Half in the Bag Episode 71: Godzilla (98) and Godzilla (2014)

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Jay and Mike see the new Godzilla movie whilst Richard Evans is forced against his will to watch the 1998 Godzilla movie. Rich Evans wishes he was dead.

[@barbadook5331]

Godzilla 98 sucked... But you know what didn't suck? Me walking into 3rd grade with my Godzilla T-shirt with the button that would roar when you pressed it. I can almost remember the teachers face after hearing that sound for the millionth time, and the godawful sound of a tortured animal it made when the battery started to die.

[@CheetosForBreakfast]

Your comment really resonates with me

[@conrad5721]

Three months later and no answer. Way to ruin a man's job interview, Barba.

[@thekajiufan1712]

Actually why is everyone counting the 98 movie a godzilla movie even tho it isn't

[@sebastianmunoz5561]

another good thing about godzilla 98 was the animated series.

[@Serpmusic]

Ahh I miss that shirt.

[@Mcat_XX]

"I would like to see a godzilla movie that stars nothing but nameless scientists in a laboratory yelling about how to stop Godzilla." That's literally Shin Godzilla.

[@the_narthex]

Except Godzilla wasn't really in that movie either. At least not one with much personality.

[@SomeKindaSpy]

Yeah, but that movie was still pretty meh and the godzilla in that movie was lame. The people in 2014 goji were lame and boring, but the goji (when he was on) was great.

[@totallyradtoad]

It's probably may favorite Godzilla movie ever made

[@oberon358]

Was thinking the same thing, Shin is the best godzilla I've seen. Maybe one of the best remakes I've seen as a whole.

[@simd3082]

And it was so awesome

[@Lagartoman7]

Is funny how the cartoon based on godzilla 98 is less of a cartoon than the actual movie

[@Brody400]

It also kept more in spirit with the original too.

[@PatheticApathetic]

actually, keeping Cranston's character around solves the whole "they keep running into the monsters coincidentally" problem. He's an interesting character, involved with the plot, who would have a reason to be following them.

[@jeebs621]

Lord Parbr I wonder if he was just too expensive lol

[@gallopingoctopus1364]

@@masonbalocca4943 That doesn't mean he wasn't expensive.

[@LumpyAdams]

Actually, the character isn't interesting at all. You only thought he was "interesting" because it's Bryan Cranston. Cranston was red hot coming off the Breaking Bad final season at the time.

[@maybussell5099]

@@masonbalocca4943 what does that have to do with anything?

[@TurbulentHam]

According to the director, they tried different scripts where Cranston’s character lived but said that it just didn’t work and his character felt forced after the nuke plant incident.

[@ethanwelborn]

Godzilla (2014) would have been 100% better if Kick-Ass had been killed by MUTO, and Bryan Cranston was the main character trying to survive Godzilla vs MUTO while coming to terms with the death of his wife and son. He's such a believable actor.

[@RyanMatejka]

***** Cranston said in an interview on the Nerdist Podcast that he knew immediately when he read the script that his character should have lived (even if he didn't play the role), but he said the script was too far along to do anything about.

[@ethanwelborn]

Ryan Matejka​ that's interesting to hear. Thanks!

[@donnamccrimmon3575]

+Ethan Welborn Thank you for understanding why Cranston's character should have lived besides 'Oh! He was in Breaking Bad.'

[@ethanwelborn]

Carl McBanana I've seen about 20 minutes of it, but never the whole thing.

[@darkstar1987lx]

+Ethan Welborn You're goddamn right...

[@Armazillo]

Here's what's great about Emmerich's Godzilla: I saw this movie when I was seven years old. And I understood everything that was happening just by the visuals. That's what Emmerich does; he makes gritty live-action children's movies.

[@MorganFreemansFavoriteFreckle]

Armazillo this is brilliant. I had the same experience; this was my absolute favorite movie as a little kid. Emmerich makes children's movies

[@Winterhe4rt]

who the hell lets their 7 yo kid watch a movie like that? holy cow...

[@pisscvre69]

exactly, God zilla is for kids that's why it's so goofy, i feel sorry for kids now nothing made for them not even kids stuff is for kids

[@ashb7]

@@Winterhe4rt there's literally nothing in that movie that's inappropriate for kids, what're you on about?

[@spacecowboy1438]

Yup, I had a similar watching experience.

[@fudgegorilla]

Godzilla killed less people than Superman in his city fight, yknow. What i'm saying is, godzilla is basically the new top line DC hero, batman vs godzilla to follow in which it lasts all of 30 seconds as Wayne Manor collapses under a godzilla foot.

[@AngelCakes1997]

Nah batman has a punch up with Godzilla! Then dies of radiation sickness because Godzilla emanates the the stuff XD

[@thtr1310]

+Cecil Palmer Batmin wins, infinite prep time. 'Nuff said.

