Is The MonsterVerse On A Downward Trend? - Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire

[@mr.milkman3893]

My biggest issue with GxK isn’t even the film itself but more so the leak culture surrounding it. Like I remember when Dman did those theory discussion vids surrounding GvK and now he can’t do them with GxK without brain rot leakers spoiling the whole damn film.

[@Flash-FireCC]

I'm personally not bothered that much about being spoiled because of the film itself but I do agree that they are very bad and should be stopped.

[@Saturndusk]

🙌 to the KOTM take. It wasn’t just a bloated blockbuster summer, it was basically the whole year.

[@DMan1954]

Exactly!!

[@ethandoyle4978]

I personally think it’s in a great place and doing a lot better then the other main cinematic franchises

[@DMan1954]

I agree

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

But it's not... The MV movies still made less than Antman 3, and have almost as big og budgets

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

@@JEDI.ON.CREATINE1208 It's the MCU's second biggest flop, If the MV can't match that, then it's not "doing a lot better"

[@Flash-FireCC]

Considering the next film is following the same aspects of other franchises, I hope it does better than all of them.

[@GG101_]

@@jesusramirezromo2037MV budgets have been usually under 200 million dollar budgets. Ant man was over 200 million

[@DangerVille]

Like you say, change is good. What we’re seeing in GxK is that monsters are able to be characters for possibly the first time ever. Supposedly with long periods of non verbal storytelling as we follow Kong on his emotional journey. There’s tons of potential with a film like this, really getting into the mind of titans, their history, and how it can reflect the very best and the worst of our own species. Really hoping it maximises the concept.

[@user-bt9yh8jn1q]

You guys should be more honest

[@DMan1954]

I did a different video discussing how much potential there is for Kong and his storyline in this film. I hope following this movie, Toho embraces the fact that Kaiju have personalities again like they did back in the 60s. It’s beef far too long since we’ve seen Japanese monsters show this much emotional range. Even if all of this film’s big swings don’t land, at least they did something new.

[@Supersaurus4]

I’m feeling pumped for Godzilla x Kong the New Empire. While I don’t have high hopes that it’ll succeed, I am however not about to lose faith in the MonsterVerse. As for the fanbase, I’m just gonna keep to myself and stay focused on what lies ahead.

[@ShinGoji1987Official]

I think as long as they don't over saturate the films/tv series to the public like marvel and star wars does than they should be in good shape. Release a well rounded film or season of lotm every 1-3 years with a satisfying ending eventually and that should keep it trendy. Looking forward to the next discussion

[@alphadragonwolfwarrior6373]

The Monsterverse is currently just having its era of fun ol' Showa-esque time. I don't hate it. I enjoy them. I hope the Minus One sequel doesn't stray too far away from its source material. A serious and heartfelt movie can be made with multiple monsters at a time, but it has to be done right. If it were up to me, I'd further focus on Godzilla's regenerative abilities and the connection Noriko now has with Godzilla due to absorbing his radiation and possibly have her begin to mutate as well into something unnatural. Perhaps even have a few doctors or scientists begin to want to use Noriko as a test subject to help many other people with the regenerative DNA, and her going against it and not wanting others to suffer like she has. That's just my take, though.

[@ronniepatterson2827]

Agreed. Im ready for a Showa style showing lol in the Monsterverse. Sorry D Man 1954, you be aight

[@whatdadogdoin634]

imo the way they can bring other kaiju in minus one sequels could probably through them being a mutated species or an experiment gone wrong, not alien otherwise it could feel very "outlandish"

[@Nightlizard1564]

I think it’s important to note that for me personally I was fine with the amount of screentime we got with the monsters in gvk (even tho half of that was dedicated to Kong) I think what they need to do going forward is having a balance between the monster action while having interesting human characters that aren’t just there as plot devices while keeping the story fresh. If the next monsterverse film is just Godzilla or Kong vs xyz then that formula is gonna get old really quick. It’s a major reason why I would love a film or show where it explores Godzilla more as a character since the movies tend to do that with Kong.

[@krook_prothespinosaurus]

Totally Agree. I think many people complained that the monsters didnt get much screentime, but now that in GxK they are actually getting that, they are complaining about the CGI. Like of course the cgi gets weaker if 90% of the movie is monsters. The problem was more what was done with the human characters. Because yes, a Monster showdown movie can still have good human characters, like Godzilla vs Destoryah, GMK or Godzilla vs Biollante.

[@Flash-FireCC]

I agree with this 100%. The G and K formula has been exhausted at this point and New Empire, in my eyes, is an unnecessary extension of that. They should be focusing on other Toho kaiju, while also using Toho villains to spread the world building. We can also have a good amount of monster screen time too, cause that's what fans want, while also focusing on good written characters because if you don't write them good, then you're just giving people a reason to want monster screen time more.

[@jayambi7695]

@@Flash-FireCC They have to pay a hefty amount extra to use other TOHO monsters, and under contract they have to portray Godzilla a certain way otherwise they cannot use him in the films. Based on what i researched a while back, they cannot portray Godzilla with too much emotions. Which means having a solo film about exploring his character is impossible without breaking their agreement. Hence why he's only portrayed simply as a force of nature

[@RichZilla96]

Nah I'm optimistic the Monsterverse is on a good track and is here to stay. The Godzilla fan base just needs to stop acting weird. Can't wait to enjoy Godzilla X Kong as much as I enjoyed Godzilla Minus One. I've seen Godzilla Minus One 9 times already.

