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| Godzilla | 
| Category: Movie
Buy New: $5.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  600 reviews
Sales Rank: 3780
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 140 minutes
ASIN: B000I9U75G
Theatrical Release Date: May 18, 1998
Release Date: November 14, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Total rip off!! A SHAM November 29, 2006
1 out of 10 found this review helpful
This is an absurd production. Calling this creature Godzilla. Is like having Michael Myers appear without the Captain Kirk Mask. Or having Jason wear a catchers mask or Freddy wear a boxing glove. Its like having Batman with no utility belt, Spiderman with no web shooters or Superman in a purple tutu. Its like cuttung the space ships out of Star wars and replacing them with computer generated ones. Its like casting Samuel L. Jackson as James Bond. ITS A SHAM.
 Sure it's not the original, but it's still undeniably fun November 27, 2006
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
I've always loved Godzilla. Ever since I was a kid, I would put the tapes in my VCR, fast-forward to the monster scenes (I didn't want to take the time to understand the storyline), and watch the big G stomp Tokyo, beat up on other monsters, and sometimes even save the day. Godzilla, the radioactive monster who has terrorized Japan for decades. If something could ever be called a classic, then Godzilla is most definitely it.
Then in 1998, I went to see the newer Godzilla (which is the one this review is based on. Plain and simple, I LOVED IT. I can understand why die-hard fans of the original wouldn't like this, I mean come on, he's not even in Tokyo. But there's a bright side to that, no more bad dubbing. And...what? He's not even in a rubber suit? You mean that now he actually looks real with some the most superb CG animation ever seen? Dear me, how horrible. I really don't understand why people hate it so much. What do they expect? It's not done by the Japanese, so why shoot it in Japan when you could shoot it in New York, which the Americans can relate much easier too than Tokyo. And why not, with all of the amazing special effects out there, WHY NOT ACTUALLY MAKE HIM LOOK REAL?! And that is exactly what TriStar has done. They've taken a classic, ripped it apart, thrown out some old pieces, worked in some new ones, and put it back together, in my opinion just as good, if not better, than the orginal. Sure he looks different, sure it's a different story, but it's still EXTREMELY fun. It's got action, humor, twists, turns, and a couple of characters that you will never forget. So take a chance. If you can forgive to see a new kind of Godzilla, certainly not a replacement for the original, but just a down right FUN remake, then buy this movie. You won't be disappointed.
 AN EXCITING THOUGH IMPERFECT CREATURE-FEATURE November 21, 2006
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
IN A NUTSHELL:
Godzilla turns his attention from the Orient to New York City, and it is a very different world with a very different Godzilla. Perhaps this new look to Godzilla is to better fit the passage of nearly a half century since the original Godzilla. Having said that, this new addition to the Godzilla feature-film repertoire, though hardly a perfect film, does add some new and exciting dimensions to the world of Godzilla.
If there are major flaws in this film they come from two sources; actors that play their roles too much like cliches, and excellent story lines that have the shortcoming of having been done before in a plethora of other films.
-----> THE CAST <-----
Roland Emmerich - Director / Screen Story / Screenwriter / Executive Producer
Matthew Broderick - Dr. Niko Tatopoulos
Jean Reno - Philippe Roache
Maria Pitillo - Audrey Timmonds
Hank Azaria - Victor (Animal) Palotti
Kevin Dunn - Colonel Hicks
Michael Lerner - Mayor Ebert
Harry Shearer - Charles Caiman
Arabella Field - Lucy Palotti
Vicki Lewis - Dr. Elsie Chapman
Doug Savant - Sergeant O'Neal
Malcom Danare - Dr. Mendel Craven
Lorry Goldman - Gene
WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT - - SOME 'GODZILLA' THINGS ARE DIFFERENT & SOME ARE THE SAME - [WARNING - PLOT SPOILERS BELOW]
Somehow once again, nuclear test detonations in the South-Eastern Pacific have apparently caused reptiles, that look to be in the Komodo Dragon family, to mutate into something monstrous --- 'GOJIRA'! But, things are not exactly as we Godzilla fans recall, as now the French are somehow responsible for the nuclear mutation that has become Gojira or Godzilla!
THE FRENCH CONNECTION IN GODZILLA?
