Underrated Kaiju spotlight: Baragon

     Whenever fans talk of Kaiju there are a few that everyone knows. Godzilla, King Kong and Ghidorah to name a few. There are other Kaiju that exist in and beyond the reach of TOHO Studios. Many Kaiju that are mentioned from time to time, but ultimately overlooked. I would like to shine the spotlight on a few of these Kaiju from time to time. I want to talk about Kaiju that are awesome and deserving of much more recognition than they get. The perfect starter for this kind of thing would have to be the underground wonder himself, Baragon. Now I don't want to go into an extensive filmography for several reasons. Baragon being in only few movies and games is forefront to those reasons, though. I simply wish to talk about how I was exposed to this monster, spotlight some cool things he has done/is capable of, and share why I just think the monster is awesome and why more people should check him out. So let's get right to it.
     Unlike most other Kaiju fans I was not exposed to Baragon in the normal way. Growing up in the 90's I had a collection of Godzilla and other monster movies. Based on covers of some of those movies I knew that monsters existed that I don't see often (Baragon, Varan, etc). In my youth, I was much more ignorant and only really focused on the big G. Through my obsession I got most of the Godzilla games for various consoles. Godzilla: Save The Earth was my first big exposure to Baragon. When I unlocked him I didn't know what he was, only that he looked pretty cool. To this day he is my favorite monster to fight as in that game, with Jet Jaguar coming as a close second. I was exposed to a very cool Kaiju. Not long after that, I saw GMK for the first time and loved it. Though it was brief, I got to see a cool new Kaiju show his stuff.
     For the years to come I had a growing fascination with monster. Kaiju like Baragon caught my eye simply with how powerful they could actually be. In the few movies Baragon has been in, he has shown some pretty terrifying skills. Baragon has a seldom-used breath attack where he shoots, what appears to be, red hot lightning. In Godzilla: Save The Earth, even, Baragon has another breath attack where he essentially barfs burning magma like a garden hose. Yes, it is as funny and terrifying as it sounds. This big bad Kaiju can even travel into and out of the underground as if he were swimming and while moving through the earth he carries the force of an earthquake. By simply movie, Baragon can shake and shatter the earth more than many other Kaiju have shown to be able to do. To me, the most endearing quality and greatest power of this guy is one thing. Baragon has Tenacity for days. Baragon will always rise to meet a challenge and will keep going even after taking hits from insanely strong Kaiju like Godzilla.
     Despite such terrifying presence and persistent arsenal, Baragon does not have the best track record when fighting other Kaiju. Most Kaiju fans know and accept that Baragon is not among the strongest monsters and will likely lose most monster battles. That won't stop the bugger from trying though. That persistence of his honestly does inspire me to go after new things even if there is a chance of failure. Baragon is a tough Kaiju that holds his head up high knowing that he has faced every challenge thrown his way. That stalwart pride never wavering, even for a loss. Baragon will never go down easy and he knows it. Even if that bugger goes down he will do his best to make his foe WORK for it.
     Even with his prominent tenacity there is one more distinct advantage that Baragon has that many monsters do not. Baragon has one of the simplest designs, yet is so easily recognizable. I have said before when talking about other things, but simplicity tends to be best. The easier it is to understand or conceive something, the more fun you can have with other aspects of the medium and creation. While Tokusatsu does have  a reputation for re-using monster designs and suits, anybody can see the back plates and immediately attribute them to the watchdog that is Baragon.
     Truthfully that is the best way to describe Baragon. He is a giant Kaiju watchdog that will remain steadfast through it all. I dare say, this Kaiju is even adorable. Nobody can convince me otherwise, fight me. Keep geeking out my fellow Kaijuphiles. In the future I will gladly shine a light on some other Kaiju that deserve it. Kaiju Kidd signing off!

The Meg mini review and impressions

     As a monster movie fan I have a particular fascination with shark movies. The fact that of all the "killer animal" movies that exist, sharks get their own sub-genre is rather cool. They are absolutely some of the most terrifying and interesting creatures in the world so it is easy to understand why that is. With so many shark movies it is a shame that most of them are...less than good. Jaws set a bar for quality that may not ever be truly met. Many recent filmmakers decided to use this as an excuse to make bad movies for the sake of making bad movies (though that is a topic for another  day) After monster movies were considered a joke for so many years it filled me with so much joy to see two shark movies in recent years rise up as, not just good shark/monster movies, but just good movies. The first was The Shallows(2016) and the other was this years surprise hit, The Meg.
     I will say outright that I was not expecting anything from this movie. I know that, by nature, monster movies will always have this level of camp that is just so hard to overcome. worst part is, the bigger the creature, the bigger the hurdle to overcome. So a giant shark was naturally cheesy that all I wanted out of this movie was some good campy fun. The movie caught me off-guard right away with how serious it takes itself and how serious and rational the characters are in just about every situation. Before I get ahead of myself, I should talk about the basic plot. Without getting into too many spoilers, a new exploration and research station was built to map and catalogue an uncharted region of the ocean. The initial tracking sub goes down and everything is going as well as it could be. Theories were right and a whole new ecosystem hiding in the depths is discovered. Something goes wrong when something is attracted to the light of the sub and attacks it causing the it to wreck. With few places to go, the crew looks to a former crew-mate to help retrieve the sub and save the crew.
     Upon rescuing the crew it is discovered that megalodon has survived in this sealed biome and is aggressively drawn to the light sources around that depth. The crew escapes but during the escape a thermal vent opens up part of the "ceiling" separating the warm water with the megalodon and the normal cold water at the depths (it also probably didn't help that the explorers showed the shark that the ceiling was not in fact solid). The shark is then free and the rest of the movie is a chase to stop the shark before it causes any real trouble. I have said it before, but simple focused plots are the best and this movie hardly ever loses focus.
     While the plot grabbed me well enough, what really surprised me was the characters. With the exception of one questionable action by Morris towards the end, The characters acted fairly rationally given the weird circumstances and nature of the movie. This is one of those few movies I can say I didn't truly hate any of the human characters. In a sci-fi shark movie, that is quite an accomplishment, at least to me. For honestly dumb reason's my favorite character is the Wall. I know how that sounds if you haven't seen the movie but, trust me it's a person and not architecture. Heck even the child actor was fine. Her performance wasn't spectacular but the movie had the foresight to take her out of shots before she may have started to become annoying. On the whole it felt like not no character was wasted.
     I suppose the last thing to address is the shark itself. Of course, the shark is entirely CG so if you are against CG animation don't expect anything else. That being said, the CG is really well done. Design was easy, it's a shark. The creator's were able to focus on making that shark look as decent as possible. The behavior of the beast is extraordinarily believable and well thought out. The Megalodon is drawn to vibrations and light sources to hunt. Considering most of it's life was spent hunting fish and squid that use bio-luminescence it makes total sense for it to have the same if not greater light sensitivity to some other sharks.

