Your Take on the Monsterverse

[king_ghidorah]

Yeah I’m really shocked to see the hate on GKOtM. A year or two ago it was the best film ever on here. No everyone seems to have turned on it.

[Red-Death Gigan]

They are all pretty good, but not what I feel I want to see. Godzilla pulling a 180 degree turn & killing innocents on purpose kinda killed Godzilla for me in the MV. I wish Kong cut his fool head off with that axe...

[Mac Daddy MM]

They are all pretty good, but not what I feel I want to see. Godzilla pulling a 180 degree turn & killing innocents on purpose kinda killed Godzilla for me in the MV. I wish Kong cut his fool head off with that axe...

[Jermobooka]

I like all of them, to varying degrees. Every single MV film offers something different, and that diversity is one of the many cool parts of it.

I hope that, after Kong gets his next solo film, we’ll be getting a Godzilla solo and a team-up film. I’d be very satisfied if that was the end.

[JAGzilla]

We have a decent number of new members that have joined in the last few months, so I figured I'd bump this thread and get some new takes compiled. Discussion's been slow on the MV board lately, anyway.

[king_ghidorah]

I gotta say I’ve been making peace with the fact that on any given day my rankings for these films completely changes.

They’re all great in their own ways. Very unique flavors, yet cohesive as well.

Each movie has its strengths.

G 2014 has that Spielbergian sense of awe, scale and tension.

KSI has pulp fun and gorgeous daytime monster action and scale.

GKOTM is a love letter to the franchise that tries to encapsulate the soul of Godzilla and what the hero version of that character means for humanity and the environment.

GvK is dumb blockbuster fun which successfully pivots the franchise to something that general audience seems to respond to.

There’s no quintessential MV film for me. The sun is truly greater than it’s parts. I may like the characters most in their movie, but prefer the score in this other one, or the monster action in this one.

In short, this has become my new favorite Godzilla. Very excited to see G 2014, KSI and GvK getting sequels or quasi sequels soon.

[miguelnuva]

Godzilla 2014: Good start to a series. Ford left a lot to be desired but I didn't hate him as much as others. The Mutos were cool and Godzilla was great. Like the new take.

Kong: Skull Island: Great update on Kong and while it may or may not be a better film it was more fun than G14 and I enjoy it better. Post credit scenes was great and best in the MV here.

Kotm: Was movie made by Godzilla fans for Godzilla fans. I loved it and I loved Godzilla here and the new role he takes going forward. The ending was something the kid in me has been waiting to see for years. Its not the best made Godzilla film and it has a lot of flaws but I love it for what it is.

Godzilla vs Kong: Retribution for 1962. But in seriousness another fun film and apparently what the MV needs to be going forward. I felt this took the majority of what I loved about KOTM and cut away a lot of the flaws for me at-least. Mu understanding is this is the world we live in now due to Godzilla calling the Titans to slumber and it was nice to see Godzilla play the villain while technically still being a good guy Titan. Also who doesn't love Kong and Jia. Finally the team up was great and was 65 years in the making.

[Gojira1604]

I like that this series treats the most iconic monsters as surprises. If you're not familiar with the series, it's probably a lot bigger of an impression.
Some of the Toho movies kind of give away what you're in for in the titles.

[CyberZilla]

I like that this series treats the most iconic monsters as surprises. If you're not familiar with the series, it's probably a lot bigger of an impression.
Some of the Toho movies kind of give away what you're in for in the titles.

That’s actually fair. When showed up, he got a proper atmosphere and buildup. Say what you will about his portrayal, it left a good impression on my friends who aren’t huge Godzilla fans.

[godjacob]

Been a big fan of the MonsterVerse. Some fun films, a nice little lore they've built and has some of my absolute favorite incarnations of classic Toho monsters and introduced some fun new ones I've enjoyed.

Human plots have been mixed, though I don't think they are AS bad as other make them out to be.

Overall can say I really enjoyed what the MV has given me and am excited for more.

[MechaGoji Bro7503]

Nowadays I've begun to see the MV as what I'd expect from an American Godzilla series, however I don't know if that's exactly a good thing. Obviously yeah, it's an American Godzilla series. But what I mean is in retrospect it feels like it's only that and nothing "more". They're fine, but I find it hard to revisit the three Godzilla films after my first few viewings of them. Kong Skull Island is still my fav in the MV, it felt like I got the most bang out of my buck.

Look, I'm a big Godzilla fan like everyone here. I was so hyped for KOTM when it released, although when I walked out of that first viewing I felt off. Like, there's no doubt I saw all the fanservice and thought there were a few cool things they did.....yet I just did not enjoy it. I dunno man, during that first viewing I started feeling disconnected with the experience. I always think back to that kitchen scene in the beginning and thinking "Man, this editing kinda sucks." But regardless of that, once the Oxygen Destroyer entered the film I was thrown out of it. More and things started rubbing me the wrong way and yes that applies to the human characters and story. I really wanted to enjoy KOTM, like it had things I thought a fan like me should have adored but it all felt very milquetoast. I went to the theater two more times to see KOTM and see if repeated viewings would help but sadly they didn't.

