MovieChat Forums > Gojira vs. Kingu Gidorâ (1991) Discussion > Why are these movies so ridiculous?

Why are these movies so ridiculous?

posted 12 years ago by YouKnowMyName68
3 replies | jump to latest

....the only Japanese movie I've seen that seems to not be unintentionally funny is the original Godzilla, the first one, and many decades later, this science fiction time travel/action movie called The Returner.

They seem to do very well with animation, very well, indeed, but live action in the same genre? Forget it. They're horrendous.

Even the new live action Gatchaman, I saw the trailers, and there are unintentionally funny aspects about it.

Don't misunderstand me, I want something done well, from the acting to the special effects from the Japanese, but they seem to get awfully amateurish or, I just don't know why it is.

"You know, my name..."

[–] FinalFight 12 years ago

I agree, I can't quite put my finger on it but a lot of the live action Japanese films in the scifi/fantasy genre don't come off too well on screen. In my case I might be spoiled by big budget American films while Japanese films in the genre don't have as much money pumped into them for special effects.

[–] Duncan_Idaho02 11 years ago

Watch enough Japanese film and you will see that it is a culture thing. They are what they are. Watch some Japanese tv programs and you will see this. I enjoy it. I know what I can expect, in general, when I watch Japanese programs. To be honest, I would miss it if it were not so.

[–] x1nd0lent 11 years ago

I usually prefer Japanese sci-fi movies. But I do not think it is fair to lump them all together - just like anywhere else, some are great, some are lame.

The acting I think is generally better in Japanese. They seem to strive for a dramatic effect which is earnest and realistic, as opposed to Hollywood techniques of trying to be casual and look good.

As for effects and production style, I tend to like them for what they are. The Hollywood style of trying to make everything photo-realistic has never appealed to me. If I want "real", I'll look out the window. I prefer the look to be a bit stylized and serve the story, rather than trick me into thinking it isn't a movie.

FWIW, my favorite sci-fi and fantasy movies and television are usually from the UK, Russia/Soviet Union, and Japan. Although I do like a lot of US production also, these are usually more the independent ones rather than Hollywood.