Review by Jordy
VIP8This is somewhat reminiscent of the 2014 Godzilla film in the sense that it's trying to be a drama first and a spectacle second. Don't worry, you'll get more of the titular monster here compared to that film, but those who are just looking for destruction are bound to walk out disappointed. In theory this should be right up my alley for that exact reason, but despite being a relatively small Japanese production, the end result I found oddly commercial. Take the character drama, which thankfully is handled more interestingly than the Gareth Edwards film. It puts in just enough work as an analysis of post-war trauma in Japan (I like that they play up the angle of Godzilla as a metaphor for this, wish they'd pushed that a little further) and they put more effort into making us engage with the characters than a movie like this usually would. However, there's still something very calculated and safe about it. In particular, the dynamic between our main 'family' is very obvious because it uses many predictable tropes that play out exactly as expected. For example, our tortured protagonist doesn't quite view the little kid he's living with as his daughter yet (I wonder where that'll go). Moreover, there are plenty of cheesy calls, which during its worst moments lead to scenes that are straight up manipulative. Without going into spoilers, this movie has one of the most annoying final scenes I've seen in a long time, completely backtracking on a major emotional beat of the movie. It honestly felt like the movie pulling a middle finger at its audience. What doesn't help either is that the dialogue, acting and filmmaking aren't the best. Subtleties are spelled out through exposition, every emotion is underscored with generic string sections, the actors are overdoing it at points (even for Japanese standards, trust me). Long story short, the choices all feels very ... Hollywood. I'm not expecting Grave of the Fireflies here, but why focus half of your movie on this aspect when it isn't anything special. The action bits I found slightly better. This movie generally has decent direction, with some design/effects work I'd genuinely call excellent. The fact that they made this with less than 1/10th of the budget of Godzilla vs Kong is really funny to me. Still, the sequences with Godzilla aren't visionary enough where they'll leave a mark on my brain, which is something you really need when you're working in the big monster/disaster genre. Going back to the 2014 film, that movie has a very distinct atmosphere with a very memorable finale. The camera placement and overall presentation here are much more on the functional side. Entertaining enough, but also very reliant on convenience and cheesy, ridiculous moments. For instance, I dare anyone not to laugh at the news crew standing on the roof when Godzilla attacks the city. It's so stupid, but played completely straight. Overall, while I expect a lot of people who think they're cultured for liking Hollywood movies that aren't made by Hollywood will like this, I thought it was the usual middle of the road same old, same old.
5/10
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You citing 2014 jusy says to everyone that you don't know Godzilla movies, and then your review further highlights that fact.
You're entitled to your opinion of course, but just know that for those who know Godzilla films your opinion is wrong.
On the surface this film is about a group of people who have been labelled “villains”, working together to save the world. But really, this film is about one man and one man alone, he isn’t strong, but yet he defies all odds and sacrifices his life to save his friends. His only power is his bravery, he is the driver of the van and the main character of this film, Milton.
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@kieranlittleuk I don't remember a character named Milton. I think I'd remember. It's not really a common name.
Ambitious…. But messy.
There is some good stuff here but also some things that just didn’t work. At times the action looked phenomenal, at other times I couldn’t follow what was happening with the shakey cam and the way some of it was cut. I liked the story and exploring the past. The training break between 2nd and 3rd act was the weakest part of the movie. Also felt little unsatisfying with the way it wraps. I think Dev showed some good traits though and will definitely check out whatever he does next. Shout out to Shantel Copley, he’s great as always!
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@ryezoo I think Dev wanted Neill Blomkamp to direct but he said that Dev should do it. I guess Dev still wanted some Blomkamp in the film so he got Sharlto to be in it. From what I've seen Dev had a lot of problems during production and had to finish shooting in Indonesia. He even had to shoot some parts on phones and gopros so it's a miracle that it looks as good as it does. One of the most obvious low quality shots was when he was first at the temple and the reverse of Alpha looked awful... but I generally agree with your assessment. I love that he made it and look forward to see what he can do with a sequel when they inevitably throw money at him to make one.
Shout by hirkiti
VIPEP2Incredibly boring and annoying. It’s the kind of film where they take pride in having bored and annoyed the audience on purpose. Plus all the characters are super unappealing - on purpose again I’m sure… Gosh I really dislike French cinema - except for comedies. As a testament to how terrible French cinema can be, movie theaters in France are required by law to play French movies (otherwise most of the time they probably wouldn’t).
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@hirkiti I've seen some bad takes before, but this one takes the cake.
Gal Gadot can't act !
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Doesn't matter, she's funny and HOT
The amount of bigotry in these comments is disappointing but not all that surprising. I should be used to all these sensitive little bigots running around by now really but I'm not.
With that said the film just ok and a little on the boring side :thumbsup:
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@earthworm Trakt used to delete them after reporting them but it seems they haven't been lately - my list of blocked users is growing.
another thing: I watched this movie twice, once with English and once with Polish subtitles. I noticed that when Ayano introduces Koharu to the doctor she introduces her as her sister in the English version but as her friend in the Polish Version. Could anyone with some knowledge of Japanese give me some closure as to which translation is correct?
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@pamerlaedschn It sounded to me like she introduced her as her sister. That would also make sense at the end when the doctor refers to Koharu as a friend and Ayano looks stunned for a second because she didn't assume that the doctor would figure it out.
Descent serial killer movie. I disliked the ending but apparently that is just me, as a lot of people call it the "best serial killer movie".
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It's based on true events. The killer hasn't been found irl yet either, that is why it ended that way.