[@fudgegorilla]

thtr1310 Actually, he wouldn't have infinite prep-time. Godzilla making landfall on a coastal city like Gotham would give absolutely no preptime. Or, not enough to stop a godzilla

[@thtr1310]

+Cecil Palmer Ah, you're wrong. At the end of Dark Knight Rises, he fell into the ocean, scanned the waters of the entire world with the macguffin from his utility belt, triangulated the locations of Godzilla, Aquaman, the Kaiju, the Loch Ness monster, Ursula and every other villain (living or dead). He then made plans for counter attack while having dinner with Anne Hathaway and smiling for the camera. Huh. Ignorant fool. Where did you think he was all that time?

[@fudgegorilla]

thtr1310 God, yknow what, some people actually follow that line of reasoning. And they are, unfortunately, writers for DC.

[@Lultschful]

Cranston in Godzilla 2014 was the equivalent of waving a ball at a dog, then doing a fake throw and laughing at the dog for chasing nothing.

[@thefractalcurve5462]

Great comparison. You can apply that to a ton of stuff.

[@SpikesSpikesSpikes]

Only if you're a moron who really thought the movie needed more of him

[@rockyle2]

Mike: "You can't make a movie about Japanese scientists in a laboratory yelling about Godzilla" Hideaki Anno: "Hold my sake"

[@jonessii]

*Hold my Yebisu

[@philbattiste9649]

The thing about Godzilla 98 that gets me is they find out the monster is pregnant by putting Godzilla's blood (I think that's what it was) on a human pregnancy test. I'm no biologist, but I'm fairly certain that's not how it works.

[@spacedoubt15]

Let's not forget '98 Godzilla still came from Pacific Island nuclear tests and yet he somehow appears on the EAST coast of the US. Meaning he either swam entirely around South America, ninja'd his way through the Panama canal or went the long way, through the Indian Ocean and around Africa to get to New York. WTF

[@mcmoose64]

Wow, I never noticed that!

[@jonnemesis11]

No, he first shows up in Japan.

[@ethanbaileylol2283]

unknown unknown that still doesn’t explain how he made it to new york

[@jonnemesis11]

@@ethanbaileylol2283 It explains it because it implies it went around the world, that's why the french guy was involved in the plot, it was a global threat.

[@BioGoji-zm5ph]

Actually, we get a few shots of Zilla's footprints in what I think is Panama, which means that Zilla did, in fact, walk across Central America to get from the Pacific to the Atlantic. You know, the scene where Hicks tells Nick that he's standing in his sample? As for WHY Zilla would decide to do that and go to New York of all places? Um... because Los Angeles was still recovering from Independence Day, I guess?

[@Timartyn]

"it stars people who are involved with the plot" Incredible and accurate description

[@Ghost-rb5tg]

That shot at 3:30 of Rich with the opening theme to Godzilla 98 will always be my favorite thing ever.

[@popeyboy5108]

It reminds me of something Kubrik would shoot.

[@Ghost-rb5tg]

@@popeyboy5108 Rich pulls off the legendary Kubrick Stare like a champ.

[@chekovsgunman]

The follow up with the Godzilla screech over Rich Evans yawning at 14:50 is also gold.

[@BenRangel]

And I love the way that Rich Evans is treated like some kind of zoo attraction. "Let's just throw something at him and film his reaction" :) Works every time. I could watch an entire review just consisting of Rich's facial expressions and get a better understanding of that movie than any Roger Ebert review could ever provide.

[@SGFTI]

Lifeless eyes, like a doll's eyes.

[@thefuriousfatty2297]

​@therotten6152except rich Evans IS god!! Praise be to rich Evans!!

[@HammerHeart3229]

10:36 Jay got his wish in Godzilla Minus One! Now we need a Half in the Bag on that movie!

[@SourRobo8364]

Now we have Godzilla Minus One. We need Mike and Jay to do a video on it.

[@potaterjim]

"I'd like to see a godzilla movie about a bunch of nameless scientists sitting in a lab yelling about how to stop godzilla" Has he seen shin godzilla yet?

[@hinkhall1186]

Yep, Mike and Jay went into the future 2 years from 2014 to 2016 just to see Shin Godzilla.

[@BioGoji-zm5ph]

@@hinkhall1186 Actually, in their review for King Of The Monsters (2019) Jay states that he watched Shin Godzilla after seeing the newest Godzilla movie. So, at least Jay has seen it at this point. Not sure about Mike or Rich, though.

[@Robotfan987]

Cranston and Watanabe both should have had more screen time. Seriously Watanabe was just wasted in this movie. I really liked the one moment of character development he had with his father's watch. Why could we not have more of that? Would have made the rest of the film a lot better.

[@Adammonroemusic]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. If they were going to kill off Cranston they should have just made the movie about Watanabe chasing Godzilla. Didn't need a whole 45 minutes of whoever the main guy was. It's as if they filmmakers said, "let's get the most average looking, uncharismatic guy we can find to be our hero and shove him down everyone's throats."

[@quidestveritas659]

Yeah; I was wondering why they couldn't have him and Cranston as the main human characters and create some tension between them (maybe over how to deal with Godzilla/ The MUTOs because Cranston is blinded by grief) - two terrific actors.