[@DMan1954]

Same here!

[@thai1217]

maybe its feels one-sided. The movie is about godzilla x kong, but all we ever see most is kong and less godzilla. the anticipating of a new titans of Shimo and Skaar sounds interesting, but its not popular because the trailer doesn't show any world building between them. There is a keychain toy of Mothra, so it might make an appearance, but other than that i can't feel excited enough.

[@MaceDeMarco2010]

Yes.

[@coletrain583]

What about Asphalt City? It's going to be released on the same day as GXK. That's not good! Damm. We need to do something.

[@MaceDeMarco2010]

@@coletrain583 how much of a threat is it? Is it based off something?

[@06mrselfdestruct]

I am 43 years old & have loved Godzilla since I was 4 years old when I saw Godzilla 1985, it was the greatest thing I could ever imagine when I was little, I loved his size & how he could shoot fire, I had the Imperial 1985 12 inch figure & it never left my side for years, shout out to (Rosanne) for having that same figure displayed on her table in the living room, but I never liked how Godzilla changed after King Kong vs Godzilla, he became goofy & more of a superhero,I remember being SUPER hyped for Godzilla 1998 & was so disappointed, that’s why I love Godzilla 2000 & GMK so much because it brought the evil Godzilla back, then Shin Godzilla dropped & I LOVED how evil & destructive he was, but Godzilla Minus One has surpassed my expectations of a Godzilla film, it had that gut wrenching love story and the way it was shot was beautiful, and Godzilla was exactly what I’ve been looking for for 39 years, they actually made the Perfect Godzilla film in my opinion, I didn’t even care about reading the subtitles it was that good, & it’s gonna be nearly impossible to beat this film, it’s like the meme “alright everyone can go home now”

[@06mrselfdestruct]

I have to add that I was happy with the Heisei era

[@06mrselfdestruct]

@@Ape_Mode yes exactly, it’s like a Marvel/Transformers type film, which is ok for the action but it’s not the Godzilla I want

[@BlackCrowVr]

Legacy of monsters told a great story

[@BlackCrowVr]

@@Ape_Mode thank you

[@denniskristos3800]

As far as MonsterVerse feature films go right now, the tail is wagging the dog. "Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters" gave me exactly what I wanted from the series --a grounded tone, great world and lore building and most importantly, a story well told. Again the movie's runtime is short *1 hour, 54 minutes*. "GvK" was 1 hr 53 minutes long. Looks like the human characters are gonna get the short end of the stick which I fear means we're getting, half a story, again. Didn't Adam Wingard listen to the criticisms we had on "GvK"? I hope I'm wrong, but when Wingard waxes on about him having made "GxK: TNE" a Showa era toned movie, that gives me pause for thought and the doubts I'm having about it...

[@daydreamer2k145]

Thank you for elaborating on how Godzilla’s origin and creation is intrinsically tied to nuclear threats while also becoming something else as the franchise moved forward from ‘54

[@lonewolfgamingplus379]

I'm optimistic about the MonsterVerse. I loved Minus One so much. And New Empire is one of my Articipated films in 2024. I'm optimistic. I love the difference in genres and tones of Godzilla. He's whatever you want him to be. He's lasted 69 years old. He lasted this long. New stories, new thematic and direction. He's even compared to James Bond. Edit: FYI, I saw Minus One, seven times until the end of its end.

[@coletrain583]

Asphalt City is gonna release on the same day. Oh no. Can we talk about this? The movie could do a reapeat of KOTM. We the fans don't want that.

[@lonewolfgamingplus379]

​@coletrain583 KOTM is an important movie to me, honestly.

[@coletrain583]

@@lonewolfgamingplus379 It is. And there are a lot of loose ends left in that movie that need to tie up. What happened to Jonah? How did Apex get one of Ghidorah's heads? That's one of the main questions left in the Monsterverse that need answering.

[@SubaruMalibu]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla x Kong can co-exist. It shouldn't HAVE to be one thing or the other. If you're a Godzilla fan, you should be amped that we're eating (arguably) better than ever before.

[@SerenGetter]

I mean that doesn't mean we should mindlessly consume, there has to be some standard.

[@SubaruMalibu]

@@SerenGetter I never said you should. But at the same time, looking down on others for liking things that you don’t isn’t an awesome mindset to be in, either. Nobody likes snobs, not even other snobs. I say let Japan make the moody, introspective Godzillas, and let America make the noisy, big-budget Godzillas. Godzilla means something different to Japan than it does to America, and that goes all the way back to the Raymond Burr days. Expecting that to change now is unrealistic.

[@SerenGetter]

Nations have nothing to do with quality, Legendary might be falling into the same slump Toho did in the late 60's, essentially making the same type of movie over and over with less return & quality.@@SubaruMalibu

[@SubaruMalibu]

@@SerenGetter Sure, and if/when that happens, there will be another reset. Life will go on. But if you expect Legendary (or Warner Bros for that matter) to make a Minus One type of movie, my man, you are dreaming. I want to see how over-the-top and ridiculous they get with it, personally.

[@SerenGetter]

No, but I expect them to make good movies. I hope they can@@SubaruMalibu

[@jaredjimenez2305]

Very early! I love the idea of the monsterverse. Im a hero Godzilla enjoyer, that being said I really feel its close to too much if not crossed the line already. The old samurai warrior Edwards talked about is no longer present and I loved how he was in 2014, and to a lesser degree in 2019. The coversation of what Godzilla SHOULD be is one I've always stayed away from, I believe Godzilla can mean whatever the film maker wants them to represent. I loved Minus 1 for its serious tone and spectacular writting. That being said I like the monsterverse quite a bit, its just getting to marvel levels and i want to avoid a similar fate for it. Keep up the great work!

