Watched: 11/29/2023
Format: AMC IMAX
Viewing: First
Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Where to start?
Over the years, Godzilla has been many things. Like Batman, he's been a children's character while also being a thing adults could appreciate. But he's also been cast as a walking analogy in two very, very good films (Gojira and Shin Godzilla), a villain in others (Godzilla Returns and Raids Again), a dad (Son of Godzilla) a hero (most of the Shōwa era), a goof, a buddy, a ruffian...
The American-produced Godzilla movies have done well financially, but, to me, struggled with an actual story until Kong vs. Godzilla. But it would be misleading to say the Toho Studios produced films didn't struggle with same. The Toho movies responded to the challenge by getting progressively crazier as the need to fill screen time with something other than expensive monster fights (models and custom 7' rubber suits are not cheap) became a clear necessity.
To fill that run time*, both US and Toho films needed a story for humans - humans that Godzilla likely will not even be aware of during the course of the film - that is compelling and meaningful. But, man , have the results been mixed. You get aliens, faeries, conspiracies, what-have-you. And some of that is great! Final Wars is like a party of a movie. Watch it sometime.
