes and praise reviews for how “over the top” it was. It absolutely felt like a split that was a product of its time that only got accelerated by the dry period pre-2014. As splitting as opinions got nothing recent can create this much of a Syrian rift lol.

I remember all the Final Wars AMVs with Sum 41 or Godsmack on Youtube and never paid attention to the comments haha

Truly nothing screams “2007” more than a Final Wars photo slideshow/AMV set to either Sum 41 or Skillet in 360p at max

They were the best. Especially Sum 41 and Linkin Park AMVs

[edgaguirus]

I remember one that used the theme to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

[miguelnuva]

While FW should win this, Shin and Kotm have the virtue of existing at the same time.

Yes 2005 was either you love or hated FW but Shin and the MV are a close second. The reason FW seems much worse is because that was it for Godzilla. It was just FW.

For people like me that hate Shin we have the MV and for people that hate the MV they had Shin. For people that hated bith they had hope because we knew more films were coming.

FW was like RotS in 2005. As a matter of fact FW and the PT have a lot in common.

I also think a lot of us have grown since 2005 as well. Legion mentioned he was 25, I know I was a teenager was FW was new, the forum itself was also more wild back in those days. If you look at places like YouTube, reddit and Facebook I've seen some MV vs Shin cults with some fans even washing their hands of Toho or vice versa.

At the end of the day Shin was the second polar war, FW was the first.

[Jomei]

Son of Godzilla simply for Minya, though I'm sure some Showa vs Heisei partisanship factors in as well.

[godjacob]

Godzilla 1998.

But if my answer is only related to Toho films, easily FW. Even now nearly two decades later that film still gets people either fighting to defend it or trash it on the regular within this fandom.

[GodzillaXGomoraFight]

Call it recency bias but I voted for Shin Godzilla in this poll. I joined the fandom online as a kid just after Final Wars had come out and was on the forum for the years between Final Wars and 2014. Consensus was split on Final Wars and there was certainly a lot of negative against Ratzilla. I myself was in that camp of dislike for years until I re-evaluated during my last marathon in 2019. I now respect the movie now for what it is and recognize it as a celebration of 50 years of Toho sci-fi flicks despite its imperfections.

Shin Godzilla, in my opinion, is more polarizing because of how far they stretched the limits of Godzilla's characterization. Godzilla always has a bit of personality to him in how he moves, reacts to military fire, etc. Shin acts fairly brain dead and seems more like a means to an end than its own character. I am recently starting to like the design more, but at the time I was really puzzled by it and the earlier forms. Movie gets some heat off its back because of how critically acclaimed it is, something that Final Wars doesn't have going for it.

Besides these two, 1998 would take the crown because of how strong the reaction was to it and how it brought forth the Millennium films.

[CyberZilla]

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Shin Godzilla, in my opinion, is more polarizing because of how far they stretched the limits of Godzilla's characterization. Godzilla always has a bit of personality to him in how he moves, reacts to military fire, etc. Shin acts fairly brain dead and seems more like a means to an end than its own character.

I wanna suggest something briefly about this. The characterization is definitely different than previous Godzillas, and to me it almost invoked a Frankenstein’s monster type of characterization: a creature whose existence is painful and miserable, as well as a creature that seemingly has no place in the world, yet is doomed to live as part of it. Granted, I could see some aspects of that in previous Godzillas, but this version leaned into the suffering of its existence even harder. The design certainly suggests that interpretation given the hyper-emphasized keloid scars, the blood from the gills in previous forms, the blood-red accents, and the grotesque jaw-splitting.

Perhaps the characterization is meant to be as a creature that you want to feel some pity for, even as it rages against the humanity that set it along that path of painful mutation and evolution. I can definitely see those kinds of characteristics in songs such as Who Will Know? and Persecution of the Masses, which play during key moments that ShinGoji experiences.

[GodzillaXGomoraFight]

I definitely agree that a Frankenstein's Monster characterization is what they were going for with Shin. The mutations and how the cast marvel at Godzilla as a perfect organism certainly lean towards that heavily. The design and songs can of course imply that it is a monster in perpetual agony, but in its actual behavior it fails to really bring this home and a disconnect exists.

