Rewriting Godzilla (2014) | The Wasted Potential of Bryan Cranston
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- Опубликовано: 8 июл 2024
- A thought experiment in which I rewrite Godzilla 2014 so as to have Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) live. How would that change the plot? And would it have made for a better, more thematically rich film?
#Godzilla #BryanCranston #Monsterverse
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I was genuinely more disappointed in his death than Godzilla’s screentime.
I think Cranston would make a great Lex Luther
@@rickyrackey7930 if he was lex luthor in BvS then the movie would've made a lot more money
@@bandawin18 Lex: “And it’s gonna send us back to the Stone Age! because I made it because the plot demanded.
I get people want to see more godzilla screentime in the first movie, but the lack of his screen time was a bit more immersive and heavy impact.
I feel that if he would've survived the story, viewers would have been a lot less disappointed in Godzilla's lack of screentime because he would have carried the human scenes.
I’ve been saying forever that Godzilla [2014] should’ve been a father-son bonding film. The film sets it up the estranged relationship so perfectly, and having them learn to become a loving family again.
A good way to incorporate elements of the graphic novel's story into the film as well. That way, they feel more cohesive into a singular, greater story than two, separate ones.
Unfortunately the film didn't have good writers.
I feel like it should’ve been more of a monster bonding film rather than father and son.
Even better would be if they took the monster bonding & just changed it to monsters fighting instead
I think the son should have died in his place, then Joe wants revenge on the mutos for both his wife and son, making Godzilla the tools he needs to make it happen.
@@Super_Godzilla
This could've worked as well.
Unlike most people i didn’t mind the whole “teasing” aspect of fight scenes, but killing Cranston off so early was something I wish they didn’t. He was killing it.
* ba-dum pssssh *
Agree completely.
I think they couldn't afford more screen time
I was just thinking about how good Heisenberg vs Godzilla SHOULD have been. This could have been such an amazing movie
If they make a new Superman movie, Bryan Cranston would play an excellent Lex Luthor.
Throw in some vampires and then u really got an idea
Heisenberg defeats Godzilla by getting him addicted to meth, causing Godzilla to kill himself via overdose.
It's crazy how this one change would have made the human story way more engaging instead of distracting.
Honestly some of the best godzilla movie's are really the ones that have a good human story supporting it.
@@revolverswitch There flat-out NEEDS to be both for a truly great Godzilla movie. That's why Shin Godzilla is my favorite, it has some awesome monster content, some of the scariest I've ever seen, but also human characters you care about.
I also tend to prefer when the human drama is more politically-oriented rather than family-oriented (also seen in Return of Godzilla), but a family story can work too. Godzilla (1954) has both, which should honestly be the standard.
@@GalvatronRodimus well, if you count everyone together as one shambling character…
Then yeah, love em’
@@revolverswitch Yes! Biollante was great, it blended a family story with the greater-scope social/political themes perfectly.
By far the best human character in the monsterverse
I prefer Serizawa, but Joe is a close second
@@sebastienvondoom8615 I’m with you on that one.
@@sebastienvondoom8615
Agreed!!
I liked the character credited as “panicky idiot # 2” in War of the Monsters.
The acting performance just blew me away. I really felt in a very visceral was they complete and utter panic that he was experiencing.
And that he was an idiot.
Mark Russel wasn’t half bad.
Bryan Cranston could've carried the entire MonsterVerse from the human side of things and made everything more interesting.
Yeah I only recently watched Breaking Bad and Hollywood Godzilla movies around the same time, and I joked about this.
I had Bryan in Breaking Bad: *Walter smoking like a badass picture*
Bryan in Godzilla: *picture of man passed out drunk*
So much wasted potential
Dude, you just described a movie I would go back to over and over again. I rarely re-watch 2014 because the human element just drags so hard after Cranston's departure. I know so many people who say "we don't need a human story, this is for monster fights" but it just isn't true. I love the human stories of the original films, the best films in my opinion find the right balance. You described that balance in your alternate universe version of 2014. Kudos.
Agreed. My personal favorite kaiju films are ones that break that unfortunate expectation and provide compelling human drama alongside epic, well-done monster battles all contained within a thematically rich, engaging storyline. The Heisei Gamera trilogy, Mothra vs. Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Biollante, Godzilla '54, Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II and Destroyah (to a lesser extent), GMK, etc. Not all of my favorites excel in these areas but these are examples that come to mind.
@@zoeadkins9095 i agree
I really wanted this to be 30 minutes because this is so interesting.
