Review of Godzilla (1998) by Christopher H — 15 May 2014

Not nearly as bad as it was made out to be, "Godzilla" was just made before its time. Had Roland Emmerich waited until CGI had come along to the point of Peter Jackson's "King Kong", people's interpretation of the film would have been much more accepting.

However, the CGI and effects in the film are often hit-or-miss, with the poorly rendered portions completely taking you out of the film in the worst of ways. However, for every few bad sequences, there are some truly stunning feats, many including Godzilla stomping around New York, and just getting glimpses of his feet.

Emmerich creates an epic level to the film, with his rainy New York streets and darkness surrounding the monster throughout the film. The acting is often dismal, however seeing Hank Azaria actually get to act is by far a saving grace to the film.

Normally not a huge fan of Matthew Broderick, the casting of him and the nerd that he plays is memorable and helps keep this film from being an action fest. Apart from those two performances, the rest are completely forgettable.

Had the film stuck to the one Godzilla, wrecking havoc, the film would have been unstoppable. But as soon as we introduce eggs and hundreds of little Godzillas, the film starts to fold in on itself. For being only 98 minutes, the film often drags and becomes one chase scene after another.

With such potential, it's always hard to watch these films come and go, but to be completely fair, this film dabbles in a lot of the right areas, but never quite catches on completely.