Yes, this wierd French connection that starts with the film's credits, at first seems melodramatic and a bit trite, but the French connection to Godzilla makes for this movie's best story line which includes Jean Reno and about 600 Godzilla eggs! Unfortunately we have to wait over an hour to get back to it [the french connection] as we are treated to Godzilla's first impressions of Manhattan. His take on Manhattan is predictably extreme.
2 GODZILLA FILMS FOR THE PRICE OF 1!
Essentially we have the old-standby story line of, 'HUGE DINOSAUR GOES AMUCK IN THE BIG CITY'. This Godzilla does this rather awesomely, but there comes a point where 'Godzilla versus the Army Helicopters' starts to feel like a video game being played on automatic pilot. This feeling is reinforced by the fast moving CGI battles combined with some very poorly fleshed out and cliched characters. We have army types who act like they just stepped out of a 1950's Creature-Feature and naturally they are less than convincing. Add to this, a lame sub-plot which includes an ambitious though timid young female journalist, Audrey Timmonds [Maria Pitillo], and her former "college sweety", Dr. Niko Tatopoulos [Matthew Broderick].
Okay, this is NOT where this film excels!
Where the film does excel is where the story line that was implied during the opening credits [THE FRENCH CONNECTION] is reunited with the film. Gene Reno who plays the French equivalent of James Bond is Philippe Roache. He teams-up with Dr. Tatopoulos after the American army expels the good doctor from their anti-Godzilla brain-trust because of a vile betrayal by the the good doctor's "college sweetie" who leaked classified material to the press that she had stolen from the good doctor's tent without his knowledge.
THE MEAT OF THE STORY
Although it took far too long, the meat of the story begins when Dr. Tatopoulos joins forces with Philippe Roache. We the audience, finally discover the true nature and scope of the threat caused by Godzilla. To make things even better, we have some really unexpected suspense and some rather violent exchanges between human beings and the Godzilla hatchlings. The hatchlings mistake the humans for the fish that they smell like [having passed through many piles of buried fish placed there by Godzilla to feed the hatchlings], and are rapidly coming to identify the humans as food. What follows is reminiscent of the scene in 'Jurassic Park' where the 'raptors' were looking for the two children in the kitchen, but with many more hungry dinosaurs, more people to eat, and much more time to play the scenario out.
IN THE END: THERE IS NO END TO GODZILLA
Godzilla as always is very hard to kill and be rid of. There were, of course, many failed attempts to kill Godzilla in the film though the last and final attempt appears to have been successful. Nevertheless, we are led to believe that at least one hatchling may survive, and since Godzilla reproduces asexually one can be enough. Since this was not the last Godzilla film we can assume it was enough to insure the survival of the Godzilla species and the franchise by the same name.
BOTTOM LINE: I AM EXCITED & READY FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF GODZILLA
Character development, particularly the dialogue used, was particularly flawed in this film. Though an effort was made to give us people we could care about, this effort came up painfully short. If we don't care about the people who are threatened by Godzilla, the movie will not tell a compelling story. Jean Reno and Mathew Broderick were excellent and very convincing throughout the film, but the supporting cast seemed to be constructed from a huge collection of cliches recycled from every creature-feature ever made without regard to suitability.
Nevertheless, I did enjoy this film and in fact viewed it 7 times over the past week, despite its rather long 140 minute running time. The widescreen format is the best way to view this film as it gives Godzilla the added scope and dimension that anything that large that is running around needs in order to provide scale to the audience. Generally speaking, if you are a fan of Godzilla and/or Creature-Features, you may find this film exciting, interesting, and worth seeing. If this genre is not a favorite of your's, this film will only serve to reinforce the bad impressions that B-films sometimes make on an objective audience with the added shortcoming of excessive running time.
fun fun fun November 18, 2006
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
I read the other reviews of this film and laugh. Some people just don't like anything! Great effort in making this godzilla fun because it was. I bet those people who rated this 1 star would be happier being just locked up in a closet. You can never have enough godzilla movies and the more movie studios make the better. and why not make godzilla look different? do you really want 20 movies with him looking exactly the same? those are the same people who still wear bell bottoms and have mullets! fun fun fun godzilla movie!!! make more and change him again just to piss off the prissies!!