If I remember correctly, the reason given by Gareth as to why Joe was killed off was because they didn't want the film to feel like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. (Which is a terrible excuse for a couple of reasons imo)
Great video and really well thought out
According to director Gareth Edwards, Joe Brody dying early in the movie wasn’t always going to be the plan. In fact, there were drafts of the film where Joe survived. But according to Edwards, they just didn’t work because each one with him in it was too “silly”. Edwards claims that the tone of the movie with Joe and Ford working together would have felt too much like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Edwards also added that Joe Brody’s story was “done” after he provided the pieces of the puzzle needed to understand the mystery of these creatures. Joe would be like a “fifth wheel” if he remained in the company of the military characters.
I wish Joe was the recurring character of the Monsterverse. A man who’s life was upheaved by the imbalances in nature produced by man, now working to restore the equilibrium the world needs.
This even foils to Emma Russel’s character, who’s similarly trying to restore nature, though in a destructive way, without acknowledging man’s ability to change.
This was an excellent hypothetical. I kind of wish we'd gotten this story. Sadly, it was not meant to be.
Release the #Brodycut!!
@@philipglasgow3307 That would be fantastic. Sadly, they probably didn't shoot any footage to make such a cut.
@@minuterice19540 Imagine Bryan as Lex Luthor. We could have gotten Heisenberg vs Superman memes.
I think if he stayed alive this would’ve been by far the best MV movie to more people. Also it would’ve been very rewarding to see him watch Godzilla kill the Mutos, as that was the cause of the death of his wife(I believe, right?) and it would’ve been awesome to see him working at Monarch and appear in more MV movies. Could’ve been working with Mark Russell which would’ve been great
Edit- and he was a great actor
I would blame the marketing team. I think Bryan would be an excellent Lex Luthor.
Yeah maybe he was too expensive so that’s why they killed him off early? Who knows, but yeah I completely agree that it would’ve been satisfying to him seeing Godzilla kill the mutos.
@@commonlogic7632 My headcanon/spirituality is that Joe’s spirit reawakens and powers up Godzilla to kill the mutos and avenge Sandra.
According to director Gareth Edwards, Joe Brody dying early in the movie wasn’t always going to be the plan. In fact, there were drafts of the film where Joe survived. But according to Edwards, they just didn’t work because each one with him in it was too “silly”. Edwards claims that the tone of the movie with Joe and Ford working together would have felt too much like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Edwards also added that Joe Brody’s story was “done” after he provided the pieces of the puzzle needed to understand the mystery of these creatures. Joe would be like a “fifth wheel” if he remained in the company of the military characters.
@@superjackster0165 Yeah I can definitely see him being a fifth wheel with Serizawa and the Navy/Military crew. Because obviously he couldn’t have gone with Ford haha. But ultimately I think it would’ve paid off for future films!
2014 Godzilla is, ultimately, a lost opportunity. Technically I think it’s amazing with some astounding visuals and really great direction from Garett Edwards. Also the tone of the film is a lot more serious which I appreciated which they kind of lost on the sequel so it has a nice atmosphere to it. Everything boils down to them killing of Bryan Cranston where the film becomes more or less a lost opportunity because Aaron Taylor Johnson’s character is so bland and boring you could care less about it and have to follow him through the rest of the movie. I really just don’t understand why they set up this plot line of a son and father who have a fractured backstory and then kill of Bryan Cranston’s character almost immediately. Even to this day it’s baffling from a script perspective. Overall I do enjoy the film but it could have been much better because of that reason alone.
ATJ is playing an emotionally stressed soldier. And bland characters have been in many Godzilla movies.
It’s because Cranston refused to accept the script until they killed his character off. That’s why it’s set up like that and then his character death feels rushed.
EDIT: Upon looking for the source I might’ve been mistaken, seems he wasn’t keen on being killed off so early but I do recall him refusing to accept the script until they had revised it a few times because it lacked emotional impact I think he had said. Everything he had expected from the role might’ve been lost in editing as well. The original script for the movie had him surviving the entire time.
@Martin Toledo You’ve honestly don’t know what Aaron is trying to play. Soldiers don’t come home with a smile on their face.
@Martin Toledo Maybe next time. Bryan Cranston would have a been better Lex Luther then Jesse Eisenburg
@Martin Toledo We could have gotten Witcher vs Heisenberg memes
This is literally what I thou8ght of a while back for a possible rewrite
Joe being skeptical about Godzilla, reuniting with ford before the halo jump, etc, etc. Fantastic rewrite, would've made 2014 a LOT better, as great as it already is
I think Godzilla should’ve been the one that destroyed the Janjira power plant, and that he was looking for the male M.U.T.O
Joe Brody imo is the best character of G14, he had the most compelling character arch and we understood him from the very beginning, plus was excellently performed by Brian Cranston. I agree that his death in G14 happened way too early and had he been alive throughout the MV, it would’ve been better and interesting to see how his character changed and grown throughout the MV. Such a wasted opportunity imo I agree.
