Godzilla (Widescreen)

 

 

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This movie's biggest problem is its title. I can't imagine how much money it took for Toho to permit American filmmakers to completely reinvent Godzilla in such an appalling way. As a Godzilla purist, I have to say that the monster in this film is a CGI imposter who has little if nothing to do with the real thing. Godzilla does not have remarkably svelte, feminine legs and he most certainly does not lay eggs - even the son of Godzilla was adopted. I was willing to play along with Toho in 1985 and pretend that all of the Godzilla sequels up to that point never really existed, but I'm not going to accept this Americanized monster as Godzilla. It would have been much better (and probably much cheaper) just to call this thing Reptilosaurus or Freakin' Huge Monster or The Monster That Ate New York - anything but Godzilla.

All my Godzilla issues aside, this really isn't that bad of a movie. This was intended to be a "popcorn" movie, a summer action blockbuster that sought merely to entertain - and I did find it entertaining. Heck, I even liked the French guy, and that almost never happens. Of course, it was the French who got New York into this mess with their atomic tests, but here they actually recognize that a problem exists and do something to rectify the situation - that, even more than the CGI Godzilla's wake of destruction - is how you know this is pure fiction. Matthew Broderick carries the film pretty well as "the worm guy," and that Maria Pitillo is just cute as a button. Harry Shearer's rather needless role as the smarmy local news anchor is interesting only because of the Simpsons connection (apparently, his real voice is that of Principal Skinner). Hank Azaria, who can be annoying at times, adds some great comedy to the film, which prevents him from being completely overshadowed by the mysterious French agent Philippe (Jean Reno).

There's plenty of action - there's no denying that fact. What Godzilla doesn't tear up himself, the military destroys in the process of trying to kill the world's biggest illegal alien. Bombs, explosions, tanks, rifles, missiles by land, sea, and air - they're all here in droves. Then, of course you have the whole siege of Madison Square Garden by untold numbers of baby monsters. And then, just when you think the credits are about to roll, the biggest chase scene of the whole movie takes place. None of it is remotely plausible, but it's not supposed to be. For some, such as me, the film is ultimately rather sad. Here's this monster created by radiation, and all he wants is to raise a family - and then he has to watch his whole world fall apart and ultimately fail.

There is a bit of the oddball in this film. I am still trying to figure what the heck the deal was with the Siskert and Ebert parody (Mayor Ebert and his assistant Gene). Where in the world did this come from? Did someone actually think this would be funny? It's really just extremely silly, and it does the film no good whatsoever. You can also add some really stupid lines of dialogue to the movie's faults -New Yorkers arguing over driving directions while the monster is breathing down their tail, the "That's a lot of fish" throwaway line, etc. The movie is also pretty long - many will find it too long, but I rarely mind getting extra minutes for my money. Ultimately, though, this film relies far too much on special effects; give me the guy in the big rubber suit any old day. Notwithstanding this, however, the film does what it sets out to do, and it succeeds rather well at meeting its less than lofty goals; first and foremost, this is, after all, nothing more than a "popcorn" movie.

Whether or not you perceive him as a hero or villain, there's no doubt that Godzilla has become a global name. The old Godzilla movies have always been known for their outlandish storylines, cheesy special effects, fake costumes and sets, and overall lack of realism. But in the end, they were still surprisingly entertaining. Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich try to achieve that same notion with their own version of the monster. The 'campy but fun' formula worked well with the old Godzilla, but it fails miserably with this one. The old Godzilla movies may have been cheesy, but at least they aspired to be good, fun and charming. They weren't shallow and soulless and all were made with a technique that worked. You can tell the filmmakers tried. Too bad it's not the same case here.

It's difficult to watch this movie and not compare it to the original Toho creation. The Toho Godzilla movies featured gibberish plots and obviously fake laughable production, but at least they didn't insult your intelligence. This Godzilla film showcases absolutely no hint of logic, especially regarding the size of the creature. We can see Godzilla towering over New York's tallest skyscrapers yet it can fit in the subway tunnels and evenly distribute eggs inside Madison Square Garden. As usual, the military is always determined to destroy a monster in a monster movie, but here they are made to look like a bunch of bumbling idiots, always being outwitted and losing track of a creature that size in Manhattan. Godzilla has the ability to breathe fire, yet he doesn't even use it. The characters serve no purpose here except to witness Godzilla get assaulted and killed. It's one ridiculous action scene after another. To top it all off, the soundtrack of the movie has Puff Daddy butchering the riff of Led Zeppelin's 'Kashmir'.

