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Directed by: Shusuke Kaneko Starring: Godzilla, Mothra, Baragon, Ghidorah In the last few decades, the Godzilla franchise has fallen on hard times. The famous character slowly morphed into a cartoonish shadow of his former self, inappropriately cast as a benevolent protector of Japan instead of the rampaging monster everyone fell in love with in the original movie. There was even an Americanized version made in 1998, using CGI effects instead of the traditional rubber suits and miniature sets, an unfaithful rendition and cheap cash-in on the legendary character’s prestige. Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Gidora: Daikaijû soukougeki is a fresh take on the Godzilla character, doing away with most of the history and continuity established in the franchise since the first film. This can be pretty shocking and confusing for long time fans, but it is a welcome change from tired formula the films have been following, which were really overdue for a shot of adrenaline. It also avoids the overused messages about nuclear technology, instead making Godzilla a manifestation of the forgotten spirits of the dead, an unusually abstract concept for this type of movie. The monster fights in this movie are some of the best ever for the series, and the effects are pretty impressive, though they are still the traditional man-in-a-suit monsters. Godzilla and his foes duke it out all over the place, destroying everything in their path. Mothra sucks (he’s a moth, what do you expect?), but Baragon and Ghidorah are both really cool. There’s actually a neat role reversal between Godzilla and Ghidorah, with Godzilla this time cast as the evil, unstoppable destroyer and Ghidorah as the mystical protector. Godzilla also gets an upgrade to his classic breath weapon, which now has three variations, each producing a different effect. There are some cool filmmaking effects as well. Nightvision footage is used, reminiscent of war coverage on CNN. The movie has a lot of fun making references to older Godzilla films as well. The best part of the film happens when a group of soldiers is talking about the return of Godzilla, and one of them mentions a similar event that happened in New York a few years ago. The other responses “that wasn’t Godzilla.”  The subplot and ending are a little lame, but are pretty easy to ignore. Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Gidora: Daikaijû soukougeki is a big dumb movie, but it’s really fun, and a nice change of pace for the faded character, recalling the best glory days of monster movies. It’s at least as good as Destroy all Monsters, probably even better because it doesn’t have such a weird subplot. RATING: 3.5 PROS: monsters fight and it's cool CONS: men in rubber suits fighting isn't everyone's cup of tea ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
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May 5, 2004 19:20
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 08:18 |
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Question as I have not seen the movie, but are the two miniature Japanese girls still with Mothra and still singing?
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May 5, 2004 19:29
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As far as godzilla movies go i thought this one was very good. Unlike other recent godzilla movies it seemed like godzilla was actually the star of this one, with most of the plot revolving around him and not some new plan the people of japan had to stop him or how some young soldier watched him kill his dog and is out for revenge. This movie was pure godzilla cheesecake, i would recommend it to fans of the series or people who just want to see stuff get blown up. Turn off your brain and enjoy. rated 4.5 also the tiny mothora girls are not in this film.
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May 5, 2004 21:20
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If you can't laugh at these movies then you have no soul. Rated 2.5
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May 5, 2004 21:37
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Shusuke Kaneko also directed the three new Gamera movies, all of which rock incredibly hard. He adds a great element to the kaiju (giant monster) genre by actually bringing in some "real life" elements to the films without wrecking the suspension of disbelief enabled fun. I know that sounds stupid, but it sort of lets you imagine how loving cool it would be if Godzilla DID exist and DID destroy everything in his path. I'm giving it a 4 simply because its not as good as any of Kaneko's Gamera flicks.
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May 7, 2004 06:30
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 08:18 |
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I'll shock everyone and say that I liked this movie. The effects and story are both above average for a Godzilla movie, and the new take on the character is interesting. For true Godzilla/Toho fans there are some nice references to past movies and franchises. I also agree, however, that this movie is not as good as any of Kaneko's three excellent Gamera movies. I also don't like the Godzilla suit in this movie at all. The ending use of the classic Godzilla theme is the best though. Rated 3.5
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May 7, 2004 09:46
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