In 1954, the first-ever live-action Godzilla movie aired on the screens. Ever since the fictional prehistoric monster has appeared in dozens of outings and has had a cultural impact across generations.
Hollywood carried out its own adaptations of the creature with a set of movies before connecting them into a Marvel-style connected termed the Monsterverse, kick-starting in 2014. While the entertainment aspect of these films never came into question, their status as cinema gems now has taken center stage.
In the span of a few months, two mega outings in the form of Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire have caused a schism in the fandom. The success of the former, especially on the coveted stage of the Oscars, begs the answer to whether the Hollywood outings of the giant monster have become a bit too outlandish in contrast to the serious yet critically acclaimed nature of the Toho productions.
Godzilla Minus One outshines the Monsterverse
The latest entrant to the franchise, Godzilla Minus One, took home the 2024 Best Visual Effects Oscar drafting entries like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Creator. Additionally, its serious storyline balanced with a perfect narrative pace and minimal humor landed it immense acclaim, making it the highest-rated Godzilla movie ever. On the other end, released less than three months later, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire hardly crossed 55% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The concerning reality dawned upon the fandom as one user on Reddit pointed out. A prevailing sense of convention is that the Monsterverse movies lack the level of seriousness and emotional depth as the Takashi Yamazaki outing. Moreover, the latest flick to the Monarch-led universe significantly dialed up its humor quotient, causing several fans to label the western flicks as “campy”.
To its merit, Godzilla Minus One set post-war Japan as its backdrop and the tension brought about by the setting gave it sufficient room to create tension. Additionally, character depth laced with trauma and survivor’s guilt spread a web for character development. Finally, the social commentary prevalent throughout the movie about the pitfalls of war did justice and thus warrants its overarching success.
Fans believe not every Godzilla movie needs to be serious
A split in the fandom became evident when fans highlighted that the Monsterverse movies also have their own flair and themes. The remarks pointed out how movies like 2014’s Godzilla carried serious undertones and recurring themes of environmentalism that never got the attention they deserved. Moreover, previous outings outside the connected universe, as well as Toho, also had similar underlying complex themes.
On the flip side, fans also lobbied for the need to balance seriousness with humor. Several agreed that the campy and fun vibe of some of the latest Monsterverse movies helps it cater to audiences across all age groups and viewers, spanning all genres, ensuring success. The tried and tested formula does sufficient justice to not warrant more seriousness embedded.
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The harsh reality, however, prevails that Godzilla Minus One did indeed manage to surpass the Monsterverse movies in acclaim and success. Not only did it pack a mega-punch with a modest budget but it also earned the Oscar with a VFX team that is a fraction of most modern movies. While that simply was the director’s genius or a wake-up call for the Monsterverse remains open for discussion.