     Despite how much praise I give this movie, I can say that it is not perfect. Most of the elements that I described while good, are not exceptional. Also, as I stated early on, there is this general cheesiness and campy atmosphere that comes with these movies that is very hard to escape. The beach scene in this movie does kind of derail it back to Syfy original movie territory. Even with that, the movie moves at a brisk pace, has decent characters and decent effects. I honestly recommend this movie to just about everyone. I can't say this is movie of the year, but has definitely earned some recognition. Go see The Meg and have yourself a good time.

What is and isn't Tokusatsu

     Tokusatsu is something that any fan can identify with so much as a look. The problem is, each person tends to identify different things as Tokusatsu. The most glaring of these disagreements regards the American adaptations of Super Sentai and other Japanese Tokusatsu series. A conflict was then created about what qualifies something to be a Tokusatsu and what qualifies something to be a rip off. Surprisingly this is not an easy question to answer. While I don't know if this is the definitive answer I have come up with an answer I am happy with.

     The first place to look would be the strict dictionary definition of Tokusatsu. The Japanese word Tokusatsu (特撮) translates to Special effects. This word actually comes from the phrase "Tokushu Satsuei" (特殊撮影) which means special photography. Other translations of Tokusatsu label it as "special filming". Using these definitions and meanings, Tokusatsu is a filming technique that utilizes special effects and techniques. The problem here is that definition can be a bit too broad. For technical consideration and research this is the the defintion that one should absolutely go with since it is the most accurate. Unfortunately  audiences have made certain parts of Tokusatsu into recognizable tropes. Most now consider Tokusatsu specifically Super Sentai, Kamen Rider and similar forms of media. Public opinion and perception are too impactful to ignore. With this it is strange to note that on the most broad of definitions, Thomas the Tank Engine is a Tokusatsu. I can't tell if that's very wrong of very right, but I digress.

     Oddly enough this argument has some parallels to a similar argument that other fans have. Does Avatar: The Last Airbender qualify as an anime? I decided to look into this debate and found some interesting parallels and a huge part of my answer to the Toku question. The two sides argue as follows: It is an anime due to it's unique style reflecting the anime style or it's not an anime because it is not from Japan. That should sound very familiar if you replace Avatar with Power Rangers. I decided to work around this Toku problem by finding my answer to this anime problem first. 

     Much like Toku not everything is anime. While anime is just a catch-all term for animation from Japan, there is a definitive look and style to anime. One Piece is an anime, but something like Johnny Bravo is not despite them both being animations. Again this drew me to the regional argument. I was tempted to say that anime can only come from Japan. I decided to look a bit deeper and found that anime DOES have a style. This style can and has been replicated around the world. I view the anime style as a style of exaggeration. In anime something is exaggerated to ridiculous proportions. Be it physical feature, plot points, scenarios, something is exaggerated. It is where the the "big anime eyes" trope came from. from there I deduced that Avatar is not an anime on the whole. Some episodes certainly utilize the style, but the show is much too grounded and realistic. Too much care was put into making this show believable in just about every aspect. hardly anything was exaggerated. With that in mind I knew where to go With Tokusatsu

     When I view Tokusatsu as a style, as oppose to a genre, the door closes a bit. The tokusatsu style prioritizes practical special effects with grandiose heroes and monsters. Spefically, Tokusatsu utilizes suitmation over just about every other form of special effect. Unfortunately I ran into a snag not from the shows, but from some movies. There are movies that are regarded as Tokusatsu by fans and, more specifically, the creators that put a huge hole in the style theory. The two most prominent and my eyes are The great Yokai War which uses a plethera of CGI and green screen effects with very little suitmation and Shin Godzilla which uses HEAVY CGI and motion capture techniques. This discouraged me a bit but allowed the door to open up a tad bit. 

     From this point I back-peddled a bit and started to view Tokusatsu as a genre defined by style and not a style or genre specifically. A lot of things started to click. With the existence of darker Tokusatsu movies it made sense to view Tokusatsu as a genre of it's own that can pair with any other genre. It honestly has paired with just about every other genre. Any fan of Japanese Tokusatsu can point out instances of Horror, adventure, comedy, action and romance among other genres and sub-genres within various shows and movies. This became the basic answer for Tokusatu that I am most happy with. Tokusatsu is a genre defined by a style that uses special effects, usually practical effects and suitmation with some CGI workarounds and enhancements. 

     That definition came with one last obstacle. The "not from Japan, not a toku" argument that riddles Tokusatsu forums and discussions. Quite frankly, that is okay to believe but too many people take it very selectively. If Power Rangers is not a Tokusatsu, then neither is Inframan or Kyouruger Brave. One being an original from Hong Kong and the other being a spin-off from Korea. Both of these things are widely considered to be Tokusatsu so the regional card is off the table. This opens the door back up to a lot of things. 

     Much like Godzilla, monster movies from around the world are Tokusatsu because of the style in which they were filmed. Reptilicus and Gorgo can be considered Tokusatsu due to the heavy use of practical effects. This also pulls older monster movies, like King Kong and Beast From 20,000 fathoms into question. I don't consider them Toku since they were made long before the syle had found it's identity, but it is warranted of a discussion. On the flip side of that it does mean that every Godzilla film is not a Tokusatsu. There is not an argument that the Godzilla anime is not a Tokusatsu by any means. This also warrants that Tokusatsu is not tied to a specific franchise but, again, is a genre defined by style.

     Now what most people may not like is, with this definition shows like Power Ranger, VR Troopers, etc ARE Tokusatsu. Not for any astounding reason, rather by adapting the shows and utilizing the same effects they are simply Tokusatsu by proxy lol. Granted in recent years, Power Rangers has been filming their own stuff more and more. The important distinction here is that GENRE DOES NOT DICTATE QUALITY. People are free to not like a lot of the shows from America for their silly behavior. A bad Tokusatsu is still a Tokusatsu. Plus it makes no sense to say Power Rangers is not Tokusatsu and Godzilla: King of the monsters is when the exact same thing, re-filming and cutting certain parts, was done in both FYI.

     Tokusatsu is a medium that people respect but bicker and gripe about so many of the little nuances that it gets tiring. I came up with this answer because it makes the most sense to me. I cannot say this is the strict end all definition for what we should define as Toku. The only thing I think fans should do when discussing this, is keep an open mind about would could be considered Toku. I'm the Kaiju Kidd signing off.