[@kev3d]

***** I can't imagine a less exciting "hero". That portion of the film was like watching paint dry.

[@CatmanJimbo]

But but but but Market Research said we needed a heroic white male. American audiences could NEEEEVER get behind an older japanese hero.../s

[@FinderofNemo]

***** Watanabe always had this open-mouthed confused expression on his face, in every single scene he was in. It was just weird.

[@NabGer]

Brian Cranston will always be Hal from Malcolm in the middle

[@clinteldorado]

And Lois from Malcolm in the Middle will always be smoking hot.

[@janedoe1787]

I too think about him in every role, made the underwear scenes from breaking bad more believable

[@mrsaintsgodzilla21]

During the 2014 Wondercon, Gareth Edwards said he wished he could make a Malcom in the middle episode where Godzilla attacks the city.

[@baronvonfaust]

@@clinteldorado this man speaks truth

[@zeekyboogydoog826]

I just find it amusing that Taylor-Johnson and Olsen went from spouses one year to twins the next. There's an Ultimate Marvel universe joke there somewhere.

[@ObakeOnna]

Godzilla 2014 should have had Bryan Cranston as the main character instead of the bland omnipresent US army guy, for a whole slew of reasons. I will say this, though: it is an actual Godzilla movie. Unlike the 1998 film.

[@chocolatelover471]

Don't forget Ken Watanbe who was playing Dr. Serizawa.

[@LewisCostin]

The 1998 film didn't feature Godzilla. If you pay attention to the opening scene, the Japanese guy refers to what he saw as "Gojira". Therefore the classic Toho films existed in this universe and that's what they happen to call this monster. It isn't "GODZILLA", it's just a giant lizard.

[@isodoublet]

To be fair, Roland Emmerich's take is the only one that could possibly work. Godzilla is inherently ridiculous, so you can't have a movie about him take itself seriously. That's why the 2014 movie is so boring.

[@GarrusN7]

@@isodoublet Except it was boring mainly because Godzilla was often not featured. It was literally the best part of the movie. Nice try though.

[@isodoublet]

@@GarrusN7 No, it was boring because it's a silly monster movie that takes itself seriously.

[@richardcranium9058]

"He feels immense." Clarification needed; is Jay referring to Godzilla or Rich Evans?

[@spethmanjones2997]

_Yes_

[@greeniegreens7737]

If the newest Godzilla movie was marketed as just a movie with nameless monsters, it would have been so much more satisfying. Imagine going into a theater to see a "Cloverfield 2" if you will, just to find out it was soft Godzilla reboot.

[@elwyn5150]

I forgot how awful soundtracks to blockbusters were in the 90s until this. That Puff Daddy song was just tragic.

[@OpenMawProductions]

+Elwyn Chow Let's take a great Led Zeppelin song and have Puff Daddy go "UH HUH! YEAH!" over the top of it.

[@ProxyDoug]

There was also that version of Heroes by that one band...

[@nofreebeer]

Too bad Zeppelin ripped that song off first. That's the real tragedy.

[@georgepalchikov7176]

Michael Mathers Music is created in a different way now. That's just a matter of fact. The structure is different due to oversaturation. Just like the size of vinyl in jukebox created a format of songs, then radio and video clips created different formats eventually. So, things do change.

[@OpenMawProductions]

The difference is that Zeppelin actually created a quality version with some actual talent and artistry. Puffy Daddy just sampled the Zeppelin's instrumentals. No real talent there.

[@joysomepossum]

I would bet money that some great writer wrote the dad as the main character and movie execs were like, "no, we need someone young, that the young audience can connect with. Kill the dad and make it be about his son." They should have just given Cranston a young sidekick and made Breaking Godzilla.

[@FlyfishermanMike]

Godzilla in the middle!

[@Canadish]

Likely due to military input on the script. Probably one of the terms for all that equipment they used for filming was having a young solider as the lead. "Gotta get those little jarheads to sign up to protect America!" Etc

[@frankmerker630]

Don’t think the military would get that much say in the script, and if they demanded it then they would have proceeded to not use the military for props. Far more likely is that an executive producer thought that they need to appeal to expand a target audience to get young people interested in Godzilla. Also, they probably thought that Cranston as a main would be way too distracting given his very recent success with Breaking Bad

[@elmangodefuego5526]

“JESSY WE NEED TO GET GODZILLA”

[@santiagogallego8695]

@@frankmerker630 oh no the usa military has an incredible amount of pull in hollywood, and without them they wouldnt have had any of the military props wich would cost the studio atleast some millions to get. This was absolutely the idea of a military recruiter

[@Yarn01]

Fuck, you could play anything over that footage of Rich Evans making that disgusted yet bored face and it'll make me laugh.

[@padawanmage71]

I did enjoy Godzilla (2014), especially the slow build up to when we finally see the monsters. Yes, I did feel it was a tease when they first start to fight and then it cuts to something else. I was also annoyed that Cranston's character died so soon into the movie, especially his focus in the trailers. As to Godzilla 1998...when the Japanese themselves make fun of it by getting it's ass kicked by *their* Godzilla...well, that pretty much speaks for itself.

