New Replies (Page 218)
YES THANK YOU
A film can have humor, but then this humor must be placed in the right place. "Godzilla on a beer to be invited", is in any case not one of them to call an example! I would have liked to see more seriousness in this genre.
which sucks, as I prefer this series tackles a serious tone...
I would love to see the MonsterVerse take on a much more serious and darker tone, unfortunately most critics and general audiences often criticize and bash monster movies for taking on a serious tone.
The Return of Godzilla/Godzilla 1985 suffered from that, with critics bashing it for being "Too straight to be funny"
Godzilla 2014 was even criticized for taking itself too seriously and not being a "goofy monster action movie", which is why the later MonsterVerse installments have focused more on fun monster action than having a serious tone.
Yes, on it's own Solar radiation is harmful, however because of Earth's atmosphere blocking the harmful UltraViolet rays, solar energy becomes a beneficial power source that helps the environment grow.
That’s why I compared the Titan’s energy to photosynthesis. Carbon Dioxide is poisonous to humans and animals, however trees absorb Carbon Dioxide and convert it to breathable oxygen that humans and animals need to survive. Likewise, it’s not too much of a stretch to suggest that the MonsterVerse Titans that feed on harmful radiation can convert that radiation into a beneficial source of energy that can heal the environment.
True, but you need to indulge new ones in a way they'll get behind your product as Disney has always done it with the Marvel Cinematic Universe even though they're interconnected to the max.
SarcasticGoji my translation was bad ... I meant that this is the case from your point of view, but I don't quite share this opinion. Of course Peter Jackson has an overlength (after all, I have the film here). But these are exceptions. You can't apply that to all films.
I think as a director I don't just want to make films for the fans alone, but I also want to win new fans.
Geez SarcasticGoji, what do you want from future MonsterVerse movies????
Yeah I know.....and now I'm confused about the reactions
No, the fact that the movie wasn’t dark is what people liked.... it didn’t take itself seriously, people wanted that rather than a serious story.
you that is already in order, would be bad if we were all of the same opinion.
The answer isn’t that obvious actually.... if he could do that, then serious chemical reactions would have to occur. Essentially he’d have to able to absorb the radiation, convert it to energy, use some of that energy to convert to light.
Yes radiation is light
Sure, we can keep the bombast and the crazy fun action but give the story a darker tone.
I said OF COURSE HE CAN TRANSFORM IT INTO GOOD ENERGY
The question made no sense because the answer is obvious...
It makes more sense than you think actually. If he’s absorbing harmful radiation, a biological process could convert it in helpful radiation.
Solar radiation isn’t the best example. We need the atmosphere to protect us from it.
Uh, people are hating the COMEDY, ALL OF IT.
I didn’t mean the comedy
I disagree. More is more.
Although actually I agree with that.
Keep in mind The lightheartedness is what made GVK successful. People don’t take giant monsters seriously anymore,
Makes ZERO sense that question.
OF COURSE HE DOES
For god's sake, Gamera vs Jiger was 2 hours and 50 minutes and Peter Jackson's King Kong is 3 hours and 20 minutes (extended edition, the theatrical cut is 3 hours and 2 minutes). Justice League could have easily been 3 hours and 45 minutes in my opinion, but Dune Part 1 could be 3 hours and so can Dune Part 2.
SasquaDash
Wait does Godzilla absorb harmful radiation and use it to creat beneficial radiation?
The way it going, I don’t think that will happen
I agree. Only one thing: 3:20 is a bit too much in my opinion. 2:00 - maximum 2:20 should be enough. You can see that in the Justice Leage (synder cut). The hardcore fans like to sit in the cinema for 4 hours, but the rest?
For a comparison: Dune, the new version. I'm really looking forward to that. The director has already announced that there will be 2 parts, because the story is so complex. sometimes less is more!
