Godzilla 2000 (1999)

Title: Godzilla 2000 (1999)

Director: Takao Okawara

So in preparation for Godzilla (2014) I decided to revisit some of the Godzilla movies in my collection and the one that jumped at me was Godzilla 2000, mainly because I had not reviewed it here, so I took the opportunity to revisit it. I have to say, it’s a pretty solid Godzilla flick filled with lots of fun moments. The thing with this particular Godzilla film is that it was made as a response to Roland Emmerich’s masterpiece (I kid, I kid) Godzilla (1998). Japanese audiences hated that American Godzilla so much that they had to immediately make a response film. Originally, Tri Star pictures had a trilogy of Godzilla flicks planned, but Japanese hatred for that film moved the guys at Toho Ltd. to make a proper Godzilla flick, as a result we get Godzilla 2000 a film made to remind us what a true Godzilla film is all about.

On this particular flick humans discover a huge chunk of rock beneath the ocean; the rock is emitting energy, so of course they decide to unearth it. They soon discover this ancient rock is actually a dormant alien spaceship that had crash landed on earth’s oceans years ago. At the same time, we follow a group of scientists who are trying to pin point Godzilla’s exact location on earth, which is kind of funny because how the hell do you lose track of something as huge as Godzilla right? So anyways, the main character is this scientist and his daughter who are the equivalent of storm chasers, but instead of storms, they chase Godzilla. Will Godzilla make it in time to save humanity from the evil alien ship that’s stealing all of humanities knowledge?

What I like about this one is that it was the first time we get a glimpse at a new Godzilla design, which to me is the best Godzilla has ever looked on any of the Japanese films. To me this era of Godzilla films (known as the Millenium Era) is the best era, because Godzilla looks pretty bad ass, not bulky or obviously a man in a suit. So right from the beginning we meet Godzilla face to face, and it’s not some computer generated image trying to get away from cheesiness, nope, this is Godzilla, the way he’s always been, kind of goofy, but 100% fun. There’s this scene where the protagonists are driving down a tunnel and what awaits them at the end is Godzilla’s giant face and his breath, the scene is beyond cool! A great way to remind us just how fun a Godzilla movie can be. The ideas have to be out there and crazy! The crazier the better! And so to me, this one delivers in that aspect.

Starting with the fact that we’re talking about a giant alien spaceship that sucks up knowledge from computers and morphs into a giant tentacled monster! The only downside in this movie for me is that the alien creature was achieved through computer effects, and since nothing else in the film is computer generated, well, the effect stands out like a sore thumb. It just doesn’t look good; it doesn’t help matters that the computer effects aren’t good at all. This is one of those Godzilla villains that never returned, it’s not a favorite and it’s easy to see why. The effects were terrible, good thing it doesn’t stay that way for long and eventually morphs into a man in a suit type of thing called Orga. Orga has a cool ability, it can steal your DNA through its bite and it can copy your abilities, so logically, it bites Godzilla and starts to clone Godzilla in a way, which was a cool ability in my book. The monster brawls are cool, destroying buildings and putting Tokyo in peril, but my favorite part of the film is how Godzilla decides to destroy the alien.

So anyhow, my final words on this one is that it was a good way to start the new era of Godzilla films. It was a fresh start in many ways, for example, it starts from scratch and ignores the continuity presented in all previous Godzilla films save for what happened in the original Gojira (1954). Godzilla 2000 was a huge box office success in Japan and so they also released it in the U.S. They cut a couple of minutes off to quicken the pace and added new music. By the way, this was the second Japanese Godzilla film to be released in American theaters since Godzilla 1985 (1984). The English dubbing is deliberately tongue in cheek and funny, so when you hear people saying things like “Great Caesar’s Ghost!” don’t be surprised. American producers decided to make the tone of the film funny, because in their heads, they think American audiences would never take the monster fight sequences seriously, so why not make the whole thing funnier with a funny line or two? But what do they know right? Godzilla films exist in their own unique universe and offer a very distinctive experience. You gotta take them for what they are,  because with Godzilla films you either get them or you don’t. I’m one of the ones who has a blast watching these movies, this one was super fun, I recommend it!

Rating: 3 out of 5

Godzilla (2014)

Title: Godzilla (2014)

Director: Gareth Edwards

Cast: Aaron Taylor Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Juliette Binoche, Ken Watanabe

There’s a bit of resurgence in giant monster movies as of late, a renaissance if you will. It all started with Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim (2013), which was a huge winner in my book, it showed that Kaiju movies could be cool and bombastic and just plain awesome. My big worry after seeing Pacific Rim was how Gareth Edward’s Godzilla could top it. As far as I’m concerned, Pacific Rim set the bar pretty in the land of giant monster movies, so Godzilla would have to be a pretty freaking cool monster movie in order to beat Pacific Rim. So…did it? But I’m getting ahead of myself here. Getting back to Godzilla, just who the hell is this Gareth Edwards guy? Well, a while back Edwards directed a straight to dvd monster movie called Monsters (2010); a cool little alien invasion flick that showed that Mr. Edwards knew his way around a monster movie, he ‘got’ them, he understood them; to top things off, Monsters showed that Edwards could do a lot on a small budget. So, Hollywood decided to give Edwards his big break to show what he’s made of, the result is the Hollywood’s second attempt at getting Godzilla right. Did it work? