
master_of_magnetism1993
MemberMothra LarvaeDec-19-2013 4:26 PMBefore I begin, I would like to state that I don't think too highly of the "Godzilla" franchise. I stand by the original 1954 film as a stand alone film and I do think that several of the sequels had great ideas, but the execution was always horrificly silly. With that said, the reboot is my most anticipated film of 2014 as it apparently is taking the King back to its terrifying roots while throwing in more iconic elements the franchise has become known for. Honestly, this is a film I've been waiting for since I was first introduced to Godzilla as a child. I've always been morbidly fascinated by cataclysms and believe it is the only concept for films that can scare me anymore. And I believe that the franchise as a whole can easily be adapted to include all of its beloved kaiju duking it out while still maintaining a tone of hoplessness and, to be blunt, the Apocalypse. I would like to see the first sequel be inspired by "Monster Island" and have humanity try and round up all the monsters to kill of one another on some selected wasteland that was created in the first film. It ends with them getting out of control and spreading all across the world and it turns into the currently running "Half-Century War" adaptation as a finale or even possibly a two-parter film. Basically, I want to see these films introduce more monsters for the sake of making the threat seem more and more imposing and leading the audience to believe that this series will not have a happy ending. There are some gaps to fill-in and what-not, but that's just a brief gyst of what I would like to see. What're your thoughts?
P.S., this is my first time partaking in any kind of forum, so if I'm re-stating something somebody else has said or creating an identical discussion, it is purely by coincidence.

godzilla3580
MemberMothra LarvaeDec-19-2013 6:49 PMI have always thought this is exactly how a movie series like this should end. These giant monster movies shouldn't be about "humanity can find a way" but that humanity has no hope. We should see all the sadness and think, how can this ever end? We shouldn't be sitting in the theater knowing that everything is going to be okay. This should give you an apocalypse feeling. Genius Ideas! This is the Godzilla movie I have been waiting for my whole life.
And no, I don't think this conversation has been done as long as i've been on this site haha.

master_of_magnetism1993
MemberMothra LarvaeDec-19-2013 7:12 PMOk. And I don't wanna just see these monsters destroying major cities to create an apocalyptic tone. As the series goes on, show how they irradiate the wasteland and essentially poison the Earth unintentionally. Show how people get sick and die from the radiation they leave behind and how lands become infertile even long after they have left it. And as the series goes on, more and more monsters just keep appearing, like an endless cycle. Make it out to be like a reverse-Darwinism message. These monsters eventually wipe out humanity, but since they are unnatural mutations, they will eventually die out themselves since there is no way the planet can sustain them. Just make the audience lose all hope. It's sad to say that the only film that ever effectively conveyed a tone of "no hope" was the ending to "Terminator 3". It's time we get a true apocalypse film (series) to do that. And get some awesome kaiju action out of it.

master_of_magnetism1993
MemberMothra LarvaeDec-19-2013 7:37 PMI don't think it's necessary to create a slew of new monsters in this reboot series, although it'd be nice to see at least one new really good one. Most of the monsters from the past can be easily adapted to be more realistic, especially if they all fall in line with the supposed "living fossil" theory that supposedly Godzilla is. All I ask is that they keep aliens out of it. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE extraterrestials. Half of my fan-stories I've thought up involve them somehow. But aliens in Godzilla just never felt right to me. It broke the consistency of the monster's origins. I mean, I guess you can explain it, but is it really necessary. It would just make the plot more convoluted than it may already be and could break the pacing entirely. It's like in "X-Men" how they reduced ALL of the super-powered beings origins to mutation. No goddesses or magic gems. It kept it all consistent and helped keep the plot moving. That's not to say that I don't enjoy those things in the comics. But in a movie, you've got two, maybe three hours to tell your story, and only a handful of movies. So, you've got to make some sacrifices for it to be as effective as possible.

Akio123
MemberMothra LarvaeDec-19-2013 10:21 PMMan oh man. I am LOVING how your opinions! Finally someone that is on the same page as me. I LOVE Godzilla, but mainly, the 54. The other movies is what made Godzilla iconic, yet they moved too far away from what he really is. I hope this movie brings him back to his roots. BTW, your ideas are AMAZING. I would expext that Godzilla would leave lethal emounts of radiation anywhere he goes. To the point that it makes certain areas inhabitable.

master_of_magnetism1993
MemberMothra LarvaeDec-19-2013 10:34 PMExactly! I hope more and more people will want to see stuff like this, especially after the new film, assuming it will deliver a relentlessly hopeless tone. Think of it as a big-budget "No Country For Old Men". It's film that makes you feel bad while watching, yet you enjoy the hell out of it... theoretically.
And if the radiation doesn't poison the Earth, at the very least, make it mutate the ecosystem and spawns smaller kaiju that humans can fight off, but still pose a considerable threat given their greater numbers in comparison to the larger beasts. It'd be cool to see in the sequel, maybe rather than a take on "Monster Island", the threat goes global. Something akin to "World War Z" (except it doesn't suck) and by the third film, the world has been so ravaged and there is officially no forms government left. Just pockets of resistance left similar to "Planet of the Apes" or "The Walking Dead".

