Review of Godzilla (1998) by Philip Z — 20 Nov 2011

This extremely stupid monster movie has nothing in common with the legendary Toho series aside from its name, in fact, it would make a lot more sense if this were a remake of the 1953 B-movie classic, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.

The story in this film is very similar to that black & white, stop-motion cheese-fest. When I first encountered the film in 1998 as a teenager, I hated it. I expected more action, more destruction, more suspense, and less time with the human characters.

My vehement disregard for the film has tempered a bit with age and today I regard the film as a slight amusement with nifty special effects and a few fun set-pieces. Sure, I can still spot the moments that are ripped from better films, and the human characters are just so stupid that they fail to win my sympathy, they're all better off as lizard food as far as I'm concerned.

The best thing about the film is David Arnold's majestic film score as it works so well that it manages to be a joyous listening experience divorced from the film. On the whole, Godzilla is a disappointment to anyone who is a fan of the Toho series, but for anyone who is in the mood for a silly monster movie with souped up effects, it's a mildly enjoyable diversion.