How Rodan's Awakening Is The Peak Of Kaiju Cinema In Godzilla: King Of The Monsters
Many factors go into making a scene compelling and engaging. This is especially true when dealing with a Kaiju sequence. Rodan's emergence in Godzilla: King Of The Monsters kicks off one of the all-time best Kaiju sequences ever made. It is an ever-evolving action-packed tribute to the entire history of the Kaiju genera that is made even better by its implementation of foundational screenwriting strategies to elevate a scene to new levels!
Please Consider Supporting The Channel Through Patreon!
Official Patreon: / dman1954
Filmento's Video: • MI Fallout - How To Cr...
Chapters
What Makes A Perfect Scene? 0:16
Choice 1:35
Time 2:33
Twist 3:38
Theme 4:07
Depth Of Character 4:52
Scale 5:27
Familiar Faces 6:14
Rodan’s Awakening Is A Perfect Sequence 6:48
Original Extended Scene 7:43
Volcanic Eruption 8:13
Rodan Attacks 10:35
Rodan VS Ghidorah 12:03
The Oxygen Destroyer 13:23
Godzilla VS Ghidorah 14:38
The Mass Awakening 16:17
Rebirth Of Mothra 16:59
The Perfect Kaiju Sequence 17:41
Final Thoughts 19:00
Conclusion 19:55 to END to END
#Rodan #GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters #GodzillaXKong #GodzillaXKongTheNewEmpire #Godzilla #Kong #Monarch #Hourglass #Godzilla&Kong #Origins #SonOfKong #Monsterverse #MonarchLegacyOfMonsters #LegacyOfMonarch #ゴジラ #コング #ゴジラXコング #キングコング #GodzillaMinusOne #Godzilla #Gojira #GodzillaZero #GojiraZero #Godzilla2023 #Gojira2023 #shingodzilla #ShinGojira #ゴジラ #ゴジラゼロ #シンゴジラ #ゴジラ2023 #ゴジラ マイナス ワン
I've heard people say Monarch was incompetent in leading Rodan to Ghidorah with the town in between them. Did Monarch know Rodan would fly real low and level the town below? No, they did not. That's on Rodan.
Very good point. Counter point: if they had attacked from behind, they could have led him away from the city.
@@DMan1954 Counter Point: Ghidorah was flying from toward the town thus attacking Rodan from behind would require bunch of unneccesary manuevering, putting the pilots lives in more danger. Plus Rodan has been asleep for likely tens of thousands of years and no one would know that he had an ability to cause a massive distruction while flying.
@@monsterxzero true true
@@monsterxzeroBut Ghidorah was far enough out that they could have attacked Rodan from behind and led him towards the ocean away from the city. And then redirected towards Ghidorah. I don’t blame them but they did have other options. They had the whole fight scene with Rodan flying at unknown speeds for a couple minutes before reaching Ghidorah. So he was at least 10-20 miles away when Rodan was released.
Leading giant monsters near a town is a bad idea. "We couldn't have possibly have predicted this would go wrong in any way!" Okay lol
One of the things I always liked about Rodan's scene here is that he's *smart*. He's tactical, he takes on the jets not by flailing around and shrieking at them, but by grabbing them, crushing them, and positioning himself to knock all of them out of the sky at once. Not with a big mega-attack like Ghidorah later on, but with a planned attack. And then when he fights Ghidorah, and later Godzilla, he's smart enough to not just fight until he's killed, he can stop, admit defeat, and pledge allegiance to the alpha. Even Kong struggles with that one.
Kong is a King he bows to no one, not even a God
@@briancureton9687he didn't bow, but he sure as shit submitted.
Because Kong is another Alpha. Rodan is not. While Kong had to be literally beaten into submission Rodan took a whooping and said "nah that's cool you can be in charge"
@@richborn6700 That's literally the same thing.
I always saw the scene with him taking out all the escort jets as less 'tactical' and more just him purposefully flexing. Also, Rodan is essentially the Monsterverse's Starscream.
Honestly, all four of the major Kaiju’s “Awakenings” are amazing. Mothra emerging from her cocoon makes her feel like an angelic deity, Gidorah’s emergence makes him feel even larger than it is, Godzilla arriving to fight Gidorah is just awesome, and you explained why Rodan’s awakening is so amazing. While the movie isn’t as great as it could be, but it has exactly what it needs to be good. Amazing moments with giant monsters.
If only they would have limited the human scenes to responding to the tragedies and attempting to save as many people as they can. Instead of having kids try to stop a monster the size of a building.
yeah the human plot was really dumb@@fordgtguy
yea rewatching it last night and loved every second of the monsters, the humans were meh
All of the monsters were at one point treated as literal gods. This was really emphasized in the animated series Godzilla Earth, albeit not set in planet Earth, but on a different planet.
My little sister isn't really a Kaiju fan, she looked like she didn't enjoy the movie very much while watching it, and I'm sure she'll still tell you that she doesn't like it, but I won't forget how *ecstatic* she got whenever Mothra appeared on screen.
It just sucks that we had so little screen time for Rodan (and all the other monsters). But Rodan's awakening is easily the second best scene in the movie beside the final battle.
That’s the downside of having so many monsters to juggle
Blame millie bobby brown
@@DMan1954Lol, I might be wrong but three monsters were in that movie.
@@DMan1954 It's not only that, but the writers chose to not focus on the monster action. When you watch the movie again, notice that every time there's a monster fight, the movie feels the need to pan over to some unnecessary human drama. In Antarctica, we pan away from the monster fight because Mark is stuck under some debris in the helicopter. We know he'll be fine so why is that happening? In the Isla de Mara battle, we pan away from the fight because Ice Cube's son is in a damaged helicopter and needs to be rescued. Totally inconsequential manufactured drama that draws attention from the monster fight. Same thing with the final battle, where we have to follow Maddie, who happens to live in Boston and happens to always leave her front door unlocked just in case she has to run away and scream somewhere. It's like the movie was afraid we'd lose interest in a monster fight after 12 seconds so they keep cutting away to random nonsense. At least Godzilla vs Kong, despite its flaws, was confident enough to just let the monsters duke it out for a few minutes.
