I’d been putting it off because the reviews weren’t great when it debuted. But since it was going to be pulled from Netflix, I figured I’d give it a shot. And I enjoyed it! It was a heartfelt, well-written drama about a family coping with loss that-wait, it’s about monster battles? Okay then!
Let me explain.
Back when I was young, a movie didn’t have to be good for me to see it. I was so easily entertained that I could “check my brain at the door”. It wasn’t until adulthood that my outlook changed. Nowadays, with exceptions, I need more than mindless entertainment. I need good character interactions too.
I’ve been hesitant about MCU-esque copycats for a while. Aside from most being terribly interconnected, the films usually suffer from bad writing. This has also been true of the “Kaiju Universe”, starring Godzilla. While the entries so far have been entertaining, updating Toho’s Kaiju boxing matches and making them contemporary, they’ve done little to impress as stories. If it weren’t for the human characters, they probably wouldn’t even work.
Let me explain.
Back when I was young, a movie didn’t have to be good for me to see it. I was so easily entertained that I could “check my brain at the door”. It wasn’t until adulthood that my outlook changed. Nowadays, with exceptions, I need more than mindless entertainment. I need good character interactions too.
The “Kaiju Universe” is one I’d have probably liked more as a kid. It has big monsters with cool designs destroying stuff! But while I can appreciate the fight scenes, especially with their gorgeous cinematography, I also don’t think that’s enough for a full-length feature. Contrary to what Geoff Thew pointed out, and I mean no disrespect to him, a movie needs more. It also needs something weighty.
On some level, these movies have that: Godzilla had an army vet trying to live up the expectations of his late-father and mother. Kong: Skull Island had, among other subplots, a Vietnam War vet trying to reconcile the war’s failure with defeating King Kong, whom he sees as a chance at redemption. And now Godzilla: King of the Monsters has a fractured family trying to reconcile their relationship with the Kaiju. I’m sure Godzilla VS. Kong has something similar, but I haven’t watched it yet.
These movies have human drama. And let’s face it, when done well it’s compelling. That said, it’s not enough here. Remove the Kaiju fights and keep the human drama, and you’d still have decent storytelling. Remove the human drama and keep the Kaiju fights, however, and you’d end up with mediocrity. This is despite the Kaiju having distinct personalities.
On some level, these movies have that: Godzilla had an army vet trying to live up the expectations of his late-father and mother. Kong: Skull Island had, among other subplots, a Vietnam War vet trying to reconcile the war’s failure with defeating King Kong, whom he sees as a chance at redemption. And now Godzilla: King of the Monsters has a fractured family trying to reconcile their relationship with the Kaiju. I’m sure Godzilla VS. Kong has something similar, but I haven’t watched it yet.
These movies have human drama. And let’s face it, when done well it’s compelling. That said, it’s not enough here. Remove the Kaiju fights and keep the human drama, and you’d still have decent storytelling. Remove the human drama and keep the Kaiju fights, however, and you’d end up with mediocrity. This is despite the Kaiju having distinct personalities.
I feel bad for writing that! For all the beautifully-shot action and excellent visuals, they feel generic and same-y to dozens of other action movies. We’ve seen giant monsters fighting before. We’ve also seen scenery being destroyed before. And we’ve seen them in tandem as well. It also doesn’t help that, like Captain Midnight mentioned in one of his YouTube videos, we can barely make out what’s going on most of the time because of the blurred visuals and nighttime lighting.
There’s a chance some of you will be offended by my sentiments; after all, aren’t the Kaiju fights what people paid for? Maybe…but you also need the human weight. There’s a reason why Godzilla’s the only Toho production to receive nearly-unanimous critical praise: the human dynamics, not Godzilla himself, were the focus. It’s also why Gareth Edwards’ film was better received than the Godzilla movie that followed, as he focused on that as well.
It sounds counterintuitive to praise “generic human writing” over “Kaiju”, but I stand firm in my stance. I honestly think that, if anything, Godzilla: King of the Monsters could’ve had more of it! But I can’t lie when I say that human interactions are more interesting than action beats alone. Even The MCU, for all its flaws, understands that. And it’d be great if the emotional weight could be acknowledged, as opposed to dismissed.
There’s a chance some of you will be offended by my sentiments; after all, aren’t the Kaiju fights what people paid for? Maybe…but you also need the human weight. There’s a reason why Godzilla’s the only Toho production to receive nearly-unanimous critical praise: the human dynamics, not Godzilla himself, were the focus. It’s also why Gareth Edwards’ film was better received than the Godzilla movie that followed, as he focused on that as well.
It sounds counterintuitive to praise “generic human writing” over “Kaiju”, but I stand firm in my stance. I honestly think that, if anything, Godzilla: King of the Monsters could’ve had more of it! But I can’t lie when I say that human interactions are more interesting than action beats alone. Even The MCU, for all its flaws, understands that. And it’d be great if the emotional weight could be acknowledged, as opposed to dismissed.
I don’t want to belittle anyone who disagrees with me here. I know some of you would be perfectly happy with senseless Kaiju fights, and think that the human drama’s the boring part. If you get off on Godzilla ripping off an enemy’s head, or witnessing King Kong and Godzilla duking it out for supremacy, by all means go ahead! But while I can appreciate the technical showmanship, in the end I need more. I need a reason to care about the characters.
It’s tough to parse the mixed sentiments on these movies. Some, like Bob Chipman, prefer the chaotic, dumb fun because it harkens back to the cheaply-made versus matches of the Toho era films. Others, like Captain Midnight, need more than that. Personally, I lean more to the latter, but I also respect the former. If that’s makes me a heretic in the eyes of fans, then so be it!
At the least, I can safely say I prefer these movies to Pacific Rim. Sorry, Guillermo del Toro fans!
It’s tough to parse the mixed sentiments on these movies. Some, like Bob Chipman, prefer the chaotic, dumb fun because it harkens back to the cheaply-made versus matches of the Toho era films. Others, like Captain Midnight, need more than that. Personally, I lean more to the latter, but I also respect the former. If that’s makes me a heretic in the eyes of fans, then so be it!
At the least, I can safely say I prefer these movies to Pacific Rim. Sorry, Guillermo del Toro fans!
No comments:
Post a Comment