 What a disaster November 14, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
And yet, I can't seem to really hate this 'Godzilla'. Hell, if we were to rate the flick based merely on Godzilla's aesthetic, I'd give it at least four stars. Can you tell I've never cared [enough to venture into] the original Godzilla films? I seem to be one of the only ones who genuinely thinks Godzilla's new look and movement is quite awesome; so much of the hate I've read regarding this issue seems to come from an attachment to the original design, laid way in the East many years ago. 'Guess that works in my favor as far as "opening up" to this film........ if that's a good thing.
The first half of the film is watchable, the second half isn't, by and large. As soon as they hit the baby Godzilla's in the stadium, it goes from decent to absolutely horrendous. At that point, it becomes so uncommonly absurd you can't help but wonder how they actually made it through filming the entire set piece without succumbing to their own criticisms. Same goes for most everything that follows.
Personally, though, I found one good reason to watch this version of 'Godzilla' was for a mere demonstration of the visual effects, and how they rank along the timeline with regards to the subject of CGI in cinema. Far as I recall, I remember walking out of the theater when first seeing 'Godzilla' in 1998 and being pretty astonished, thinking that they were near perfect, and topped only by 1997's 'Starship Troopers'. It was actually pretty staggering, then, when Godzilla started to rampage through NYC as I watched this DVD the other day, because in that whole event inparticular, the CGI just doesn't hold up at all. It's interesting to note that, after witnessing this, the film from that point on lets Godzilla out of his cage only at night; it seems that they're able to work much better with the lighting in this respect, and the result is some beautiful, stunning shots courtesy great cinematography and stellar CGI rendering. Still, though, the CGI is strangely inconsistent; some well crafted and inspired (Godzilla averting nuclear submarines; Godzilla getting entangled amongst the Brooklyn Bridge), while some is so bad I couldn't help but focus on it throughout its appearance (virtually all of the baby Godzilla renderings). Frustrating. I will say though that the technical virtue of 'Godzilla', when its in its own little zone, is near unmatched, and Devlin and Emmerich prove -- as they had before with 'Independence Day' and since with 'The Day After Tomorrow' (abominable flick) -- that they can compose some outrageously scoped action with great prowess.
Problem is amongst these visual flairs comes absolutely no substance. There's no story here. The characters are asinine. Literally none of the comedy plays out. There is one scene, actually, which I find absolutely hysterical, involving Jean Reno and his crew, whom are trying to disguise themselves as Americans in Army uniforms. Reno's particular expressions and nuances are just priceless, and there's no real way I could translate that to words. Anyway, that aside, it's just pathetic. I mean, you've got like four brilliant actors from 'The Simpsons' (Hank Azaria the only one getting any real screen time), and you can't produce a laugh? You've got problems.
I really don't mind this film up to its mid-way point. I don't. And yet, it's strange, because I think the reason I do hold 'Godzilla' somewhat closely is the overall detached feel it brings with it, not to mention a pretty confused identity. But it's got that little theme... you know -- Humans create huge monster with their own actions (in this case nuclear workings), then must destroy the monster to ensure their own survival. Sure we've all seen it before, but whatever, it usually affects me a respectable amount, and on my viewing of this 'Godzilla' almost a decade after I first saw it, I still found myself moved when the magnificent creature desperately roars, trapped helpless as our militant jets are swooping down with their loving missiles. It's bizarre, because not only does the film never consciously focus on this fatalistic theme, it acknowledges it with but a line or two from Broderick, telling the Army that Godzilla's just an animal, who's intent is far from destroying Humanity. Yet, because there is absolutely no drive or motivation from any of the characters in the film, and we're mostly just watching Godzilla run away in fear from Human weaponry, I don't know how there's any way else to feel by the end but saddened. It's not art, but it's still a tragedy, if you connect the dots. Well, at least I sympathized.
And yet, the last three minutes of the film, after Godzilla's eyes have gone dim, provide closure to stupid characters courtesy inept resolutions and a heroic fanfare by composer David Arnold (who's score is still phenomenal all around). The mood of this is supposed to be bright, hopeful, optimistic, but I just find it angering. It's this kind of schlock that overrides the potentially dark, dramatic elements of the film buried beneath its surface; the kind of schlock that nightmares are made of -- Maria Pitillo doing a Joan Cusack impersonation.
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