Review of Godzilla (1998) by Gojira63 — 12 Jun 2013

The American Godzilla movie seems to be a very divisive film. There is no middle ground, some either like it or they hate it. I am one who actually really enjoys this film despite its flaws. Having grown up on the Toho Godzilla films of the 60s and the 70s it seems that the majority of the complaints about this movie are in how far Rolland Emmerich and Dean Devlin deviated from Godzilla's original design. I think those who were upset with the design changes do have a valid point. When you change the design of a cultural icon it is bound to upset the core fan base. However, despite the monster being Godzilla in name only, the movie does have many qualities to redeem it.

Pros: Taking the design of the monster on its own merit, Godzilla, or Zilla, as he is renamed by Toho studios, is a very creatively designed creature. Even if one doesn't consider this creature Godzilla, on his own he is a well designed monster and a welcome addition to the panoply of Toho's Kaiju creatures. He is more animal like than his Japanese counterpart (and less indestructible) and this has been the source of many of the criticisms levied at this incarnation of Godzilla. But from my perspective the CGI effects are much more superior to a guy walking around in a latex suit and that adds to the sense of realism. Rolland Emmerich and Dean Devlin have unapologetically stated that they make fun lighthearted popcorn movies. That is exemplary with this movie and that is where the enjoyment comes. All of the Toho Godzilla movies are covered with a healthy slice of cheese or two and the American version is no exception. This is a light hearted movie which doesn't take itself too seriously and is enjoyable despite its flaws.

Cons: Sure the movie does have its cheesy moments but in my opinion all of Toho's Godzilla movies (with the exception of the 1954 Japanese original) are covered with more Velveeta than this American version. I believe Matthew Broderick does an excellent job in the lead role as well as much of the supporting cast. My only major complaint and big flaw as far as the characters are concerned is with Mayor Ebert. He spends the majority of the movie just whining and complaining and worried how this will affect his popularity. Even when the military is doing things to protect the city Mayor Ebert really doesn't seem to care about the welfare of the citizens at all. The other complaint is that the time spent in Madison Square Gardens with the baby Zilla's is the part of the movie which seems to slow down and drag a bit too much. Other than that I really do enjoy this movie and wished Zilla could get another chance to star in his own feature length movie.