Kamen Rider Zi-O thoughts and predictions

     It seems the Heisei era just does not want to quit! between 2 Heisei generations movies, an upcoming third that was announced and now a new anniversary rider to close out 20  years of Heisei riders. Despite the overload I can't help but be excited for whats to come. Kamen Rider Zi-o is may prove to be an interesting edition to the Kamen Rider Mythos. Without a doubt some interesting things have spawned from the promos and pictures we have so far.
     Kamen Rider Zi-O is a time based Kamen Rider who can harness the power of all of the Legendary Riders that existed in the Heisei era. Every main Rider from Kuuga to Build is on the table. The man in the suit is a young man named Sougo Tokiwa. All we know about him at this juncture is that he is an 18 year old who appears to be the protege of Sento Kiryu (Kamen Rider Build). One description we are given about him states he is "an ambitious young man with dreams of being a king". Forgive the pun, but time will tell exactly how ambitous this character is and how accurate of a description that is of him.
     The design of Zi-O and really all of the characters and forms we have seen are all very unique. I honestly never thought that a watch or a clock was a theme I could get behind aesthetically, but the sleek Rolex design is very cool. I'm not even a fan of the color pink and even those highlights on the suit look cool. The only gripe I have with any of the designs is the belt. I love the design of the belt and the Henshin motion is very simple and unique, but the digital text on the middle just seem a tad distracting to me. I am not too worried about it though. I initially had this problem with Drive, and that turned out to be one of my favorite Riders to date.
     Despite the cool designs, it is strange to consider this series an anniversary series. Not that the series itself is nothing to base its anniversary on, rather because the next Rider series will fall in place for the 50th anniversary of the whole show. Really every series should stand on it's own and all this really proves is that there is going to be a LOT of Kamen Rider crossover movies in the next 2 to 3 years. Though it also raises a possible option for the series after Zi-o.
     One theory I have is that this Rider series will span the course of two years. The main run of Zi-O will of course focus on the Heisei Riders and next year we could expand to focus on all of the other Riders in this vast mythos. We could even get a focus on the other Rider, Kamen Rider Geiz. There have been rumors of the series running out of steam so this could be a good opportunity to focus on anniversaries and things that are already there while also taking that little extra time to think up some great riders for the future. Either way I am sure the older Riders will make an appearance alongside Zi-O, be that in the form of a movie or a continuing series.
     It is also fun to play around with the role of Decade in this series. Decade was another anniversary Rider and could well be at odds with Zi-O. What if Narutaki returns and tries to ally with Zi-O to stop Decade or even turn against Zi-O as the real threat. Truth is it is hard to make predictions about this show since it carries so many possibilities and we don't know to what extent it will be influenced by past characters and how many will even show up.
     I am wholly excited to watch this series and see where it goes. The designs are original and the story looks like it could be off the wall crazy. Maybe this will be the season when we finally get some resolution with Ankh and Eiji? Who knows! Either way, this is the Kaiju Kidd, timing out.

Some Ramblings About Subtitles

 

 (found this from a Deviantart user named Dopepope and had to use it. Check him out)

     As someone who enjoys watching Tokusatsu I tend to look at subtitles a lot. It's even gotten to a point where it's hard for me to watch some dubbed media. With that, I started finding little things here and there that bug me when used or misused in subtitles. Now I am not a translator and do not have a tight grasp on the Japanese language. The people who make these subtitles have a tough job that I don't know if I could ever do. Even then, I still see things that bug me or just feel a tad sloppy. I started thinking about what bugs me the most in subtitles and I came up with 3 rules that I honestly believe should be taken into consideration when making subtitles.

1) There are certain things that should not be translated (names, titles, sound effects and made up words)

     While not the thing that bugs me the most, I do see this broken more often than not. I simply don't understand why people insist on say, Dinosaur Squad Abaranger when the show is called Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger. There is no reason to change the name of a show when the show never refers to itself by that translation. I understand the argument for this being that it is easier to understand for newcomers who don't speak Japanese. Again, the problem is show never refers to itself like that. In Japan they refer to American shows and movies by their American name. Japanese citizens went to go see Pacific Rim, not Taiheiyō En or Kantaiheiyō chiiki or whatever the translation is. We should treat their shows with the same respect.
     The same goes for made up words. If the word is meant to convey a sound effect or was made up, there is nothing there to translate. Just convey the word to the audience. One of the most prominent examples that has been on my mind is the word Gaburincho. The word is not a real word. It derives meaning from Japanese and Latin roots to roughly mean "to bite strongly". That translation was never used for Gaburincho. One that was used was even more confusing. I recall seeing people translating it to "Chompa Chomp". I wish I could provide a screenshot of what I saw, and I sincerely hope I am remembering it wrong. Either way, there is not reason to translate fake words. Especially if those words are translated into fake meanings.

2) Even if a word's meaning is widely known (baka, sempai, etc) translating is still necessary

     I'll admit this is more of a way for me to say I forgive certain slip ups. I have seen people translate baka to idiot and people leave it as "Baka!". The more I think about it, it is because I pretty much know what these words mean by default. I still say those words should be translated. The outliers that I am less forgiving of, kind of relate back to the first rule. Honorifics should be translated. Most people don't know the subtle differences between all of the honorifics in Japan so it is only reasonable for a subtitle to say things like "big sister", "little brother" or "grandma" instead of the traditional honorifics. One shortcut people use is to use the word in the subtitles then display the meaning somewhere on the screen, which only really creates clutter. Either way, these honorifics do fall into sort of a gray area since most people who watch Tokusatsu and anime tend to already know what they mean or can tell given certain context clues. I just believe as a good rule of thumb, they should be translated.

3) Only Translate, try to interpret as little as possible

     While this sounds counter-productive I truly believe that the words and actions of characters should be enough to carry a scene forward. A translator should not ever try to convey what they think the meaning of a scene is. A translator should simply translate what is being said with as little interpretation as possible. This rule is rarely broken and, as I understand it, is an ironclad rule of being a translator. This is a great thing but there are little slip ups now and again that I can't help but notice. The most glaring kind of covers all three of the rules. When somebody uses an honorific, or calls them Senpai or something else, DO NOT TRANSLATE TO THE PERSON'S NAME. I see this way way way too much and it makes no sense. I am putting a picture of the first episode of Dairanger to the right. The girl is calling out "Oniichan" after being dragged away but the translation displays "Ryou" being the characters name. By this early in the show we know who Ryou is, we know from Ryou who Yumi is, so why shouldn't we also try to establish some sort of chracter connection? The show seems to be trying to do that. When Yumi shouts "Ryou" mulitiple times I know this person means something to her. When Yumi shouts "Oniichan" I start to understand how he is important to her, if that makes any sense.

     Admittedly all of these are small gripes and pet peeves and maybe I am overthinking a lot of these. Some of these things may not bug most people and that is fine. This was really just a way for me to gripe about what I think subtitles should be doing. Either way, I will continue to enjoy these shows and most people should too. Try not to be like me and let little subtitle quirks bug you so much. This is the Kaiju Kidd signing off.

Kaiju Grab bag 6: Comic-con and more Godzilla goodness

     A lot has happened in the past two weeks. The Godzilla community is in an uproar about everything that has been released this past weekend. The news even seemed to drown out the release of City On the Edge of Battle on Netflix. There is a lot to talk about here so it is best to just get started and not waste any time.