[@michaelatbarnett]

I think my issues with the Monaterverse are two-fold. One, I like Kong, but it feels like we're trying to push him more to the centerfold over Godzilla vs GvK and the trailer. I want to see Kong in Godzilla movies, not so much the other way around. Second, we need to pick just oooone human character to stick with. First it was Serizawa, then it was the dad and daighter, and now I *think* theyre going for the ecologist who was with Kong on Skull Island. I think a human element in some form is needed, but you have to figure out who that is and stick with them for a bit versus changing it up every other movie.

[@MLK-KAEFENTERPRISES]

I'm not worried. It all won't last forever so I am just enjoying all the Godzilla right now. American and Japanese.

[@WolfmanArt]

All I'm hoping for is GxK: The New Empire is a fun ride! And that's what I want Monsterverse movies to be, fun! But those don't have to be ONLY Godzilla-related movies. We can have the occasional Shin or Minus One; just for a change a pace

[@MRDLT00]

10:40 Because Marvel started doing terrible writing for it's stories and characters. People weren't getting sick of the amazing MCU movies, only the terribly written and made ones. Audiences don't want terribly written stories and characters, they want well written ones, like you stated earlier in the video. People want WELL WRITTEN fun action kaiju romps like we've been getting with the Monsterverse!

[@orga7777]

I have severe worries. Godzilla vs. Kong had cool action pieces, but the plot, compared to teh previous two, I think was getting a bit too goofy. And in this one I think they are getting even more goofy. Giving Kong a freaking Power Glove... Yeah... Getting a little late Showa Era vibes here.

[@RCGBlade]

What are your thoughts on the Showa Era/Monsterverse comparison? I think it's quite fitting. The Monsterverse is a fun ride, and we still get more serious options with projects like Shin, Minus One, Singular point, and the anime trilogy. Everyone gets their cake and we all get to eat!

[@nicolashernandrh835]

I think my biggest issues are the tone of the movies to be wacky or like some have put 'Marvel-esque' and that notion that humans don't matter. Especially after Minus One proving otherwise. You can have a slightly more serious movie while also giving human characters a bit more to them as to not feel unimportant. Feels kind of rude to the actors IMO to say their character don't matter. But when the director pushes for that same mentality then I don't know what çam be done then.

[@richborn6700]

The human characters were the worst part of GvK.

[@bobbyanderson6238]

I do appreciate Monarch LOM because it bridges the more serious tones from Godzilla 2014 and Kong at the first half of the show to the craziness of KOTM and GVK. I love GVK but was disappointed in all the concepts they dropped from KOTM. Which was the directors choice unfortunately.

[@green-legacy]

i have zero doubts about this movie

[@blackking7512]

From what I've seen from KDM on Twitter, the movie is getting very well received, and it looks good, so I'm optimistic about it.

[@destroyerzilla7634]

I hope the monsterverse continues another decade. It would be sad to see it end because of elitists or fake fans who only want films made by Toho.

[@disconnected22]

Minus One will cast a shadow over G x K as far as Godzilla is concerned. And regarding Kong, it seems like similar themes will be tackled in Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, probably more effectively.

[@animezilla4486]

How does minus one will cast a shadow over G x K

[@Kaiju-bm4ts]

​@@animezilla4486 People who watched minus 1 are going to be expecting the same level of quality from gxk which gxk isn't gearing up to have outside of the action sequences alone.

[@gatorwarrior7557]

​@@Kaiju-bm4ts that's on the normies then, especially the ones that think they're "experts in Godzilla movies" because they watched Minus 1 only.

[@Kaiju-bm4ts]

@@gatorwarrior7557 it's not normies, you have fans who want the same level of quality from minus 1 in gxk as well. People wanting good human characters isn't a "normie" thing when that's something all fans want. The normies you're reffering to are the people that think godzilla should be only 1 thing and nothing else. Completely different discussion

[@disconnected22]

@@animezilla4486 we just had a movie (Minus One) where he’s a terrifying force of nature. Somehow I’m not really getting that vibe from “Pinky”...

[@craigerickson6308]

I'm pro monsterverse and hope it continues to grow/improve. The leaks hurt it for sure. Almost to the point of why add new monsters when the plots are leaked 6 or more prior to releasing. Good characters and stories can still happen. 🤞 We get quality content to expand the monsterverse.

[@coletrain583]

Asphalt City is gonna release on the same day. Oh no. Can we talk about this? The movie could do a reapeat of KOTM. We the fans don't want that.

[@rickyrackey7930]

I have an idea for a movie. Set after the events of KOTM, Godzilla is now King of the Monsters. But Rodan wants that throne. So he gathers an army of other titans and goes to war with Godzilla and his group of titans. Basically Captain America: Civil War. I also have the idea of multiple movies set between the events of GKOTM and GvK. These movies will fill up the 5 year long time gap and would slowly build up to Godzilla’s inevitable clash with Kong. I see Rodan as the Vegeta of the Monsterverse rather than Starscream. Arrogant, prideful, and full of fury. Rodan will stop at nothing until he surpasses Godzilla as alpha no matter how many times he gets the snot beaten out of him. Much like Vegeta, Rodan started off working for a Intergalactic Tyrant who conquers and destroys worlds

[@a-uncreative-person]

Interesting idea but it doesn’t seem like something Rodan would do. Rodan’s species seem to protecters. According to the carvings in Godzilla’s temple, one of his species (Possibly his mother) helped Godzilla and Mothra beat Ghidorah in the past. Unfortunately the other member of his species (Possibly his father) sided with Ghidorah and was killed by Godzilla. His species also inspired the myths off The Roc, Thunderbird, and Great Eagle. All were typically good guys or at least good alignment deity’s. Plus one member of his species (Possibly also one of his parents) killed Margygr (Who was a demon whale that was killing all the whales and fishermen in a Native American myth). After KOTM he has started keeping to himself near Fiji. I doubt he was ever a bad guy so it would make sense if he was doing that. So his species were very likely good guys.

[@rickyrackey7930]

@@a-uncreative-person Rodan is said to be as a rebel who wants to surpass Godzilla.

[@a-uncreative-person]

@@rickyrackey7930 Where?

[@rickyrackey7930]

@@a-uncreative-person Mike Dougherty says that Rodan is a rogue. He cares about being the one true alpha.

[@a-uncreative-person]

@@rickyrackey7930 Again where? Both Wikizilla and Gojipedia don’t have links or even mention that.

[@SoalRaptor]

I want more Showa style shit. Bring in the Xilians. Give me Gigan. Fuck it bring in Jet Jaguar too!!!

[@TheAntiDisneyEmperor]

This movie is probably gonna be a hit last I checked the trailer had 28 million views last I saw .It doesn’t have much competition in the end of march ,not to mention it’s advertisement at the Super Bowl, from all the factors I’ve seen this movie will probably be a huge success

[@Dalekzilla54]

If people don't like the direction Wingard is taking, they can wait until the next guy comes in. Almost every instalment had its own director at the helm, and they've all had their own unique flavour. Again, I just think we're in an age of internet hysteria, where everything has the best in the world or else it's the beginning of the end. It's the same with Marvel where everything is either 'saving' it or 'killing' it according to the internet, with no apparent middle-ground. Just being entertaining is supposedly not good enough anymore.

[@ZEPLUS7]

I think this movie is going to have a lot of the same feeling as G vs K did when Godzilla and Kong were fighting. It’s going to be action packed and have everyone on their toes. I feel like there’s more to the story that we might not expect. I just hope the second trailer doesn’t ruin the movie.

[@rexyjp1237]

It needs good human characters.

[@Dontuween]

How old is DMan??? Damn, he is just a kid, yet, I see him more wiser than just about any another Godzilla KZbinr out there. You don't always have to agree with him, but his assessments are interesting and intriguing (and imo, quite valid!).

[@retroentertainment1340]

Honestly, when I saw the first trailer for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, I was concerned that the Monsterverse was going to become campy like some of the Showa Era movies like All Monsters Attack and Godzilla vs Megalon. I hope the Monsterverse returns to something more like KOTM (2019) as I thought it was great. Also, I read on X formerly Twitter that Michael Dougherty mentioned that human characters in Godzilla movies are challenging to write as they get figuratively and literally get overshadowed by the monsters.

[@charadeEX]

tbh as someone who enjoys but isn't overly invested in the MV, I assumed GvK was gonna be its last hurrah and that it was gonna fizzle out from there. The fact that we're getting another Goji/Kong crossover movie and got a TV series has blown all my expectations out of the water, so I'm kinda just sitting back and enjoying the ride from here on out.

[@christianpedraza858]

I think Godzilla Minus One is a great film and I also love the Monsterverse films, I think they're good films and as much as I'm looking forward to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the hatred towards the film is kinda ruining it for me. I understand some of the criticism and concerns, and some of them are valid but most people are just hating on the film just to hate on it and as much as I'm defending the film and Monsterverse as much as I can, the hatred and harsh criticism towards The New Empire and Monsterverse is becoming too much, to the point where I just wanna give up, it's becoming too hard to defend the franchise now, more than ever. People don't need to bash the Monsterverse in order to praise Minus One but unfortunately and sadly that is the case. I'm really hoping that The New Empire does well but if it doesn't, congratulations Monsterverse haters, you got what you wanted, I hope it was worth ruining it for others.

[@Greg414]

Godzilla is my jam whether he's good, bad or indifferent just sit back and enjoy the Monster goodness

[@Em-Jayyy]

If the MonsterVerse declines, I still think the series is in good hands. Toho's last two Godzilla movies have been some of the best movies in the entire series and set precedents for the franchise. Toho has learned from its mistakes and wants to take its time to create high-quality, serious films. We're still in a renaissance era of Godzilla and I'm going to be optimistic because I know Japan has it figured out even if the MonsterVerse doesn't

[@CattusTheDevourer]

I dont really care if It'll be good, my expectations have been lowered enough to where I atleast expect them to all fight in the end. But personally, I'm onlt excited for the end credits

[@MRDLT00]

8:39 I mean, that's why people like sports and boxing and such. Yeah one boxer people love is super tough, but just because there's other tough boxers that almost take him down, doesn't mean we don't like it when he is able to pull it off. I think we can all agree that we like our protagonists to have a good decent challenge, and not just cake walk all of their dang conflicts. 😅

[@serpentine8229]

All i wish is to have actually good human character writing. After the human character writing from GvK, I’m not optimistic (Granted I’ve never seen 2014 or KoTM so I could be wrong)

[@mossproductions6004]

Minus one and monsterverse are pretty different i don't get the constant comparisons

[@dmin5782]

Yeah. Minus One shows the terrifying Godzilla from humans' perspectives, while the MV focuses more on the monsters as characters. That's actually the only thing I disliked about -1.0. Goji there wasn't given much characterization but more of a plot device.

