The Godzilla Thread

[Zandrax]

Darn no highspeed.

Damn you Hughesnet!

Any way i am really looking forward to this.

I no nothing about Godzilla so this is going to be very interesting.

Glad people are enjoying the reviews.

What is holding up those two movies any way?

I will see if I can get a hold of them via and program that lets me download content off of a certain site.

I don't know the real story, but i would imagine it was a rights issue. Not sure if Toho has rights to Return Of Godzilla/Godzilla 1985 or Biollante in the States.

[Doctor Who?]

Well thanks for posting such interesting reviews that I have decided to try them.

One thing I know going in I can't imagine any Godzilla movie being as bad as the 1998 one.

[Bob]

Well thanks for posting such interesting reviews that I have decided to try them.

One thing I know going in I can't imagine any Godzilla movie being as bad as the 1998 one.

I thought that was a baby t-rex movie.........   

[Zandrax]

Well thanks for posting such interesting reviews that I have decided to try them.

One thing I know going in I can't imagine any Godzilla movie being as bad as the 1998 one.

I thought that was a baby t-rex movie.........   

I called it Iguanasaurus before I heard the name "Gino" (Godzilla In Name Only).

[gojikranz]

i think the holdup on 1985 and biollante is lethargy on the people who own the rights.  i think hbo has biollante and i guess they cant be bothered with some silly monster movie.  i remember Anchor bay holding a poll on which heisei godzilla film they would purchase and release a nice special edition dvd with both japanese and english versions and of coure godzilla 1985 won by a landslide but then they werent able to get the rights from whoever actually owns them.  ill hold out hope that classic media someday picks them up.

megalon is just a giant snafu and noone knows who owns it.  there are some crappy dvds of it around though but probably none are legal.

[Doctor Who?]

That's too bad.

I guess the only hope is that some day they will lapse into the public domain.

If no one know who own Meglon how come MST3K was able to put out a DvD?

[gbeenie]

Well thanks for posting such interesting reviews that I have decided to try them.

One thing I know going in I can't imagine any Godzilla movie being as bad as the 1998 one.

I thought that was a baby t-rex movie.........   

I called it Iguanasaurus before I heard the name "Gino" (Godzilla In Name Only).

I prefer Fraudzilla.

[gojikranz]

That's too bad.

I guess the only hope is that some day they will lapse into the public domain.

If no one know who own Meglon how come MST3K was able to put out a DvD?

thts why it went oop immeditely

[Zandrax]

i think the holdup on 1985 and biollante is lethargy on the people who own the rights.  i think hbo has biollante and i guess they cant be bothered with some silly monster movie.  i remember Anchor bay holding a poll on which heisei godzilla film they would purchase and release a nice special edition dvd with both japanese and english versions and of coure godzilla 1985 won by a landslide but then they werent able to get the rights from whoever actually owns them.  ill hold out hope that classic media someday picks them up.

megalon is just a giant snafu and noone knows who owns it.  there are some crappy dvds of it around though but probably none are legal.

Wan't 1985 originally released by New World, which went out of business in the 90s?

[Zandrax]

Just might be the best of the Heisei series. Good effects, and a great story that is not only a sequel to the previous movies, but a sequel to the original 1954 Godzilla film

After the events of Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla the whereabouts of Baby are unknown. Kenichi Yamane is a brilliant young mind who has flunked out of all his physics tests. He quite possibly knows Godzilla better than anybody. Why? Well just look at his last name. He is the adopted grandson of Dr. Yamane from the original film. The story goes that Dr. Yamane adopted a son whose entire family was killed in a Godzilla tantrum (an attack depicted fairly early in the original film), and Kenichi (Ken) is his son. This also makes him the nephew of Emiko Yamane, who was engaged to Dr. "Eyepatch" Serizawa (thus we are delighted with a few flashback sequences with the great Akihiko Hirata).

Ken agrees to be a part of the new G Project, noting that he believes Godzilla's nuclear physiology is increasing... eventually causing an organic nuclear meltdown greater than any nuclear holocaust. He is quickly proven correct, as Godzilla appears with glowing red veins and eyes, and with red glowing spots on his skin. The water also boils vehemently wherever he is underwater. Ken comes to the conclusion that the only way to safely kill Godzilla is to use another Oxygen Destroyer. While the exact plans died with Dr. Serizawa, another scientist has come to very similar discoveries.


This Godzilla doubles as a discotheque... if you don't mind 2000 degree radioactivity...

However, things are not that simple. A sample of terrain from the death of the original Godzilla in 1954 yields a frightening result... The Oxygen Destroyer somehow resurrected and mutated Pre-Cambrian era critters, and they are now evolving and growing at an alarming rate. Soon there are a dozen crab-like critters running around causing havoc. They eventually combine into a huger "Destroyer".

Fortunately, Baby (now called Junior) surfaces, roughly about half the size of Godzilla, and looking much like his dad. It is hypothesized that Junior must have absorbed some radiation during the death of SpaceGodzilla, thus growing and mutating. The JSDF use Miki's fading psychic powers to try to lure Junior into the path of Destroyah. They believe that where Junior goes, Godzilla will follow, and since Destroyah was born out of what killed Godzilla the first time, it's their best hope against the death of Earth when G goes meltdown.

Destroyah absolutely decimates Junior, and the climactic struggle with Destroyah causes G's already irradiated temperature to rise. Godzilla starts a massive push on Destroyah, with his nonstop red breath blasting as he closes in to physical striking distance. As Destroyah tries to fly off (smart enough to realize when he's outmatched) the Super-X III hits him with superfreeze weapons meant for Godzilla. This weighs Destroyah down, and he falls to his death in a big mushroom cloud.

The final moments of the movie are some of the best directed moments in all of Giant Monsterdom. Godzilla hits meltdown status, as humans try desperately to minimize the damage by swarming him with supercooled liquid. In one of the finest effects shots in any Godzilla film, Godzilla's heart explodes and he literally melts away screaming...



Miki is in tears, having witnessed the death of both Junior and Godzilla. The immeasurable radioactivity that would have left Tokyo uninhabitable for centuries suddenly dissipates...

...and rising from the ashes is Godzilla. More specifically, Junior. He had absorbed the nuclear meltdown radioactivity from his father, and has now taken his father's place.

This one also earns a solid 7.5, maybe an 8. The tie in to the original 1954 film was very well done, and as I said Godzilla's death is a pretty cool effects shot in any genre. This film was meant to be the final Godzilla movie for a decade, and be a springboard into the American Godzilla film, so Americans could have a clean slate as far as continuity goes. Of course, we all know how that went. The American Godzilla (or GINO, Godzilla In Name Only) was pretty much a flop internationally, and Toho was back to producing 'Zilla films in 1999.

Another awesome point is the actress who played Emiko in the original 1954 Gojira returns in a cameo, warning Ken of the dangers of an Oxygen Destroyer.

Lasts
-film of the Heisei series
-appearance of the Heisei Godzilla
-appearance of Miki

Only
-appearance of Destroyah

[gojikranz]

godzilla vs destroyah is without a doubt in my mind the best heisei film probably the best post 70's film as well.  the effects are really quite good throughout and your right i think the final scene is the best realized scene in all godzilla.  amazing musical score as well by ifukube his last of the series though of course his themes will pop up.  the new godzilla suit is pretty cool and of course we have  juniour so its like we get to godzilla's in one.  the final form of destroyah is a bit ponderous but i think it is pulled of well enough.  beyond that i think the film suceeds emotionally as well i know i was pretty moved by the finale i know its hard for people to set aside their preconceived notions of these films but i think this one can do it for you.  9.5 of 10


bring on the pain.

[Zandrax]

For those antsy to see, the Death Of Godzilla from Destroyah can be seen online. I don't hink I can link directly cuz rules... but you can find it by searching for "Godzilla Meltdown".

Anyways...

Godzilla (1998)



Bad.

[MSTJedi]

Godzilla (1998)

Spoiler

Bad.

'Nuff said.

[Zandrax]

I'm not going to deprive you guys from at least one serious review a day. Now that GINO is wout of the way (heh heh...)

Godzilla 2000 (2000)



Actually a lot better than I thought, since it's been a few years since I've seen it.

No outright ignorance or acknowledgment of previous films are given here, so if one wishes, one could conclude that this is the "Junior" Godzilla that closed out Godzilla vs. Destroyah. But again, it is not specifically stated.

The movie opens with a Godzilla rampage similar to the original 1954 film. Godzilla is barging through some less civilized areas, with the camera only showing parts of him at a time. GPN (Godzilla Prediction Network) head Shinoda and photographer Yuki ar on the scene. Shinoda is more interested in study, while Yuki is trying for pictures. They have a few brushes with death before Godzilla once again meets the JDSF. The JSDF is having their usual bad luck with Godzilla when a meteorite flies out of the ocean and begins combatting Godzilla.

The two knock each other over, with the meteorite haveing part of its rocky exterior blown of... revealing the nose of a sleek looking spaceship underneath.

Shinoda continues his studies, stumbling across some Godzilla cells, naming the regenerative ability "Regenerator G1". The CCI, headed by the villainous Katagiri (who you can tell is evil because he has a wooden smirk on his face throughout the whole movie), try to contain the meteor/spaceship, but it breaks free, perching atop a tall building and hacking the city's entire computer database and networks.

Eventually, Godzilla shows up for the showdow, and the ship uses its newfound Regenerator G1 abilities to create a giant monster (Orga). The battle ends when Orga literally tries to swallow most Godzilla, presumably to tap into his DNA to make a clone. Godzilla, still half swallowed, uses his breath to blow away Orga from the inside. G stops to pose for the ethical moral of the film (Godzilla may be inside all of us after all) and then rampages out of the city.


Easily the best Godzilla suit yet. I love the giant spikes.

This one gets a 6.5. The suit is great, and some decent efects shots throughout. The story is not the best, but hey it's a Godzilla film. Just give me some smashin' and a giant monster fight and I'm usually happy. The main disappointment is the climactic fight between Godzilla and Orga just doesn't feel climactic. It's slow as molasses sometimes, and even the obligatory "main characters watching from afar" seemed forced. But it was nonetheless enjoyable, and a worthy addition to anybody's G Collection.

A few notes on the Japanese version. First off, it is explained in more detail that the ship is a race of aliens now trying to take over the world. They even broadcast a message saying so. Shinoda somehow magically knowing their intent just seemed a bit campy.

Second, there are some digs at the American Godzilla (or Gino). Early in the film, the infamous "giant eye" shot is parodied, and there is a scene making mention of Gino. Something to the effect of somebody saying "I thought Godzilla had started attacking America." "No the Americans just thought it was Godzilla." Hilarious if you're a G fan.

One more thing concerning continuity. Near the beginning of the film in the Japanese version, Shinoda states that "This Godzilla seems to target large energy supplies". I forget if that is the exact sentence, but I specifically remember seeing "This Godzilla..." in the subtitles. This seems to imply that there have been other Godzillas, perhaps multiple.

The voice acting is actually pretty good, and it's obvious the campy dialogue was intentional ("Great Caesar's Ghost!"). Toho allegedly was cool with all these adjustments because they know the reputation Godzilla has in the States. It sounds like the same voice actor (Francois Chau, whom I love in the Wing Commander games) voices both Shinoda and Katagiri, but I'm not sure. No specific voice cast is given.

Firsts
-film of the Millenium Era
-film to use some true all-CGI shots for Godzilla (swimming scenes)

Lasts
-Godzilla film to be released theatrically in the States.

[MSTJedi]

I also will always remember Francois Chou as Vagabond from the Wing Commander games.

I agree that this Godzilla look is the best. The crazy spikes and more badass look are great.