[@FinderofNemo]

People always complain about the first fight being a straight up cocktease, which it was, but if you pay attention to the news segment they show, it clearly wasn't much of a fight anyway. Godzilla wrestled the MUTO for a bit and then the MUTO flew away like a giant pussy.

[@nievesofficial]

Mike saying “why you gotta be a hater?” was hilarious

[@jangofett7421]

Watching this after Godzilla Minus One it’s like every single thing they recommend story wise was done with that movie.

[@d3nza482]

No. Godzila Minus One is both idiotic on levels beyond Emmerich's (like taking a full blast of Godzilla in the face and then showing up in the end with a few bruises), bad, bad, BAD, TERRIBLE CGI (just a reminder that they gave it the Oscar for special effects - and not to Guardians 3, Napoleon, Mission Impossible or The Creator) and Turkish soap opera production and acting, comedic solutions for fighting Godzila where only difference to Emmerich is that they fly into its mouth and the "that's a lot of fish" is now and indicator of Godzilla's presence. And that's without taking in account a HOLY SHIT theme of nationalist whitewashing of Japan and its war crimes - with the added bonus of the main character being a transplant from director's earlier film, about "well, actually" heroism of a fucking kamikaze pilot, who refuses to die and is though of as a coward, but then kamikazes himself so others could live. Based on a popular book (in Japan), by a far-right politician who is a Japanese war crimes denier - guy literally claims all Japanese war crimes, including the Nanjing Massacre (AKA Rape of Nanking) was made up by Americans to hide American WW2 crimes. Godzilla Minus One literally claims that the WW2 is something thrust upon the Japanese people by some outside forces, they were only defending themselves, and had the military not been a bunch of incompetent idiots - Japan could have won. With know-how and with "the people" doing the armying, not the army doing the armying. It's an insane, fascist fantasy based on far-right political psychoses of elderly Japanese men. Do note the "purity" of main character's surrogate family (babies and marriages with zero sex involved), fascination with dying in a great war, fascination with revanchist "finishing" a lost war by winning it in a rematch, "the people" rising up and self-organizing into a military force while the "incompetent and corrupt" government(s) both local and global completely fail to do the same - and the complete disregard of the realities of being a hereditary monarchy ruled by an emperor OR being occupied by HALF A MILLION foreign troops.

[@jangofett7421]

@@d3nza482 🤓☝️

[@soundstudio594]

Killing off Bryan Cranston is one of the biggest bone headed writing mistakes I've seen in awhile. What were they thinking? More Bryan Cranston= Good. Seriously wtf?

[@nicholasmapes]

They had Cranston at the height of his career (so far) and they didn't use him even remotely enough... bonehead move by the writers/directors

[@frankmerker630]

@@nicholasmapes i feel like this is a common trend in popular TV shows, the same thing happened with everyone involved in the GoT series. It feels like there is something in their contract that limits them in spending time shooting other projects or limiting the amount of screen time they're featured

[@trumantheodorefruitty596]

The directors were probably thinking they could recreate the lightning in a bottle that Seinfeld had with the Tim Whatley overdose storyline.

[@GoBuckeyes554]

My major gripe with the 2014 Godzilla was the lack of Cranston. Why would you cast him at the height of Walter White popularity (BB ended that past september) and have him in 20% of the movie? He was by far the most popular actor on the cast list and many (including myself) thought he would be the lead and when he died I was like "oh what the fuck?" Also him dying off screen was trash.

[@juanimolina6048]

he was the only reason a ton of people went to the movie

[@GoBuckeyes554]

Juanignacio molina sossa exactly! He was also a far more interesting character than his son they should have switched their roles and made the son die giving Cranston's character even more motivation

[@BusterMachine1]

+GoBuckeyes554 +Juanignacio molina sossa This is exactly why they cast him. Breaking Bad was HUGE at the time, so it made sense even if he dies within the first like 30 minutes of the movie BECAUSE he is well known. And they knew by featuring him in the trailer prominently despite this would draw in a larger crowd. Shameful and sleazy marketing yes, but it worked, and I have to give them credit for it. It was a smart thing to do even if it was deceiving.

[@chrismalott7171]

Actually the director said he never saw breaking bad and just wanted Cranston because he was a fan of Malcolm in the middle.

[@dncewzrd]

Rich looks like he wants to just end it all...

[@graphosxp]

Godzilla '98 was damn good on a rental VHS and a 12" black and white 1976 Sear's branded CRT TV.

[@Alanthewhite]

REALLY want to see their thoughts on Shin Godzilla

[@CaptainCanuck1975]

Bryan Cranston chewed more scenery than Godzilla. I liked how the military wanted to kill the monsters by nuking them, even though they knew the monsters fed on radiation. That's like trying to kill a cat by dropping a mouse on it.

[@benlittle5436]

“I want a movie about nameless scientists shouting at each other about how to stop Godzilla” So go watch Shin Godzilla... it’s basically that, with scientists and bureaucrats

[@PainCausingSamurai]

I unironically loved Godzilla '98 as a kid.