Comic-Con Trailers

     Before talking about the "main attraction" it should be noted that a lot of good trailers came out this year at SDCC. Everything ranging from animated teasers, to new season reveals of everyone's favorites shows and even some unexpected pleasantries. DC Comics almost completely stole the show this year with two movie trailers that already made a lot of people happy. Aquaman was a personal standout as it looks gorgeous and fun, completely unlike the dark "edgy" feel of the other movies that came before it. Time will tell if this is a good movie, but the trailer was truly excellent regardless.
     Weirdly enough, shows seemed to get more love than movies this year. Matt Groening's new show "Disenchantment" brings back the humor we love from his other works. We even got announcements regarding new seasons of widely popular shows like Walking Dead and Young Justice. I'm sure that most people have seen the trailer for Teen Titans, but we don't need that kind of negativity in our lives so no need to dwell on it. There is so much that happened at this years Comic-con to talk about, from Fantastic Beasts to Steven Universe. All I can say is look up everything. There is bound to be something for everyone among the trailers

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Trailer

     Despite the  Overwhelming good news that came from Comic-Con this year, one trailer really stole the show. One of, if not, the most talked about trailers to come out was the for the Godzilla: King of The Monsters. Kaiju fans went ballistic as The Big G was in the spotlight once more. The trailer showcases the 4 promised monsters to fans of the franchise while building them up in a wonderful way for new viewers. It really is noteworthy and commendable that not much of Mothra, Rodan or Ghidorah is shown outside of brief glimpses and silhouettes. Hype for this movie was built really quick
     This movie seems to be showcasing a very different atmosphere compared to the 2014 Godzilla film. Whereas the predecessor was a somewhat dark Kaiju Blockbuster, the sequel seems to be taking the series into a more depressing story. This movie could very well be the start of some apocolypse level stuff. Tone in this movie is also matched by use of color on the specific monsters. All of the scenes with Mothra and Godzilla look blue which, coupled with the orchestral, creates a very awe-inspiring feel. In contrast, All of the scenes with Rodan look red to emphasize the destructive side of the movie. Even Ghidorah has a scheme of black, gray and gold to show the sinister and forboding side of the movie.
     Honestly there is a lot to pick apart in this trailer from the orchestral music to the potential story. All I can really say is that this trailer does a fantastic job in getting people hyped for this sequel that very well could be better than the first. Time will tell and it's not like we have nothing to keep us occupied in the meantime.

Monarch Viral Marketing

      Before Comic-con was upon us the site monarchsciences.com was up and running to allow us to track Godzilla and look up confidential information. Key sites on the map allowed people to look into some Monarch case files regarding the monsters that will appear in this movie. As people explore they are given more clearance, and after deciphering a code on their twitter they are given the highest level of clearance on the site (at least so far). There is some awesome pictures and easter eggs on that site just ripe for people to explore. The best part about the site is that they are still updating it!
     One of the main features of the site is the ability to "track" Godzilla as he movies along the ocean to unknown destinations. The first destination was San Diego to mark the arrival of the trailer. Admittedly this did take me way too long to realize. Fortunately Godzilla is still on the move to some unknown destinations as we speak. For a time people thought he was going towards the Monarch outpost in Columbia. Then Godzilla made a sharp turn and theories began buzzing all over. It is very likely this site will be used to slowly reveal teasers or even other monsters that could be in the movie. Time will tell, so this really is a great site to keep an eye on as we hype for Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

City On the Edge of Battle

      While Comic-con was certainly the main focus of Godzilla news lately, it was not the only thing. Truth is, SDCC seemed to completely overshadow any discussion about the next installment in the Godzilla anime. There is a reason for this. The movie was ultimately left with reviews that range from bad to okay. While this installment is better than the first, it suffers from many of the same problems and even some new ones.
     I won't do a full review of this until all three parts are released since each installments really does feel like a part of a whole as oppose to an individual movie. The quickie review of this movie is that it is flawed but rather enjoyable. One of the biggest flaws of the first part was the main character Haruo and how reckless and well, stupid he was. The second part ditches this side of Haruo for a more composed and rational lead. It really did seem like Godzilla slapped a sense of reality into him. This does not erase the other present flaws, but it does show a marked improvement from the first part. Despite it's flaws this movie really is worth a watch if you have the time.

Conclusion

    A few years ago I made the observation that we were entering a monster movie renaissance. This was around the time where Kong: Skull Island and Shin Gojira were the biggest talks in the Kaiju world. After Kong, things seemed to stagnate for a while until this year. I still firmly believe in the potential for a new age of monster movies. If the other two films in Legendary's monster-verse and TOHO's future endeavors with the king prove fruitful, Other companies and monsters will likely follow suit. Keep your roars load my fellow Kaiju-philes. Let's do everything we can to help the King of the monsters start the new age of monsters!

The Worst Godzilla Movie

     There are a lot of Godzilla movies that have come out since 1954. Godzilla fans will agree that, on the whole, the franchise is groundbreaking and Wonderful. Some would even say that Godzilla can do no wrong. Unfortunately that is not the case. Not every Godzilla movie is perfect. Some are even so flawed that even fans consider them unwatchable. After scouring the web and re-watching the movies I think I have an idea of which one is the worst. I will briefly talk about a few Godzilla movies that often come up in conversation and end with the one that I believe to be the worst. Some of the movies are ones that people consider bad but aren't really so. One on my list is bad, yet few people talk about it. A bit of extra time was taken to be as objective as possible with this but some decision may still be fueled by bias. So bear with me as we talk about a few Godzilla movies and figure out which one is the actual worst.

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack

     The first few times I asked people about the worst Godzilla movie, two oddities always came up in conversation fairly quickly. This was the first one. When I asked people to figure out which movie is their personal least favorite and the objective worst separately, very few answers. The thing is while it is very easy for people to not like things about this movie, that doesn't necessarily mean the movie itself is bad. Separating your bias from objectivity is a hard thing to do so I can't really blame anybody but this movie must be taken as honestly as possible to find out if it is a good Godzilla movie. On it's own, the movie is pretty good and pretty weird
     This movie does have the distinction of being one of, if not the, only Godzilla movie where everything is based off of spiritual and ancestral monsters instead of the traditional more scientific route for these movies. Of course other monsters can be described as more spiritual or mystical, but this movie has that consistent theme for all of the monsters throughout the whole movie. Mothra and King Caesar have these mystical ties but were usually pushed to other themes in Godzilla movies.
     The other thing is that some monsters seem to be an antithesis of what we know them as. Godzilla is a purely vengeful monster, King Ghidorah is the good guy, and Baragon is actually relevant! (side note, Baragon is one of my favorite monsters. I joke but I love that derp)While it is okay for people not to like these character decisions, that does not mean the movie itself is bad. Godzilla has been practically every shade of good and bad before this movie existed so nothing wrong there. As for Ghidorah, why are Godzilla and Mothra the only monsters allowed to go through retcons between movies? It's TOHO's property and they can do with it what they think is right for the movie.
     All of this is small potatoes compared to whether or not the film as a whole holds up. I won't review in detail here, but honestly the movie is okay. The story does get a tad confused early on with a bunch of stories, but quickly gains focus and momentum. The idea of the guardian monsters is an interesting concept. The film does have great effects, but drags on towards the end of the big fight. The infamous cliffhanger ending is head scratching to say the least. While many consider this movie as such, it's hard to say the movie is bad. The movie is weird and is sure to draw a few fans away, but it is not bad on the whole.

