Abob Teff

Damn, how long is this movie?!

Solid Snake

That looks like it's video taken from someone there. Some kind of footage we get to see.

Overall... this film excites me cuz it does seem like Toho has failed so much w/ it that they actually gave creative to someone who may inject some... fresh and ambitious execution here while also being Japanese in cultural form.

Fuck. I hate the Millennium series. So many fuck ups in that one.

Abob Teff

Looks as if it is playing at a couple of theaters in St. Louis. Damn, September and October are just too busy for me to try to squeeze something else in. I have been working on a project in St. Louis though ... may have to schedule a couple days of meetings ...

TomOpus

Going to see it October 15th. Going with an ex-coworker who's a huge Godzilla fan. Next best thing to the movie is she's never been to an Alamo Drafthouse and is super excited about being able to eat/drink in the theater. I guess she didn't venture to too many other theaters outside of her usual ones.

asianxcore

My wording was a bit off. What I meant to say was there is only one screening per day at the theater I listed, during said dates.

B5Erik

I just bought my tickets for 10/15!

hasslein

Cannot believe this is not on more screens. Only one theatre in the whole SF Valley, and Tues & Weds are sold out.

TomOpus

It's on one screen here but for four showings (Tue, Wed, Sat, Sun). I'm going Saturday and it's basically sold out (4 seats available per website). Should be fun.

Maybe with these sellouts they might add more showings.

Ash Ketchum

Packed house at the one Manhattan showing tonight, filled with enthusiastic G fans. And they were not disappointed. It's a truly unique G film, a thorough reboot, a satire of Japanese bureaucracy and red tape, as well as an allegory about Japanese disaster preparedness (or lack thereof) and a serious treatise on Japan's relations with the U.S. and the rest of the world. Pretty complex. Needs to be seen a few more times to allow the mind to process it.

The Big G is probably more formidable here than he's ever been. Downtown Tokyo, which I spent a couple of weeks visiting last March, gets really cut to ribbons in this. When G finally lets loose with his flame breath, the effects are profoundly destructive and the audience applauded wildly.

Solid Snake

I also saw it tonight.

1 issue that isn't the film's fault... per se. Sometimes there would be titles/locations/whatever going along w/ the subtitles. So SOMETIMES... I'd feel overwhelmed in having to read whatever was going on top and then also make sure to read the subtitles before they moved on. ALMOST missed a funny bit about someone's new position after G essentially freed up the ranks for this guy.

I really enjoyed this thing. G was truly a god in this. He was totally oblivious to humanity itself in a biological sense. Truly a terrifying beast. I loved how, as it being a now existent entity, wild it could get... particularly his early stage. Had a very tunnel visioned focus but also made sense considering how EVERYTHING was new to this thing. It just had a very mythical and grit value to how he operated. His breath and Tokyo. Jesus. Tokyo is fucked. Shit.... for all the damage G makes.. it isn't to the point of boredom either. He fucks up Japan bad and it's amazing to see just cuz of how this G is.

I loved how it reused the old Showa sound effects. If not, well it sure sounded like it. I do think Ifukube's theme, while always awesome, was kind of out of place in this one. Just didn't gel right with me for a bit.

I think the whole view of the bureaucracy and politics of a disaster on place here was very interesting. Really kind of showed how Japan operates in it's culture. While I did enjoy it... I think the film could have trimmed it down by like 20 minutes. Cuz it was this stuff that at some point becomes too much and slightly paces down the film for me. I loved it but we didn't need SOOOOOO much of it.

The CGI was fine. It's Japan... they could never compare to us. So I can't knock it so much for that. But it looked pretty good.

Anno had a very interesting eye for this thing... almost too in your face w/ his emphasis in some shots but also stressed how crazy it was for these people.

I'd probably give it a B+... maybe an A-... it just runs a bit too long and you kind of feel it.

That last shot is actually pretty terrifying in the biological sense.

probably G's 2nd best film.
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Had a guy to the left of me that was sleepy. Dozed off a couple of times, I had to nudge him and make sure he was ok. I actually worried about him, he looked sooooo tired to point of where I worried for his health. He was fine but I did get worried when his last passing out had him breathing hard.