@@ARandomIntrovertwhat are you on, I can name more off the top of my head, Rodan Mothra Godzilla and Gidorah
The shot of Ghidora on top of the volcano with the cross in the foreground as he spreads his wings and lets out that unsettling roar might be the most unnerving shot I’ve seen in a while
looks like it will appear on Stranger Things s5 😂
dont forget he did that right after he grew a head back.
It's like I thought at the time while seeing it: "This is the nightmare version of all those 60s Godzilla movies."
The only problem I had was rodan really didn’t get to fight ghidorah I knew he was probably gonna lose but I want rodan to get a hit in atleast
FACT!!!! The dragon behind the cross 🫣
Rodan is genuinely terrifying in this scene. He feels nothing like a monster he feels like watching a natural disaster. The people are helpless, an entire city is decimated just for being in the wake of this massive creature. Him coming out of the lava, cloaked in fire and brimstone, and his bird of prey like appearance makes him look like a menacing god, and then the chase with the pilots is unbelievably intense as Rodan is seemingly unmatchable in the air, only for that to be subverted by Ghidorah defeating him with ease, which adds to further hype up his main antagonism. This culminates in Rodan bowing before Ghidorah, who awakens the titans with a haunting keen, set to a dread inducing score that swells to a climax with what I'd say is the best single shot in kaiju cinema, Ghidorah's silhouette on the volcano backdropped to a cross, cementing Ghidorah's devil motif
Amen Bro.
i just want to see bro again one more time.like the time gidhora ordered him to fight mothra.g man is strong and proud so hed nwr rely on rhodan but if onlly we get just one or 2 more interactions with actually smart kaiju rather then all the muscle brain stuff we already ahve a ton of
Rodan being like a natural disaster, or better like a beast, is the most terrifying aspect. He is not malicious, he barely takes notice of humans, his every movement is just incredibly destructive. There is no negotiating and no fighting back, at the very best you can direct it in another direction, which within 10 minutes cost Monarch most of its assets at the scene.
Especially the trailer shot of Rodan wiping the city off the map just by passing it. It gets back on the level of the tsunami and the evacuation scenes in the 2014 movie in terms of sheer, incidental destruction. These creatures are so immense that simply by _moving_ they can break our world apart. And the protagonists are forced to look them in the eye in order to prevent total destruction.
This entire movie's sense of scale was impeccable, immaculate. The Titans all feel HUGE and unstoppable.
yes, the mosters were monumental, awe-inspiring, collosal, apocalyptic. I can't get my head around the fact that some godzilla fans don't appreciate this movie a lot better.
@@andreyzhuchkov1882 The way the Titans act as if they're all the same species is just odd, like why the hell would a Giant Insect thing respond to a weird ass alien or knell to Godzilla as a king instead of a threat to run away from? Why would it even know that? Why are they acting like a human would to another superior human? Don't they have different brain functions from being idk different species/different evolution routes? How the hell do all the Titans know about how each other think? Why did a MUTO of all things stroll up to Godzilla to bow when evolutionary been predators? Also don't like how Rodan became a bitch after such a good appearance
@@watch.v-dQw4w9WgXcQ to answer your first question, it's because all of these kaiju are actually aware of each other and with most cases, (mainly ghidorah and godzilla) they have been alive before the cretaceous period, meaning they must of interacted at least once before.
For me, Godzilla 2014 did it better somehow. Every time a monster was on screen I can feel fear from human perspective
yeah, this makes the idea that there are people that worship these titans believable. The power of these creatures posses could really make you think they are gods
I really agreed on this, Rodan’s first appearance still gives me chills to this day, appreciated Dougherty on giving us one of the best fights in the MonsterVerse, I loved G:KOTM and as my personal favorite movie of the MonsterVerse, I don’t care what anyone says about it.
i love it aswel
King of the Monsters is soooooo underrated
I agree KOTM is a lot better than people give credit.
Hell yeah brother
It's a great movie but the hard cuts in the middle of a Kaiju fight tended to take me out of it. Hence why the Ridan scene is perfect, it was Rodan completely. But then when he fights Ghidorah it starts cutting back and forth and you rarely see the fight. The Rodan vs Ghidorah is messy and sucks and then it segues right into Godzilla vs Ghidorah in the ocean a mile away from where Rodan fell in the ocean yet the oxygen destroyer didn't hurt Rodan. And the fight of Godzilla vs Ghidorah in the ocean is also full of hard cuts and too many close shots. I think it was more legendary meddling with Dougherty's real vision. Anyone agree?
I know he was always one of the classics, but Rodan never really interested me that much as a monster. But I will give him this. His entire introductory sequence and chase in KOTM was one of the real highlights of the film for me 😊
Rodan is pretty underrated imo. But he’s also not in my top list either, so I get why
In the words of megamind, "presentation!"
@@DMan1954why is Rodan underrated he's my most favorite Kaiju of all
@@christpbacon3fire pterodactyl
@@christpbacon3because compared to mutant godzilla.. all of them from shin to destroyah, the dino themed Kaiju are pretty lame. Or over the top creations like gigan, or cultural references like Ghidorah, pretty much most Kaiju outshine generic uninspired Kaiju like Rodan lol.
Man I hope they do more with Rodan in the future. I really like the monsterverse incarnation, personally
Indeed, and with fire breath and other cool features and larger teeth
Sadly, Legendary doesn’t have the rights to use Rodan anymore
@@special_signi2998 they still do wdym
We really need a movie series to the B level monsters, like Rodan, the others Kaijus in the last screen of Godzilla 2, and (why not?) other classic japanese Kaiju, like Gamora
a lava type bomb would be cooler honestly
I think Megamind summed it up pretty well about what a "villain" needs, and it always starts with the introduction.