[@KingKing-tz6of]

Monsterverse is going in the right direction.Different and More content is the way to go

[@thicknjustrite]

Hey D Man. I have a lot to say so right to it: Based on all of the leaks, lies, trailers & spoilers which I vowed after Kotm to never watch, read or listen to ever again, like ruining 1 of the best scenes of GvK where Kong punches G on the carrier in the trailers (They never should've shown the punch landing), from what I have seen & heard, which isn't a lot but enuf, GxK is going to bomb big time. I mean, the Planet of the apes franchise had it all together. This will be like "Planet of the apes" with Marky Mark, & a lot of what we're in for will be filled with derivative's from LOTR, Planet...apes, & it sure looks like there's some "Barbie" in there ; ) We already all figured out that the "Kong's" will communicate in Sign language, & so much has already been ruined for us that this is the least psyched I have ever been for a major Kaiju film ever, & that's almost 60 yeaof watching them ALL many times over. And just for the record, my favorite will always be "War of the Gargantua's." Imo, the critics will review the film repeating much of what I've expressed here. This will be like a WWE ppv, with all the hardcore's (including myself ofc 1st showing as always), & tanks. AND MAINLY, I HOPE I'M SO WRONG! We shall see in just about 2 months.

[@aaronquevedo6959]

Crimson atomic ray -> 8,000,000°C Super dorsal plate homing lasers -> 20,000,000°C Laser tail slash -> 80,000°C Mega atomic pulse -> 70,000,000°C Ultra spiral particle laser heat ray -> 2,700,000,000°C

[@nilesrodriguez4343]

It's nowhere as bad as DC or Marvel. I'll still watch it, but at the same time I'd rather see old monsters returning than new monsters. The Monsterverse would make more money if they did this.

[@dmin5782]

Would it make more money? KOTM was the one underperforming in the MV despite that.

[@nikpersons7107]

I, too, worry about the Marvel-like style the MV is going. However, I welcome the titan-driven storylines and bombastic action we're heading towards. Monarch LoM was so satisfying by balancing out the MV's tone and narratives. I disagree on the point about too many monsters' existence diminishing Godzilla's special place in the MV. GvK and Monarch reinforced his importance as the alpha titan while his appearance in 2014 had global consequences in the world-building in monarch LoM. I am so pumped for GxK and thankful that this movie exists! I am going into the movie with the hope it becomes my favorite. I didn't feel that way for Minus One.

[@sundaesupreme]

Absolutely loving each of these discussion videos, as well as the essays. Looking forward to the next one!

[@DMan1954]

Thank you so much! I love doing them

[@lazyvoid7107]

Dman it's Adam wingard. I think he should stop after Godzilla x Kong and let a different director and go back to Godzilla 2014/2019 vibe

[@DMan1954]

Idk about that. Wingard is taking huge swings and at least trying different things. I really enjoy his films and think he gets more hate than he deserves. However, I would like to see the characters go to different directors next.

[@jonservo]

I have no problem with a film like Godzilla x Kong on its own. My issue is when a tone is set for a series and then it diverges from that tone as the films progress. The Monsterverse is a series of movies all taking place chronologically and the tone set by 2014, though not as serious as the advertising for the film, still took itself seriously and went for a realism that didn’t stretch credulity too much. The new film looks like it’s a very different, almost Marvel style, tone. We still don’t know 100% since it’s not out yet but it has that feeling in the ads. I’ve never liked the argument I’ve seen that we shouldn’t have an issue with something like Godzilla and Kong running like linebackers, while Kong has what looks like a power glove on, because the Godzilla franchise has had silly moments in the past. Imagine watching the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy and in the third film Batman pulls out a can of “Bat Shark Repellant”. Would you excuse something that dumb by saying “well the Adam West series was a thing so it’s okay”. Something campy like that has no business in a series that has such a dark tone and if it had devolved into that people would have likely stopped watching. Of course in its own series the bat spray is funny and fits with the tone set by the show. Again, I don’t say this to mean we should never have campy Godzilla films, but if you want campy start it that way. If that means a reboot or a stand alone film so be it. I think making everything fit into a “shared” universe can also hold a franchise back, because everything is forced to have continuity when a film might be better served on its own or in its own universe where it can play by the rules it wants to set forth. I would actually like to see a Godzilla parody film that plays with the tropes of the series but I don’t think it also has to be shoehorned into a series of films in which it doesn’t belong.

[@josephkool8411]

I do think it's on a downward trend. Each movie gets more ridiculous than the last. They're humanizing the monsters to much. They're trying too hard to be Marvel and they want to make the monsters into superheroes which is dumb imo

[@Sgt.Dornan117]

LOL heck no. If anything Godzilla -1 emboldened the Godzilla 1954 purists. Godzilla is a versatile character, its okay to have and like both of them.