Hey, I would blame the marketing. I think Bryan Cranston would be a great Lex Luther.
According to director Gareth Edwards, Joe Brody dying early in the movie wasn’t always going to be the plan. In fact, there were drafts of the film where Joe survived. But according to Edwards, they just didn’t work because each one with him in it was too “silly”. Edwards claims that the tone of the movie with Joe and Ford working together would have felt too much like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Edwards also added that Joe Brody’s story was “done” after he provided the pieces of the puzzle needed to understand the mystery of these creatures. Joe would be like a “fifth wheel” if he remained in the company of the military characters.
Bruce Campell dies in Congo, nobody bats an eye. Heisenberg dies in Godzilla, everyone looses their minds.
@@superjackster0165 That’s interesting. I didn’t know that. Where did you get that info?
@@cretaceousthehunted9669 www.google.com/amp/s/screenrant.com/godzilla-2014-bryan-cranston-joe-brody-death-reason/amp/
Even though Bryan had short screentime, the time he did have was phenomenal.
I always believed they killed him early out of some misguided attempt to 'subvert expectations'. Cranston had a genuine passion for the project and could have been the grounding character for the entire Monsterverse. But like most film series not made by Marvel producers weren't really planning that far ahead.
Damn this is honestly a fantastic alternate character arc. The wasted potential....tragic.
Probably you won't believe me, but I swear that I said THE EXACT SAME THING almost WORD FOR WORD back in 2014. I'm still amazed no one at Legendary realized at the time who easily fixable this movie was. As it is now, it's my least favorite monsterverse film and I would never watch it again if not for Godzilla.
Prepare for a wall of text. Just a warning.
In my opinion, the criminal underutilization of Brain Cranston's acting ability and Joe Brody's character potential, which you thoroughly covered here, is the single, biggest problem with Godzilla (2014). More so than Godzilla's screen time, the lighting in night scenes, etc. I too have made rewrites and alterations to the existing G-14, Skull Island, and KOTM scripts just to explore different ideas, as a challenge, and for the fun of it. I enjoy all MonsterVerse films for what they are but they aren't without flaws, some of which are glaring, and I feel some changes in the writers' room could've had a significant, positive impact on the story, themes, characters, and monster action throughout the series.
For example, my rewrite of G-14 had many of the same beats and moments for Joe Brody that you described here. Now, I understand why the writers felt they were justified in killing Joe; the manner in which he meets his demise came about, partially, because of his brash actions and obsession over the mystery of the Janjira power plant's destruction. He was a scarred man, trapped in his past trauma to such a degree that he'd become neglectful to his surviving son and, apparently, hadn't even seen his grandson. I always presumed this is one reason that Ford Brody comes across as stoic; he spent the rest of his childhood trying to care for his father rather than the other way around. He learned to deal with his emotions on his own since he couldn't rely on his father to be stable enough to lean on when he needed support. This is why he tells Ford to get back to his family, no matter the cost. In his final breath, he finally realizes his crusade was his undoing and doesn't wish the same fate for his only son. You touched on some of the most important elements, in my opinion, for creating an engaging, meaningful human cast in a giant monster movie. Their stories are directly entangled with the monsters' while said beasts are acting as metaphoric reflections to the human characters and humanity as a whole. This ensures that, even when the monsters aren't on-screen, the effects of their presence is still felt and remains central to the story as it moves forward. In this case, their existence and actions are key to Joe Brody's most important development moments. Having his arc including the themes of humanity's pursuit of control over the natural world and the stubborn resilience of the latter is perfect for bringing that message home. Adding compelling drama without oversaturating the runtime with it is certainly a hurdle but the rekindling of the father-son bond, encouraging Ford to do what Joe failed to, and then playing his role alongside Dr. Serizawa and Monarch plays nicely into the classic Godzilla plotline while, hypothetically, avoiding tempting the audience into simply fast-forwarding through the scientific and militaristic jargon to get back to giant monsters slugging each other in the jaw. Thanks to their genuinely intriguing, opposing worldviews, taking part in the greater events, and, of course, well-written banter and dialogue between the two. The only thing I'd have to add is a brief scene that takes place after Godzilla's awakening and the Brody family's meeting in the stadium. I'd like to see Joe Brody meet his grandson to bring their storyline to a complete close. The MUTOs are dead, Godzilla is back in his home, the Brody family is alive and well - together, Monarch has been forced to step out into the public eye, and humanity's place on Earth is forever changed.