"PRESENTATION"
Dougherty definitely did the best job as an American director adapting Godzilla so far. The Rodan sequence is the best of the monsterverse and probably one of the best kaiju sequences of all time. Its does everything right and I still watch this scene on KZhead regularly. If we had spent more time in the town with the people it could have worked as its own movie
I'd still give it to Gareth Edwards because he remembered to portray Godzilla as a force of nature with his tsunami landing in Hawaii.
@@BrutallyHannes I get why ppl didn't like Godzilla 2014, but I really liked how Edwards did a kind of horror movie.
They both did good, but did two different types of iteration. Edwards did the darker version of Godzilla while Dougherty used the later Godzilla movies like final wars and heisei
@@Optical09 I'd say Edwards did a more realistic version of Godzilla. One who comes ashore and brings a tsunami with him, doesn't care for collateral damage and appears indifferent to humans. I wouldn't say Dougherty did the Heisei Godzilla because in the Heisei films, people knew to get the hell out of Godzilla's way. Cities evacuated and people ran screaming. In KOTM, people are happy to see him arrive. The final battle consists of military personnel riding alongside him and even Maddie grinning at his arrival. Where Heisei is an anti-hero leaning more on his darker side (killing Shindo, attacking cities, destroying military vehicles), KOTM makes him more of a hero who looks scary. Sure, people are frightened of him, like when he drops by Castle Bravo, but there's always the reassurance that he'd never deliberately target humans. Basically, Dougherty made him too benevolent for Heisei. Edwards embraced the collateral destruction Godzilla would cause. Then Wingard came and plunged the series into full Showa.
@@BrutallyHannes No one in kotm was happy to see him arrive except monarch and Madison. The general public still had mixed feelings about godzilla til afterwards. Godzilla is still an anti hero in the MV (even in kotm). Heisei didn't become an anti hero til godzilla jr came in. He was still antagonistic or the lesser of two evils prior to 1993. Godzilla in the MV cares about the planet, not humanity and doesn't care if he accidentally or purposely kills people. That's not entirely heroic. That's anti heroic. Even Gareth admitted godzilla was an anti hero in his own film as well. Gareth made his godzilla an anti hero who was a bit mysterious in his intentions. Michael still kept that anti heroic character in him but presented godzilla in a slightly more positive light, Adam made godzilla into the more misunderstood anti hero (akin to gamera 3). The MV was already a modernized showa from day 1. Gareth's film is good but plot wise is just a modern showa film with a dark tone
I’d argue that minus one’s boat chase scene is also one of the greatest kaiju sequences ever
YES
ABSOLUTELY
100% agree
Nobody said it wasn't, pretty much every Kaiju fan agree's Minus One is an amazing movie, but we're talking about the Rodan scene from KOTM...
when shin came out people said that t is the best and monsterverse sucks! when minus one came out same thing happened! when toho releases some other godzilla incarnation it will happen again.
I think the initial reveal of Godzilla in the 2014 movie was good too. There was such an intense buildup to it. Then the one jet exploding setting off another to yet another and as the audience is caught up watching these domino fireballs. Godzillas foot suddenly enters the field of vision and grabs the audience. Then you get a brief glimpse of his dorsal plates as the helicopter almost crashed into him. Then the reveal of his upper body and face. Looking incredible and pissed off. Capped off at the end of the sequence with his iconic roar. Pure magic.
yeah i actually have a real soft spot for that film.
Additionally the water coming in below the jets while the camera focuses on some of the airport workers taking cover beneath them. A minor detail, but it's the surge Godzilla created when he went from the water to the land at speed, and it's a sign that he's arrived with it, but much like the helicopter dodging the plates, it's intentionally missable in favor of the muto's movements. And then the footstep, and everything just.. stops. The explosions, the screaming people, the muto's movements, it all goes quiet for that step except for the groaning of the very ground and buildings around where it lands and that rumbling tone that accompanies him throughout the movie. It's an immedate showcase of the weight he has behind him both figuratively and literally.
2014 Godzilla still remains my favourite for this very reason. It's so intense and the build up leading to his reveal is so immaculately done.
2014 didnt have scenes, it had sequences. the whole golden gate bridge part... I feel like god did that JUST for me
and then the roar in the water next to the broken bridge. fuuuuck
I loved how alien Ghidorah was. On the surface he seemed like a regular kaiju, but his Otherness is shown in how the O2 bomb doesn't hurt him, likely because he *doesn't breathe oxygen*, his somewhat unnatural or law defying movements, and how he's based on a dragon, whereas pretty much every other kaiju is based on an actual Earth creature.
Looking back, this sequence along with Meltdown Godzilla and Ghidorah's Awakening are the probably why I went to see this film 3 times (a personal first at the time) in Theaters, it was so incredible to see this on the big screen that I got addicted.
Completely agree!
Um, excuse me, that's BURNING Godzilla lol
lol, I guess that's what Legendary calls it, but "Burning Godzilla" for me will always be the Toho version 🤣@@DavidRYates-tk2tq
@@DavidRYates-tk2tqit’s actually thermonuclear Godzilla
@@DavidRYates-tk2tqwrong again
Something I love is how rodan's entrance shows power scaling. So we all know volcanos are very destructive and anyone near it's path needs to evacuate but to rodan it is nothing ontop of them causing the volcano eruption. Then it simply gliding destroys the town in a few seconds, not it flapping it's wings, not any of the fire on the wings, no just gliding off the volcano caused that much damage. Then the fight against the pilots give us a idea of how it fights, it will spin and use it's wings as well as it's talons. So already rodan is a major threat to humanity and this was the scariest they been. But rodan has nothing compared to godzilla and Ghidorah. Ghidorah not only has strong wind destruction from flying but also can cause hurricanes, it has lightning beams it shoots and it got 3 long and viscous heads it will use. So having the rodan scene lead into the Ghidorah fight works really well to show how apocalyptic Ghidorah is. Because rodan is basically a traveling super volcano that destroys anything in it's path within seconds but that is nothing compared to the destruction Ghidorah can cause. I'm really glad they didn't give rodan some heat beam or fire breath because it would have lessened this imo.
