As my summary says, how often is the sequel better than the first movie? Not very often, but here it is. While I rated both Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and this one a 7/10, I'd actually rate this one a 7.5/10 if I could. Why? The human side of the movie, but more on that later. Just as an FYI if you already didn't know, this is the only sequel in the Millennium series. Godzilla vs Megaguirus, for example, does not acknowledge Godzilla 2000 or any other movies. Same for G2K or GMK, etc. Final Wars is a bit more debatable in that they show footage from each of the three series.
Characters are much better than in previous film. True, the lead character is the same seemingly depressed military member that we've seen for the third time now in the Millennium series, but here his life his just plain carried out better and explored more. It feels like less than an excuse to cut away from the monster action.
The monsters look good. Godzilla is the same as last year, and with the exception of the replacement for MG's Absolute Zero Cannon, Mechagodzilla is the same as well. Mothra looks pretty decent, although certainly not as good as she did in GMK. Her larvae look better than they ever have with their mouth movements. Action wise, these monsters carry themselves very well and their movements aren't always predictable, making for an entertaining watch.
So as I said, I like this even more than GAMG, and if I could I'd give it that extra half point in the ratings. I genuinely am saddened when it is first revealed that Mothra is dying, yet she fights on. What courage and selflessness. Then she makes the ultimate sacrifice that much more real to the audience when she saves her offspring at the expensive of her own life. The first time you watch it, it might just water your eyes a bit. And these emotions are part of the beauty that make it better than GAMG.
As a side note, some viewers have suggested that the lab scene post-credits indicates that Toho wanted to follow up this series with a third installment as opposed to doing something new like Final Wars. This is not the case, but rather a reminder that sometimes we humans just don't learn, even after we've seen the effects of our actions.
Characters are much better than in previous film. True, the lead character is the same seemingly depressed military member that we've seen for the third time now in the Millennium series, but here his life his just plain carried out better and explored more. It feels like less than an excuse to cut away from the monster action.
The monsters look good. Godzilla is the same as last year, and with the exception of the replacement for MG's Absolute Zero Cannon, Mechagodzilla is the same as well. Mothra looks pretty decent, although certainly not as good as she did in GMK. Her larvae look better than they ever have with their mouth movements. Action wise, these monsters carry themselves very well and their movements aren't always predictable, making for an entertaining watch.
So as I said, I like this even more than GAMG, and if I could I'd give it that extra half point in the ratings. I genuinely am saddened when it is first revealed that Mothra is dying, yet she fights on. What courage and selflessness. Then she makes the ultimate sacrifice that much more real to the audience when she saves her offspring at the expensive of her own life. The first time you watch it, it might just water your eyes a bit. And these emotions are part of the beauty that make it better than GAMG.
As a side note, some viewers have suggested that the lab scene post-credits indicates that Toho wanted to follow up this series with a third installment as opposed to doing something new like Final Wars. This is not the case, but rather a reminder that sometimes we humans just don't learn, even after we've seen the effects of our actions.