There were three guys on my right that were too fanatic for this thing. To the point where they were just too fucking loud when it was quiet and the guy next to me kept waving his hands up, following the beats, when an Ifukube theme would come up. The 2nd time that guy did it almost hitting me in the face? I just grabbed his hand, stood up, and bitchslapped him w/ the back of his left hand. Told him and his friends to shut it or I will fuck them in the ass to really have something to be loud about. The bitchslapped guy had tears and the other two guys apologized immediately. Jesus. I'm a nerd too but don't be a piece of shit in fucking up the vibe of the place.

I wouldn't mind it if the theater had like 10 people but the guys were just too wild for a packed theater. They didn't hinder my enjoyment of the film, they were just fucking w/ my peace.

Ash Ketchum

Great writeup, Snake. Esp. with those last two paragraphs. Somehow I doubt that the New York Times reviewers ever included anything like that.

I had fanboys in my row also, but they, like the rest of the audience, were respectful throughout. Lots of Japanese in my audience also, including many older women.

Giles

I saw this last night over the Angelika Mosaic theater and the near sold out crowd ate this up.

the movie felt like an homage to the 1954 original, but with spruced up effects, some subtle humor; I also thought the soundmix was trying to retain it's original mono sound design, Emmerich's version while highly flawed the sound was off the charts and the star, here it was dialed down considerably.

Quack

Going Thursday night, can't wait.

hasslein

This film is too good for such a limited run.

Solid Snake

I was actually surprised by how many people there were in my theater. Some younger kids too.. Some little girl behind me said she was glad she could read. Probably 7 or 8. The kids were pretty mum too. I'd think this film would bore kids but apparently not the ones in my theater.

Oddly enough, I had a friend who went to Tokyo this week... she and I were supposed to see this together. Alas. Is it even playing in Tokyo still?

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I do wonder where they go from here. Cuz... well:



Again.. a lot of stuff goes on w/ the UN/US/international community stuff. I'd have to watch it again cuz a shit ton of talking is done in this. A SHIT ton. I didn't miss anything really but at the same time.. it's a lot process w/ the subtitles and then the title/location/whatever headers. When that shit goes on together you're reading as quick as you can cuz you don't speak Japanese.

Really really interested to see what happens w/ Shin Godzilla 2. That one may be a harder thing to create in concept just because of where we were left off.

Giantrobo

These are encouraging opinions.

I'm going to chalk it up to G2014 raising the bar for TOHO...

caiman

Saw this at the Alamo Drafthouse in Kansas City last night. I went into this movie with high expectations and it still blew me away. I'd say my one and only complaint - and it's a tiny one - is the pacing during the last half. The space between the dragged ever so slightly. Other than that, I loved everything about this.

It's almost an anti-Godzilla movie in the way the reality of a giant destructive monster is handled so realistically. In every other Godzilla film I've seen, there's very little focus on shock, disbelief, and the minutia of how to handle the situation. "Oh a giant monster? Sigh. I guess we better shoot at it." But here this stuff is the bulk of the movie, and I loved it.

Godzilla's design is wonderful. He looks more terrifying than he's ever been. I wasn't expecting

I was enjoying the movie a ton, and then happened and I instantly started loving the movie. That scene was, hands down, the best moment I've seen in a Godzilla movie. I had chills. Absolutely phenomenal.

They've totally nailed how to make a Godzilla movie that's pretty terrifying while still retaining the charm of the goofier films. This was pretty much a perfect Godzilla movie. I hope this is the start of a new Toho series that follows in this style.

Solid Snake

One of thing of interest to me of all is how this G film differs in how they take him down. Not talking about how sci fi it used to get or whatever but that... this is probably the realest way to take him down. We've never seen that. The government suffers in trying to come up w/ a plan to save their people and Tokyo but at the end. They buckle down and literally are totally open to just destroying as much as needed of Tokyo to get their plan together. All for the greater good, you know? At the end, it's Japan putting all their eggs in a basket and willing to take the losses to take him down. And it's MAJOR losses in what they allow.. mostly property but still. It's fucking Tokyo.