I wish rodan had a fire breath as he was gliding down the town. Similar to the hobbit movie when the dragon (smug) attacked a small town with his fire. This would have elevated his threat level and he would have put a much greater fight against ghidorah.
@@masterkcGhidorah would have heat resistance anyway, so I think showing that Rodan can weaponize its breath but to no avail still works
It's messed up, because Rodan was equal to Godzilla in strength back in the 60s
Don’t forget to mention that he is insanely durable and flys at a top speed of Mach 3.5
Rodan having his Uranium Beam (an attack he already has, which shouldn't been depicted, in my opinion) wouldn't have lessened anything. In fact, they could've hinted at it when Ghidora grabbed his wings before using the Gravity Beam. Power scaling aside, Rodan is an apex predator in this universe. He's not just powerful, he was _significant_ in the history of titans. This movie was so bloated that we almost got no story from Mothra and basically got none from Rodan, yet we see Rodan depicted on par with Godzilla and the ancestors to Kong in the previous movie. We _should_ have seen why Rodan is an apex predator outside of bullying humans, which was still an amazing scene and one of the best in the entire film.
Rodans opening scene brought his relative power to other kaiju as a formidable force. During the movie fight sequence at night it was good to see him provide support to a fight again, just not as an earth defender. I hope to see him again in the fight for the hollow earth core. the shockwaves on both surfaces of the interior a likely event.
This is 100% in my top 5 Kaiju monent in any Godzilla movie. It makes my boy Rodan seemnlike a major threat. Plus, look, Rodan seen Ghidorah and did not back away. He wanted all that smoke and was ready to throw down. Dud he get beat fast? Yeah, but still, he went in ready to go... Plus he just woke up, dude was still a little sleepy
I loved Rodan in Godzilla KotM, I wish there had been more of him - especially considering that Rodan was one of Godzilla's oldest allies.
I also like in this movie they show Rodan's guilt/remorse for killing Mothra. When Godzilla glares at him at the end with the bow circle we see him look sheepish/sorry.
@@catandrobbyflores But Rodan didn't kill Mothra?
@@joswharsimancascaballero8936she was the one who got the drop on him actually 😂
Rodan is so underrated needs more scene time!!
I love the Rodan chase scene, it's the only Kaiju fight scene in KOTM where they got right. Rodan is the main focus of his scene and he is not constantly hidden with mist or dust, and we don't keep cutting to the annoying humans, plus the amazing scenery and soundtrack...so good.
"annoying humans"
gonna be real, I prefer the kaiju being hidden with "mist or dust" since its a much cooler looking environment than pure daylight all the time. if the arctic fight took place in daytime i probably would've skipped over it.
Tbh, I was a bit upset that so much of the scene was used in the trailers. However, this seeing it come together was awesome because it gave me everything I wanted. It felt grand, horrific, and suspenseful. You felt the weight, you felt the charm, and the horrors of walk one simple kaiju could do.
2014 felt like an og horror movie to me because of the anticipation leading up to each kaiju fight or scene with the mutos in it. You almost felt legitimately scared for each character along the way bc their mission seems so unimaginable. Yet Ford and his team fight for family and peace and finally help the big G man save the day. Love it!
Rodan (1956) is absolutely wonderful.
It sure is!
One of my favorite scenes was the airport scene in Godzilla 2014, the perspective from inside the airport. It's chaotic, the planes exploding, people in a panic, then Godzilla's foot steps into frame and it goes completely silent.
Great breakdown. Rodan was depicted perfectly by KOTM and it’s a real shame that we haven’t seen him since. I though KOTM was fantastic, a Godzilla movie for Godzilla fans, which is why, in my opinion, it got some real criticism when it was released. I though Doherty did a great job overall.
I agree about that!
@DMan1954 I think you hit the nail on the head when talking about KOTMs imagery, most used in the Monsterverse, and that isn't coincidence! Keep up the awesome work.
It was the perfect movie, with the exception of all the comedy they added in. Feels like they added that to be more “Marvel” banter stuff which was so popular then, and they should have stuck with a consistent severe and terrifying theme throughout.
@pressrepeat2000 I agree. The humour felt very forced throughout the entire movie, and it did detract from the superbly crafted action sequences. I love KOTM. There was genuine tone of threat and peril running through the entire movie. It remains, in my opinion, the movie which depicts Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra and Ghidorah the best.
Rodan's awakening was my favorite part of the movie and i love his theme. I'd love to see a stand alone Rodan film in the monsterverse
Looking at these monsters from King of the Monsters really makes you realize how little "le big monkey" fits into this universe.
I 1000% agree that Rodan entrance goddamn the score, the build up, the colors of the sky mixed with the volcanic eruption while Rodan crawls out is goosebumps to the max!
Rodans entrance from the Volcano is one of the best scenes I've ever seen. 🔥 🔥 The effects and Rodans flight destruction is visually stunning.
One of my favorite bits about Godzilla: King of the Monsters is that we do see how powerful Godzilla is when he's underwater and thrashing Ghidorah.
Still think KOTM is the best Monsterverse movie, I find it very underrated. It's not an great movie like the original, Shin godzilla, or Minus One, but as a movie with Godzilla fighting other monster's its one of the better ones. I also like how it's not as stupid as what came after, this movie was still somewhat grounded like the first, but better paced and expanded the world building.