Bravo. I think there’s gonna be Superman vs. Hiesenberg memes if they cast Bryan Cranston as Lex Luther
Man, this was so good and interesting.
#ReleasetheUpFromtheDepthsCut
Hmm. Perhaps Serizawa should still make the sacrifice in this hypothetical version. We would have gotten to know him more through his interactions with Joe, so his death becomes that much more meaningful. Could be a great scene between them, too. Joe and Serizawa almost arguing over who should go with the nuke, Serizawa insists it should be him, Joe says "It can't be you, Monarch needs you. Godzilla needs you." Serizawa puts his hand on Joe's arm and says "No. They have you." Could be a nice symbolic passing the torch from Japan to America: Godzilla's in our hands right now, and we're doing okay with that but need to continue to respect what that means. And retains the, as you mentioned, extremely potent symbolism of Serizawa with Godzilla using a nuke to save him.
Having Godzilla mop up the radiation also justifies his growth in the other films instead of it just being an unexplained mystery.
This line of thinking sounds a lot like the Gamera trilogy. Having Joe’s arc be solved by Godzilla sounds a lot like Ayana realizing that Iris was evil and that Gamera was good. I wish the monsterverse would embrace stuff like that more.
I love how your rewrite introduces the themes that KotM is already centered on, and I honestly don't feel like Joe would even need to be in KotM for this version of G14 to have a positive effect on its sequels
Interacting to boost this in the algorithm, Up From the Depths is critically underrated
It angers me knowing they killed him off like that u focus mostly on humans but kill your best human in like the first act
My mom sat down and watched it with me and even she agreed it was weird.
According to director Gareth Edwards, Joe Brody dying early in the movie wasn’t always going to be the plan. In fact, there were drafts of the film where Joe survived. But according to Edwards, they just didn’t work because each one with him in it was too “silly”. Edwards claims that the tone of the movie with Joe and Ford working together would have felt too much like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Edwards also added that Joe Brody’s story was “done” after he provided the pieces of the puzzle needed to understand the mystery of these creatures. Joe would be like a “fifth wheel” if he remained in the company of the military characters.
@@superjackster0165 having a family dynamic wouldn't be a problem. He has it in rogue one so I am guessing his views changed.
This just makes me wish that this is how the movies happened.
Fun fact a Godzilla fan was on breaking bad he has a RUclips channel called Luminous.
What WAS the point to killing off Bryan? His death was so abrupt that it had no “shock value”. He was the one that helped made the movie a success. His character was best written. I don’t think the writers are stupid. They clearly have talent given the first act. I just th8nk they were forced into a corner because Bryan was too expensive of a actor to keep in the movie.
This is exactly what I thought of if Joe Brody lived through Godzilla 2014 and got to be in Godzilla: King Of The Monsters 2019. If we got these versions of both movies, I think they would’ve been great.
Even if Joe didn’t survive, having Ford involved in KOTM could be interesting in its own right; what would his opinion on the Titans be? He lost loved ones to Titans, was saved by a titan, and both good and evil Titans met him eye to eye. How would this affect his outlook?
He may not have been the most interesting character in 2014, but just by giving Ford an opinion on Godzilla could give his character a lot of depth.
I totally agree with the false, and I would have loved to have seen Joe survive, but I still love Godzilla 2014, I like the tone, the acting, the pacing, the action, and how they treated Godzilla
I want to thank you for this channel. I hated Godzilla(2014) when I first saw it and had bitter feelings for a long time afterwards due to how excited I was to see it. I saw your reviews of Godzilla (2014) a few weeks ago and decided to give it another chance after watching the original Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again. Those two movies and your reviews really helped me focus on watching the movie from a more human perspective and appreciate the horror and panic the people were feeling rather than only care about the monsters fighting. I still feel there should have been more fighting (especially at Hawaii after Godzilla's first appearance) and there are some other flaws, but I really enjoyed the movie this time around thanks to you.
Glad to hear it! I definitley can agree that the teasing of the monsters' fighting gets excessive. The hard cutaway after the amazing crescendo of Godzilla's arrival in Honolulu and the bunker doors shutting just as the beasts collide is unfortunate, though I respect the restraint and see the final battle as gratifying. Especially those fatalities.
Wow, this all actually would've been a HUGE improvement. Wish we got all that.