Godzilla: Final Wars

     I'll be honest, I have no idea why so many people consider this movie as the worst Godzilla movie. The movie is stupid, dumb mutant and monster action from beginning to end, and that's what makes the movie awesome. Bias aside, the movie is still fine. For years fans were demanding a remake of destroy all monsters with all of the modern monsters. Toho delivered to the best of their abilities with up to date redesigns of all of the monsters. Most looking great, some not so much. To accommodate the sheer number of monsters the story had to move fairly quickly to keep multiple characters and events flowing on screen.
     The story follows a few select mutants after some exposition about a mutant gene that was discovered shortly after the arrival of several monsters some years ago. During this time a team in the arctic even managed to trap Godzilla in the ice. I can understand why some people would be upset with this decision since one of Godzilla's main features is how strong he is and just how useless the military is to stop him. In it's defense, this is not the first time Godzilla has been trapped in ice so the decision still makes sense. Again I must acknowledge that while the scene is a spectacle to watch and leads to a fantastic opening credits scene, the boldness and sheer difference to the norm would easily turn people away from the beginning.
     Most of the rest of the movie shows it's main strength as well as it's main fault. The movie is all action. Create choreographed fight scenes, a wonderful monster mash towards the end, easily some of the most fun fights in the late Heisei series and maybe the whole franchise. Unfortunately to go along with these fights we have a very quick-moving and  confusing story regarding aliens trying to control the monsters and take over earth. I honestly can't say if the best way to fix the story is to simplify it by just making the aliens hostile from the beginning or not going through the important bits as fast. Once again, we are not here to review.
     At the end of the day the monster spectacle is there. If the movie had a simpler or easier to understand story, I imagine it would have been received a lot better by fans. The movie is dumb fun at it's peak. Some would say that's bad, I cannot say that. The original Destroy All Monsters was just as, if not more, confusing. this movie has the decency to know how silly the concept is and roll with it to give us some awesome monster action. Not the best Godzilla movie for sure, but that huge edge of understanding what it is also makes it far from the worst. Not liking this movie does not make this the worst Godzilla movie.

Godzilla (the Roland Emmerich film from 1998)

     It is very easy to say that this is the worst Godzilla film. there was a time when I would agree with you. Looking back I can't say that this film is really the worst. The film is absolutely bad, just not quite as bad as I remember it. While Final Wars could be considered dumb fun, this movie is just dumb with a few fun moments. It is no surprise that the biggest draw with this movie is the fact that it was called Godzilla and everything felt like a disconnect or betrayal to what the original film or the character was about. The creators did their own thing for better or for worse.
     To one of the films only credits, the story is mostly simple. Giant lizard starts going up the east coast, reaches New York, and it must be stopped before it can reproduce and destroy the city. I did say mostly simple. There is too much character drama that is not handled well at all. Most of it should not have been in the movie. Most of the jokes are groaners that live on in infamy. This does open the door to some fantastic riffing material of course.
     Another credit I must give the film is the creature design. Most will agree, this creature is not Godzilla. TOHO even buying the rights back just to rebrand that creature into Zilla. While that is true, the design is still very unique and even a tad threatening. Without a doubt the origins of the creature to the way it behaved and ate were fairly reasonable to the Galapagos iguana of which it originated. I have said to my friends that we would live in a better world if the movie Reptilian never existed, and this Godzilla movie took that title instead.
     Credits aside, this movie has too many plot holes and is very dumb. I can't honestly say this movie is good but I also can't say it is the worst Godzilla movie because of one big thing. The movie is unintentionally funny in just how much you can riff the movie. Many have had fun watching this movie and rightfully so. Easily in the bottom five of all Godzilla movies. Unfortunately there are movies that are just worse.

Godzilla Raids Again

     Every time I see a mass discussion regarding Godzilla movies this movie is usually absent. The only time this movie comes up is when a few people want to say that this movie is kind of dumb or when people defend the movie along with every other Godzilla movie in a mass umbrella. This lack of coverage of this movie caught me as interesting to I had to give it a watch and quite frankly, this movie is pretty stupid. There are good things in the movie, to be sure but on the whole not so much. I cannot sugar coat this.
     The movie takes a simpler approach to the plot, Following to pilots as one discovers another Godzilla with another monster. The first 15-20 minutes of the movie are relatively okay and straightforward. Everything moves at a brisk pace. After preparation and build-up, Godzilla and Anguirus come ashore to Osaka to fight it out and destroy the city...roughly thirty minutes in. One major fault of the movie is that everything seems to happen in the first half and the rest is the people finding something to do.
      One thing that has to be said about the movie, is that nobody is taking the threat of Godzilla seriously given the circumstances. The whole thing feels smaller. A smaller scope, a smaller threat and even smaller stakes. Every chance the characters get, they derail the plot to talk about "Mr. Groom" or some random plot device that serves almost no purpose. Right before the Osaka attack, the movie derails to follow a prison transfer where the prisoners escape and eventually drive into a chemical plant starting a big fire, thus drawing Godzilla towards Osaka. This takes almost 10 minutes and leaves the viewer wondering if there was an easier way to write Godzilla towards Osaka.
     I won't talk about the effects much since everyone knows that the creature effects for this movie are of lower quality compared to the first movie. This quality shift is of a very wide margin as well. I can cut some slack for the movie being rushed out, but the original was made in less than six months so they don't have a lot of defense here.
     This whole movie feels like nobody knew what to film and so much of it is filler. With too much filler, characters joking at inappropriate times and a generally smaller scope it is hard to take this movie seriously. This movie is dumb, dated and just careless. On it's own the movie is bad enough, but as a sequel to one of the best monster movies of all time it fails. With a few genuinely nice scenes it is hard to say this movie is the worst, but it is close. While not the worst I would say it is safe to give this movie the Shitty silver for the title of Worst Godzilla movie.