“So when Dougherty tries to make King of the Monsters about environmentalism, he's somewhat on the right track. But then he botches it with ideas of "Titans" triggering ecological growth via radiation--”
There are different types of radiation, Solar radiation does play a role in plant growth (and the creation of new life). The “radiation” that the titans emit was never stated to be nuclear radiation, it’s probably meant to be a new form of radiation that is emitted by the titans (possibly linked to the energy source within Hollow Earth). Godzilla and the other titans feed on the harmful nuclear radiation and expel a more beneficial energy source that helps to heal the environment, similar to how trees absorb carbon dioxide and create oxygen through photosynthesis. To say that Dougherty’s film ruined the franchise’s message by being “Pro Nuclear or Pro Radiation” is inaccurate and (in some cases) false.
As far as Godzilla being revived by a nuclear warhead, it’s no different than some of the plot points that were seen in older Toho films. Godzilla vs King Ghidorah has a plot point where the Japanese government sends a nuclear submarine to create/re energize Godzilla so that he can protect them from Ghidorah, that could be misinterpreted as Pro Nuclear (hell, if you want to get technical, Godzilla was originally a living metaphor for the atomic bomb, yet he became a superhero in the later Showa films). The topic of Nuclear energy use has changed a lot since the 50s, back then nuclear energy was seen as only being a weapon of mass destruction, however in more recent years nuclear energy has been used in a somewhat more beneficial way, being used as an energy source to power civilization. One thing to note is that in the original 1954 film we have the Oxygen Destroyer (a potential stand in for nuclear weapons) being created by Daisuke Serizawa. In the film, Serizawa fears that his creation will be used as a weapon of mass destruction much like the nuclear bombs before it (leading to the line: “Bombs versus bombs, missiles versus missiles, and now a new superweapon to throw upon us all!” ), however he also states that he wants to find a beneficial use for it, stating that if he does he would be the first to show it off to the world. This can also be applied to nuclear energy, it was initially (and in some cases still is) used as a weapon, however in modern day we use it as energy to benefit our own existence.
At the end of WWII, Japan was very anti nuclear because of the bombings of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the “Lucky Dragon” incident, however in modern day, Japan uses nuclear power plants to power their towns and cities. Things change, and modern Japan isn’t as anti nuclear as it was in the past. In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Ishiro Serizawa states that, “Sometimes... the only way to heal our wounds is to make peace with the demons who created them.” This plays into the scene where Serizawa sacrifices himself to revive Godzilla using the nuclear warhead, despite being against nuclear weapons in the previous film (due to his father’s history with Hiroshima).
Nuclear energy is still a potential danger, Chernobyl and Fukushima are proof of that and modern Godzilla films still reflect that idea (In the form of the MUTOs and Shin Godzilla). The Godzilla series has been around for 67 years and the reason it’s been able to last that long is that it’s able to adapt and change as a result of the world around it, whether the films are about nuclear weapons, pollution, war, climate change, or the consequences of humanity messing with nature. If the Godzilla series continued to repeat the same theme from 1954 over and over again, it probably wouldn’t have lasted that long and we probably wouldn’t be here discussing it.
The point that you're trying to make is that Godzilla and some of the other Titans being protectors of the Earth in the MonsterVerse disrespects the message of the original by being “Pro Nuclear”, however the Toho Godzilla movies did the exact same thing. Like I stated earlier, Godzilla started out as a terrifying metaphor for the destruction caused by nuclear weapons, however Toho quickly turned him into a planet protecting superhero. If you want to dig deeper into the Showa films, you’ll find that they have the same “issues” that the MonsterVerse has. Godzilla defends the world from aliens (I guess that means nuclear weapons can protect us from invaders), Godzilla fights Hedorah (I guess nuclear weapons can stop pollution), Godzilla raises a son (radiation apparently makes you a great Dad). My point is that there are many inconsistencies within the Godzilla franchise, with the messages of the films contradicting themselves. Completely ignoring these inconsistent details in the Japanese Toho films, while constantly bashing the American films for them, is not only unfair, but it is extremely hypocritical.