[@poncho_20xx14]

Me, too! It taught me about Jean Reno and HE taught me about Elvis. Favorite T-shirt in second grade.

[@JD-jc8gp]

I still like it.

[@jolynn9764]

Yup

[@LivingParadox87]

Same here. I think part of me has just always acknowledged that Godzilla movies can never be taken seriously so why not have some fun with it? The new Godzilla movies try to take it seriously and almost makes me laugh more at that attempt than the silliness of the ‘98 movie. I honestly thought that as much effort was made for the 2014 movie, it didn’t really do anything for me besides provide a few (but not enough) cool visuals. It felt kind of empty in a way that I’m not sure how to describe. I’ve watched the ‘98 Godzilla countless times when I was younger and didn’t care that it didn’t make a whole lot of sense. It was a wacky comedy with a monster in it, one that was a reinvention of Godzilla, and I was ok with that.

[@SpawnRevenge92]

Oh, same!

[@Nethingispossible145]

I really love Godzille(2014). I just loved the theatrical experience so much, and the massive scale of the absolute nightmare that the movie was depicting was incredible to me! One of the reasons I disliked King of the Monsters was because it was about the end of the world, but it failed to capture the central theme of the previous movie and actually make the events of the film feel like an apocalyptical event. The destruction and devastation on screen as well as the sound design and editing really sold the film to me more than anything.

[@andrewholmes3116]

Well, between the two of you, you averaged out to getting the right year for Jurassic Park

[@heirofaniu]

You guys need to watch Godzilla: Final Wars. The fake ass Godzilla from this movie meets the real Japanese Godzilla and gets annihilated.

[@SirSayakaMikiThe3rd]

No one needs to see final war. It's a pyrrhic victory to see Godzilla destroy Zilla because final wars is so bad.

[@yourarchnemesis8453]

@@SirSayakaMikiThe3rd says you

[@SirSayakaMikiThe3rd]

@@yining200 he was the best part of the movie by far.

[@SirSayakaMikiThe3rd]

@@yourarchnemesis8453 yeah, says me. Get over it buddy. It seems you get offended by the idea of people not liking it considering your other comments. Maybe get a hobby?

[@baronvonfaust]

I really like that they did so much with the MUTOs prior to the big showdown, because at least it established them as massive threats. I think they sort of needed to do so if the battle with Godzilla at the end is gonna have any significance. I like me some Godzilla, any time, and honestly seeing some monster antagonists that clearly weren't people in suits was so damn cool. I ended up liking the MUTOs far more than I thought I would. And then Godzilla murdered them, and I loved it. Naturally.

[@Silverstroke123]

"The movie suffered from a severe lack of Bryan Cranston" Yes. It. Did!

[@BrooklynLuke]

I love that Mike says, several times, that Hollywood would never make a movie about Japanese people screaming about the science of how to stop Godzilla, because that's literally exactly what Shin Gojira is. Really unconventional idea of characters and narrative, where you're just seeing a realistic portrayal of government officials dealing with nuclear catastrophe as opposed to something like 2014 Godzilla that focuses on romantic subplots and bad acting. I hope at least one of these guys gets around to seeing the new one because it's really fascinating, to say the least.

[@arczeum7921]

Ell Bee they said that HOLLYWOOD would never make that kind of movie. TOHO made Shin Godzilla.

[@Arander92]

ATJ was trash

[@IloveGorgeousGeorge]

Hollywood is not, in fact, in Japan.

[@Zer0Hour17]

While obviously the new Godzilla is the better movie, honestly, I get more enjoyment out of the 1998 Godzilla movie. It's ridiculous and hilarious whenever anyone is on screen be they human or godzilla. The new one I was bored whenever Godzilla or Bryan Cranston were not on screen, which is most of the movie.

[@MuscleDad420]

+Evan Diaz fyad

[@ghostapostle7225]

+Zer0Hour17 I don't want to agree, but I have to agree.

[@richardtheconquerer]

I'm surprised they didn't comment on the fact that the new one is 75% at night and you can't see a goddamn thing

[@k3lit0]

I doubt you guys read these but the reason the JP dinos look so good is that they actually made a bunch of props. They used stop motion, CG, and real animatronics to make them look flawless. Speilberg was effing crazy about making them perfect, and it paid off. This movie really makes me think 'ah so they wanted some jurassic park money..'

[@IrisCorven]

I love that Mike talks about how he wants a Godzilla movie that stars a bunch of nameless scientists talking about how to beat Godzilla, and then two years later we got Shin Godzilla, and now a more grounded Godzilla Minus One.

[@mattfrank85]

I'm more with Rich and Mike on this one than Jay. Although I didn't find the lead terribly compelling, I felt that they got a lot right with Godzilla 2014. "It has its problems, but what it needed to get right, it got absolutely right." And I can't think of a funnier opening for a HITB episode :D

[@CamelMoonStudios]

This video is 7 years old and it looks like it came out in 2003.

