So I just got home from watching Shin Godzilla (also known as Godzilla Resurgence). The film came to my radar maybe a month or two ago, when one of my friends mentioned it. It’s directed by Hideaki Anno, one of his most favourite directors, so he was pretty excited for it. Having seen already one of Anno’s most popular works, Neon Genesis Evangelion, before, my interest in Shin Godzilla became pretty high. This guy knows how to do giant monsters/creatures and the people behind them and feeling their gigantic footsteps, I thought. I was pretty hyped when I entered the cinema and I left feeling satisfied.

Well, technically I left in the middle of the movie with the urge to pee then went back in feeling a different kind of satisfaction, but that’s beside the point.

Full disclosure, I have not seen a Godzilla movie before. Not even the American 2014 film. Even so, I loved the film. I don’t think it needs any prior knowledge to enjoy. From what I heard, Shin Godzilla will start a whole new timeline, so now is a great time to get into the iconic reptilian creature of mass destruction.

Shin Godzilla was about the people responding to and trying to stop a national calamity, just as much as it was about a giant lizard destroying everything in its path, and I really really loved that. I was engaged with the Japanese government trying to figure out just what Godzilla is and figuring out their options as to what to do with it, which was most of the film, really. It was like I could feel the terror and dread along with them as a seemingly invincible creature terrorizes cities.

The giant monster part of the movie was great, too. It took a bit of getting used to because Godzilla looked kinda goofy at first, but later on in the movie it becomes a formidable, terrifying force. All the more so in this one scene which I won’t mention because spoilers. I think you’ll know what scene it is when you see it. It was jaw dropping. The destruction, the explosions, the film just looked great overall.

Now, if you were wondering if you should go and watch Shin Godzilla, I’m gonna have to say yes. If you are remotely interested, yes, definitely watch it. I was really impressed by the film, even though I already had high expectations of it. It’s a great movie.

The video I’ve been working on for the past week isn’t going to be finished any time soon, so I thought I’d do a shorter, easier-to-do topic for now. Today, I want to talk about our enjoyment of entertainment media.

I’ve thought about doing this because of the recent (maybe not so recent anymore) controversy around the superhero movie “Suicide Squad”. The movie wasn’t very well received by critics. Because of this, angry fans of the movie put up a petition to take down Rotten Tomatoes or something.

Sometimes it seems to me that people have forgotten that other people are allowed to have opinions of their own.

Personally, Suicide Squad is not really in my watching priority list. If I do get an opportunity to watch the film, I would. But it’s not something I’ll go out of my way to see.

I understand that there are people out there who might like the Suicide Squad, just as there are also people who might not. And you know what, that’s perfectly okay. What might appeal to a certain kind of taste might not be the same to another. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

What others think shouldn’t affect how you enjoy shows and movies. It’s your enjoyment, not theirs. That said, we should still be open minded about other people’s tastes. Just because you think something is good doesn’t mean it can’t be bad in someone else’s eyes. Just because a show or movie has a large, passionate fanbase doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be criticized.

For example, let’s take one of my most favourite shows, Clannad. This show is famous in the anime community for its deadly dose of the “anime feels”. The last 1/4ths of the show was heart-crushingly emotional. Just the development of the main character over the course of the show alone makes the show very worth it to watch, in my opinion. But I won’t deny that it has its share of problems and I won’t hold it against other people if they don’t like it as much as I do.

I also have guilty pleasures that I admit are pretty bad, but still I enjoyed watching. It is possible to enjoy something and still accept its flaws and shortcomings.

This applies to every kind of entertainment out there, by the way. Unless your idea of entertainment involves hurting other human beings, that is.

Some of my favourite topics to talk about with my friends are about shows, movies, games and what not. We would talk about what we experienced from them. About what’s really good about them, or maybe what’s lacking about them. If it’s worth spending time on or not. Even though we might not always agree, it makes for great conversation.

I guess what I want to say with this is just go enjoy the things you enjoy. But don’t ruin the fun for everyone else.