All Monsters Attack (A.K.A. Godzilla's Revenge)

     There are a lot of things that can be said about this movie. Most fans already are aware that this film is a terrible mess of a film. It is no Wonder that this is the absolute worst Godzilla film. The reasons why the movie is bad are actually rather interesting and worth talking about, however. Most fans have the mindset that this movie is a failed bullying PSA. While that is not wrong, after watching it again it's not exactly right either.
     The main character has issues at school and his home life since he is not very social and is a cowards. His parents worry for him often, but are away at work most days and nights leaving the main character in the care of a toy maker after school who does a decent job in caring for and spending time with the boy while the parents are away. The boy gets taken hostage after picking up a theif's passport and must toughen up to get out of it and survive until help arrives. Where does Godzilla appear in this? Well Minilla is one of the monsters that inspires the boy to be stronger. During the boy's day dreams he "travels" to monster island to watch Godzilla fight off other monsters and show off how cool he is. As evident, the scenes with Godzilla are just kind of added on to draw attention to the movie, not to mention the poster is a huge lie.
     Most of the monster scenes with Godzilla is stock footage from previous Godzilla movies with a few new scenes of the boy talking to Minilla and some scenes with a new monster. Gabara is not a good monster. Everybody knows this. The creature looks like King Caeser lost his hair and tail and suddenly got herpes. Even with the bad design, how the monster's are used is a mix bag. the fight scene between Godzilla and Gabara is traditional monster fun. The scenes before it with Gabara and Minilla are cartoonish and kind of annoying. Monsters are meant to have personality and the only thing we know about Gabara is that he is a coward who likes to pick on little kids.
     The human side is a tad better but not by much. While some may describe it as a bullying PSA, honestly there is not that much of a bully in the movie. At the very least, the other kids are not portrayed as "bullies" that well. The movie is more of a self-help PSA teaching people to toughen up when they need to. If the movie was just that, I would see it as just kind of dumb. Unfortunately as a Godzilla movie this movie is extraordinarily dumb. There is no reason for it to be a Godzilla movie when every scene with Godzilla is a dream Sequence. The Godzilla scenes in this movie are about as canon to the franchise as a Godzilla Pinball machine.
     Does this movie have anything to offer? I would say this movie has two things in it that people might like. One is the toy-maker and the human story. If you ignore everything that happens with Minilla and Godzilla, you may enjoy the human characters. The other thing is the stock footage from the previous films. At that point you are not saying you like this movie, you are saying you like Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster and Son of Godzilla. Because of this, It is easy to say that the worst Godzilla movie is the one that's only barely a Godzilla movie to begin with.

In Conclusion

     Godzilla is a wonderful franchise that has produced some extremely fun and thought-provoking movies for the world to see. Knowing this we can't be blind to the fact that not every movie is a gem and that is okay. Is it possible to enjoy the awful Godzilla movies? Absolutely! Everyone has different tastes in media and enjoys different parts of the movie. Something I plan to touch on in the future is that we as fans must hold the things we love accountable. Being a fan does not mean blindly loving every part of something. We must be aware of it's faults. I'm the Kaiju Kidd signing off!

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom mini review and impressions

     Without a doubt, I was very excited to see the sequel to Jurassic World. While the last movie was not perfect, it was very fun and very enjoyable in its own right. A new direction was set up for the franshise that could prove interesting and terrifying. Fallen Kingdom picks at the ideas presented in previous movies and  follows a plot thread of it's predecessor to make a story that, much like other films in the series, is very enjoyable with a few flaws.
     The movie opens to a team trying to get some of the bones from the indominus rex from the shore around the now ruined Jurassic World. The entire scene is, to me, one of the highlights of the film as it is genuinely scary and paced very well. From there we learn that the dormant volcano on Isla Nublar has become active in recent months and is primed to erupt. Since this would kill every dinosaur on the island, a debate is sparked about whether the dinosaurs should be saved or moved to a sanctuary. Claire returns as a main character fighting to save the dinosaurs as they are an endangered species. Despite the efforts, it is ultimately voted on to let the dinosaurs die.
     Without going into too much spoiler territory there are two main parts of the movie after the introduction. The first major segment is Claire and Owen going to get the dinosaurs off the island with the help of a "humanitarian" who wants to supposedly save the creatures and move them somewhere safe. A large chunk of this segment is shot like an action scene with people trying to escape the erupting volcano and hungry predators simultaneously. It really feels like what you would expect out of another Jurassic Park movie.
     The next major part actually takes place off the island. The dinosaurs that were saved are actually being taken to special holding cells under this "humanitarian's" house to auction in the black market as genetic weapons. The key dino up for auction is the intimidating IndoRaptor that we have seen in various toys and promotional materials. Due to usual stupid people mishaps the IndoRaptor gets loose and the rest of the movie takes a tone similar to a slasher movie of the main crew trying to get away from the crazed and hungry dinosaur. While this part does feel different, and some could call it a departure to what the other Jurassic Park movies are like, it still fits very neatly in this story.
     The plot goes to a lot of places that a lot of people may not like at first. Without spoiling the ending, the story does go in a..kind of unexpected direction with the plot for this and the next movie. This change will be something you will either love or hate. I, personally, see this change as welcome since running from dinosaurs on an island can only be done so many times. That aside, it is also worth noting that most of the movie doesn't have the same feeling of awe and wonder that the first movies gave us. That's not to say that there are no scenes like it, but the main tone seems to be that of an action-horror movie instead. Everything feels oddly smaller and less grand. For some scenes it works well! The mansion is played out nicely with great scary atmosphere. For other scenes it is very lacking. The whole time spent on the island feels very casual. Even when the blood is pumping during chases, I always felt I should be more adrenaline pumped than I was.
     The creature effects are in top form. The Cg in these movies looks even better than what we got in Jurassic World. We even got more practical dinosaurs and props littered throughout the movie. I don't know if it is a testament to the quality of the CG or the quality of the animatronics and cinematographer, but for many scenes, the practical and CG effects are almost indistinguishable. Despite the quality of the effects though there are some complaints with how a few are used that can be a problem.  One scene with the IndoRaptor and most scenes with the Stygimoloch (hard-headed dinosaur similar to the pachycephalosaurus) make them portayed less as wild and more cartoonish. While the problem is really only with two of the dinosaurs, I can still see it being very distracting for some, especially the more hardcore fans.
     All in all, this movie was enjoyable but really did have a lot of little flaws that are easy to pick out. I cannot say this movie is bad because of those flaws though. Most of the Jurassic Park movies had flaws but we love them regardless because they deliver some good old dinosaur fun. This movie delivers the same kind of fun, but will likely draw a few people away with the new story direction and new kind of setting. I would still heartily recommend this movie to anybody. If nothing else, this movie is very fun to sit through. Just don't expect this Jurassic Park movie to be like the others.