[@Primal67]

I feel we should stay optimistic and reserve our judgment for when the movie comes out to judge, I see so many people hating when the movie hasn’t even come out yet

[@Mehtaru]

I'll probably still watch GxK but everything after KOTM just feels off to me if I'm being honest

[@YoungMoneyMunch1]

Yes and no. After minus one people will only want that type of take on Godzilla and not care for the MV anymore. But the toy sales will always be sky high, the kids who will wanna see “dinosaurs” fight, the Godzilla fans who just don’t care and want Godzilla, and the MV Godzilla fans. Me personally, Godzilla👍

[@Keeriijra]

I’m really beginning to appreciate that the two enduring Godzillas of our time are the wrathful 54 one and Banno’s legacy living on from Vs. Hedorah.

[@Keeriijra]

As far as the films themselves though, I also have been worrying about things such as the lack of scale and loss of specialty of the monsters. Using Godzilla as an example (I believe this comes from the GvK novel), it’s left kind of undetermined whether or not Godzilla is the only one of his species with atomic breath, but I really hope he is otherwise there is literally nothing special about him except “he stronk” or he was lucky not to have his teeth knocked in as a child. Though I will say that this reflects an overall rule of the MV that I have never liked, which is having the giant Kaiju be in species. It doesn’t really work for anything except the MUTOs in my opinion. Nozuki deserved better, and overall I just hope the films can handle their story telling better.

[@Dec4AllTimeAlways]

I’ll admit, I’m not the biggest fan of Godzilla and King Kong *movies* growing up. I was a fan of both characters but not their movies. The first Godzilla I remember watching was KKvG ‘62 but I didn’t see another Godzilla movie again until the 1998 one. Then the 2014 movie would only be the third one I saw and the first in the theater. Then KOTM and GvK when they were released. Then Minus One. I didn’t see the 54 one until two months ago after I saw Minus One. I’ll admit, I’m still not the biggest fan of Godzilla movies. I like the creature more than his actual movies. I’m not trying to sound like Doktor Skipper who thinks he knows enough about Godzilla and assuming they’re 98% trash while only seeing maybe 5 Godzilla movies at most. I guess it’s similar to when I got into Radiohead in the mid 2000s. I really didn’t get it at first. Same with Led Zeppelin. Now I enjoy a lot of their songs. I remember I used to hate country music but that’s because I wasn’t listening to good country music. That’s the only genre I refused to listen to. I made bad or false assumptions for it. Now I’ll listen to Outlaw Country on SiriusXM all day. I believe Godzilla or general kaiju movies will happen the same way. I’ll be there for GxK wearing my Team Godzilla hat with a Team Kong shirt for one day and my Team Kong hat with a Godzilla shirt for another day.

[@Flash-FireCC]

One of my issues with the Monsterverse is its lack of consistency. Since Skull Island, every movie has had a change of theme from mythology(this is fine), to sci fi, to what seems to be pure fantasy and that takes away the realism that was established. Before the monsters felt like unbeatable forces that humans could not compete with but as we drift away from the realism, they seem less threatening. Now I love Godzilla as this hero, I get stocked when I see him appear in general but it also rubs me the wrong way that they do not empathize the devastating loss of cities and humans during and after battle. There's isn't a spot that Godzilla has touched that isn't destroyed.

[@dmin5782]

Has Godzilla ever been treated as a hero here though? KOTM did see him as a savior, but the characters lampshaded at the end of the possibility of him turning against us after seeing his power. Then you have GvK where he's been the most villainous in the MonsterVerse. I do agree that they need to emphasize more of his destructiveness though. That's one of the few things it's missing since 2014.

[@richborn6700]

But they also brought up the Titans creating change too. KOTM showed how after the Mutos destroyed Vegas their radiation lingered and basically a jungle has sprung up in the wake. I liked the nature's fix the Titans are. Like they can destroy civilization and the forest would grow over it once more

[@MintTea2005]

Personally I am very mixed on the monsterverse rn, I mainly only care about it for Godzilla and there just hasn't been much of a story focus on Godzilla recently (I know there's legacy of monsters but not everyone wants to buy an apple tv subscription just to watch one show.) and I just expect GxK being more focused on Kong again like it was in GvK. But a big problem I see arising with the monsterverse is that things are getting more and more kid friendly. Of course it's okay for kids to like this stuff but you likely just wouldn't catch many older Godzilla fans going to theaters for a movie that just looks like Godzilla stuff for kids. I don't think Godzilla has to be dark and gritty to be palatable for adults, but for god sake quit marketing this movie with loads of toy ads and quit leaning into mcu humor. This isn't a massive issue for me though since I'm only 19, the reason why I'm not gonna see this movie in theaters is because the marketing just doesn't make me care about the movie. Godzilla and Kong aren't gonna die or something, it's just gonna be a run of the mill monsterverse film like GvK.

[@duncandonuts5268]

I think a *good* Godzilla film should always have Godzilla be an allegory for something. The Monsterverse films are not good, but they are fun, which is fine. I just prefer the good Godzilla movies over the monster mashes of the Monsterverse.

[@animezilla4486]

Most of the Toho movies were basically monster mash

[@duncandonuts5268]

@@animezilla4486 I know, I've seen all of them. Lot's of them still had messaging and good character writing behind them. Especially within the Heisei and later half of Millenium movies. Monsterverse movies don't really have that.

[@NinjaLawyerSteve]

I'm not so optimistic myself. In part because it feels like all the monsters are just there to be defeated by Godzilla (even Kong to an extent). That as you say makes them less special.