If it takes a song like Who Will Know, while good, I have to Google the lyrics to follow, is not an effective means of personifying Godzilla. Subtle hints of personality and intelligence of other Godzillas like 54 go a long way for me in connecting with Godzilla as a character. Frankenstein's Monster had the benefit of being a humanoid creature that could communicate its agony to others. Even in the original movie with Karloff, Karloff doesn't speak yet he could convey the inner monologue of the Monster's suffering with body language and groans. I know it is not apples to apples with a CGI Godzilla, but it is in that regard why I think Shin Godzilla misses the mark. It is a deliberate choice by Anno in his interpretation of Godzilla, an idea that I also think he had better success with in Evangelion.

Rewatched the movie again tonight (probably 5th time at this point), and my main criticism of this movie from release remains. Yes, the political bureaucracy of Japanese politics is also shoved down our throats relentlessly, but it doesn't bother me as much as how I feel it drops the ball with Godzilla.

Some of the questions I always ask myself after watching Shin:

1) Is it one of the better Godzilla movies? Sure.

2) Is the movie really meant for Japanese audiences and not for G Fans abroad? Ive accepted that it is.

3) Is the sound design a great homage or just bad? I lean towards bad and cost cutting. It is not a Showa movie from 40-50 years ago and sticks out like a sore thumb.

4) Is the CGI actually good? Inconsistent is what I would say. Sometimes looks incredible like but some parts look wonky.

5) Do I like what Shin Godzilla represents as a return to form for the franchise? Yes, even if I'd take 54 and 84 over it 9 times out of 10.

6) Should Shin Godzilla be the new face of a new generation of Godzilla? No Way! In retrospect, despite the larger flaws of Monsterverse, I am very happy that it exists in tandem with Shin Godzilla.

As you can tell, it is the one Godzilla movie that has left me scratching my head the most and asking the most questions. Perhaps that's a good thing as it is a movie that sparks conversation.

Polarizing indeed.

[shadowgigan]

2) Is the movie really meant for Japanese audiences and not for G Fans abroad? Ive accepted that it is.
Polarizing indeed.

Wouldn't this be true of any Japanese produced Godzilla movie though?

[LegendZilla]

2) Is the movie really meant for Japanese audiences and not for G Fans abroad? Ive accepted that it is.
Polarizing indeed.

Wouldn't this be true of any Japanese produced Godzilla movie though?

I'd say it was designed to cater to audiences not necessarily based on nationality, but more so on mindset.

[GodzillaXGomoraFight]

2) Is the movie really meant for Japanese audiences and not for G Fans abroad? Ive accepted that it is.
Polarizing indeed.

Wouldn't this be true of any Japanese produced Godzilla movie though?

I'd say it was designed to cater to audiences not necessarily based on nationality, but more so on mindset.

Yes. As a Japanese product meant for the domestic box office first and foremost, all Toho released Godzilla movies are catered to its target audience. In the case of Shin, it is making a deliberate point on the state of Japanese politics and the country's position on the international stage. In that way I guess it is very similat to 84, where we explored Japan's role caught in the middle of the Cold War.

I know that its point on Japan-American relations is a controversial part of the film for us Western fans, probably the most contentious since the US military scenes in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. It is a perspective that us foreign fans don't always get to see, which is why I feel more like an outsider looking in when watching Shin, which is a sensation that I don't feel as much with any other Godzilla film.

[JAGzilla]

I appreciate the squarely Japanese perspective in Shin. Fact is, we Western fans are outsiders looking in. I like being reminded that a world exists beyond Planet America, and that other peoples have opinions, experiences, and perspectives that differ from ours. Do I squirm a little bit when Japan is called a 'tributary state'? Of course. That's a good thing. We should be aware of the impact we have on other countries.

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

That's one of the things I love most about Shin. It's like a deep look into something that only specific few people get to witness.

[miguelnuva]

Another reason I say Shin is not for me. I'm glad others get something out of it but I prefer when Godzilla is a worldwide problem that just happens to take place in Japan.

Shin also suffers from the same problem I have with Adam and Lilith in Eva but that's another topic.

[edgaguirus]

Aside from DAM, Godzilla is treated as a primarily Japanese threat and not the world. In Gojira Pacific shipping routes are suspended, which would effect international trade, and we have Japan caught between two nuclear powers in G1984, but Godzilla is mainly seen as a danger to Japan.

[miguelnuva]

Aside from DAM, Godzilla is treated as a primarily Japanese threat and not the world. In Gojira Pacific shipping routes are suspended, which would effect international trade, and we have Japan caught between two nuclear powers in G1984, but Godzilla is mainly seen as a danger to Japan.

America and the world is mentioned a couple of times in atleast the showa dub films so that is likely skewing my memories a bit.