Short story. A coworker who wasn't a Godzilla fan asked me if I saw KOTM. He knew I was a fan, so he asked my thoughts on it. Then I asked him if he saw it, and he told me that he wasn't big on the 2014 movie and brought up Cranton's early removal from the film as something he didn't like. Someone like Cranston, who was at the height of his popularity, could have brought a new audience in, but he never got the chance to do so. It's a move that I'm sure if Legendary had to do over again, he would have lived or at least died at the end. It's simply an unpopular move.
You probably have never read the official movie novelization I take it. Other wise, you would have known Dr. Graham was more than just a minor character because her character had been more fleshed out. She even had more dialogue with other characters as well.
As for why Cranston was killed off too soon had to do with the script writer because of comments made by Cranston about another project the writer had worked on. In other words, his character's death was the result of someone holding a grudge towards Cranston.
Why couldn't we have seen that characterization in the movie if it was so important?
Dude what an amazing series concept! More hypotheticals as you think of them please!
God damn.
Godzilla 2014 is one of my favorite Godzilla films despite the obvious flaws that it has. This hypothetical situation where Joe lived would have made it damn near if not perfect for me. Great video, wish we could all see this version of the film. Thank you 💜
I love your ideas! Thank you 🙏🏼
This is amazing. Thank you for this. Made me fall in love again with the franchise. (I already did, simply your idea made me also love what could’ve been)
well thought out and excellently said. I think when all is said and done, we will look back on the monsterverse entry into the Godzilla series as alot of missed opportunities scraping at potential greatness. Oh well, im thankful for them regardless and I am thankful for this great channel and your thought experiment
Amazing work! I want to see this version of the film!
Well done. I'd love to see more such thought experiments of a similar nature.
My neck hurts for nodding so much. Excellent video!
“ITLL SEND US TO THE STONE AGE”
Later Brody watches King of the Monsters credits- 👁👄👁
Joe Brody in Heaven watching the titans fix the world: ☁️(._.(☁️
Cant wait for your thoughts on gvk
Well, did we ever find out just what the hell Gareth Edwards was thinking? The cinematic equivalent of winning a million dollars, spending $100 then chucking the rest in the ocean.
Gareth Edwards said in interviews that the decision to kill off Joe Brody was to prevent the film from becoming Indiana Jones a la Harrison Ford and Sean Connery. Definitely, G14 is better with Bryan Cranston as Joe Brody, IMO.
@@jamaal7 To prevent _what?_ I don't get it. Does Gareth Edwards think Last Crusade was a bad film? That doesn't make any sense.
@@Xagzan He wanted to avoid copying Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with Indie and his dad working together-which is bullshit, because Cranston survived in the 2012 script and that script slaps
@@thenumbah1birdman Jesus it says that Godzilla is 600 feet tall
@@ClassicSam03 yes, and the MUTO male has 4 wings and an extra life stage
I always thought they killed him off too early. The way I would have done it is I would have him die at the airport. He would be on the monorail with Ford. He's angry knowing the creature that killed his wife and separated his family is out there. The Muto attacks the monorail and it is HERE where he suffers a fatal injury. On the ground and nearing death he looks on at the destruction being caused by the Muto and is then hit with a flurry of emotions. Anger. Regret. Fear. Then Godzilla appears. He's astonished and in awe of this titanic creature. He notices that Godzilla plans to confront and kill the Muto. and with this he smiles in his final moments knowing that in some way his wife's death will be avenged. By Godzilla.
But anyway still really love this movie. Can't wait to see GVK!!!
Team Godzilla!
This is how the flim should have a been a father and son story
This would have been so much stronger.
Excellent point, well argued. I think you nailed it, and it's a shame the actual producers missed this for whatever reason. Hindsight helps a lot here; what can be so obvious *after* you've made something can be maddeningly opaque *while* you're making it. But all credit to you for your re-imagining, which lets us all view in our minds the movie(s) that might have been.
Good job. I love the fact that you use the exposition and the way you explained it. I never really thought about Brian cranston being such a big role in that movie. I just came for godzilla because I'm a fan. Never seen breaking bad but I heard how you explained the theme of the first godzilla movie with Brian Cranston and I only thought isn't that the theme from the king of the monsters. But when you said how it would have tied to the russells I was impressive. Great job.
It's out! Glad I got to see a bit of this on the last stream. Also, kinda funny how you said you were going dark and then immediately posted a video ;)
Love this take man!
man im glad i stumbled on this channel...as a Gfan, and a Cranston fan.... this is what i was hoping for in 14 Godzilla
This was honestly a fantastic concept you had for this. Based on how you ended it then, I would be curious to see you do a sequel of how GvK would be different with Serizawa surviving into this one
Great video man, keep up the great work on this channel!