[@riot7247]

I do believe that the monsterverse can fail within these next 2-3 installments in the series. mostly because people will compare the success of shin Godzilla and minus one with the monster verse and if the monsterverse can't meet those types of quality standards they will ultimately fail in the eyes of the public and at the box office.

[@mackenziecarver6807]

I’m one of the few that like King of the monsters over Godzilla vs Kong. Yeah, I said it. I actually wish the monsterverse still went in that direction. While Godzilla versus Kong had a lot of great action, I feel like a completely lacked in the other departments such as story and lore. Having sort of a lacklustre story and characters that we’re honestly bland and forgettable. The characters in KOTM I remember more than the ones in GVK. While they were perfect, I actually got what they were trying to do. Also I found the action in KOTM to be more epic. And no, I don’t care about the cutaways. Honestly I’d rather have a few seconds of monster screen time with good cgi, rather than 20 minutes of it that looks like a came from ps2 game.

[@wiremesh2]

Between KotM's bad timing, GvK's good timing, and the trend of general audiences rejecting the cartoonification of multiple major franchises, I expect GxK to do worse than the previous entry. Maybe not catastrophically bad though. I do like that Monarch attempted to bridge the tone between the movies of the franchise a bit, but I expect GxK to be even more ridiculous than GvK. Unfortunately I think every entry in the franchise has been deeply flawed, though entertaining. Skull Island was probably the most solid overall, which is a little frustrating as a Godzilla fan who doesn't really care about Kong that much. Side note: I wish they had embraced the term "kaiju" instead of "titan."

[@SerenGetter]

This is definitely a turning point for this franchise. I still don't believe Legendary has the skill to produce a solo Godzilla film (he's basically a side-character in all but KOTM and I'm not a fan of that film), and they are clearly leaning on Kong being the meat of the story because he's easier to write (this would be the 3rd Kong led film). Much like Toho, they're going to need a way to introduce more diversity into this franchise. They currently only tell 2 types of stories in the monsterverse, and they need more than just Godzilla & Kong is they want long term sustainability. Otherwise it'll be like the 60's era films where they continue to make less and less money until they just stop at "Destroy all Monsters" (even though it didn't technically end there, but they intended to). I will say, I haven't seen Monarch but some of the good reviews do give me some faith that they can tell human stories in this franchise.

[@michaelmegson2778]

Monarch simultaneously has both the best and worst human plot lines in the monsterverse to date.

[@GuiltlessGear]

*KOTM Godzilla runs sideways kaiju fans: ... GXK Godzilla runs to camera kaiju fans: it's fucking over

[@faithslayer202]

My main point is that the characters aren't being improved and that their just hollow shells to move the plot along. That's my main point.

[@edwardweaver6869]

Coming from someone who hasn’t seen Minus one yet, I just don’t care for the monster verse cus I’ve never been a big fan of CGI focused movies and it lacks some of the messaging Showa era Godzilla had. IDK I just like my movies to make me think a bit more; I’m a bit burnt out of the Big CGI fun time.

[@jangofett1172]

I’m excited for the future of the monsterverse and I’m looking forward to future films!

[@allenzillaunit0195]

Godzilla vs Biollante was one of my childhood favorites good shoutout

[@BlackCrowVr]

King of the monsters is so good. My 2nd favorite monsterverse movie. Gvk is perfect. But KOM needs to continue so many cool ideas

[@clutchthecinnamonsergal8493]

We need gxk trailer 2 too let us know

[@louiswright8282]

In 2014, I was promised a serious Godzilla series with a grounded and realistic tone... and seeing the trailer for GxK... this is not what I was promised...

[@fosterfoster9913]

How can we say it’s on a downward trend the movie hasn’t come out yet?

[@rickjones8005]

Action figure sales can generate double of a box office sales take home. Over time it could be even triple or more. I'm not saying this is the incentive for a movie studio to produce films but it is a factor to keep in mind. What does it mean for future films? Probably some children friendly elements that I have no problem with. ✌️☮️

[@7783DEATH]

I’m just not interested in the design changes. Goji was perfect and they’ve made him a deviant art oc. And another monkey and ice dragon don’t impress me

[@CoolGuyVoorhees]

I agree fully on this.

[@darkhypergojira]

I think it’s in a good place and I know that people will enjoy this film just look at The Marvels, people said that “the movie will flop” but everyone says is a good movie

[@DMan1954]

Well… that movie did flop super hard at the box office and they aren’t going to be doing any sequels to it as a result

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

But it flopped badly... Regardless of quality, people are tired of big overblown movies

[@darkhypergojira]

Ah I see

[@sentientbottlecap]

I can see some of your points, but I personally like to follow the numbers. Even with the poor critic reviews of KOTM it got a good audience score (I don’t trust critics much anyway I care more what the average joe thinks) and of course Godzilla vs Kong was finically successful and well liked (although as you pointed out that could just be because of the pandemic), and then with Minus One it has had immense financial and is universally loved. So I have a cautiously optimistic view about GxK. I think people are sick of the MCU and maybe the monster movie genre, both serious and fun, is being sought after by audiences. Now, if the Monsterverse does go the way of the MCU, then we have reason to be worried 😟 Edit: sorry for the essay long comment lol

[@rawr7925]

It's on an ubward trend the pink zilla is awesome.

[@brainafkstube5393]

Godfzilla is OmegaLUL but he should be PogChamp

[@a-uncreative-person]

It definitely doesn’t feel like it. We already know there’s a sixth film in production. Also possibly a seventh. M:LOM is most likely getting a season 2. There’s a Legendary theme park that’s opening next year.

