GODZILLA (1998)
Rating: 2.5 stars (out of 4.0) ******************************** Key to rating system: 2.0 stars - Debatable 2.5 stars - Some people may like it 3.0 stars - I liked it 3.5 stars - I am biased in favor of the movie 4.0 stars - I felt the movie's impact personally or it stood out ********************************* A Movie Review by David Sunga
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Written by: Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Hank Azaria, Maria Pitillo, Kevin Dunn,
Ingredients: Try to imagine JURASSIC PARK, except replace the gawky Jeff Goldblum character with nebbish biologist Matthew Broderick, and then make sure there are no kids as main characters. Let dinosaurs run wild in New York City; add mutated giant iguana, the Chrysler Building, Madison Square Garden, a running gag about Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. Stir in spectacular effects.
Synopsis: GODZILLA (1998) is actually the 23rd Godzilla movie - - an updated, 1990s version of the 1954 Japanese classic monster movie GOJIRA (pronounced Goji-lah).
Let's do a quick recap of the title lizard's history before discussing the 1998 GODZILLA further. GOJIRA is the name of the monster, derived from the word kujira, the Japanese word for whale. In real life the Japanese people of 1954 had lived through fire bombings and survived an atomic attack which leveled Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the war, so GOJIRA was, understandably, a reflection of their post WW II anxieties. Gojira (in one interpretation), was a dormant dinosaur, who, due to irresponsible H-bomb testing, mutated to become the personification of nature's inevitable revenge for man's brash and offensive tampering - - a huge radioactive fire-breathing, civilization-smashing monster.
Two years later, the 1956 dubbed English-language version of GOJIRA was released as GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS. It added new footage of Raymond Burr as narrating reporter Steve Martin to make the film more palatable to American audiences. GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS had three major plot lines: the military versus the monster; reporter Steve covering the biggest story of his career, and; a love triangle involving the brilliant hero scientist Serizawa who is rejected by the beautiful woman Emiko.
And now we have GODZILLA (1998), directed and produced by Emmerich and Devlin, of INDEPENDENCE DAY. The story still involves a hero scientist, rejection, his lady love, a reporter, and the military fighting the animal. But while the old story has the male scientist's love dilemma and the male reporter's career-making news story as two separate subplots, the 1998 version condenses the two plots into a single, tenuous romance involving a shy male scientist hero and an ambitious broadcast news gal.
Matthew Broderick plays brilliant biologist Nick Tatopoulis who was rejected 8 years ago by the beautiful Audrey (Maria Pitillo). But now Nick is investigating the possible existence of a huge monster created by radioactive mutation, and Audrey is covering the biggest story of her career: GODZILLA. Will they meet and resolve their differences?
In this 1998 version, the title lizard is not a dinosaur, but an iguana mutated to gigantic proportions from French nuclear testing (which they really did in Mururoa in 1995). Next the big iguana begins plundering fish from fishing boats: he attacks a Japanese cannery vessel right. Later Godzilla ransacks another net full of fish, dragging a poor tuna boat down along with its cache. Why is the monster so eager for mouthfuls of fish? It's up to Nick to figure out the mystery. Jean Reno plays a mysterious Frenchman who helps Nick out. Meanwhile, the big lizard takes a liking to New York, and goes stomping around on a path of destruction that only two F-18 hornets (military planes) dare to challenge.
Opinion: It was probably inevitable that pop culture monster Godzilla would finally be up for a Hollywood retread. In over 40 years the Toho Co., Ltd monster was the star of 22 movies (in which he amassed a 24-5-7 fight record versus other monsters), toys, a cartoon, a comic book, and several commercials.
The good news is that as a film GODZILLA is a big budget special effects extravaganza, and can be quite crowd-pleasing, especially if you're into dinosaurs, and you like to see stuff get smashed. With the right crowd GODZILLA is an eye candy event, like going back in time to a 1950s monster matinee, with folks screaming and cheering for the monster. People who have never before seen a Godzilla movie can enjoy plenty of fast, leaping lizards and snapping teeth.
As a script, GODZILLA is mediocre - - predictable, with uninspired characters, a length perhaps 20 minutes over the mark, and a split in attention whenever the big lizard leaves the screen and we're forced to follow another plot about a subway search. GODZILLA also makes obvious changes in the appearance and personality of the familiar monster, and this could risk alienating nostalgic audiences even as the monster gains a younger following through its judicious ad campaign and commercial tie-ins.
After forty-plus years, the main difference between the classic film and its new update is in Godzilla's personality. In 1954 Gojira is nature's avenger; he has no fear of planes and eagerly roasts them with blasts of fire or smashes them with his front claws; in fact he seems to relish laying waste to Tokyo. In 1998, Godzilla spends most of his time running away from helicopters and planes, doesn't use his front claws, and seems unaware that he can emit fiery blasts (total blast count = 2). He's just an oversized beast in the way of man's progress. The monster does show some promising flashes of intelligence during a submarine battle, and some last minute fighting spirit at the end of the film, but not much compared the old Godzilla personality.
Probably the reason for these differences is because Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich are saving some room for Godzilla's future character development. Get ready for sequels.
(I imagine something like this: Down and out, discredited biologist Nick Tatopoulis gets the blame for last movie's damage to New York until the CIA discovers evidence of another Godzilla, and comes back begging for advice. Nick refuses involvement until he finds out his comerade the Frenchman has disappeared and is in need of rescue. Evading a military trap in New York, the monster swims up the Great Lakes and pops up in Chicago where he wreaks havoc with the Bulls, Oprah, Jerry Springer, the whales in the Shedd Aquarium, the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier, and the big T-rex skeleton named Sue at the Field Museum. The monster uses burrowing to make a nifty escape from the military, and then because of a complication emerges mutated, bigger, and badder than ever, and climbs the Sears Tower for a nasty climactic battle. One cameo involves a cardboard box and the Taco Bell chihuahua, while another involves Kevin Bacon and the cast of TREMORS. Don't mess with mother nature!)
Reviewed by David Sunga May 22, 1998 Copyright © 1998 by David Sunga This review and others like it can be found at THE CRITIC ZOO: http://www.criticzoo.com email: zookeeper@criticzoo.com
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