You did such a wonderful job on Brody’s story. This is what I wanted with the first film. And should have gotten.
I agree with everything you said, except for the part about Serizawa. They can't have a character named Serizawa without the heroic sacrifice. I'd be okay with everything if it went as you described, and they sacrificed Serizawa in Godzilla vs. Kong, but somehow, he needs his heroic death.
WOW... I TOTALLY agree with you assessment!!! It really baffles me how the director & writers missed out on what could of been.
Bold move sir, love the commentary. My thoughts since 2014 exactly. Watching echo-location come back into the narrative in 2019’s ‘King of the Monsters’ only further rubbed salt into that wound. “Coulda been Brody.”
I like this idea/format. There’s a ton of what if’s and theoretical rewrites I think you could do. Heck I do this myself on my own; recently I was visualising how if G:KOTM was split into two movies instead of the one we got perhaps both halves would then have time to breath and maybe, just maybe, there’d be a little more emotional meat added to them both.
Amazing idea.
Everything just feels more complete with this version of the story as i'm sure many people have stated in the replies lol.
But I do think that this if it was applied it could have helped elevate future Monsterverse movies. With good human stories that balance the monster side of things it could have sky rocketed.
The way humans are written and portrayed in all of these films are just sort of as filler for the kaiju fights and whilst thats not the worst thing it certainly detracts from its potential. But with this it could really strike a balance between both sides and give the audience another thing to come back to these films for.
All in all great video man, thanks for it!
Really well thought out updates. I agree with everything said.
I realise this is an old video but for the life of me I cannot fathom why Edwards and the writers thought it was a good idea to kill off Cranston's character given that his performance was beyond stellar. Honestly from the trailers I was under the impression that he was going to be the main character but instead we got Aaron Taylor Johnson's character whom, honestly is rather boring. Joe Brody really should've been the central human character along side Serizawa to the Monsterverse. It would've been really interesting to see him and Mark Russell interact too.
This was a very well thought out idea. I certainly would have preferred your version (the version everyone expected to be frank), but I still enjoyed it for what it was/is.
Brian: Serizawa, we have to cook
Yeah, they really missed the mark killing Bryan off and having Aaron Taylor-Johnson lead the rest of the film. Personally I feel like Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen did a better job being believable characters in their arc than the family in KOTM, but I felt themselves overshadowed by what Bryan Cranston brought until they killed his character.
And they say he’s bland. What do you expect from an emotionally stressed out soldier?
@@rickyrackey7930 Yeah, and an EOD to boot. He played his character well, but he didn't have anyone to bounce off of after they killed Bryan off. After that point we just see him mostly as the soldier role and a little bit as a father and husband but it sunk the whole father/son dynamic in the story which could have been really strong.
@@Noble_Duck828 Every Godzilla movie has it’s faults. I can’t wait for Godzilla vs Monke
@@rickyrackey7930 Yeah I know. I get to see it here in about two and a half hours.
According to director Gareth Edwards, Joe Brody dying early in the movie wasn’t always going to be the plan. In fact, there were drafts of the film where Joe survived. But according to Edwards, they just didn’t work because each one with him in it was too “silly”. Edwards claims that the tone of the movie with Joe and Ford working together would have felt too much like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Edwards also added that Joe Brody’s story was “done” after he provided the pieces of the puzzle needed to understand the mystery of these creatures. Joe would be like a “fifth wheel” if he remained in the company of the military characters.
Yu know, Now that I think about it, this idea you have for how Godzilla 2014 should have gone already exists. In Godzilla Kong Of the monsters.
Mark Russel feels like everything that Joe should have been, a central character with his child being another central aspect that explores a families grieving
Wasted potential describes the monsterverse perfectly.
I think had Joe Brody remained in Godzilla 2014, 98% of people's problems with the movie would go away. Bryan Cranston added a lot of pathos and drama to the film (and really elevated a lot of the material), and once his character died, all the film's sense of drama died with. I still enjoy the movie for what it is, but it's not what it could have been. Especially considering that Edwards was claiming that the movie was going to go back to the tone of the 1954 (which was more of a drama).
I wouldn't say 98% because another issue comparably big that keeps on being brought up is the lack of Godzilla screentime.
@@MrWhatdafuBOOM Yeah, but Godzilla's lack of screen time could have been made up for with a human story that was actually good.