If you liked KOTM then that's all good, I'm glad it worked for other fans. I just couldn't connect with the story, characters, creative choices, nor the monsters themselves.

GvK had fun fight scenes and I was so happy to see Godzilla & King Kong battle Mechagodzilla, that was wonderful. See, for some reason I loved the fanservice of GvK but not KOTM. Maybe I'll go more in depth someday. Now GvK also had a poor human story, but that part is also a discussion for another day.

[Angilasman]

I don't care for the framework of "The MonsterVerse" at all. Loved Godzilla '14 and enjoyed Skull Island and Godzilla vs. Kong well enough, but I'm not passionate about this particular universe or continuity or whatever. I think about the world outside the movies of the Gamera trilogy, Shin Godzilla, GMK and Singular Point. With the MonsterVerse movies I don't think about the world anytime I'm not actually watching one of the movies. The lore is just a black box that they can reach in and grab whatever thing they need for that particular movie and pull it out. There's no much to it. I also feel like Godzilla has lost a bit of his resonance as an atomic mutation.

If thay said it was over and that the next film was a total reboot I'd be fine with it.

[_JNavs_]

This universe is a grail. Variety, Heart, Ambition, much needed respect of kaiju, revived the genre, one of the spears heading us into the future of kaiju films. Some of the criticisms I've been seeing applied to the Monsterverse could be said for 75% of the Godzilla franchise, which I get, it's the newest thing out so it doesn't have nostalgia or a long-term love attached to it yet, they aren't time-pieces (yet), they're not taking risks like dancing 70s cocaine fish heads or dancing Godzilla on mars, or the main protagonist being an 8 year old in shorts hanging out with a mutated humanoid Goji-baby, but they still have spirit. They still have spunk, they still have an environmental message that Hollywood is desperate for (and against), they're teetering the finest line of appeasing mainstream and niche, as well as the old guard sometimes.

I can't believe we're going on 5 films in this Legendary franchise already, it feels like yesterday that comic con announced a new American Godzilla franchise.

[king_ghidorah]

I too felt really off leaving GKOTM. It’s like….all the boxes of a great Godzilla film were checked yet something was missing. The parts were greater than the sum.

I’ve started to be able to enjoy it but it’s taken me a while.

Looking back on my other initial takes.

G 2014. A little dull but the best Godzilla stuff since the 90s.

KSI. Fine. Serviceable.

GKOTM. It was….ok.

GvK. Very fun. Dumb. But fun. Godzilla finally acted like Godzilla ….but he also felt a little out of character in context of the other legendary films. I was surprised to find myself Team Kong on this one.

So oddly enough. GvK was the one I enjoyed the most in theaters initially. I’ve grown to like them all and really appreciate G 2014 post release.

[Servii]

I'm glad the MV exists. It's got me excited about Godzilla again and really, it's the only ongoing blockbuster franchise that I care about anymore.

G14: I loved this movie when it came out. It made me fall back in love with Godzilla. I watched it in the theater like 6 or 7 times, and dragged my friends to see it. I probably rewatched it too much, since that caused me to pick the movie apart and I don't enjoy it as much anymore. It's the slowest paced of the four films, and is unusually restrained and subdued for a modern blockbuster, and that's not for everyone. But that's part of what makes it special, along with Gareth Edwards' unique directing style.

Kong Skull Island: Pretty damn good. I had a few reservations going into this movie. Mainly, I knew it wasn't going to continue the more restrained approach of G14, and it looked like it was going to be a "course correction" towards shlocky monster mashes. The tonal whiplash going from G14 to this movie threw me off, but it ended up being a really fun, tight action adventure movie. Just a really solid movie.

KotM: Love this movie. I can understand why many people don't care for this one. It's probably the least polished of the four films. But for me, it presses all the right buttons and is so full of love for the monsters and the franchise that I always have a good time watching it.

GvK: Definitely the one with the least going on under the surface, but another really tight, fun movie. It knows exactly what it is, and doesn't try to pretend to be anything else. I was apprehensive going into this movie and expected it to be a Justice League-level trainwreck, but I was pleasantly surprised.

My personal favorites are probably KotM and K:SI, but it's close. I like all of them. None of them are great films. They're basically fast food entertainment, but they're just the right flavor of fast food that appeals to me. If you combined aspects of all 4 movies into one, you'd have my dream kaiju film.

[king_ghidorah]

I agree that GKoTM and KSI do the best of splitting the middle of making accessible entertainment for the general audience and stuff for the fans.

Not as dumb as GvK.

Not as high brow as G 2014 but more fun.

I think a perfect viewing trilogy would be those two films and Pacific Rim.

