Your Unpopular Godzilla Opinions

Final Wars is my 4th favorite Godzilla movie because of it's entertainment value alone

Forgot to include:

Godzilla vs Hedorah is the absolute worst Godzilla movie. Left it out on the first post because the film tends to divide fans so not liking it isn't exactly unpopular, but I guess with films like G98, Godzilla's Revenge, and Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla most people probably wouldn't agree it is the "worst"

@Yukispecial,

Entertainment value eh? Then by this standard, Showa is still more entertaining. People not only go to watch movies for entertainment value, but they want to understand what's going on in the film. If we're just going to the movies to watch monsters duke it out then it's a waste of money due to people wanting to ignore the story and plot points. Without either, people are going to get bored very quickly. 

As far as feelings, I don't think I was offering my feelings on the subject but, criticism. There's a difference between the two. 

If Koichi Kawakita had such a higher budget for doing special effects, how come he didn't capitalized on it? Mothra, Battra, King Ghidorah, and Mecha king ghidorah all have wings to fly with. But with no wing movement, no tails flapping, heads tossing about, or legs moving around while airborne, they look like cardboard floating and gliding in the air. These are monsters for God's sake. At least make them look like they're alive while flying. Now, is this an opinion or my feelings? Absolutely not. It's criticism.

....No tails flapping, heads tossing or legs moving? I don't think you're entirely accurate there.  You're not going to win me over with any arguments against Kawakita, I think the man is too harshly dumped on by the more snobbish side of the fanbase.  But yes, your criticisms are fueled by your personal feelings, as well as objective observations.  You're entitled to them, I just don't agree with them.

Seriously, it's nothing personal, it's just after being a die hard fan for nearly 30 years and having been active in the online community for over 10 my deepest frustrating being a Godzilla fan is just seeing how few of the fans seem to actually enjoy their fandom anymore.  They get so angry and harp on things in a political debate fashion (Legendary G is amazing/terrible, CGI is a disgrace to the fandom, Showa/Heisei/Millennium are terrible and should be swept under the rug etc etc etc) that we seem to just forget these are silly wonderful little films.  Maybe I just don't belong in the forum format of discourse with fans, it just seems too hard to find enough like-minded fans who understand where I'm coming from, that even though I may say I find the Kiryu films absolutely lame compared to the films I love more, I still adore them, because it's Godzilla.  Online fandom just seems to work too much in the Youtube voter system, either love it or hate it, thumbs up or down.  It's regrettable.

YukisSpecial- I understand, I've been having a similar problem with the fanbase for a while.

@Dragon King

Thanks, it means a lot to not feel like a lone voice :)  Part of why my family has enjoyed going to G-Fest without fail for the last 10 years straight is the simple fact we get to be surrounded by families, more to the point young kids, who just adore kaiju without all the weight of adult intellectualism in their fandom, or prejudice against this and that. It's refreshing to say the least, especially when you get to play Santa Claus for them and go in costume.  I'm looking forward to doing so again as Godzilla 2000 this year.  The kids rarely fail to make me love my fandom all over again when the adults kind of ruin the party.

 And by the way, if you want a REALLY unpopular opinion, my favorite G-Film of all time is Gigan.  Actually had a Japanese fan laugh in my face when I answered that one at G-Fest one year, we were standing in line for Haruo Nakajima and he asked, I answered, followed by a laugh and "Gigan?!"  To be sure, G-Fans aren't so dissimilar on either side of the Pacific as we might assume ;)

Sorry that happened.

Also, I like 2005 Kong more than the original

 Ha oh no it wasn't a mockery thing, they were just very surprised anybody would think that highly of the "dark era" of the Showa films, but they were good natured about it, just more of a "Seriously? Gigan? Strange Americans...."  It was actually kind of funny.  Besides, they helped me learn some Japanese to greet Nakajima San with while we waited in line.

Oh ok.

"I don't think you're entirely accurate there." His own effects showcase it themselves. You can see his effects go downhill from each film.

"You're not going to win me over with any arguments against Kawakita,"

This was never my objective or mission. Quite frankly, I'm not here to change your mind. I'm sorry if you felt this way.

"I think the man is too harshly dumped on by the more snobbish side of the fanbase." 

That may be the case. We can thank Toho for deeming Biollante less superior at the box office, and if his drinking rumor is true. The effects on Biollante alone would make Stan Winston's head spin.

"But yes, your criticisms are fueled by your personal feelings."

Again, pointing out a films weaknesses is not personal feelings. I don't have feelings towards the movies. I enjoy them for what they are. But, with weaknesses in any of these films, it stops them dead in their tracks from being completely enjoyable. 

"You're entitled to them, I just don't agree with them."

And this is perfectly fine. I'm just not going to be confronted by an illusion and confusion by how poor some of these films are. 

We enjoy the heisei series, this is perfectly fine bro. I'm not here to change your mind or downgrade your opinion on this subject. I'll agree these films are made for entertainment purposes, but with weaknesses, they become less and less enjoyable. I don't hate these films nor anyone else's opinion. 

We've both have been fans for nearly 30 years together. There's no reason we can't have a mature conversation over Godzilla. 

///

 "There's no reason we can't have a mature conversation over Godzilla."

Well last I checked, we were :)  Cheers.

I'm not sure if this is an unpopular opinion, but let's roll with it:

I think films won't be able to preserve Godzilla for long.

I think things like animation (be it serialized or installment-based) and comic books will be the eventual successor to live-action film as the main Godzilla media to preserve the character for future generations.

"I think films won't be able to preserve Godzilla for long."

I think after 60+ years of movies and more and more techniques used to preserve, copy and remaster films being developed all the time, this is quite frankly untrue for any fandom.

"And by the way, if you want a REALLY unpopular opinion, my favorite G-Film of all time is Gigan."

Gigan used to be one of my favorite films as it was the very first Godzilla movie I ever saw. These days I need more than nostalgia to get me through a movie, though. It's a hard one to sit through regardless of sentiment. I don't hate it by any stretch and still have fond memories of the film, but, ironically, once the battle starts I lose interest and it kind of drags. Those characters were too entertaining to take a time out during the second act.

I'm very mixed when it comes to my opinion on Godzilla vs. Gigan.

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep and Son of Godzilla are almost as good as the Ishiro Honda-directed classics of the early Showa era.

Godzilla 2000 comes off as an extremely lazy and rushed film that believed it could justify its own existence just by erasing the bad taste left by G98. The American re-edit takes steps to actually remedy this.

Destroy All Monsters is one of Ishiro Honda's weaker efforts, and for most of its runtime feels like a watered-down version of his previous films. Only the final battle really makes the film memorable.

Rebirth of Mothra I and III are both good movies.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II is my favorite Godzilla film.

I probably have a few more, but those are ones I can think of off the top of my head.

The Stan Winston Godzilla design is slightly better than the Legendary design.

The King of the Monsters,
Not disagreeing with your take on Sea Monster or Son of Godzilla in the least, in fact I largely agree--Would you elaborate more on them? Specifically Son? I find that to be an excellent entry.