@@canto1408 That's not what I'm saying. Bryan Cranston's early death wasn't 98% of problems people had with this movie. 40-60% seems more reasonable.
Absolutely spot on. Excellent essay.
This is an amazing adaptation! I would love to watch this. Honestly i only really go back to 2014 for the interesting monarch and titan scenes. But if it was like this i would probably go back to rewatch the whole thing often!
Dude ! Fantastic video as usual !
I never got over what they did to Cranston's character in Godzilla 2014. I too felt that killing him off was such a waste in potential.
This video is great because for years now I've been contemplating making a graphic novel version of the story if Cranston's character had lived.
I might get back to it since i'm inspired by this haha!
Love this! Having recently rewatched Godzilla '14 two things stuck out to me. 1. The film is absolutely gorgeous and superb from a technical standpoint. Edwards really captures the scale, and fear that comes with creatures of that size stomping through our cities. Returning a horror-esque tone to Godzilla (the Hawaii sequence, and the Halo jump being my favorite). 2. Cranston's death is even more frustrating and infuriating on rewatch. It's not just that the film was heavily marketed as a Cranston lead feature, but the fact that in the first act the movie puts so much effort into setting up his character and potential arc only to take him out completely.
Imagining what could have been is so bittersweet, but we can imagine a satisfying and GREAT film but it will always be beyond our reach.
I've heard that Gareth Edwards and Bryan Cranston said that killing off Joe was a mistake
According to director Gareth Edwards, Joe Brody dying early in the movie wasn’t always going to be the plan. In fact, there were drafts of the film where Joe survived. But according to Edwards, they just didn’t work because each one with him in it was too “silly”. Edwards claims that the tone of the movie with Joe and Ford working together would have felt too much like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Edwards also added that Joe Brody’s story was “done” after he provided the pieces of the puzzle needed to understand the mystery of these creatures. Joe would be like a “fifth wheel” if he remained in the company of the military characters.
really wished they didn't kill off bryan cranston's character, but thanks up from the depths, this is a really good scenario what if
I liked G2014 and I feel the same way, it definitely needed a few tweaks. I also love the ideas in your version, I feel it would have definitely been a improvement.
Certainly more compelling than the actual story. If this take were to carry over into GvK, we could have Madison and Serizawa track down Bernie and infiltrate APEX. From there, we could have Maddie talk about how she and her dad are getting along and that can make Serizawa think about his relationship with his son - which would then accumulate to Serizawa horrified to see his son working with APEX and piloting Mechagodzilla from within Ghidorah's skull.
Fans wants interesting human characters
legendary : yeah right
This is the best video I've ever seen. I had tears. I love Godzilla 2014, but if this version of the story was in the film, I'd have been more proud. What a missed opportunity
I really love this movie, but i will admit that Cranstons character was kind of wasted. But i think these are really good ideas and i would have really liked to see them in the movie.
Cranston was the reason why I watched this movie, I thought his character deserved much better
Wow... I really liked this idea.
Although I do wonder what would Joe Brody have done in GvK?
I believe I mentioned in your video on Godzilla 2014, that Ford has his own arc going on and this video kinda makes me realize that this would have been quite an easy change to make. It doesn’t change much about what was going on in the movie and splitting them up might in a vacuum seem like a bad idea, splitting this movie up into 2 plotlines, but it’s already that way. Keeping Bryan Cranston’s character alive and with Serizawa just adds a lot more flavour to the blandest part of the film and anchors it into something already emotional, whereupon Bryan Cranston can add to and in a sense usurp the general’s role as someone to bounce off Serizawa.
As it stands, the core flaw with killing off Bryan Cranston is not because you’re wasting his talent or anything, it’s because the introduction to the Ford family that gets you to care about them is anchored in his character Joe and yet slowly the film goes through a lot of effort to shift as much of that investment a possible over to his son Ford before killing Joe off in a way that doesn’t really pay that off, and by shifting I don’t mean that it’s some magical transferal of emotional investment, I mean that the movie gets you to care about Joe and then uses that as a staging point to introduce Ford and separately make you care about him and his family. It’s wasted effort, the movie takes a step forward with Joe, then takes another step forward with Ford and then just takes a step back by killing Joe and leaving you with half your emotional investment left. Now killing a character off doesn’t inherently mean you’re erasing their impact on the film or the emotion you’ve built in it, you can actually have that investment carry over posthumously if the character’s death directly drives the actions of another character you care about. For example, if Ford were obsessed with the monsters instead to the detriment of his family life and Joe’s death resulted in him reassessing his priorities that would have been an example of making Joe’s death actually serve a crucial function and not waste the emotional investment built with him, but I’m not suggesting the movie should have done that, it shouldn’t have, I’m just using it as an example of the way a character death that comes without inherent catharsis can be effective. I like the way you describe taking Joe’s arc to its natural conclusion, how his central conflict is blaming himself for his wife’s death and Godzilla’s role in the story beyond just plot and allegories is to help Joe accept that it was beyond his control and he shouldn’t blame himself, which would serve as a catalyst for him eventually returning to his own family, his daughter-in-law and grandson and so the Brody family would have a complete story. Great video!
