What Godzilla films have you changed your opinion on?

[JVM]

The Anime Trilogy are the only kaiju movies (well... maybe A*P*E) I've seen that I have no interest in sitting through again. I might revisit the monster scenes at some point, but I can't really envision watching the entire trilogy through a second time.

As maybe one of the few people who “mildly” enjoys the anime trilogy, I can say I don’t think you’ll enjoy it for the monster scenes. There’s a lot more monster action with Godzilla in the second movie than people give it credit for, and the visuals with Ghidorah are neat in the third movie, but that still doesn’t change how rare these moments are. Godzilla Earth’s appearance at the end of the first film is still cool though.

But again, I watched the entire trilogy trying to appreciate its unique-ish setting, philosophical ideas, and the mesh of hard militaristic sci-fi, and enjoyed it way more, rather than as a Godzilla film. I maintain that these flicks aren’t unwatchable or as bad as people make them out to be, but they’re definitely still bottom tier Godzilla films that don’t scratch a certain “itch” like conventional genre films do.

I really think this is a great way to put it. I really think the 'scratch the itch' concept is a useful one for film discussion and one I wish were explored a little more. There are some great films that don't scratch any itch I have and some bad films that can scratch a certain one. I bring up often that I mostly watch Monster Zero for the human storyline and alien invasion but it doesn't quite hit as hard for me on monster action, for example, or how I love Godzilla: Final Wars as something to put on when I don't want to pay attention to the entire film, something that doesn't feel right when I use Honda's movies, which draw me in a little too well for casual viewing sometimes... or how giant robot stuff works better for me taken as a 'sci-fi' story than a kaiju story, since part of the intrinsic appeals to kaiju for me don't apply to giant robots, but I can still enjoy them through a different lens. I think all of this links in a way to the tendency for people to say whether a deviating film in a franchise "feels like" the franchise -- if you cut away certain things, it might not scratch that certain itch for some people, while still doing so for others.

This is the "film is subjective" teenager in me showing a little. Guess I'm in a good mood? Or is it a bad mood?

[edgaguirus]

Or philosophical mood.

On the topic of films that may not hit an itch, I've softened on G98. I wasn't pleased with the product when I first saw it, but the animated series did help redeem it for me. The movie is not so bad now, and it's a bit hard to believe that the film will be 30 years old in a few years.

[Destoroyah of Worlds]

I would say GMK. It bored me so much on the first watch. It was a much more enjoyable film on subsequent watches.

Also, Final Wars. I thought it was amazing during my first watch. I began to notice flaws on my second watch, particularly with how choppy the fights are edited (Godzilla 98's fight and Kumonga's fight in particular).

[Destoroyah of Worlds]

I would say GMK. It bored me so much on the first watch. It was a much more enjoyable film on subsequent watches.

Also, Final Wars. I thought it was amazing during my first watch. I began to notice flaws on my second watch, particularly with how choppy the fights are edited (Godzilla 98's fight and Kumonga's fight in particular).

[Creature22]

Regarding GFW, one of my friends pointed this out during a viewing, and now I can’t unsee it- some of the set designs are abysmal. Like, there are multiple scenes where someone will go into some office or center and it will be an enormous room with nothing but a single desk and monitor inside of it. It has such a cold and sterile aesthetic.

[Voyager]

I kinda like both Final Wars and Tokyo SOS now.

[Breakdown]

My opinion on Godzilla 2000 has changed *dramatically* after I gave it a rewatch. I gave a more extensive review in the Godzilla 2000 thread in the Millenium section. Long story short, not a masterpiece, but a damn fun movie that was thoroughly entertaining. Having seen both the Japanese and US cut, the US cut it my favorite by far.

[Vakanai]

The 1954 original. Don't get me wrong, it's still classic and still holds up, but it doesn't feel as great a film to me now as it once did. Probably because it has more competition today in terms of quality films than it used to - post Shin and Minus One it's just another great film alongside a few others, instead of THE great film of the franchise. I view this as a good thing, but it does make it feel less special to me compared to the first time I saw it with nothing to compare it to but the sillier Showa/Heisei entries.

By the same token, the 1984 Godzilla and vs Destroyah have also lessened by quite a bit. Used to these 2 Heisei entries along with the Kiryu duology and GMK were the "quality" films after the original. But after Shin/-1 they've lost their luster a bit to me. Still enjoy them, but, just don't hold them in the same esteem I used to.

Finally, I've softened up on vs Hedorah and Son of Godzilla, but this is more just finally being able to judge the films apart from how much I hate the suits/designs of the titular monsters. But I still think Hedorah and Minya have some seriously ugly designs and suits. But that doesn't make the films bad.

[Bob Sherlock]

I used to not like Son of Godzilla because of the suit designs and Minilla, but now I think it's pretty underrated and has a very heartwarming story of Godzilla trying to learn how to be a father towards Minilla. It's pretty much an adorable movie to sit through especially the ending where they huddle for warmth.

All Monsters Attack used to be the worst Toho Godzilla movie for me, but that changed upon rewatching all the movies; now that title goes for Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (or really just the anime trilogy as a whole). It's a "so bad it's good" kind of movie and I love watching the English dub especially for Minilla.

I used to agree with the common consensus on Godzilla 1998 being a "good monster movie, but bad Godzilla movie", but now I just think it's mid. There's some scenes I liked (especially "That's a lotta fish!" and Zilla dodging the military), but otherwise is just "meh" to sit through as a whole.

[edgaguirus]

AMA is still the worse live action film for me, but I can accept it for what it is and the story it's telling. As a kid, the kaiju scenes were my main interest, but now I appreciate the pov of Ichiro and his world. Not all scifi movies can function as a window on the times and people the film was made, but this one can.

[Voyager]

I've warmed up to Godzilla vs Destoroyah recently, whether it be nostalgia or something else, I don't know. But it just clicks with me. I've always 'liked' it, but it's a close contender for favourite Heisei film now.

[Major sssspielberg!]

King Kong vs Godzilla is one. I told the story in another thread before, but basically:
I saw it in Japanese unsubbed the first time, as a young kid. Then i got the US version which I hated. Finally seeing the Japanese version with subs I've come to love it to death.
I used to watch GXMG a lot as a kid for the cool designs and SFX scenes but as an adult I barely ever can sit through the whole thing.
2014 is another. I loved it upon release, grew cold on it after a while, but recently watching the blu ray on a TV that lets me see what's going on, I've come back to liking it a lot though not loving it as much as when it came out.
King of the Monsters 2019 is one i appreciated in theaters and have grown quite cold to since.
SpaceGodzilla I've learned to love.