It really isn't grounded, nor entirely well paced if it's trying to get from action sequence to action sequence as fast as possible and the advanced technology in the film is stuff we humans don't have in real life.
@@Kaiju-bm4ts It's A LOT more grounded compared to the video game that was GvK. It's a fun movie but it essentially killed A LOT of the world building the monsterverse had built up between 2014, KSI, and KOTM
@@giancarlocaballero7684 Buddy that's not a fair comparison when both films still got technology we humans don't have and calling gvk a video makes even less sense when games cover ALL settings. Fantastical or grounded. Gvk didn't kill any world building, it mostly just expanded upon the futuristic setting that kotm set up. Ksi established the hollow earth, kotm introduced godzilla's temple. Gvk introduced the hollow earth itself. All g14 did was be a starting point and that movie was made as a standalone film. The MV didn't start til 2015.
Rodan's Awakening is honestly my favorite scene in the entire movie, alongside Serizawa's Sacrifice/Godzilla's Rebirth and Mothra's Birth, as it's really the last time we get to see a good human vs monster scene in any Kaiju film... at least until Minus One came out. Unfortunately, I still do consider KOTM to be my least favorite film in the Monsterverse (hot take, I know) but that doesn't take away from the fact it's still a good movie, definitely not as bad as how people have said it was over the years and that scene with Rodan more than makes up for it's short comings. Hell, I still listen to the soundtrack to that scene because it's THAT damn good and I still even see the images of the scene pop up in my head anytime I listen to the OST. You know you have a good, memorable action scene when all you have to do is just listen to the music and it'll still appear in your memory. 😆
Now way. . Did you just imply you liked king kong vs godzill better. . .story wise? No way man .. .😂
@@lenowoo No? I implied exactly what was said, "KOTM is my least favorite film in the Monsterverse" and that's all I needed to say. Not once did I mention it having a weaker story or anything like that. So I don't know where you got that idea from.
KotM will always be my favorite of the monsterverse due to scenes like rodan's awakening. I feel like the chaotic camera angles helped tell the story of humans being caught in a struggle between forces of nature they have no hope of controlling, or even surviving. so much of the movie is filmed from a human's pov that, to me, captures the scale of these monsters fantastically, and I prefer shots like these to the more wide angle, panning shots of GvK
Now it looks like future installments will focus mainly on the hollow earth, completely sidelining humanity as a whole. I'd like the aspect of KotM that humanity was introduced as another "monster", another apex predator in form of a collective techno-civilisation. That we too can coexist with the other titans, just like they do with each other. Now with the hollow earth that is mostly out of the window, because creatures there are completely disconnected from life on earth and are just as foreign as Ghidora.
@@Vulcano7965 omg yes. before the Kaiju were part of nature, a force that brings balance to the world that humanity could coexist and find peace with. now they're just big ol' monsters that we gotta worry about I feel like part of the reason is legendary's approach to making the films. rather than making a contract to produce say, three films over the course of a few years, they make the movies one at a time. which is why every movie has had a different director, different writers, different cast etc. legendary wants to milk the movies for as much money as they can, chasing whatever trends will help them sell the most tickets and the most merch. but then if a movie ends up underperforming they can just drop the franchise without worrying about contracts. and all of that is to the detriment of the world they created and the fans of that world 2014, skull island and KotM were very different films to GvK and GxK seems to be following the same over the top action formula. it honestly feels very similar to the first five transformers films from 2007-2017, making sequels without any consideration for how it's going to affect the world overall I don't mind goofy, over the top action. I like movies where I can turn my brain off and watch cool stuff explode on the screen. but the emotional whiplash I get from watching the first three films of the monsterverse and then GvK and seeing how GxK is gearing up to be makes it feel like a completely separate universe at times
@@kitsunepop1077 I'm not that opposed to different directors. It's better when we potentially get different artistic interpretations of these titans, not always the same and consistent formula. But then we'd need to accept that the movies are more disconnected. I think my biggest issue with the upcoming film is that it just doesn't look very promising. CGI in broad daylight is always tricky but with all these glowing rocks it just looks like the quantum verse ant man movie. At this point, just make it a completely animated movie. Which would open up a whole new set of movie tools which can safe even a ridiculous, over the top premise.
@@Vulcano7965 I fully agree that different directors and cast can be a good thing, keeping ideas fresh. I mean, 2014, skull island and KotM are great examples of that. but then this big jump in theme to GvK messes with that theming. we go from "finding balance in a new world we've never experienced before" to "big lizard throws hands with everyone in sight" and omg you pointing that out about the crystals makes total sense! I feel like we're losing the scale on these monsters, putting them in a world without any comparisons of size. 2014 and KotM did a fantastic job making these monsters seem huge and godlike, now it feels like humans are completely absent from the plot also, if the hollow earth was made for giant monsters, why are the trees tiny?
@@kitsunepop1077 haha yes, I wondered about the trees as well. Even in real life they can grow giant, so why not make that the norm down there?
I really love you made almost a writing 101 case study type video but with the context of Kaiju. I love it. I hope you make more scene analysis videos like this. I love it!!!
It wasn’t my first time and it won’t be my last time! I love doing that stuff
Good stuff. I'd argue the scenes leading up to the first reveal of Godzilla in the 2014 film tops it though. The cutting between the Fleet, the SEAL team, the airport, and eventually Godzilla coming ashore (and the havoc that causes) all culminating in the final reveal was a masterclass in build up and editing.
The monsters in Kotm were all done so well. Rodan and mothra’s awakenings were beautiful.
Best scene in the movie. Rodan leveling a city from the sky is epic, him taking out planes is epic and the lightning revealing ghidorah once the stealth plane got into the cloud was terrifying and freaking epic! Amazing cinematography! Awesome video! I love when people enjoy this movie bc it’s actually my favorite from the four legendary movies so far.
Well said. this film is still my favorite movie of all time, I actually like the human characters, I find them to be fun to watch and more than serviceable. And the kaiju action is magnificent to watch.