EDIT: I also like the idea of Serizawa surviving King of the Monsters, because that would have left potential for him to have interesting interactions with his son Ren, who was the biggest throwaway character of Godzilla vs Kong and could have helped actually develop the theme of humanity (Apex) wanting to usurp Godzilla’s status as the dominant species on earth out of fear, building on that line from the end of King of the Monsters about Godzilla possibly only temporarily being on humanity’s side. Again I have to say, great video! What especially draws me in about this concept is the fact that you wouldn’t have to change much structurally in the plot to make these changes happen in 2014 and KOTM.
Fuck, this works too well and now I'm annoyed this didn't happen
I dont know... "Brody's got that lizard juiced!" Doesn't have the same ring to it
i just finished watching gvk, it was fantastic i cant wait for the review
Serizawa and Joe working together and gaining each others respect throughout the movie would've been extremely interesting. They both start on rocky terms but Joe begins to respect Serizawa and Serizawa begins to further value Joe's inputs as earlier he predicted the muto's way of communicating.
also they couldve killed joe in the sequel to heal godzilla instead of serizawa as a way to conclude his arc of feeling fulfilled from his work knowing everyone respected him and that he now join his wife in order to help Godzilla. Kind of a full circle where tragedy starts his arc to then conclude with his acceptance and on good terms with the titans.
I agree with your thoughts about his death. His demise was quite jarring to me as well. I like your alternate plot better than what was shown.
I like these ideas a lot
Love your channel
KOTM rewrite next? 😳😳
Doesnt need one
Alex SciChannel oh it absolutely does. What an awful script with unlikable characters.
@@commonlogic7632 I disagree but whatever
@@AlexSciChannel it really could use one if you ask me, easily the stinkiest of the MV movies
@@bewarethemattman i disagree
This explanation video makes the 2014 film a lot better than the actual film in major points as it does more for not only Joe's character but the character of those around him.
I love this potential movies, well done! I did not care for the Russells and wanted to see the Brodys again but that's personal 🤷🏾♀️.
This video genuinely frustrates me because the ideas for G14 and KOTM you have here are just so damn good. I really wish we lived in a timeline where the ideas in this video came true and we got better movies.
I agree with almost all your suggested recommendations, with one addition. A couple of minor faceless characters propose using a bomb to bait the monsters; IMO it would be more effective if Joe makes that suggestion, out of grief and desire for vengeance. That would add poignancy to when Ford returns to join the mission to stop the wayward bomb, being put in danger by Joe's own idea.
"This is not a scene for scene rewrite." Quick! Someone call Nando v. Movies!
So glad you covered this, I've been thinking about the same thing since 2014, I'm actually quite pleased your take on it is so similar to my own. I completely agree that not being able to watch Brody and Serazawa bounce ideas off each other on how to deal with the MUTOs and then letting Joe have his perspective shift in an organic way are the great missed opportunities of the film by having Joe killed.
I'm also in agreement concerning _King of the Monsters_ with the exception that I'd still have Serazawa deliver the bomb to revive Godzilla, with Brody taking over as Director of Monarch (or whatever the official title is). I justify this choice by having Brody's injury from the first film linger as his needing a cane, so he's effectively benched from lugging a nuclear warhead into the ancient ruins. There's also a thematic handoff, the Old Guard of Serazawa who always believed in Godzilla, leaving the future to Brody, the convert, and Russel, the reformed apostate.
That aside, I think the real gem of having Brody survive to _King of the Monsters_ is in that quiet moment when Russel and Serazawa have a chat over a conference table. Replacing Serazawa with Brody means that it's not Serazawa convincing Russel of his perspective, but a moment between two men who have been through nearly the same thing, a shared bond from Titan-induced grief, just from two different stages on the journey. Brody's already put his grief to rest, it's still fresh for Russel, but Brody is a living example of moving beyond the grief, even if it took him a couple of decades longer than Russel. I think that moment of powerful connection between them serves as a better way for Russel to set his own grief and hate aside.