Comments (Page 172)

@Kattozilla, thank you. 

@SarcasticGoji, Oh ok. 

I don't mind the V. Rex, just some uuuhh...certain actions they had to take so the species didn't die out

I think they made modern Godzilla better because of his history with planet earth and how old and experienced he is. 

not a kaiju I don’t think

G. H. (Gman),

I don't see where the article comes off as "arrogant" or "hateful".

Ryfle's attitude throughout the article has a very arrogant tone to it. He has a condescending "I'm smarter than you" attitude and seems to be looking down on others with a different opinion to his, acting as if he has the "final say" in anything related to Godzilla. He acts as if his experiences with the franchise (which you mentioned) make him the "leading authority" on the franchise and that no one else has the right to disagree, basically using his history with the franchise to hold his opinions higher than anyone else's. Because of this attitude, he comes off as very snobbish.   

"I do see you use these words a lot when someone criticizes the Monsterverse. Is it possible you simply use these words for anything that upsets you in regards to criticism of these particular flicks?"

Yes, I recognize that I may use those words a little too much in regards to these topics, however, the reason I do is because I've seen a pattern of this in a lot of criticism aimed at the series. I've constantly seen certain fans use the "It's not MY Godzilla!" argument, while looking down on fans of the MonsterVerse, treating them as outcasts stating that they're not "True Fans" and implying that they don't "understand" the character. In my opinion this behavior is extremely "arrogant" and "hateful" towards others as it shows a sense of entitlement and self righteousness within members of the fanbase. 

And if you're going to fault me for repeating certain points in my comments, I want to point out that you occasionally do the same. You have constantly brought up the term "cultural appropriation" in your arguments against the MonsterVerse. How is that any different from me bringing up the terms "hateful" and "arrogant" in my defense of this series? 

"They were trying to kill it," is not a line indicative of, "how arrogantly these types of weapons are used." It painted the US's tests as a reaction toward trying to protect the world from a potential threat."

This does show the government's arrogant use of nuclear weapons. The fact that they immediately try to use nuclear weapons against a threat without thinking shows how careless they are in regards to the use of these weapons. They didn't stop to think "Hey this radioactive monster feeds on nuclear energy, maybe nukes aren't the best option" or “What negative effects could this have on the environment?”, they immediately thought "Oh look, a giant monster. Let's just nuke it into oblivion. Problem solved!" without thinking of the potential consequences (environmental or otherwise). They also arrogantly cover up the attempt to kill Godzilla as just another nuclear test thinking "Eh, no one will notice". The fact that the US treats the event as them "saving the world" shows their self righteousness, as they believed their actions were the "right thing to do" despite it only making the situation worse. This later plays into the idea of the military wanting to use nuclear warheads against Godzilla and the MUTOs, despite Serizawa reminder that "they tried that before", showing that they had learned nothing from their past (those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it) and once again their interference ends up making things worse.    

"And at no point does Ryfle claim the scene between Stenz and Serizawa "glorifies" nuclear weapons, but merely that the scene acts as a conduit accepting the losses of Hiroshima as practical for the greater good."

It doesn't though. The scene is about Serizawa warning Stenz about the potential risks of his plan. He brings up his family's connection to the Hiroshima bombings to remind Stenz of the dangers of nuclear weapons and the effects that they have on the world and the innocent civilans that inhabit it, which causes Stenz to become uncertain the plan (notice how he becomes more hesitant to continue the plan after this scene, however he is forced to go through with it). Serizawa's fear becomes reality when the MUTOs steal the active warhead and build a nest around it in the city. So Ford and the rest of the soldiers are sent into the city to remove the bomb so that the city and the trapped civilians don't become victims of another Hiroshima-like event.

At no point does this scene (or the film) "accept the losses of Hiroshima as practical for the greater good", the film recognizes the bombings of Hiroshima as a tragedy that shouldn't have happened, stating that we should learn from our past so it isn't repeated.  

The one thing that I found ironic in Ryfle's article was that he tries to ignore the messages that the other Godzilla films present, only focusing on the message of the original. Yes, the original film is the best of the series, but the fact that he seems to write off the other films as unimportant to the franchise comes off as extremely biased. He seems to only view Godzilla’s message as "nukes bad, America bad", acting as if the themes of the other movies are "irrelevant" because they aren't the same as the original. This does a great disservice to the rest of the franchise. He tries to claim that the 2014 film is "about nothing", ironically he actually acknowledges the themes and connection to real life disasters present in the film, but then decides to write them off as nothing more than "Destruction P***" because they aren't directly connected to the message of the 1954 film. The problem with his article is that he cherry-picks certain details of Godzilla's history while ignoring others that don't fit his narrative. Of course a modern American Godzilla film is going to have different cultural themes than the 1954 Japanese film, times change, politics change, issues change. The Godzilla series is constantly evolving, mostly changing it's themes in order to reflect the current events. If the series just continued the "nukes are bad" theme over and over, then I doubt that the series would have lasted that long (and we wouldn't be discussing it on these forums). Godzilla may have started out as an allegory for the destruction caused by nuclear weapons, but he has evolved past that, allowing the series to stay relevant for over 66 years and causing it to become the pop culture icon that it is today. However, It seems that Ryfle is too "stuck in the past" to acknowledge this...   

nice flexing Die-Hard

yeah 4k seems like a dvd thing to me. be cool IF it was, though

I gotta say, I really like that Godzilla evolves. It adds variety to Godzilla. I like that about Shin Godzilla and Singular Point.