[@DRUNKENATHEISTSTUDIO]

Spot on review. I HAD to go out a see godzilla when you guys posted this the other day. Often times I find these videos more entertaining than the movies they revolve around lol

[@MrGeorgeFlorcus]

I've never seen the new Godzilla movie, but I do know that Bryan Cranston's character dies really early on, which is a shame, because his monologue from the trailer about that government hiding some creature sounded fucking awesome. Bryan Cranston is such a good actor.

[@go_rilla262]

Godzilla 1985 (1984) was the one I loved growing up.

[@ZarconVideo]

I thought the cgi was pretty good for the 90s

[@diamond_dynamo2214]

I'm still disappointed they never did a video on Shin Godzilla. It's not really their usual fare, I know, but God damn, is that the right way to do Godzilla in the modern age.

[@DasAusfahrt]

Rich's reaction is so pure and good. I wish I could see these guy's watch the phantom menace for the first time

[@samJaddy]

Rich's laugh is like a cheese grater made of honey is raking against my ears. I love it.

[@clammer23]

He described Shin Godzilla perfectly at around 3:00 when he described the perfect type of Godzilla movie that will never be made. While he was talking about Hollywood making a film like that, someone in Tokyo must've watched this.

[@sirclownsalot5800]

In Shin Godzilla, when Patterson hands Rando a folder you can see that the label says NCC-1701. Anno, the director, must be a fan of Star Trek too.

[@mnemot]

@@sirclownsalot5800 The NCC-1701 serial number also appears in Evangelion, although this is what Anno had to say about Star Trek in 2007 during a roundtable discussion: "I don't hate Star Trek, but I'm not that into it. You can see something of the arrogance of America [in it]. There is a story of influencing or enlightening the native people of the destination planets, or there is a romance with their most admirable woman in a front-line base. I feel like this is American imperialism itself. (...) It's like Marxists are portrayed as being primitives. I can't get used to that kind of American worldview. I think the Enterprise is cool, but..."

[@Shemdoupe]

God I love Rich’s laugh 😭

[@mikebarcode]

I have been on a weird kick of watching these Proto-ReViews from when I didn’t even watch half in the bag yet. It’s like finding a treasure trove of content

[@brown_note4710]

2019: hold my beer

[@SpittinSquirell]

Godzilla 98 was the first DVD I ever watched, on my families flashy new Compaq desktop. Plus who can forget Puff Daddy's version of Kashmir

[@mikevisby8744]

I am the complete opposite of them, I want much more of the monsters and less of the human element. So many monster movies nowadays save the good monster parts for the last 5 minutes and the rest of it is just little glimpses the whole time. I know what Godzilla looks like already, I don't need you hiding him for 80% of the film!

[@theboxcaradventurer1874]

The best thing about Zilla'98 was the soundtrack they released with it. Foo Fighters, Days of the New, Rage Against the Machine and a lil' mastapiece from one Puff Daddy. Instant classic.

[@wittyminotaur786]

I had this on CD back in the day. It was one of my favorites at the time.

[@damienmb2365]

Did Mike just call an aircraft carrier a battleship? That's like calling a bus a truck.

[@jesserico]

“It stars people who are involved with the plot” underrated line

[@BollocksUtwat]

Its times like these, when Mike alludes to Stargate being a bad movie, that I realize there are places where our tastes and sensibilities radically diverge. Stargate is by far the best and least offensive Emmerich film. Its actually pretty smart for a popcorn film. I'd go as far as to say its a smart sci fi adventure with seriously unique material backing the story that masquerades very effectively as a popcorn action flick. Its got its cheese but anything that involves translating hieroglyphs in a way that isn't insulting to intellectuals is remarkable in Hollywood. Seriously, it made a nerd into the hero, on par and even surpassing the action hero played by Kurt Russel. Naw Mike, I think you're way off on Stargate.

[@Phaota]

Yep, totally agree with you there. Stargate was great. Sure, it had a lot stupid elements and flaws, but it's definitely the best Emmerich film and lead to the long-running awesome SG-1 series. Also, the soundtrack is fantastic.

[@williammcguire130]

Universal Soldier is the best Emmerich joint tho

[@joenappi8459]

It will always amaze me that Mike earnestly asked for Shin Godzilla, said it would never happen, and then never said a word about the movie

[@laural.enright4780]

You know...if I go to see a Godzilla movie, I want to catch more than a glimpse here and there of the big guy. The poor guy basically had a cameo in his own movie. Awesome monster fights?...I wish I had seen some. I was completely disappointed. There is a line in the movie where the guy says, "Let them fight." All I could think was, "Yeah, let them fight! And let us watch more than ten seconds here and there." The effects were there, the monsters looked great, but you barely saw them half the time. The tease went on way too long. You'd start seeing a juicy fight only to have the POV pan away and go back down to Bryan Cranston's kid. The fight at the end was so unsatisfying because of how little focus was given to the monsters fighting. For my money, leave Godzilla to the Japanese. They know how to do it.