Akio123
MemberMothra LarvaeDec-19-2013 11:09 PMWhy and the hell aren't you the writer of this movie? Haha Seriously though. The thing is, I want this movie to be more than a summer flick, or just some monster movie. I want this movie to be memorable. The only way a movie like this will exceed being popular for a few months and then forgotten forever(Pacific Rim), is if they make it scary. Not JUMP at you scary. But scary as if this were real. Make it serious, realistic. Make it give off a feeling of no hope. It must have a compelling yet believable story. With characters you could relate to and could actually picture being REAL. The way the world reacts must be believable. But most importantly, the AFTER MATH. Show HOW such a creature(s) would effect not only humans directly, but the world. This movie needs to be sad and haunting while on an epic spectacle.

Akio123
MemberMothra LarvaeDec-19-2013 11:11 PM"As the series goes on, show how they irradiate the wasteland and essentially poison the Earth unintentionally. Show how people get sick and die from the radiation they leave behind and how lands become infertile even long after they have left it." One of the best ideas ever man! And it makes perfect sense. IN FACT , it would be rather strange if in this movie, Godzilla leaves no lethal radiation where he goes. I mean, he's a 400ft ATOMIC creature. Shouldn't he leave something? lol

master_of_magnetism1993
MemberMothra LarvaeDec-19-2013 11:31 PMIf writer's in 1954 can focus on a detail like traces of radiation, modern-day writers, especially FOUR working on one movie, have no excuse to overlook it. And EXACTLY! FEAR! That's what I want! The scariest kind of film is the one that changes how you FEEL. And yes, relatable characters are essential. If I ever became an official writer on a film, my number rule goes as follows: We care about the action because we care about the plot, and we care about the plot because we care about the characters. And no pre-dispostioned cop-outs. No characters who are tailor made for us to feel sorry for. If they have a tragic backstory, ave the audience EXPERIENCE that tragedy AS THE CHARACTER does. And I don't want another "Pacific Rim". Ironically, I think the problem with that film is that it's TOO serious. It's TOO in-depth with its characters. I applaud Del Toro for wanting to be MORE than just robots punching aliens, but the problem is that all of the characters are flat-as-Hell, aside from Idris Elba. It was a film that just needed to be over-the-top action through and through. And even the action in that film seemed restrained. "Godzilla" is the exact polar opposite. If people want cartoony, ridiculous Godzilla, just go watch the barrage of films from the past. For Godzilla to survive, it needs to be reintroduced as a cerebral and physical horror.
P.S., sorry if some of my comments seem redundant. I'm kinda multi-tasking at the moment.

master_of_magnetism1993
MemberMothra LarvaeDec-19-2013 11:39 PMAnother basis of fear that I believe can affect ANYONE is so simple, it's often overlooked. Just being uncontrollably seperated from the ones we love either by duty, disaster or death. We know this film will focus on Aaron Taylor Johnson's character. And we know his wife, son, father, mother and brother are main or supporting characters. Hopefully we can see the fear/grief hit him when certain bad things happen to those members of his family. And not in the action-hero "I'm gonna save them" sense. But the very human "What the hell am I supposed to do?!" way.

Akio123
MemberMothra LarvaeDec-19-2013 11:45 PM^I agree completely. Solid points! All characters must act realistically. Especially Aaron. Though he is the military man and people will expect him to be the, "Final hope for humanity" cliche where he puts an end to the giant beasts, it shouldn't be like that. He should feel a loss of hope as well. I believe that if Gareth and the production behind this movie make it more so haunting, it will carry on. For example, Batman may be one of the only few super heroes with no powers. But even in the comics he seems very unrealistic. Yet, why do people like the Dark Night so much? It felt as if it COULD happen. And all of it was done very dark and serious. Batman has always been popular, but not like he has been the last decade. Godzilla is an ICON. However, what made his legacy(As great as it is) is also really silly and childish. The first movie was NOT a movie for kids. I want that Godzilla back.

master_of_magnetism1993
MemberMothra LarvaeDec-19-2013 11:53 PMJohnson's character needs to be played out like an average military man. Not some John Conner messiah type, but just a man doing his duty and what he feels is right. I hope in the climax (assuming that's what the skydive is leading to), he's simply apart of the mission and doesn't overshadow it. Maybe in the end the platoon wins, but then it is capitalized by an even greater threat coming. Play him out like Rick Grimes from "The Walking Dead" (I'm not a fan of that show, to be honest), where he's simply the leader of a group and is trying desperately to do what he can, he's not the "last hope". It'd be a smart move if this series is all-done from Johnson's perspective, which could be done easily since he's a military man and will likely have a foot in this "war" from one position or another.