I completely agree
Gojira5400: This movie sucks because it has like three ticking clocks. D Man: The ticking clocks keep the audience on the edge of their seats and here's why....
To each their own, I suppose. Sometimes it can be too much. I think King Of The Monsters succeeds because once one clock runs out, the next one starts. It's a great way to keep the intensity up over the course of the movie while evolving the threat.
@@DMan1954 Would you be surprised if I told you he counted Serizawa setting off the nuke in the Hollow Earth as a ticking clock?
This was really well written. It brought up some aspects of the scene that I never thought about but weighed on the emotions as I watched it. Well done man.
I love the power of Rodan when flying. He’s faster than the state of the art human machines. Skilled fly fighters couldn’t compete with everything they have. He flyes and own the skies. Just woke up and is overwhelming everyone before ghidorah. He’s chose to swoop up and creates a shockwave is so awesome
The top down shot of the destruction and flames of rodan’s destruction was so good
Also Godzilla meeting Ghidorah in Antarctica. The way they size each other up, Godzilla’s theme, and the variety of different roars used !! I know everyone hates the characters in KOTM but idc they absolutely NAILED every monster scene.
As a huge GMan fanboy I have to say; Rodan absolutely stole the show in KOTM. Great video
I knew... I KNEW there's something special about Rhodan's intro. It's the thing I alway look forward to when rewatching KOTM. In my perspective, it's its theme which ties it all together in a nice bow.
Great break down. This is the best for me. It fits so well and ties the movie together with plot points moving along and stacks hightened.
Just the fact that Rodan is a faster more versatile monster than Godzilla gives him an edge on creative cinematography
One of the three things I like about KotM (the other two are Godzilla's intimidation display and the soundtrack).
Fair enough
The scene in Pacific Rim in which Gipsy Danger arrives right as Leatherback is about to destroy Striker Eureka is another perfect arrival scene in my opinion. It has stakes, with Otachi already wreaking havoc in the city and Leatherback about to join him. It does a great job of demonstrating the sheer size of the Jaegers by showing the damage caused by Gipsy Danger just walking down a street, and by the incredible shots that put you in the perspective of a pedestrian watching the fight. Pacific Rim is my favourite Kaiju movie, and I think its storytelling and film work are second to none.
That Rodan awakening sequence was the most thrilling part of the movie. Amazing scene, gave me goosebumps. King of Monster is the best movie in Monsterverse.
Honestly, the rodan dog fight scene is my favorite sequence in the entire monsterverse.
All of these are pretty good
Thank you!
Rodan's emergence always makes my eyes water, even just thinking about it. Outside of the tactics used, scene is 20/10. Bravo
The silence in this scene was easily the tensest part of the monsterverse. They used this tension perfectly to introduce a terrifying destructive kaiju. Easily one of my favorite scenes. Give me goosebumps every time
Love this video analysis!!! 😊 KOTM is definitely iconic.
Ah, it feels good to return to KOTM. Very nostalgic for me, next to G 2014, of course. I was actually reflecting on this exact scene a couple days ago, comparing it to the attack on Ginza in Minus One. There are alot of similarities and both could hold up equally with regard to tension and urgency. I really do feel MV Rodan deserves a singular film where he can shine, taking the KOTM scene into consideration and ramping off of that.
I'm so happy you highlighted this sequence. This is hands down my favorite Kaiju fight sequence ever. Godzilla: KotM 2019 will always live on because of it.
Great video One of my favorite scenes from King of the Monsters is Ghidorah waking up. I really like the atmosphere with the music with religious intonations which makes Ghidorah seem like the Devil himself. I also see several references to the Divine Comedy such as the fact that Ghidorah is trapped in ice like the ninth circle of Hell which is also made of ice. Moreover, it is also where the Devil resides, who like Ghidorah has three heads.
Thank you! The Mass Awakening is maybe my favorite sequence in any of the non-solo Godzilla films. I think it is truly horrifying and so well done.
Epic intro
Thanks!
Wonderful job on the video.
Thank you so much!
One thing I can always appreciate in Dougherty’s movies is his emphasis on fantastic sound design
KOTM 2019 is easily one of favorite movies. Every time I watch it, I love it more. Great commentary, thank you!
Yessss this scene is my all-time favorite in the entire film. I never get enough of rewatching it. Rodan was given the best scene he could be given to introduce him to a new wave of kaiju movie viewers and fans. ❤ Also the reason I love this movie is absolutely because of so many scenes being wallpaper worthy compared to each of the other Monsterverse movies individually. Some of the scenes in KotM are almost downright Biblical in setup. Which makes it a freaking shame that nobody ever thinks to combine the efforts of everyone who worked on each Monsterverse film's best qualities to create an amazing Godzilla film. (also the soundtrack is great)
I'm always glad to see KoTM get the praise it deserves! Also my favourite destruction sequence is easily the climax of Monster Zero because it was done with everyone involved at the top of their game, miniatures, suitmation, score all the best of the era (also it was the best use of stock footage in the series being almost seamless)
what's the stock footage you mention?
@andreyzhuchkov1882 footage of wind destruction from Rodan and Mothra as well as recycling some military footage from Rodan, there's more, but those are the main ones that are hard to notice.
Amazing video! Very entertaining! Most of the time when I watch videos like, I jut get bored and stopped watching, but you... You grabbed my attention so well that I literally couldn't stop watching until the video ended XD
This is probably your best video. I was surprised to hear your analysis of the various scenes. You seem to have grown from your typical KZhead commentator, to a student of cinema.
The video’s title was so long that it couldn’t fit all the way. Edit: never mind, he fixed it!
lolol. This video has given me so much trouble today that I didn't even notice it was still using the essay title. Fixed it now. Thanks for the shout.
@@DMan1954 you’re welcome!