[@laural.enright4780]

But when he does, you see him. There's not all this "catch a glimpse here and there" thing which as I say was okay in the beginning but got kind of tiresome. Either he was seen on a TV, or through a window, or shrouded in smoke or shadows. That was my issue with the movie.

[@MegaZeta]

Actually, in the best Godzilla movies, Godzilla doesn't show up a ton. However, those movies are driven by strong human characters; the 2014 movie was not.

[@banababreab4382]

It's kinda funny since I'm the Original Gojira had Godzilla for about the same time as the new movie did

[@the_narthex]

Yes, yes. But at least Gojira/Godzilla King of the Monsters COMPLETED scenes. For instance, when they're going up the hill and Godzilla looks over the top of it and roars. Everyone runs. They turn around and Godzilla's gone. So everyone goes back up the hill, looks down and sees his footprints going into the sea. The scene had an ending even if it was just a short glimpse of Godzilla. If that SAME SCENE were in the 2014 movie, it would start with people going up a hill... they'd hear something, look up and see Godzilla... then it would cut to people watching a news report about the incident... but we wouldn't even see the news. We'd see the people in a living room reacting to it and we'd never be told WHAT HAPPENED. Did he go back into the sea? Eat everyone? What happened?! "Eh. This movie's too clever to show you what you want to see or explain what happened. Only stupid movies satisfy the audience!"

[@TheJRP2010]

The Godzilla cartoon series from 98 was amazing!

[@bobi_futt]

Mike: “Was Godzilla even radioactive in the 1998 movie?” Jay: “No… Wait, yeah I guess it’s a throwaway line or something” The movie itself has a ton of flaws, but they very clearly say that Godzilla in that movie was created by nuclear experiments. There’s the whole subplot with the French secret service dudes

[@janetg3491]

If Watanabes character's father was killed in Hiroshima, that means he would have had to be born in 1945 at latest, that would make him 69 years old. But since audiences can't add that's ok!

[@janetg3491]

The movie implied he was killed in Hiroshima, so yeah he would have had to been conceived before then! So yeah he's NOT OLD ENOUGH as the hack frauds pointed out!

[@blshouse]

Watanabe: "Let them fight." General: "Wait a minute! You're not old enough to have had a fath... Watanabe: "Let them fight!"

[@snakes3425]

+Janet G They actually did a prequel comic: Godzilla Awakening it shows that his father survived Hiroshima but his mother was killed and he was a baby at the time.

[@marcodetter5782]

He died in Hiroshima in the 60s due to a heart attack...problem solved.

[@MrMoorkey]

'It was my fathers". It couldn't have been given to his father by a Hiroshima survivor...

[@thepumpkinlord]

rich 's laugh is so pure and joy-filled i love it and him :)

[@InTheDeepGarden]

Jay captured my feelings on Godzilla 2014 perfectly.

[@JesusL64]

"Why you got to be a hater?" lol I love their chemistry as buds.

[@PTNLemay]

The movie was super fun for kids. I remember being 7 and watching the movie and the show. At some point in the show aliens show up for no reason and Godzilla has to fight them. That stuff was awesome.

[@velociraptor4you3291]

The CGI in "Godzilla 1998" wasn't bad. It was done by actual professional computer animators who did know their work. Zilla in the movie blends in with the urban NY environment, and he moves, breathes, and sounds like a creature that you could picture seeing in real life. The same goes for the Baby Zillas, they all didn't look "cartoonish" to me. Maybe the Baby Zillas were like, too shiny in some shots in the MSG sequence and didn't blend in with the environment realistically, but that was only in some shots. They all still looked & behaved in a believable way for the most part. Godzilla and the Mutos in "Godzilla 2014" were truly EXCELLENT! They looked, moved, and behaved in a very believable way.

[@kajiuking6221]

The baby Zilla's were mostly animatronic.

[@velociraptor4you3291]

Kajiu King That's right, I could see which Baby Zillas were CG and which ones were animatronic. I thought the animatronics were pulled off well. I always applaud good Practical FX in film.

[@brokenrecord2941]

I loved Godzilla '98 when I was little, I was exactly the right age for it's target audience so nostalgia is probably why I love it still. This upload was from 8 years ago, you were too old for it by then and safe to say too old for it in '98.

[@laynno13]

This cracks me up; Jay in this says he thinks the 'cutting away to the news footage of the monsters' is CLEVER, then 5 years later for the new film (2019) he mocks this one, saying 'uhhh cut away to news footage. Arent we clever?' Oh Jay... 😍

[@trumantheodorefruitty596]

Maybe because by that point it had already been done before?

[@laynno13]

@@trumantheodorefruitty596 fair enough

[@GenjiFirefly]

You know, I'll have to agree with Mike's point. If the movie focused on nameless scientists trying to stop Godzilla and MUCH more time with Godzilla actually fighting monsters and just breaking shit, it would have been much better.

[@brentonpedersen8049]

So Mike, now that Shin Godzilla has come out, did you get the movie you wanted? But admittedly, that movie was never going to be made by Hollywood.