Time to talk about Hasbro and Power Rangers

     So I was tempted to bring this up as a bonus in last week's grab bag but there is a lot I want to say on this topic. As most of you know, Hasbro has recently bought Power Rangers from Saban Properties LLC for $522 million dollars in cash and stock. Fans were shocked as this could mean a lot, and I mean A LOT of things for the franchise. I think right now it is fair to look at what this deal entailed and what this could mean for the future from this fans opinion as only time will tell what will happen for sure.
     One interesting thing to be made aware of is that, while buying the whole franchise was a shock, Saban having deals with Hasbro is not as new. Back in February, Hasbro had acquired the rights to make Power Rangers toys. The fact is a lot of toy based deals and sales were happening around that time. Companies who manufacture and distribute toys took a significant hit after the closing of Toys R' US. Strictly speaking of toy companies, a lot of deals had to be made and things signed over so some people can keep their business afloat.
     Does this mean that the fall of Toys R' Us is to blame for all of this? I don't believe so. While many, including Hasbro, blame the fall for declining sales across the board, there is likely another cause. It has been a trend for years that people prefer to buy things online instead of going to the store to buy things, which is criminal and stupid but not what we are here to discuss. It is one of the main reason's that Toys R' Us went under in the first place. Toy companies had to rethink a lot of strategies, like Saban making a new deal with Hasbro.
     Now what does all of this have to do with Hasbro acquiring Power Rangers? I believe a lot. Whether we like it or not, the Power Rangers franchise is kept afloat by two things; Toys and viewers. The show gets us to buy toys and the toys get us to watch the show. While this marketing strategy may warrant criticism, it has worked for over 25 years in America and almost 40 years in Japan. The obvious upside is that both sides of the coin strengthen each other for constant growth. The even more obvious down side to this is if one goes bad, the other suffers. Anybody who has watched Power Rangers recently knows the show has been far from it's best. Couple that with a hit to the toy sales and Saban was left in honestly a pretty bad situation.
     Thinking about this from Saban's perspective, Hasbro is great at making toys. The current toy lines for Star Wars, Transformers and My Little Pony have been great, despite the fall of Toys R' Us. It was safe to say the toy problem was solved. There was still the issue with making the show. I don't believe the people running Saban are stupid. I believe they are aware of all of the problems and complaints people have made about Power Rangers since MegaForce came on the air. Power Rangers is staying afloat but not to the degree it used to in the mainstream. There is a very clear downward trend. To save money and prevent further risk to the company, Somebody else had to take the helm of producing the shows in the future.
     While Disney may have been a consideration it was probably easier to deal with Hasbro since there were already written agreements in place. Hasbro even has been connected to some very successful television shows. Again, My Little Pony started a phenomenon that is still going on to this very day. Looking at the stellar toy record of Hasbro and their incredibly decent, albeit short, TV history, Saban had the means to turn the series over to potentially good hands and still score a profit.

     With that we are left with one question. Will Hasbro do the series justice? Hasbro can absolutely make toys that people will love. If they partner with Bandai for more legacy figures, even better. The biggest point of contention is going to be the show. Hasbro is already starting ambitious and basing the next Power Rangers off of a Sentai that was skipped before, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters. Already they are using viral marketing and open auditions to get the best people possible. The heart is there but Power Rangers is more tricky to make than it would seem at first. Hasbro may do the series a service and sneak in plenty of adult and pop-culture humor like their other shows, but that could detract from some of the initial fun of the show.
     Time will tell what Hasbro does. The first toy line will come out next Spring, and the show will premiere sometime that year as well. All eyes will be on Beast Morphers next year. If this series is good, Hasbro will have won over the fans. If the series flops, then nothing will have changed and Hasbro will receive blame for "the downfall of the Power Rangers". Oh yeah not just fan opinion, but Hasbro's credibility is on the line for this move. At least part of it anyway. I will remain optimistic that Beast Morphers will be a decent show. Go-Busters is one of my favorite Sentai so I must be a little strict with it lol. Keep your hopes up you fellow toku-nuts!

Kaiju Grab Bag Vol. 5: Godzilla news A-plenty!

     Quite a few interesting bits of news have come out recently revolving around Godzilla. It wasn't just news we were expecting or hoping for either. Sure we got some news about the Godzilla anime but also some leaks regarding the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters coming out next year and some really unexpected news regarding where the Godzilla franchise is heading in Japan. So let's discuss these things shall we?

Godzilla 2 leaks and news

     So a lot of small bits of news have come out regarding the sequel to Legendary's Godzilla film. Most of it has involved actors being revealed and announced to continue on to be in Godzilla versus Kong. The actors in question are fantastic picks in and of themselves. Millie Bobby Brown did great on Stranger Things and Kyle Chandler is a very well rounded actor who did great on Super 8. There is also the return of Ken Watanabe as Dr. Serizawa which is very welcome. 
     Without a doubt the bit of "news" that caused the most stir is the supposed leak of Ghidorah's design in the new movie. As the internet tends to do, people ate it up right away without taking any part of it with a grain of salt. Many fans were open to the design, just about as many didn't care for it. Since it's release the creators have gone on record to state that that is not the design for Ghidorah. While many fans are understandably skeptical of this, I tend to believe them. Legendary is very clever with their marketing so I am sure that was a concept they left teased to mess with our expectations. Comic-con is right around the corner and I feel many things will be teased or revealed around that time so it is best to keep our eyes and minds open.



Godzilla anime scheduling update

     The Godzilla anime got a of of mixed reviews when it came out. I have my own thoughts on it which I already discussed here. Despite the mixed feelings people were still awaiting the sequel, albeit more out of curiosity then sheer excitement. With that in mind, the current schedule we got for Godzilla 2 is...weird to say the least. We were going to get a version on Netflix this weekend but it has been pushed back to a yet to be determined date. The reasoning behind this actually makes sense. The movie is under-performing big time in the theater so the creators and Netflix are likely not throwing a lot of resources towards it compared to the first part. What really threw us for a loop was that the next part is right around the corner. The third and final part of the anime will air in November.  with a yet to be determined release date for Netflix. This could also be attributed to the under-performance. Creators may want to rush the product out to maximize profits since the project is ultimately short term. Even more so I think Toho wants some extra time to plan their future Godzilla projects.

New Godzilla Cinematic Universe? 

      This was the news nobody was expecting. Toho has revealed that they do have plans for a Cinematic universe for Godzilla after the contract for Legendary expires and the monsterverse reaches its conclusion. This news, by itself, was already enough to excite Godzilla fans all over, but there was a catch to this. It was also announced that there are currently no plans for a Shin Gojira sequel to make room for their cinematic universe. There were fans that found this very bittersweet since Shin Gojira was such a groundbreaking film. While it did initially make me sad, I am personally okay with Shin Gojira being a stand-alone movie. It is great enough in its own right to the point where it does not really need a sequel. I would dare to say that making the sequel anything like other Godzilla moves would feel like a betrayal to what Shin Gojira represents. That is a discussion for another day.



     Big things are happening with the Big G. with news and updates around every corner, there is no better time to be a fan of Godzilla. I can't wait to see all of these finished products in motion. This is the Kaiju Kidd signing out excitedly.

