Think about it....

Does the fight we never see in hawaii count? I mean I wouldn't put it in the same category as first meet up fights other movies have had. Even Monster Zero who gets a lot of slack for lack of monster action had a much better "meet up fight"

i guess we could count even if we really didnt get to see it which is sad

"In an average run time of a regular Godzilla film this would be just enough for a regular Godzilla film."

If Godzilla's screentime is any indication, thus far that is not entirely true. The percentages indicate how much of each movie Godzilla was actually on screen for:

Godzilla '54 - (8:45 out of 96 minutes) 9.1%
Godzilla Raids Again - (8:30 out of 82 minutes) 10.0%
King Kong vs. Godzilla - (9:15 out of 97 minutes) 9.5%
Mothra vs. Godzilla - (10:30 out of 88 minutes) 11.9%
Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster - (8:00 out of 93 minutes) 8.6%
Monster Zero - (5:45 out of 94 minutes) 6.1%
Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster - (13:00 out of 87 minutes)14.9%
Son of Godzilla - (12:00 out of 86 minutes) 13.9%
Destroy All Monsters - (8:30 out of 89) 9.5%
Godzilla's Revenge - (8:15 out of 70 minutes) 11.8%
Godzilla vs. Hedorah - (20:30 out of 85 minutes) 24.1%
Godzilla vs. Gigan - (16:15 out of 89 minutes) 18.6%
Godzilla vs. Megalon - (10:30 out of 81 minutes) 12.9%
Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla* - (8:00 out of 84 minutes) 9%
Terror of MechaGodzilla - (9:30 out of 83 minutes) 11.5%
The Return of Godzilla - (19:00 out of 103 minutes) 18.4%
Godzilla vs. Biollante - (16:45 out of 104 minutes) 16.1%
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah - (14:45 out of 103 minutes) 14.3%
Godzilla '14 - (8:00 out of 123 minutes) 6.5%

The average percentage of screen time Godzilla has per movie is 12.5%.
The average time Godzilla is actually on screen is 11 minutes and 25 seconds.
The average run time of a Godzilla film is 90 minutes.

Matching Godzilla's screen time in the new film to the average run time of a Godzilla film (as we know currently) Godzilla's onscreen average would be 8.9%. Which is certainly acceptable, but 3.6% off the actual average.

The data of course includes confrontations between Godzilla and his enemies-- Making the fights in the new film fairly short.

It should be noted that the divide will increase since the movies are fairly long in the 90s and JokerCluster has yet to gather data from 1992-2004.

Actually, G14's screen time was about 00:10:27:18 (judging by 23.98 frames per second video). Counted it myself.

That puts you at 8.5%.

What was the criteria from which you counted the on-screen? I've heard from various sources 8 and then 10 and eventually land on 8. I've been counting the screentime myself, but have yet to finish. Been sidetracked by other things.

I went by the following:

1. Any body part shown counts as on screen. It doesn't matter if Godzilla is shown in a close up, long shot, medium shot, scute, tail, claw, whatever. As long as you can see a part of him, it counts.

2. Reflections and silhouttes count, but shadows do not.

3. Replay footage counts.

4. TV screens/computer monitors count.

5. If any impairment comes into play (i.e. smoke, water, buildings, etc.) the only frames that count are the ones that show (again) a piece of Godzilla. Once that piece disspears, however, and no hint of Godzilla can be seen, the footage no longer counts.

Well, 00:10:26:01, I should say. Just watched my reel again, and I admit I was a bit too generous in a couple frames concerning obsructions, particularly with the Godzilla's first appearance (when his scutes push away the battleships).

However, that doesn't really effect the overall ratio. It's still abnout 8.5% of screentime.

God damnit.

00:10:24:17. 8.5%. Final answer. Not gonna change this time around.

.....You probably don't believe me now.

I'm just going to go sit in a corner.....I feel like an idiot.....

Sounds like the right criteria JokerCluster uses. Although the smoke/silhoutte inclusion gets a bit hazy; if you will. We'll go with yours until JokerCluster gets around to it-- Simply for the sake of consistency. 8.5% it is. With a far closer screen time of 10:30.

Astro monster has a really low screan time

Let's count actual time on screen doing something relevant and 2014 surely jumps the shark. The Hawaii sequence that everyone gets so jacked about? You actually see him full on for 12 seconds! The GG Bridge sequence is 2 minutes and change, and the final battle constantly intercuts with the soldiers, and it's dark and smoky. I would love to take a stop watch to this and see how much time we actually see him, and see him doing something, and I'm not talking swimming with the navy. I don't know that I've ever watched a movie that featured so much cool stuff you DON'T see!

@Natezilla,

No need for the GD, There are many different religions and cultures here on scified.

Well, I didn't mean it in a religious sense. The phrase is basically the universal english slang for "Something just screwed up and I'm upset about it."

^"The Holden Caulfied way," would've been shorter to type.

Your Godzilla screentime is off and you can't explain youself swiftly in a discussion forum about a Japanese giant monster... Dammit Natezilla, get your life outta the gutter bro!

*sigh*. And that post didn't even show up.

You know what? I'm done. I'm done!

See you all tomorrow. I'm going to bed.

It doesn't matter how much screen time he had, but I think its safe to believe that his screentime will never be over 30 minuts. But this is a good thing, the less screen time he has, the more exciting it is when he actually appears. The new movie is a work of art in my opinion. I **** love godzilla 2014 (*.)_(*,)

Appearing isn't enough. It's what you do with that screen time that really matters. Simply put, enough wasn't done. Close, but not quite there.