[@TytheBandit]

His face while he's watching this movie was priceless. Fear, confusion, mental constipation.

[@TaekoZ]

I think the point of the humans being pointless is that we're supposed to be insignificant compared to the force of Godzilla, from a narrative standpoint it makes perfect sense but yeah on film it was boring. Other than the human element I loved the movie, it's a solid 8/10 to me.

[@kev3d]

I'm in agreement, I loved the creature battles and all that, but the human stuff was just dull as shit. And yet, when you see Godzilla's dorsal spikes begin to glow in sequence for the first time, I think I got an erection.

[@ebukaobieri]

When you start making story excuses for portions of films that are rubbish, then I can only assume that you are biased and I can't trust your review.

[@OpenMawProductions]

There's a difference between showing humanity as insignificant, and "pointless characters to fill screen time." Cloverfield gave me a far better direct connection with human characters that had been reduced to running, hiding, and screaming for their lives.

[@TaekoZ]

I'm not debating the human part being boring, but the fact that they see humans being ineffective as a flaw.

[@enigma19833]

So the human characters being dull and meaningless was actually a deliberate thematic device in service to subtextual elements within the narrative? That's... not a bad save, actually.

[@vegoutwithvegge]

Godzilla (98) had a great 90s music soundtrack thou.

[@pobbityboppity1110]

Godzilla 2014 holds the heck up. One of the best blockbusters ever, once you remove it from the hype back when it was coming out. Incredible film.

[@TheBrahma51]

Honestly the reveal of Godzilla makes it entirely worth watching.

[@velociraptor4you3291]

I agree with these guys. To me, "Godzilla 2014" gets a good, solid 'B' in my book. It had some things about it that I felt could have been improved upon (mainly in the human character development department), but pretty much everything else in the movie was TOP NOTCH. It's a truly AWESOME cinematic experience! :)

[@metalbrainmextrememetalent6810]

RLM has never done a Breaking Bad episode. It’s never to late to cover the greatest show that ever existed along side the Simpson’s. Speaking of the Simpson’s. How about covering a season of the Simpson’s.

[@Seth_M-T]

I completely agree. Breaking Bad and The Simpsons (up to S8) are the two greatest TV shows of all time. By the way, if you haven't heard of him yet, you should definitely check out TheRealJims. He does fantastic Simpsons videos and he's currently making retrospectives on each season!

[@matias.arguello]

I'm in love with Jay's 3:01 smile/short laugh. But it's too soon to get his hand

[@Uptomyknees]

For a group that became notorious because of their dissection of a plot hole riddled series of films, I'm a little disappointed Godzilla 2014 got away so clear.

[@aserta]

Godzilla doesn't have a plot. You just take a huge lizard and throw it at a city. What the hell were you expecting? No plot, no holes. Doesn't mean the movie was worth shooting for what it lacked.

[@TwiIight0ne]

You know there was more wrong with the prequels than the plot holes, right? If not, there's a little series of videos you can watch which explain that perfectly, they're called *The French Revolution*. You stupid kids need to get your history right.

[@SV67943]

***** What were you expecting in a movie called Cowboys & Aliens? For that matter, what was wrong with Avengers? It's like you kids today don't even remember the Bat Nipples.

[@Libertinus79]

"Nitpicking is only fun if the movie is rotten to the core" - Jay Bauman

[@SV67943]

***** "I can enjoy garbage like Wild Wild West" Alright, you're dead to me.

[@tissot233]

Like Jay said them killing off Cranston was so weird. He is a charismatic actor but his character was also way more interesting than his son. When Cranston died and it became clear you would be following the son the movie flattened right away for me.

[@xxczerxx]

Mike should do standup. He has the magic touch when it comes to his tone of voice, delivery, deadpan style etc. Even comics with good material often falter when it comes to...well, saying it (for some reason Daniel Tosh springs to mind).

[@KingPK]

This was the easiest paycheck of Elizabeth Olsen's career. Her entire direction was just "look concerned and cry a few times".

[@legonightwing6165]

>A movie about Japanese scientists yelling about Godzilla So basically the 2016 Japan version?

[@Quickscript]

I completely agree with the bearded guy. This movie was majorly disappointing. Not only was there hardly any Godzilla, but the human characters were perhaps the most boring people I've ever seen in a movie.

[@gojirasnob8809]

Quickscript so was godzilla 1998 so what point

[@BrayTube]

The one and only flaw in Godzilla 98 is the stuttering soldier. Everything else is practically documentary.

[@stu2729]

Rich Evans, do the roar.

[@gabegibbons6290]

Godzilla's approaching the generators! Godzilla's approaching the generators!

[@shuothewildfire]

When is your King of the Monsters review coming out?

[@Howlrunner82]

Can't belive the cool Godzilla is already that old

[@PeterStellenberg]

The actual 1998 animated series was great. Way better than the movie and one of the best work on Godzilla.

[@jebediahgentry7029]

My biggest problem with the 2014 Godzilla was... Where the hell is Godzilla, and it's always dark when he on screen.