They reside a lot in their old school and isolated mentalities in trying to regulate who this belongs to and how they should do it. It's not failure really but it's just the insanity of trying to keep the peace among a nation facing the unreal. At some point, the more younger and/or scientific community gets their point across but it's a long walk but it feels real. It feels like it had to take time for them to get to that point and it works out. Science isn't fast. Yes. We get some minor jumps in time but it's still a long period of time that for Japan in the film is fucking mere seconds cuz of where they're left at. We see these groups become what needs to be done. It's total focus on taking G down. None of this walking away and thinking alone or some crap level of depth on a character. It's insanely focused on getting to the objective of stopping G.

Usually the humans are the most boring part but the drama w/ them is so good. In previous generations of G you'd see all this fucking lack of care for grit and intensity in their drama. More of pandering to the audience in the past flicks. BS drama. There are some figures here to focus on but the ensemble, if even the smaller parts, but the whole ensemble of actors really matter.

I'm just really impressed w/ how they handled the people.

And G for all insane he was, is ridiculous to the point of terror. A literal god incarnate. His flame breath is one thing but when they ENHANCE him? It gets a chuckle cuz it is funny in a ridiculous way but it immediately stops being funny when you see what he does w/ it. The amount of destruction at his control even out of physical reach is terrifying. They make it a big poetic moment at times. Which is funny... this movie has a lot of destruction but you never feel detached from it. You feel that it does hurt Tokyo. It's not destruction porn as some call it.

That's what he is too. So ridiculous that he's terrifying. You chuckle or smile but then you don't.

<iframe width="660" height="415" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YLeZtgUauV4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Fuck this G movie is awesome.

As caiman mentioned... it is that section between the two moments that could have been condensed a bit. You feel the time during it.

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talking about a sequel...

I dunno. I don't want this G to be a good guy. I like him being a Bad Motherfucker. I LOVE his foes and his buddy Kaiju but... this guy? I dunno, man. This guy is way too wild and unpredictable. He's a very one track kind of entity. I also don't know how any of his fellow Kaiju fit in. Godzilla 2014 harbors an environment for his fellow Kaiju to exist, albeit in a different sense of origins. In this new era, MAYBE Ghidorah cuz he's a pretty wild thing but I doubt Mothra makes sense to make in this new era.

What do we call this new G era? The Shin era?

Giantrobo

Yeah some of THE BEST G-Films out of TOHO in recent year have been when was "evil".

Solid Snake

The problem w/ all of those movies is that they were still mediocre to whatever degree. This one.... is actually an all around good movie.

I hope Toho doesn't fuck it up w/ this new G.

This G is also the first Toho reboot w/ NO association w/ the 1954 film. It's an "original" G. It's for the modern. I like it. It's bold really to not have it tied to the original.

milo bloom

This was stunning. An incredible look at real life trying to deal with something practically supernatural. Godzilla was truly like a god here - angry and wrathful, without mercy for any.

And working for a Japanese company, I could truly empathize with the endless paper shuffling and layers of management.

I don't know where they can go after this, it would undo all the seriousness of how this was handled.

Ash Ketchum

One of the big thrills for me was seeing Mikako Ichikawa again.

She'd played the no-nonsense cop in Anno's earlier film, CUTEY HONEY (2004):


In SHIN GODZILLA, she plays a no-nonsense environmental scientist:

d2cheer

I really need to see this...

islandclaws

I agree with nearly all of the positive comments in here. I absolutely loved Anno's take on the material, injecting this series with fresh ideas, a fantastic perspective, and an unexpectedly huge amount of humor.

G is such a terrifying force. I was in love with his look from all the pics and clips I saw, but seeing him in action - wow. I couldn't get enough.

The satire was done so perfectly. My theater was cracking up A LOT.

Sagisu's score is perfect. Loved the use of classic themes along with so many excellent new cues.

It's a shame there are so few screenings for the week. On opening day this had the highest PTA in the top ten. Very impressive. Hopefully the run is extended given the numbers.

Ash Ketchum

Someone on FB told me the run was extended. Good news, because I want to see it again!