^Which is why I personally never had a problem with Monster Zero. His low screen time consists almost entirely of him fighting Ghidorah, or destroying cities.

@GMan2887 and Durp004 - That's been my point about this movie and screentime in general, all along.

^And it's a good point. Edwards assumption was that simply showing Godzilla is enough. It is not. He needs to do more. And although the actions the title character takes in the film are a lot of fun, it still could've been so much more.

And even with the screen time and actions Godzilla takes in this film, it would have felt more earned if Ford were a better developed character-- Among others.

I think another important aspect is how interesting the human protagonists are. After all, the majority of the movie will be supported by them in Godzilla's absence so their development is important. Gojira and Astro Monster both had really great human characters, in my opinion. That makes up for the lack of Godzilla because like all of these movies, the plot relies on good human characters to connect with the audience and to move the story forward.

I honestly don't think people would be complaining so much about the lack of Godzilla in the new film if Bryan Cranston's character hadn't have died so early in the film; or maybe at least if Aaron Johnson's character was more developed. Again, this is just my opinion, but I think Joe Brody was easily the best character in that movie. I really liked Serizawa too, but I think for the most part after Joe died, the focus shifted mostly to his son, who wasn't as interesting as Serizawa was. Johnson's character was fine for a smaller role, but to be given such a large part with not that much developement up to that point might've been a mistake.

This was really rambly but the point I'm trying to make is that I don't think Joe should've been killed as early as he was because it kind of made the loads of development given to him earlier in the movie pointless. The audience was so use to him at that point that trying to shove a new and less interesting protagonist onto the screen after he leaves was kind of inconsistent. So I don't think it was necessarily the lack of Godzilla that upset people, but more of the fact that the primary lead(Ford) wasn't as good as he could've been. 

GMAN2887 - Do you believe that viewers would have been happier with Edwards' Godzilla if the battle between Godzilla and the male MUTO at the Hawaii airport had been shown in greater detail? I've often wondered if that simple alteration would have yielded more favorable reactions on the whole. :)

^Maybe. I know it's a polarizing decision, but I actually like the restraint there. It's different, it's fresh and it goes against the grain of what's expected from Hollywood blockbusters. I like that.
Cutting from Godzilla so many times after that scene is what bothers me and makes it less unique. Serizawa's final line in the film is, "Let them fight." And after he says it we cut to Godzilla and the MUTO engaging in battle. We needed a little more from that for the line to have a satisfying payoff. Instead they literally shut the doors on the audience for the genesis of that confrontation.
I don't think much needs to be tweeked for Godzilla's screentime to be more universally satisfying, but little things make the biggest differences.

GMAN2887 - I whole-heartedly understand and respect your thoughts on the premise. Indeed, even the smallest aspect changes can have incredible effects upon a film! :)

Good god, the official novelization is packed with more exciting things then what the movie delievered. So many things were left out like the fight scene at the airport. The book says that there was indeed an atomic breath attack and the airport was.....destroyed! I sincerly hope that godzilla 2 is somewhere near as good as pacific rim or even gamera 3 is.

^I've basically resigned myself to believing we'll never get another kaiju film that hits the quality of Gamera 3...

Well... I don't know. "Never" is pretty damning. If any studio has a shot I think it's Tsuburaya and one of their Ultraman movies. But they have got to cut out this Ginga nonesense if that's to happen.

I don't think the fact that this was an atypical summer blockbuster necessarily makes it good. In fact, for me it was just the opposite. There was very little payoff in this movie, and some of that could/should have come in the form of a good old fashioned summer blockbuster. It's Godzilla for God's sake, not Merchant Ivory! Some movies I loved this summer, Capt. America, Dawn of the POTA, Guardians, all followed formula to some degree and they were awesome movies, IMO. I didn't feel cheated with any of them.

I hated the cutaway scenes. I didn't find them clever. I found them infuriating and insulting. The thing with the airport scene is going in I already knew he was cutting away; I had read about it, but it still bugged the crap out of me. You make me wait four years for your movie to come out, then you make me wait an hour to show me what I came to see, then you play peek-a-boo the rest of the movie, and I'm supposed to be happy??

^Haha, calm down a little koldwarkid. I understand though, what makes me mad is the fact that they teased it like it was going to be a dark and serious godzilla movie. Talk about bait and switch. What we got was a more kid friendly type of godzilla movie that i find ok because kids would want to see it regardless, i have nothing against a company that makes movies like godzilla suitable for children, but i was hoping for a godzilla movie that could relate to 54 film.

Dang shame, hopefully when toho gets going again with their godzilla movies, we can get that more serious godzilla film.

Thanks for talking me off the ledge, Triple B! ;)

What got me railing again was I just watched it recently as part of my 60th tribute, and I swear, the more I watch it the less I'm liking it, and that's a shame. That SDCC 2012 teaser; oh man, that's the movie I want to see. It's still out there somewhere. That thing gave me goosebumps. I watched it over and over. Him rising and roaring from under the smoke and debris, awesome.

I didn't have a huge problem with Godzilla being a "good guy." Just give us something to sink our teeth into, some cool Godzilla stuff. This movie just fell short in that dept. for me, and I think a lot of people. I never read the novel. By your account and others I've read, it's the movie we should have had.

Be good, my friend. I did see your PM. Haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I will.