Talkback Thread #16: The Return of Godzilla

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LegendZilla
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Re: Talkback Thread #16: The Return of Godzilla

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GoKelley86 wrote: Fri Nov 29, 2024 6:16 am Its so strange how back in the day, I couldn't find the Japanese versions to save my life. I mean sure, if you lived in the US, you could find them if you had the right connections or knew where to go, but I was a little kid. What tape trading connections would I have had?

But now the reverse has happened where the dubs and American edits I grew up with are now the harder versions to find. The API dubs and G85 are now somewhat lost films among the franchise as the Japanese original cuts have now become more available

While it is great to see this films as they were originally intended, I still have that nostalgic tug the heart strings for the versions I grew up with.

Its just weird how things turned around like that.
New World Pictures had a cool logo. Does anyone else feel seeing it in the US cut added to the expirence?

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Re: Talkback Thread #16: The Return of Godzilla

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I didn't care about the logo, but that opening score got me excited.
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Re: Talkback Thread #16: The Return of Godzilla

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This movie turns 40 in just a few weeks.

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Re: Talkback Thread #16: The Return of Godzilla

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That's pretty insane. This one's always felt somehow new to me, even though it's about 20 or so years older than me. I love how it's aged, it's a very pretty time capsule of 80s Japan, and the effects have a certain grungey 80s look to them that I love

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Re: Talkback Thread #16: The Return of Godzilla

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Yeah, the grungy 80s vibes of the two 80s films have made these two films perpetual favorites of mine. The atmosphere and mood, borderline cyber punk ish at times, makes them pretty much impossible to top in my mind.

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Re: Talkback Thread #16: The Return of Godzilla

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Since Akihito Hirata was initially cast in this movie only to die during pre-production, may I ask why? I heard he got throat cancer, but was it due to heavy smoking?

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Re: Talkback Thread #16: The Return of Godzilla

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Information I've read says it was lung cancer. As for a smoking habit, I can't find anything on that.
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Re: Talkback Thread #16: The Return of Godzilla

Post by miguelnuva »

edgaguirus wrote: Mon Dec 16, 2024 1:48 pm Information I've read says it was lung cancer. As for a smoking habit, I can't find anything on that.
If you look at the behind the scenes of the showa series it is almost like a who isn't smoking on those sets.
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Re: Talkback Thread #16: The Return of Godzilla

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Watched this one again with friends, not much to say that I or others haven't said many times before, but such a wicked film. I love the colors, the shots, the effects - to me, this is the one true sequel to G'54. It doesn't have quite the same somber weight to it as the original, sure, but I think it carries a similar spirit into the new era. I feel like it replaces 50's melodrama with 80's bleakness.

In a way, it seems like G'84 established a ton of mainstay elements to the character of Godzilla. I love that, in a sort of subversion to the original flick, it makes Godzilla himself into the tragedy - to some degree, I feel like this must've been the first one to really treat him with that much pity. You can see shades of Shin Godzilla peeking through. He's just a weird, lost animal - I've seen him described as a "zombie" based on the American cut, and at least metaphorically, I really love that. His aimless sleepwalk through a mostly abandoned Tokyo is just hypnotic - something about his 100% dissociated vibe really makes him eerie and interesting. The gruff, wall-eyed suit totally sells it, it's like he's seeing past our world as we know it until the Super X grabs his attention by hurting him.

I really wish the whole bird gimmick stuck around, I love the visual of this huge, lumbering mountain being drawn to insignificant flocks of birds. it's such a strange idea that adds just another element of mystery to Godzilla in this particular movie. Plus, I love how it ties into the birdcage shots in the original movie.

I guess the big fault of this movie is probably the cast, I just don't find them super interesting. Serviceable, but nothing special. I prefer watching the American edit for this reason, it's just a little more to-the-point and entertaining. Plus, I love Raymond Burr so much

Which prop do you guys like better, the suit or Cybot? I gotta go for the creepy suit, but Cybot looks a lot more "alive" in some sense. It's really just the jerky movement of his arms that doesn't look great.

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Re: Talkback Thread #16: The Return of Godzilla

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I prefer the suit as well.
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Re: Talkback Thread #16: The Return of Godzilla

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Suit all the way

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Re: Talkback Thread #16: The Return of Godzilla

Post by shadowgigan »

LegendZilla wrote: Sun Dec 01, 2024 2:38 am
GoKelley86 wrote: Fri Nov 29, 2024 6:16 am Its so strange how back in the day, I couldn't find the Japanese versions to save my life. I mean sure, if you lived in the US, you could find them if you had the right connections or knew where to go, but I was a little kid. What tape trading connections would I have had?

But now the reverse has happened where the dubs and American edits I grew up with are now the harder versions to find. The API dubs and G85 are now somewhat lost films among the franchise as the Japanese original cuts have now become more available

While it is great to see this films as they were originally intended, I still have that nostalgic tug the heart strings for the versions I grew up with.

Its just weird how things turned around like that.
New World Pictures had a cool logo. Does anyone else feel seeing it in the US cut added to the expirence?
Of that's how you viewed the film growing up, i think it's nostalgic.

Now my preferred method of viewing is that fan cut that I got from someone on here that combines vote versions, and it's strange when i watch the OG or 85 cut now. Things seem out of place.

I used to not mind the 85 cut but after watching this version for so many years I can't bear the American scenes without the complimentary Japanese scenes. It's weird lol. I finally opened my eyes to the cheesiness, which somehow seems less pronounced when viewed accompanying the original scenes and diagolgue. I think the plot changes in 85 were definitely for the worse.

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Re: Talkback Thread #16: The Return of Godzilla

Post by Mechagigan »

I like 85, especially for how streamlined it is. Something about the new music/titles/etc really gives it a wicked tone - that's not to say the original doesn't have those qualities, but the weird grungy kitsch of '85 really appeals to me. Feels overall a little more focused, at the cost of it's own plot and some of its atmosphere. It's breezier and a little more entertaining, somehow. The original cut definitely has the better plot/writing and such, but I think that's a given. I think '85 does the original justice - really the only change I find obnoxious, beyond the obviously crappy humor bits, is the weird Russian missile situation. But, I dunno, it's just an odd relic of old-school politics. Burr returning makes it an A+ in my book

I always found the tie-in pop song that plays off the main guy's radio in the Japanese cut super jarring, I remember that catching me by surprise on the first subbed watch

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