Godzilla Rises

I really enjoyed the original movie, except from some parts with the super soldier and the over the tone drama it was nicely directed and the atmosphere was superb.

Being so I was intrigued to see how could the movie be better cutting out more than 40 minutes, but the end result is great. Better pace, loss of inconsequential scenes and all the fortuity of some events.

I only have one minor issue, there is one scene that feels off in which the main character is on a plane when he supposedly was on the destroyer.

I really enjoyed the original intro and the janjira scene, nothing is really lost leaving them out of this edit though.

I totally recommend it.

This was fantastic.
7 years after the theatrical release I‘m finally able to love this. Thank you very much!

Haven't seen this since the cinema, and when I saw it then I was bored out of my mind. This edit filters out all the unnecessary drama and streamlines the film into a simple monster movie, which is all it ever needed to be. 43 minutes were cut, which is just mind boggling. I didn't miss a single bit of footage - if anything I'd say that the set up is still maybe a bit slow.
Narratively, I liked the decision to have the wife die (or at least, fate ambiguous), however, it would have been good to have her introduced as a paramedic, rather than just randomly seeing her in uniform (minor, minor qualm, though).

Quality was top notch and editing was seamless. I noticed one audio transition, but it's very easily overlooked. The Bonus Short also had a rather dodgy fade from one piece of music to another at the end when transitioning into the credit sequence (you can hear the clash as the tunes overlap).

No one can complain for the lack of Brian Cranston in this edit. His performance in the theatrical was great, but his beginning scenes were pointless. Thankfully, the editor puts this cut footage into a short, which also makes for a great optional prologue.

I wouldn't call this a great film, but it's certainly a spectacle. A good, solid monster movie that doesn't overstay it's welcome. Far superior to the theatrical cut.

Hats off to the editor. Very well done.

I think leaving out the bulk of Cranston's part to play in this story was definitely the right call by Kris for this edit. Everything we need to know is already there in the moments with his son, and it is better to envision this all in our heads, as the imagination of what happened provides even greater attachment and atmosphere.

Other changes really help make this feel a bit more urgent, and altogether a bit more real, I appreciate that not everyone makes it out, it raises the stakes significantly and makes us think about how much of survival is down to not just skill, but luck.

The edit moves at a quick pace and the tone, slightly more downbeat, is more appropriate for this kind of film. Expect monster movies to always be monstrous, ripe with conflicts and, more importantly, consequence. Rangerkris serves Godzilla's spirit well in this effort.

Decided to have a giant monster double feature with Rangerkris' Godzilla and Pacific Rim.

My feelings about this edit fairly similar to the previous reviews.... a very good looking edit loaded with great monster action.

But I felt the removal of the Power Plant weakened Cranston's role and the cutting back on his son throughout the film made an already uninteresting character even more forgettable. I wonder if Cranston's scenes could have been augmented with at the very least, very brief intense flashbacks to greater sell his trauma and engage the audience more? Or flashbacks of the son with his father, to strengthen their relationship and give his quest more weight?

Also, I wish the watch/Hiroshima moment had been kept. To me, this is a core element of the Godzilla mythos and should never be forgotten or dismissed no matter how obvious it may feel to modern audiences.

It would have been nice if the final night battle had been brightened a little bit, as I found it still a bit too dark to clearly make out entirely what was happening on the screen.

And while I did not mind the darker ending, it might have played stronger if Kris had replaced the final music of Godzilla awakening and returning to the ocean with something more ominous and less heroic.

But at the end of the day, this is still a fun, fast paced monster rumble movie. I enjoyed it as an alternate cut, and I think Kris did well with the limits of the original source material.

Thumbs up.