Rampage mini review and impressions

     After opening weekend Rampage was given praise after praise as one of, if not, the best video game movies in existence right now. That is a bold claim and while I can't say it is the best video game movie to ever come out, It is still a very enjoyable movie. When a video game movie comes out, it is inevitable that it is compared to the source material. So much stuff was changed for Rampage that it hardly resembles the base games save for a few details. On that regard I would happily say that it is a good movie, but not the best video game movie. Dawdling aside, there are plenty of things that make this movie great.
     The plot of this movie is just about as simple as the trailers portray and the movie is all the better because of it. Some scientists make a formula that causes sever aggression and mutations. The space station the experiment takes place crashes due to another creature going berserk and the containers with the formula scatter around the United States and cause severe mutations in three particular animals. George, a gorilla in the care of Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson), A wolf in the Midwestern United States who we come to know as Ralph, and a giant Alligator who we come to know as Lizzie. The three animals are lured to Chicago so the company who made the formula can get the samples they so desire. Shenanigans ensue as the monsters fight it out and wreck the city. Quick side note, I know technically it is said that Lizzie is a Crocodile but as a Florida boy I can't help but be confused by that  since the gators are in the everglades, where the container landed, and the crocs are mostly saltwater. Continuity be damned, I will keep calling Lizzie a gator!

     The huge down side to a plot this simple is it doesn't leave much room for character development. Really, aside from the villains, there are only three characters we are supposed to cling to. Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson), Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris) and Harvey Russel (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) serve as the main characters. They are given very simple personalities and jokes, though I find Dr. Caldwell the most forgettable of the three. Granted, Harvey Russel chews the scenery whenever he is on screen. The point is you come to understand these characters very quickly and very early on. The movie knows what it is, and that is not a compelling character drama.
     The movie is meant to be a fun monster romp and that is exactly what it is. The movie does not try to be anything more than that. Because of this, the movie is far from perfect with very few shining moments, but even fewer groaning or just boring moments. The highlight of the movie is the climax. Nonstop monster-fueled destruction with enough pauses to move the story forward and get a laugh. I swear when the 3 creatures had their stand off in the movie I could hear the words "LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!" playing in my head. This is the kind of tone the movie sets so yeah be sure to turn your brain off for this one. In fact, speaking of the monsters I do have some things to say about those.
     The CG effects in this movie are great. I can't say they are quite as good as some of the other monster movies as of late, but the quality is definitely up there. Each monster mutates in ways that you would expect that kind of creature to mutate...almost. George, being a terrestrial ape, gets huge muscelemass, regeneration and a very tough hide. Lizze, being an aquatic reptile, gets extremely thick armored scales, tusks, gills, and ravenous claws everywhere. Ralph, being a wolf gets a more nimble build, sharp fangs, porcupine spines ...and flaps to glide with. I know, in the movie they say mutations are unpredictable, but it is odd to see Ralph get all the weird stuff while George and Lizzie still look somewhat reasonable. It is a dumb thing, I know, but I feel like they should gone nuts with all 3 or none of them. Go big or go home so to speak.
     At the end of the day there are things that bug me and things that can be seen as flaws but I still cannot say that this was a bad movie. Above all else, this movie is fun. You cannot go in expecting a masterpiece or some sort of poignant message. This is the kind of movie where you go in, turn off your brain and have a good time. It provides an occasional laugh, some good action and nice pacing. Despite how different this movie is from the disjointed lore of the original rampage games, I can't help but say good job to the people who made this. I recommend this movie to anybody who likes action movies and/or monster movies.

CG in Giant Monster Movies

     This is a question that has been plaguing monster fans as long as I can remember. Fans of Godzilla and other giant monster movies tend to be quite fond of practical effects and the man in the suit. There is nothing wrong with this notion as the practical effects wizards work extra hard and produce things of some great quality. It has almost become a tradition. As the industry has grown over the years it has become more evident that practical effects can only go so far. I don't know if I have the definitive answer to this tough question, but I believe I have an answer.
     The main argument against using CG is pretty straight forward. CG animation doesn't have the same feeling of authenticity as a man in a suit or some other practical effect. It really is hard to explain but giant monsters just look that much more authentic when you know something is actually there. Godzilla versus Biollante is a great example of a Godzilla movie that does this right. Even some American movies seem to understand this. Jurassic Park is known for some fantastic practical effects. When the creature is able to interact with the people and the world around them without any extra enhancement, any feeling is just more real.
     The main argument against it though, is also understandable. The more detailed and realistic the practical effect is the more expensive and time consuming it is to create. Greats like Ray Harryhausen were known to take hours on single scenes of Stop motion. Even more recent effects wizards like Stan Winston, took huge amounts of time to make his props and costumes, sometimes days. Films only get so much time and resources so sacrifices do have to be made.
     To put it briefly, this argument is a fight on where the quality of a film should be. Should time and effort always be put into practical effects since you don't always need A-list actors? Or should all aspects of a film be given equal love, even if it means sometimes not the best effects make it. There really is not solid answer to this question as it depends on the film, but that has not stopped anybody from voicing their opinion on the matter.
     Some opinions were swayed and the conversation once again came up when Shin Gojira entered the spotlight. This was the first Japanese Godzilla movie where CG was used almost exclusively for the creature effects. Many fans were apprehensive and didn't really know what to think about the news when it surfaced. Despite what many fans thought, the film was very well put together with great effects. Unfortunately, this only served to further confuse and divide people in regards to this subject. A few months after the movie was fully released, this conversation seemed to die down. I think part of this has to do with an answer that popped up.
     It is important for fans to keep an open mind. After the shown success and care of the effects in Shin Gojira, it has become clear that just as much care and love can be put into CG effects as practical effects and monster suits. This, of course, also came with the draw of needing a lot of time, money and manpower to make happen. The idea was cemented that CG can be used and look good if it is what the particular movie calls for.
     I believe this to be the right answer. CG is not "evil" or ruining monster movies. If done right, CG can look fantastic. People tend to forget that Practical effects fall into that same ilk. Just as they can look great, poor practical effects can be a terrible drain and distraction on the overall quality of a film. The short answer is CG is fine, but a personal preference is always okay. The bigger question is, is CG the right thing for Godzilla going forward?
     I will always have a love for practical effects. Godzilla is a very big reason for that. In this situation I have to recall an answer given to fans at a panel by Keiichi Sakurai. He told fans that, like us, he prefers the old ways of doing things and that will never change. What has changed is the time. Computer effects can portray what practical effects never could. It is not a pleasant step but going into the world of CG is necessary for Godzilla to move forward. It is up to fans and more-so the creators to keep putting as much love and care into these works going forward.
     This really is a hard pill to swallow but going forward, it is one that has to be accepted. Not everybody has to like CG. I would wager that many fans still don't. We have to keep in mind that CG effects can be good and continue to judge things fairly. Godzilla and other monsters will likely be all CG in future and that is fine. Would it be awesome for a new Godzilla movie with all practical effects? Absolutely! Is it likely to happen? Unfortunately, not. That doesn't mean the quality of the movies are bad by default. Godzilla will likely be drifting further away from a man in a suit, and that is completely okay.