Well, I don really like the V. Rex but idk if its a kaiju. 

Makes total sense.

I don’t really like Go- *instantly dies*

JK I LOVE THE BIG G. 

To answer the question I like all of the titans. There’s no one that I particularly do not like. 

Ahhhh. Got it. 

monsterzero9

It means things Monsterverse made, not toho

4K UHD is always a good bargain. Buuuuut, I have to agree with SarcasticGoji, why pay extra money for a movie just a little more pixelated. But, I have a Fire TV Stick 4K version so idk if it matters. 

spino fan,

ghidorahs not here because he (or them) would get all the votes and there would be no compiton

I mean come back on HBO Max, but true nevertheless.

I think the answer is very clearly Kong for me. He's just better used in the stories he was part of in my opinion. Even though Godzilla had 2 movies prior to GvsK and Kong only 1 it was a pretty practical idea to make Kong the center of their confrontation movie.

o they would just get all the votes.

MUTO by far. But where’s King Ghidora? :I

why is ghidorah or mechagodzilla not here

i’m fine with varan being godzilla

yeah, but why pay extra money for 4k when you can get it at a normal price for an equally good movie.

Hmm... I don’t know, they didn’t really seem antagonistic to me, just being animals. 

i wish that this was just varan and not godzilla.

But...G'14 has to come back sometime right?

nope.. I think it’s dvd exclusive. It’s not a new revolutionary new film or anything.

MUTOs are awesome

I totally think so.

Warbat's cool but I'm going with good old Muto

Godzilla is the true king 

maybe not, it might have been the camera and the screen making a weird affect when it gets bright

I was in a restaurant and saw a shot of helicopters flying over enormous footprints. I immediately got interested. Turned out, that was the TriStar Godzilla. It was not long before G'14 came out, and that film made me a fan. I visited the classics and fell in love with this franchise. I have been a lurker for a long time.

By the way, I'm Chinese, so I might be a rarity here.

these images are clearly deliberately brightened. 

Godzilla, kong is just a lil glow up of him. i mean idk. 

DAAMMNN

SarcasticGoji,
Without spoiling anything--No.

SasquaDash,
Over dramatic or not, the title speaks to the cultural appropriation of Godzilla I've spoken about in prior posts--And, personally, I'd call that harsher than "whitewashing", but the latter makes for a better title I suppose.

I don't see where the article comes off as "arrogant" or "hateful". Where does any of that come into play in this article? All I recognize is something that comes off as well researched and very honest in Ryfle's opinions. The man has recorded audio commentaries for five Godzilla films and written two of the most valuable English language books on the series, including the Ishiro Honda biography--having spoken to his family and many surviving Toho filmmakers. Knowledgeable? Sure. Earned the right to speak out on these topics given the exorbitant amount of resources/people he's been privy to? Absolutely. But I don't detect a hint of arrogance or hate in this article. I do see you use these words a lot when someone criticizes the Monsterverse. Is it possible you simply use these words for anything that upsets you in regards to criticism of these particular flicks?

A few things to consider: Ryfle is correct in explaining that the responsibility for America's nuclear tests in the 2014 film were being side-stepped in favor for something more righteous. "They were trying to kill it," is not a line indicative of, "how arrogantly these types of weapons are used." It painted the US's tests as a reaction toward trying to protect the world from a potential threat. (Even though, the reality is Castle Bravo poisoned people, got someone killed and put toxic fish on the Japanese market.) And at no point does Ryfle claim the scene between Stenz and Serizawa "glorifies" nuclear weapons, but merely that the scene acts as a conduit accepting the losses of Hiroshima as practical for the greater good.

In fact, the word "glorify" or "glorified" does not show up in the article at all. He's not even saying the film is pro-nuclear. (Nor is there an argument made that a heroic Godzilla is "pro nuke". That's an odd thing the assume since it's never even insinuated.) What Ryfle is criticizing the 2014 film (and the 1956/1985 American re-cuts of Godzilla and Return of Godzilla, respectfully) for is side-stepping responsibility for why Godzilla exists as a film character at all.

Granted, I don't entirely agree with Ryfle here. Personally, I think more can be said for how misused Godzilla was in the follow-up movie. The 2014 film has some problematic issues, as Ryfle pointed out, but it doesn't particularly say anything good about nuclear power either, as you suggested with the MUTO's arc. But he makes some good points that explain why Godzilla's compatibility with the Hollywood blockbuster mantra clashes with cultural ideologies.

I assume a 4K TV is required and likely an increase in contrast and brightness settings to achieve this level of clarity, cause it isn't that bright for me either hahaha

I like 2001 since I think the white eyes look cool and the face too.

I like it as well. I really like the Different forms of Godzilla in this one, and i think Godzilla Ultima may become my new favorite design. Honestly it kinda reminds me of mine.