[HedorahIsBestGirl]

When Godzilla (2014) came out, I loved it and thought it was one of the best Godzilla movies. Subsequent Blu-Ray rewatches have substantially lowered my opinion. Once the spectacle of watching a true Hollywood-ized, big budget Godzilla movie on the big screen wore off, this movie is above-average, at best. I do think the cinematography and special effects are fantastic, and I'd even call this the most competently made of the four MV films. But it's obvious to me that Gareth Edwards isn't a big Godzilla fan. The tone of the film feels more in line with American sci-fi films than anything that Toho produced. Even the few references to older Godzilla movies feel shoehorned in. The cast is also poorly utilized. Bryan Cranston is my favorite actor, and killing him off so early was a bad move. Ken Watanabe gives a good performance but everyone else is as stale as week-old bread. Aside from being beautiful, the saving grace of the film is the MUTOs, who collectively function as one of the most interesting Godzilla antagonists ever.

Kong: Skull Island was a good, fun romp with a great cast, albeit one that wasn't utilized to its fullest. Still, John C. Reilly's character was fun and I liked having Samuel L. Jackson as the bad guy. As a huge Apocalypse Now fan, the visual and thematic references throughout were much appreciated. Kong was handled well and given much more time to shine than Godzilla in G14. I loved all of the action scenes and the creature designs but I can't lie, Peter Jackson's hellish Skull Island is THE definitive portrayal for me and this movie doesn't hold a candle to it. And while I'm not opposed to a "small-scale" kaiju movie, this film's total lack of scale was underwhelming. I had low expectations for this one that were ultimately succeeded but the end result is pretty middling.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters was a huge letdown. There were some fantastic "money shots" and I did like the reinterpretations of Ghidorah, Rodan and Mothra but the film as a whole felt about as sloppy as a Michael Bay blockbuster. None of the new characters were particularly interesting, which is a shame because Vera Farmega and Millie Bobby Brown are very talented actresses. The cringe humor was obnoxious and uncalled for, especially mistaking Ghido's name for a STD. Seriously, did a frat boy write that line? I don't have a lot more to say, this movie succeeded on some levels but largely missed the mark and it wasn't the epic that I wanted it to be. The only scene that carried true emotional weight was Serizawa's death, which was one of the highpoints of the movie for me, along with Rodan's awakening scene.

Godzilla vs. Kong was like KOTM dialed up to 11. The good parts were better; the fight scenes were fantastic and there was no more of that obnoxious "let's show the humans running around dodging debris instead of the monsters fighting" shit that plagued G14 and KOTM. The movie also doubled-down on the world-building with the whole Hollow Earth thing, which I have mixed feelings about but give them points for trying something new. Unfortunately, the plot managed to be even dumber than KOTM's, which is saying a lot. The cast was also even more forgettable, with the lone likable character (Serizawa) killed off in the prior film. I think I enjoyed it more than KOTM but from a critical standpoint, it's no better of a movie.

Every MV film is a mixed bag for me. All four movies have elements I enjoy a lot, but I don't think any of them are great movies. It's fun seeing Godzilla action with a $200 million budget, I just wish they'd try to tell a half-decent story with more likable characters to go along with the "popcorn entertainment."

[Gojira18]

After having a few years to let the MV films sink in, here are my takes:

Godzilla 2014: Killing off Joe Brody was a bad move and yeah, the cutaways get frustrating and the lead is pretty boring, but it's the best structured of the MV with breathtaking cinematography, great visuals and music, a sense of scale that's just unmatched, and it executes the idea of Godzilla being a tangible, legitimate animal much better than its G98 predecessor.

Kong: Skull Island: Probably the best of the MV films objectively speaking. Its boring Skull Island Ecosystem is a big point against it, especially after Peter Jackson's movie, and the main leads ain't that much better than Ford in G2014. However, it has very brisk pacing, an otherwise good cast of characters, particularly Packard, Randa and Marlow, Kong and the Skullcrawlers have great designs and character behind them, gorgeous visuals and cinematography, an alright score, and it's just a plain fun ride.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters: Definitly has flaws, its pacing is very rushed at times, the villain plot makes no sense, the humor is VERY hit or miss, the color grading is overdone, and the less said about the OD, the better. That said, it has really stellar cinematography and effects outside of a few eh shots, great creature designs and set pieces, some pretty decent characters in Mark, Serizawa and Chen, a GODLY musical score, a really cool concept of Titans inspiring ancient myths and legends, and a reverence to these creatures that's honestly admirable. An OK MOVIE movie, but a really good GODZILLA movie.

Godzilla vs Kong: A TON of fun, but it ain't perfect. The human plot is admittedly stripped to bare essentials much to its detriment, the music is mostly bland, and Team Godzilla is pretty eh, but the Team Kong cast is fun, the effects and cinematography are top notch, the action scenes are exquisitely done, and its pacing is brisk but not rushed. That and giving us a definitive winner after so many other VS movies cop out is a breath of fresh air.