It's not common for many movies to deserve one star. Godzilla is one of those movies. There's nothing wrong with creating a Godzilla movie or any cheesy monster flick, it just has to be executed correctly. The Japanese makers of Godzilla make Devlin and Emmerich look like amateurs. There is no heart to this film whatsoever, a ploy to cash in on an already infamous hero to many. A lizard arrives in a city, is angered and attacked by humans and dies. Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich prove once again that they are two of the worst filmmakers in history. They take cult classic genres and turn them into mainstream abominations enhanced with action-oriented special effects. Independence Day was a disgrace to sci-fi alien invasion movies and now this. The original 1954 Godzilla and Godzilla 1985 were no masterpieces, but they were still far more entertaining than this one. Look past the dull action scenes and special effects, and the rest of the movie's attributes wear thin quickly (like most of Devlin and Emmerich's work). This is a bad movie, but most of all, it's empty and downright forgettable.

The one important thing that the producers of GODZILLA failed to address in the film is that Godzilla is supposed to be a force of nature. The original and all the other japanese versions always addressed that fact and all involved in this American version completely missed the point. These were the makers of ID4 who went all out to destroy the world. Instead of destroying New York City, Godzilla is basically running loose like an unchained dog. The premise is set up well, if not predictably, with just a slight hint of anti-nuclear message. Also, all the characters are conventional from Matthew Broderick's scientist Dr. Niko Tatopoulos (many thought he was miscast), to Jean Reno as the French Gov Agent (who thinks he can pass as an American by chewing some gum). There is the lame sub-plot of news reporter Audrey Timmonds (Maria Pitillo), being the ex-girlfriend of Tatopoulos/Broderick for sake of a love story. The humor does not fit in with the subject matter (i.e. what's the idea of having characters who look and have the names of Siskel and Ebert doing in the film?). The CGI is seamless a'la JURASSIC PARK (as all the baby Godzilla's look and act like 'raptors')but the creature itself (Godzilla) has no personality whatsoever. Overall, a forgettable movie with high production values and a decent cast, but in its final execution, fails miserably. Somehow the original movies with the guys in the rubber suits don't seem as bad.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Roland Emmerich and co. redeem themselves after independence day
i really enjoyed this movie.the filmmakers took an old premise and
added a new twist:Godzilla in Manhattan.in this movie,Godzilla looks
very realistic. Read more

Published on Nov 16 2007 by falcon

4.0 out of 5 stars For Lisa...
Yes, there are... different menus and a behind the scenes featurette. I also believe there is commentary and some trailers. Read more

Published on April 21 2006 by RICK

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the original but still good.
If you are looking for the original Godzilla, this is not it. But if you want a fun, entertaining film than you will like this. Read more

Published on Mar 29 2006 by Lisa M. Hill

2.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the original Toho creation...
Well, it is a good monster movie, all things considered, but the problem was, right after viewing this, I put in a Toho G-movie, and was just, disappointed! Read more

Published on Aug 2 2005 by RICK

2.0 out of 5 stars Not bad for people who aren't into original Godzilla movies
I'm a fanatic of the original Kaiju flicks, inclunding the first period of Godzilla era(1954-1975). So as the header implies, i didn't like this movie. Read more

Published on July 10 2004 by ANA G NTILIA

5.0 out of 5 stars Short review/other stuff
Short review:I really liked this movie! IMO, this Godzilla looks better than the japanese Godzilla!

(...)

Published on July 9 2004 by Pete

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Bother
Awful and a waste of money.
Some things should never be remade.
Did these guys ever watch a true Godzilla flick?

Published on Jun 22 2004 by William C. Lutz

1.0 out of 5 stars Worst movie ever!!!!!!!!!!
This movie is so awful!!Go see the original Godzilla films instead!!The Godzilla on this movie is soooooooo verrry pathetic I mean he gets killed by helicopters!! Read more

Published on Jun 14 2004 by Tim

1.0 out of 5 stars dont bother
this looks like a jurassic park movie instead of a godzilla movie. this movie fails miserably its got good special effects, bad acting, terrible leading performances, and is way... Read more

Published on Jun 4 2004 by E. FASS

3.0 out of 5 stars GODZILLA is on vacation and anothor one takes place
I did not like this verison Godzilla is so weak!!! He cries and yells in pain with 1 bullit he gets killed in 4 rocket launchers. Read more

Published on May 31 2004

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