"History shows again and again, how nature points out the folly of man."
This needs to happen for real...
SasquaDash,
That's fascinating and all, but why couldn't this information been put in the movie instead of supplementary material in order to strengthen its themes? As a film on its own, this is problematic.
That said, I do think Godzilla '14 is better with its nuclear messaging than the other movies. But the hypocrisy of being made by a nuclear superpower can't help but peak through.
SarcasticGoji,
I think the misuse of Chernobyl as an example is an issue that's overlooked as well. The idea that the giant, radioactive monster cares about our environment, despite Chernobyl, is an issue Dougherty didn't really think through. (And he tends to delete comments when confronted with it.)
Radiation doesn't outright kill nature, it distorts it and Chernobyl is not thriving the way you might think. To this day vegetation in Chernobyl can not rot, making it impossible for nutrients from dead plants to return to the ground. [Source] Birds are born with smaller brains and shorter lifespans. [Source] And predators who have left the radiation zone are poisoning Scandinavian plants and livestock, making it difficult for farmers to put this stuff on the market. [Source] And this is 35 years later... The ecosystem is alive, but it's a mutant and it's negatively effective other aspects of the world.
Nevermind what kind of damage the Fukushima disaster has caused/will cause when Japan dumps the radioactive waste into the ocean.
Irregardless. Or is Redgardless? Unreardless?
Anyway whether it’s Hone Kong or not did not really matter to what he said.
While the MonsterVerse Godzilla wasn't woken up by the 1954 Castle Bravo nuclear test like in the original 1954 film, he was still awakened by humanity's actions during the Atomic age. In Godzilla 2014 it was implied that Godzilla was woken up when a nuclear sub disturbed him, however Godzilla: Awakening (and in the bonus features of 2014) they actually state that Godzilla and the Shinomura were first woken up and disturbed by the effects of the Hiroshima bombing and the Operation Crossroads nuclear tests in 1945, Godzilla patrolled the Pacific Ocean hunting the Shinomura, destroying several ships in the process, with survivors reported sightings of a monster that locals of the Pacific Islands referred to as “Gojira” (Similar to the 1954 film). The USS Nautilus was sent to investigate the incidents in 1954, and discovered Godzilla, who attacked the sub (possibly attacking it due to the nuclear energy inside, he may have viewed it as another titan). Interestingly, in the 2014 film they state that “the Americans first thought that it was the Russians, the Russians thought that it was them” (hinting at the Cold War tension, similar to Godzilla 1984). The American Government, realizing the potential threat that Godzilla may cause, (arrogantly) decided to use the most powerful weapon they had to kill him, the atomic bomb, not realizing that A. Godzilla feeds on nuclear energy and B. that atomic bombs woke Godzilla and the Shinomura in the first place. The American Government then attempted to cover up the event as one of the nuclear tests that they had been conducting over the past few years. Godzilla was unharmed, but the Shinomura was destroyed. With the other titan defeated, Godzilla returned to his hibernation until the events of 2014.
@Xenotaris
I also try to do that in The Zilla Chronicles.
I try to make my kaiju in Rise of the Kaiju are basically forces of nature personified
I think a Godzilla Simulator would be awesome
This article is AMAZING.
And if ur interested here’s a link
@SarcasticGoji
That’s a pretty good point.
I don’t think that Dougherty ruined the themes completely. It’s never explained what radiation but we can assume Gamma ray because that is what Hollywood likes best. I don’t think it’s ruined because like a natural it can result in plentiful life. Take a look at pictures of Chernobyl today. Environmentalism tends to look beyond just humans and our fears, so even if humans died in a nuclear war, that doesn’t mean all life would.
Thank you for the compliments on the article, I worked really hard on it, so cool to see that you enjoy it.
Isn’t Vishnu a god in Hindu religion?
yeah this guy who was previously mentioned