One of my favorite Kaiju films (top 5) hands down! I'll never understand the hatred for this movie, it's not masterpiece by all means but it was one hell of a rollercoaster ride that's for sure 🤘🏼 loved the video thank you 🖤
GKOM was brilliant. My only complaint was the cut away scenes when the monsters were fighting but is still one of my favorite movies to date. Godzilla 2014 was amazing with the realistic approach but I wanted more Godzilla. Now Godzilla vs Kong blew me away the scale and the fight scenes and Godzilla being a savage beast that has never been done. Christmas came early that year. The fights with him and Kong I was in awe❤ but Mecha Godzilla/Ghidorah Consciousness was a beautiful twist. The brutal way he stomped Godzilla had me mesmerized and filled with fear that my favorite movie monster was doomed. Kong's agility and Godzilla's quick thinking saved the day. I am looking forward to Godzilla x Kong. Kongs Mechanical Arm draws you in makes you wonder what happen to Him but Godzilla's evolution is badass. I dislike the color pink but that new design and color is topnotch just Stunning. Now back to Godzilla King of Monsters. Rodan awakening was amazing and the twist of burning Godzilla with the Mothra Cry was just brilliant give the man his flowers. All of the Godzilla movies have been masterpieces in their own way. I am so excited for the next installment!
This is a fantastic video D Man. Saw this movie in 4DX and let me tell you, this sequence in 4DX is probably the greatest experience I've ever had in a theater.
Awesome breakdown of this spectacular scene man! There were so many great scenes in kotm, my most favorite was the Goji Boston arrival sequence
While I would say that Kotm is not a good film, I feel that it is definitely not a bad one either. It is the mid tier story of the monster verse in my opinion. It has certain issues such as poorly edited fight sequences in the third act of the film, and underdeveloped plot points, human characters, and monster side characters and lore. All that kept it back from being as good as persay minus one or shin. But what redeems it and keeps it from being a bad film in my eyes is its near perfect execution in its themes and the consistency in those themes, consistent character decisions based off what we have been given, great action sequences more towards the former half of the film, spectacular visuals (for the record I never understood the subjective arguement that colors get too “vibrant” in certain action sequences, it’s doesn’t really look too vibrant it just looks natural at least to me. Although I do understand that arguement in context of the contrast wind and weather effects getting in the way of seeing the titans clearly), and an amazing soundtrack (yes the soundtrack is amazing and the criticism that the chants sound too “cheesy” addresses nothing objective about the music and is quite shallow from my perspective. It’s like me saying that the chants and chorus from the shin Godzilla soundtrack sound quite weird and sometimes goofy, which is something that I still think is true sometimes. But it’s not an objective argument and even for me it doesn’t ruin shin Godzilla’s music.) This too however remains as another reason why this film excels and isn’t as bad as monster verse haters make it out to be. This was an amazing analysis and honestly I would love to see more videos breaking down the good and even genius parts of Godzilla king of the monsters from you. I truly believe that this film is so close to being the definition of the Sublime, all it needs is a few fixes and screws in the character and plot elements and it claims that title. I would kill for Michael Doureghty to learn from his mistakes in this film and literally make a directors cut of it. Edit: The reason I call it sublime is because some of the shots in this film look like something John Martin would paint. Especially the sequence where ghidorah lifts Godzilla up above the clouds and then drops him. Literally goosebump inducing almost.
I don't really know why, but this scene makes me think of Godzilla 2014 with the more seriouse tone it has. They made Rodan actually feel like a big deadly monster with this one scene, unlike how they did with Godzilla and Ghidorah in this film. I feel like they didn't give Godzilla or Ghidorah justice in this movie, they didn't really make them feel like they were big deadly monsters that can destroy humanity in a few minutes if not seconds. That's why G14 and the Rodan scene in this movie are my favorite parts of the MV, since it's more serious and you can feel the fear in the humans and the threat of the kaijus when you watch them destroy the citys with people in it.
That was an incredible sequence! Blew me away.
Genuine amazing video had me hooked the whole time
Kotm was a cinematic masterpiece
Godzilla: King of the Nice Lol
yeye. This video has been a real struggle.
@@DMan1954It was a really great video though! Nice Work!
Best part of that D-tier movie! Great video as always ❤
This recap was giving me goosebumps.
Unfortunately the character was incredibly underutilized & was replaced mostly by a boring human story....😩😩😩
This scene, the end credits, and the final goji scene are the ONLY good parts of KOTM lol(at least imo)
That's a shame. I love the movie so much. Wish I could help others see it how I see it. But I know the feeling for sure
@@DMan1954 Don’t get me wrong, I really wanted to like this movie. The ost is the best of the MV, the usage of the classic monsters was great( except Ghidorah imo) and Serizawa was the best character in the film. But the one note MCU level writing of the characters and the inconsistent tone of this film is what really brings it down for me personally.
@@mr.milkman3893 Fair enough, I don't mind the MCU dialogue because I think it's still decent and came at a time when I wasn't burnt out on that stuff. And I'm one of the few people who doesn't find the tone inconsistent for some reason.
@@mr.milkman3893I personally think Godzilla vs Kong goes too far with the mcu dialogue and kid friendly vibes that it falls a part in a lot of respects compared to this one
@@dope8878 dude all the MV films were pg 13 and hardly got too brutal with their carnage. All the films by default are technically "kid friendly"
this has always been my favorite scene of KOTM.
This was really thought out and put together! Good job!
Thank you!
