Movie Tournament Rounds 6-8 Archive

I vote Godzilla 2014, it may not have beejn what EVERYONE was expecting, but its still a great Godzilla movie. Before anyone counter-argues, be sure to take a good long look at the pic and be thankful that it wasnt that.

I just want to address that sentiment since any movie series that has a bad or ill received movie makes people judge future versions based on it, and act like by simply not being that movie they accomplished something.

First let me say this is true G2014 wasnt the 98 movies , it was better, but funny thing is so was EVERY Godzilla movie. Are we going to pat them on the back for the sake of not being the worst? Gojira wasn't the 98 movie, King Kong vs Godzilla wasn't the 98 movie, Mothra vs Godzilla wasn't the 98 movie and most important of all in this sense Godzilla vs Destoroyah wasn't the 98 movie. No one is complimenting those movies on that fact, or any other toho movies for that matter. We expect them to be better, so when one is no one bats an eyelash to it, but people try to act like the fact G2014 being better has some weight to it when judging it. When I watched any movie but G2000 which came out the next year I never thought to myself "well it's better than the 98 movies at least" and the only reason I thought that for G2000 was due to how close the movies were released. 

The difference between the two is Godzilla vs Destoroyah came out before the 98 movie. It didn't need this big not to do list no know how not to mess up it just did it. It was also the last movie to come out before the 98 one so why aren't we celebrating a movie who did better than a movie that came out years after it. Instead we look at the one that came out 16 years later and act like it really raised the bar by not being that bad.

If when you walked out of G2014 the only thing that crossed your mind was how it wasn't as bad as the 98 movie that's like saying, "well in this race I didn't place high enough to get a medal, or even do well at that but at least I wasn't the very last person who finished." 

GMAN2887 - Oh, gosh; this is going to be complex. Both of the films you have presented entertained me and let me down to a certain degree. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah was a fun film that seemed to try (in my opinion) overly hard to elicit an emotional response from its viewers. Edwards' Godzilla is quite the same in that regard. I suppose I must base my decision on which film engaged me most of all. Hmm...I shall cast my vote tentatively in favor of Edwards' Godzilla. The reason behind this decision is simple - and one for which I am somewhat ashamed. Edwards' Godzilla was visually more appealing. I find my answer to leave a taste of sour uncertainty; but it is the one to which my mind goes after much mental debate. :)

@Something Real - You don't have to apologize for liking/not liking something or even why you did/didn't. Totally subjective thing. It really comes down to what you got out of it and was it a good experience for you.

@Durp004 - Completely agree. From everything I saw well beforehand and the direction the filmmakers seemed to be going, it was a foregone conclusion to me that G 14 was going to be better (and closer to source), than '98. Other than that I knew I would judge it on its own merits.

My opinion is strictly based on my takeaway from it immediately after the credits rolled in the theater and subsequently the 3-4 times I watched it at home on Blu-Ray. So really what did that movie do for me as a self-contained piece of entertainment, and as a Godzilla movie?

Koldwarkid62, to be honest I'm trying to stay out of this debate as Godzilla vs Destoroyah is my all time favorite Godzilla movie and while I notice the faults it has I still think I'd rate it higher than most, so with the bias goggles this heavy I'm trying not to call people out for liking G14 too much, but when Shazothehedgehog basically said it was better and to anyone that had counterpoints brought up the 98 movie that struck a small nerve. No other movie gets that out as much as G14 so if you're only point for why someone should like it is that, well needless to say you essentially made a case for why G2014 is the 29th best movie in the series, but in no way differentiated it from any other movie who also shares the status of "not being the 98 movie."

KOLDWARKID62 - Thank you. Your understanding in this matter is greatly appreciated. :)

DURP004 - I understand and respect your feeling on this topic. It is always difficult to objectively look upon something for which we have strong, positive feelings. The fact that you are capable of doing so to any degree speaks highly of your personal control and mental discipline. :)

Despite it's flaws I vote for Godzilla 2014. The tone behind Godzilla 2014 seems more optimistic than G vs. Destroyah. Perhaps I feel this way because I have hope that the legendary franchise will get better with the next film. I like G vs. Destroyah but found a few things disappointing. As I watched the movie I already knew from the build-up to it that Godzilla would die in it which took some suspense away. There was another psychic character in the film alongside Miki that I found annoying and unnecessary. It almost seemed as if Toho had plans to spin off Godzilla Junior into another series but with this character instead of Miki.

There were flaws with the special effects and editing which again was just lazy. The scene where the aggregate Destroyah's were engaged with the military right before they combine to form one giant creature that goes on to face Junior shows how bad the editing and effects were. 

I still like Destroyah but the grim tone, sad end, and some issues with the effects took away from it. 

ROUND 7 HAS BEGUN:

The previous round saw Godzilla vs. Destoroyah take Godzilla '14 12 to 7 based on forum and twitter votes.

Next match:

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah VS. King Kong vs. Godzilla

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah for me. The time travel is great. Although, the special effects aren't nearly as good to king kong vs. Godzilla, the movie is a little bit more serious. It's got my favorite Godzilla design, the 91 ghidogoji suit.

King Kong vs. Godzilla, has a more comedy style to the film. The battle between king kong and Godzilla is funny at moments. However, king kong vs. Godzilla has better characters and acting. The thing that kills me is Miki segusa saying Godzilla in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. The battle between Godzilla and Ghidorah is very animalistic. The same can be said though for king kong but, it was a bit more WWE style. 

All in all, I respect both films. I think I'll go with Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. 

Hmm this is a tough one since I love both films.

