Godzilla


Animal: "What do we do now?""
Roache: "Running would be a good idea."


release year: 1998
genre: Godzilla (Hollywood version)
viewing setting: home DVD, 8/10/19 and theater 5/22/98 and 5/19/98

synopsis: In this American/Hollywood re-imagining, a giant monster makes its way to New York City to destroy buildings and also build a nest for its young.

impressions:  This one was American and didn't belong to any Toho era like all previous Godzilla movies. I thought about ignoring it and not re-watching or reviewing it (it had been over twenty years) but if I did that on the basis of it sucking, that wouldn't be right since some of the older ones sucked too...and if I didn't review it on the basis of it being American, I'd have to ignore the 2014 and 2019 films, which I didn't want to do. So here we are.

This was a passable film but didn't always look or feel like a Godzilla movie, both because of the focus on Jurassic Park type small monsters and also because this Godzilla just didn't look right. That's all I'm going to say about that. Some noteworthy elements from this film: a big tanker under attack...veteran bit-role actor Al Leong !!!...a giant footprint for evidence that something bad is going on...the World Trade Center before 9/11...visual proof that this monster is BIG...Godzilla trashing New York City...the world's goofiest cameraman...another good shot of the World Trade Center...an awful lot of destruction...yet another shot of the World Trade Center (sorry, but I loved that place)...perhaps the worst-looking Godzilla ever...the U.S. Army blows the top off of the Chrysler Building...the main hero runs into his ex...and she's a stealing, stupid ex at that...Godzilla is asexual and will be laying eggs...it turns out that the French have their own agenda...the U.S. Navy blows up their own submarine...Godzilla appears to be dead after a couple of torpedo hits?!?...Madison Square Garden is filled with Godzilla eggs...and they're big...and they're hatching into, basically, raptors...dozens of them...and they kill some French soldiers...and then on the third floor, they get into the popcorn...the humans slow them down with basketballs and gumballs...the U.S. military blows up Madison Square Garden...in an anticlimactic twist that no one didn't see coming, Godzilla's not really dead...unclear nature of Godzilla breath...Godzilla gets tricked into becoming entangled in suspension bridge cables...and is killed for real by a few missiles?!?...deep in the ruins of Madison Square Garden, there's one last egg.

bonus! my original review from 1998

number in Godzilla series: 23

previous Godzilla movie in series: Godzilla vs Space Godzilla

next Godzilla movie in series: Godzilla 2000

other giant monsters appearing in this one: none (although there are dozens of Godzilla babies running around at one point)

total giant monster battle time: n/a

acting: Main characters: Nick the likeable animal scientist (played well by Matthew Broderick)...the conniving Frenchman (played by Jean Reno)...the goofy cameraman (played by Hank Azaria)...these were the only standouts.

final word: It's not a bad movie in and of itself, but it's a bad Godzilla movie. If you love the Toho ones, you might want to skip this one.

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