Even though I wholeheartedly admire the innovative designs and sound effects for each kaiju in this movie as well as their origin stories, the particular moment in question is irrefutably faar from flawless. Perfection requires both precision and quality. Something which rodan's debut in KOTM lags considerably in both categories. Understand It's nice to be open minded and offer accolades, (no matter how slim or few) but let's not be optimistic to the brink of naivete. The actual scene is nothing short of averageness. Not awful at all, but needs loads of improvement. Notably the pacing and rodan's destruction sequences. Felt like they glossed over all the good parts just to stay on track to a story that never picked up to begin with. But for real, the way every monster looks and roared is beyond stellar! And the soundtrack is GOD tier!! No denying that. But this is one of those movies where the music outshines the actual film.
just watched Godzilla X Kong... this franchise just became generic, the new Transformers, no more amazing sequences like this one.
I'm sorry, Godzilla SUPLEXING Kong wasn't good enough for you?
@@WTFisTingispingis that was not a sequence, that was a moment, the rest of the movie was trash
@@WTFisTingispingis That scene and Kong using the baby Ape as a club were genuine good fun and I enjoyed them. Most of the rest of the movie feels like soulless schlock though. The final fight in particular is the weakest out of all the monsterverse movies imho.
When I watched the sequel, I found myself so underwhelmed cause Rodan and Ghidorah left such a mark of me in this movie, nothing has compared since (even amazing films like Shin and Minus One). Need to rewatch!
I agree with you completely. This sequence shows so much and sets up the rest of the story so seamlessly that it makes you feel like the stakes are truly higher than we initially thought. From Rodan waking up, to the destruction of the city to him fighting Monarch and then Ghidorah , this sequence reminds us that choice, time, twist and theme are crucial to making the perfect scene. I also love how this leads to Monarch trying to escape before the oxygen destroyer hits, then Godzilla coming in the last second to save them from Ghidorah; which in turn leads Mark to reconcile with Godzilla for accidentally and unknowingly killing his son and seeing him as a true protector is very beautiful. This also makes is eventually sever injury from the oxygen destroyer hitting him allowing Ghidorah to escape, heal and then take Godzilla’s title as king and then waking up the other titans reinforces the fact that things have become a lot worse and shows/reminds us (the audience) that nature always has a way to balance itself when humans mess with it and when that force to restore balance happens and humans try to intervene it can become good or humans end up making it worse; in this case it’s the latter since the humans effectively taken out the only being capable of actually defeating Ghidorah. However I love how this scene ends with Mothra awakening since it shows us that not all hope is lost and that we still have a chance. Plus it’s just so beautiful, especially with the musical score.
Well thought out discussion. Well done.
5:36 still my favorite cinematic scene off all time. The shot, the coloring, the slow mo, the audio of the soldiers, and the music building up. 10/10
2 months and I came back to watch this again. This movie is still my favorite of the series and one of my favorite movies of all time. Doesn’t matter the movie isn’t perfect, it has everyone I could’ve wished for in a majestic kaiju story. I’m not even that bothered by the human characters like other people. Serizawa’s scene with Godzilla still moves me every time I rewatch this. I tear up so many times because of that scene. Also this movie has so so many hidden messages too. It’s one of my favorite things.
That whole Rodan sequence is amazing. I love rewatching that section of the movie, from the eruption to the meeting with Gidorah.
Great analysis. There's been a lot of cool sequences in the Legendary series but the Rodan's is easily my favorite. And yes, Kong's introduction in Skull Island is absolutely one of my single favorite shots. He looks incredible.
It’s actually terrifying how Rodan managed to keep up with the jets with almost zero effort.
Rodan, especially the way the original walked, always made me see him as the grim reaper. Just that stare he gives you as he looks down with his wings folded like scythes at his sides.
I’ve always been surprised at how rarely I hear people talk about this scene; because I absolutely love it, everything from the visuals to the music.
A big part of this scene to me is the music. While leading Rodan to Ghidora, the Argo and its surrounding air support has a very distinct music theme, which kicks in strongly whenever you're seeing shots of the various aircraft, particularly when they're manuvering. I'm not an expert on instruments but it's a kind of synthetic, modern/futuristic piece that to me still slightly evokes that feeling of a military marching song, which matches well with what the Argo is - a military base on a giant jet, a feat of futuristic military technology. But, against that track, any time Rodan comes on screen, his theme _immediately_ overtakes the military's own, and it's very distinctly different. Rather than synth and percussion, he has these.. I'm not sure what they are, but they sound halfway between his own organic screeches and the sound of a disaster warning siren, which obviously both fit him perfectly given he's basically the personification of a blast wave. After losing around half the planes, the music changes to a more frantic and fast track reminiscent of the previous theme mixed with Rodan's music, while the Argo itself has to attempt to evade Rodan's attacks and the last fighters are wiped out. This is further done when they enter the storm, and a higher-pitched choir starts up to accentuate it specifically. All three of these overlap and build until Rodan backs off of the Argo, and Ghidora becomes visible, and then immediately his theme overwhelms all the others in play. Then, while Ghidora is beating Rodan into a pulp in midair, we get that focus on the Argo again with more music themed after it and the other aircraft during the sequence where they have to try to retrieve the damaged osprey. Also, what you said about the painting-like nature of various frames from the movie, I want to point out one briefly visible at 12:19 (coincidentally right before you talk about that), where Ghidora, backed by his unnatural yellow lightning, stares down the Argo with his wings spread wide. The reflection on the top of the plane and the light source being behind Ghidora manage to make the former visible while the latter is only a terrifying silhouette, and is probably one of my favorite shots in the movie. The camera is so, so far back, and the Argo is frankly massive yet still dwarfed by Ghidora, and he doesn't even fit in any of the frame's borders despite how far back we're looking from. His necks go off the top of the screen, his wings off the top, bottom _and_ sides, and his tails aren't even visible off the bottom of the screen. He's too large to be caught in frame relative to even something as large as the Argo.
Spot on, you're what is best in the fandom,keep up the excellent work.
Thank you so much!
I haven't even watched the video yet and I just gotta say yes!!! Roman's awakening for me is the best scene in the whole monsterverse.
Finally got around to watching KOTM and it was AWESOME! I agree with what you said in the video 👍 good stuff