King Kong vs Godzilla doesn't take itself seriously at all so you have to factor that in when watching it. The movie characters and monsters are all there to have fun. I love the Godzilla suit, it's a shame it never got used again with the next suit straying pretty far from it's design. That being said maybe that's a positive as it gives the suit the distinct look that makes it stand out, even at a glance someone can tell that is the Kinggoji suit. Kong on the other hand doesn't look too great. Even by the standards for monsters at that time I can't help but not like that suit. The suit actor does a great job of making you almost not care by how well he portrays an ape. That aside wasn't impressed with the look of Kong. The characters are there to to get the movie along, obviously aware what type of movie they're making with acting that reflects it. Of course the highlight of the movie is the final fight. It's extremely entertaining having the monsters throw rocks at eachother, knock eachother around, and even try to stuff a tree down their throats.

I can't help but love Godzilla vs King Ghidorah for how original it was. I mean they go into Godzilla's past something that's remained vague and shrouded up to that point. They also tackle timetravel which isn't the easiest thing to write for. I think that fact so many people are confused about heisei's timeline is because of this movie, thinking Godzilla was actually erased and while the movie could have been clearer, I don't think it was as hard to grasp or understand as some people seem to act. The characters are fine some shining more that others of course. Miki doesn't do much a trend she'll follow up until Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla, but Emi, and Shindo and M11 are the real people that I think made the movie better. Overall like King Kong vs Godzilla this is a fun movie that you can enjoy at all ages featuring robots, time travel, dinosaurs and finally Godzilla. The suits in this movie are great by the way. Godzilla is basically a slightly altered biogoji, which is my favorite suit so nothing to complain about there, Ghidorah looks great, and I don't think anyone can complain with the design of Mecha King Ghidorah.

I love them both but I have to give this to Godzilla vs King Ghidorah.

GMAN2887 - Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah for me! I very much enjoy the film's tone and more, hmm, fanciful nature! :)

Godzilla vs King Ghidorah all the way.

King Kong vs. Godzilla is considered by some as the second most important film in the entire franchise and a true classic. It get's my vote hands down. 

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is entertaining to an extent but just has too many cringe-inducing moments. Changing the great King Ghidorah's origin from a space demon to three gremlins fused together is bad enough. The acting or overacting was bad. Except for Shindo, I did not care much for the other characters including the classic Captain Spielberg. 

Delving into Godzilla's past was interesting but the whole story including the time travel was poorly written and executed.

King Kong vs.  Godzilla has so many enjoyable moments including Godzilla's superkick on Kong and Kong taking Godzilla by the tail and swinging him around. Classic stuff.

"King Kong vs. Godzilla is the second most important film by some in the series."  ×Scratches head×

That may be true, however, a lot more consider Mothra vs. Godzilla 1964 to be the second most important in the series.

King Kong vs. Godzilla is a good film. Love it. Not as much as others though. I find it better than at least 2 that have been eliminated here already. Perhaps we should have a double elimination the next time? 

Ben,
"Important" does not always mean "best". Mothra vs. Godzilla may be considered by many to be the second best film, but its fruition likely came from King Kong vs. Godzilla which is the most attended Godzilla film in the series I believe.

King Kong vs. Godzilla instilled Godzilla's popularity and likely gave birth to the idea of Toho pitting their own monsters against each other. (Why get the rights for others when you have your own catalog of popular beasts?)

And again, I don't cast my own votes in these, but I'm left wondering how Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is absolutely whooping King Kong vs. Godzilla. I mean, I like Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. I think there are a lot of parts about it that are really great, but the parts don't exactly add up to a cohesive whole. King Kong vs. Godzilla just works better as a complete film.

This is a tough one, since I consider both of these films to be very much about on par with each other overall. They're both very strong entries in the series, fan favorites, and have their own major strengths and flaws. But, I'll go with King Kong vs. Godzilla. I feel that it has fewer flaws to detract from the experience, and just feels like a better film on the whole.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah tries to be a very interesting and unique film, but I think it tries to do too much without adequately explaining it, hence why today many fans still don't understand the consequences of the time-travel in the film on the Heisei continuity. It's certainly a strange film, even by kaiju eiga standards, but it's still enjoyable and has some of the best effects and battles of the Heisei era. I'm not a huge fan of King Ghidorah's new origin, but it works with the time-travel plot of the story, so I can forgive that, much like I've come to forgive his portrayal in GMK.

King Kong vs. Godzilla is probably one of the most fun movies one can watch. It doesn't take itself to seriously while still not seemingl like a spoof or anything, it has quirky interesting characters who provide constant comic relief, and the final battle is one of the best-choreographed fight scenes in the series. It feels like a giant-sized wrestling match, and I absolutely love it. It also set the precedent for pretty much the rest of the Showa series, and few films have matched it. Not to mention, it features King Kong fighting Godzilla!

So, although I think these are two pretty evenly-matched films and some of the finest entries in the series, I think that KKvG is better by a large enough margin to win my vote.

I don't know if I'd say King Kong vs Godzilla worked better. The movie kind of gets carried by the marquee value the two monsters bring. I think if you took out Kong and replaced him with another monster the film wouldn't hold up as well.

Durp,
Even then though the movie feels tailor made for said marquee it builds on with a much tighter script than Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. Everything about it makes sense and feels like a natural progression. Meanwhile, the time travel angle confuses fans so much that it might as well not make sense for floundering about so much. King Kong vs. Godzilla just has a stronger slate of characters, acting and makes sense out of its ambitious concept. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah does not.

"Ben, important doesn't always mean the best." 

Okay, where in the hell did I say it was the best?  I know the difference between important and best. Never once did I say anything about the "best."