[@DMan1954]

There isn't another film in production. They might have ideas on where they will go, but they aren't actively making another movie until GXK releases.

[@a-uncreative-person]

@@DMan1954Well KDM confirmed there were 2 MV films in production back in 2021. We now obviously know one of those films is GXK but we still don’t know about the other one. As for the seventh one. On a public website showing copyrights and trademarks there’s two new listings from Legendary that are most likely MV projects under working titles. One is is a quote from M:LOM and the second is called “Cryptozoology”.

[@user-bt9yh8jn1q]

Lmao. DMAN just debunked your misinformation 😂😂😂

[@Flash-FireCC]

Regardless, things are certainly ramping up for the Monsterverse

[@timhendricks4176]

Everyone just chill. The final trailer will change some minds - for the better.

[@DMan1954]

I hope

[@klohp1370]

I’m optimistic I do think the movies aren’t as good as they were for the first two, but I still think the monster action is amazing and fun. I am always hyped to have more kaiju content

[@discokids99]

personally, i’m not the biggest fan of the MV films but people that just hate them because they’re made in America are weird. like just let people enjoy what they enjoy lmao

[@chriswood1210]

Godzilla should be seen for fun and utter nonsense, not human drama. Monsterverse is by far more Realistic then the older Godzilla movies. I can appreciate toho for minus one. But sometimes you just go to the movies to escape drama. Thats why i appreciate Monsterverse. I do hope they make another single Godzilla movie and not Kong centerd movies.

[@kasaibouF29]

84 is a better direct sequel to 54 than Biollante. Biollante literally forgot about cadmium and bird sounds.

[@DMan1954]

To me, 84 is a film with a phenomenal concept and poor execution. The film is slow and meandering and suffers from pacing issues and a flat visual aesthetic. Biollante I felt naturally progressed the world the best and also was a very well made movie

[@arthurreid6108]

I feel like we've picked up a lot of SW fan castoffs and they're used to a more combative fandom than the kaiju (and Godzilla specifically) fandom has matured into since the ultra combative early 2000s. Monsterverse is like Showa era Toho productions using spectacle over artistic merit to make money. And it does it well. Toho then takes their cut and are able to fund their own productions, which are tending to cater to the core fandom with the likes of Shin and Minus One.

[@anthonyzarcone7442]

The people who watched the test screens had very positive reviews. The cgi looked better and the human characters were done well.

[@ArthurFrancisco-tp6hb]

Done well? Eehhhhhh

[@jj72rg]

It had an upward trend? to be it was a concept that was dead in the beginning. Who honestly believe king kong can fight godzilla?

[@dmin5782]

Concepts and stories evolve. I love that they're finally doing sonething new with King Kong, just like Godzilla has been doing new things for the last 60 years.

[@kazzakazza-oe6dg]

Me

[@KingKing-tz6of]

is Shin Godzilla related to Godzilla Minus One?

[@matthewgramz3648]

Yes. It factually is. Each movie has made less than the previous one domestically. GvK made less than KOTM. Monarch wasn't a hit on Apple.

[@MRDLT00]

9:23 He's Godzilla. He's a named giant ass lizard with a personality. You really don't have to go as deep as you are with making him "special". I don't think ANYONE else is having this issue...

[@twrecks9999]

I still think a great thing the monsterverse can do is make a Mothra solo movie set in the past. She's got alot of potential to be almost the equivalent of wonder woman if given the right director.

[@TheDorkKnight23]

My biggest problem with the Monsterverse is that none of the movies really feel connected. And Monarch has only furthered my opinion that there’s no real set plan, Adam Wingard just completely ignored everything set up in king of the monsters and did own thing took everything in late 60’s Showa era. The Monarch was no we want to go back to the Tone of Godzilla 2014 and feel much more grounded in reality. The monsterverse just feels all over the place. Personally Godzilla 2014 and Godzilla King of the Monsters was perfect but I feel like we aren’t really going to get movies like that anymore because Adam Wingard just went so far into the fantastical and GxK seems to take it even further into that realm.

[@Goji_Fan1954]

Gran video, con todo tu derecho a opinar libremente. Tengo mis duras críticas al Monsterverse y su trato o mejor decir, su maltrato hacia Godzilla. Y aún asi, para mi, la mejor película es, hasta ahora, King of the Monsters, su taquilla no fue la esperada. Pero ahora se están dando cuenta lo buena que está la película, su trama encaja con la serie Monarch ... absolutamente. Por Godzilla, porque lo adoro con toda mi alma y espero que a GxK le vaya bien. Godzilla merece un buen trato, es un personaje EXTRAORDINARIO para explotar de punta a punta, un caudal ilimitado. Es tan hermoso y valioso. Lo amo tanto.

[@BeastMode_Emerald]

Nah the monnstervers is flying uo so fast its faster than light speed bro i am utterly optimistic about the monsterverse's potential cause they actually do unique shit and are entertaining to watch

[@joseconcepcion6949]

If MV should keep going the next movie will be a solo Kong movie since USA has the rights to Kong so they want Kong to do well without Godzilla because toho Japan gets a cut and USA don't want that

[@robertlauncher]

If they will improve on their storytelling, I think they’ll be fine. Maybe even if not. The point is, they’re not releasing a million rushed ideas in one year. That would be very tiring and suck the life out of everything, while probably causing all sorts of storytelling issues and making things hard to follow. Yes, that would be a very bad thing to do.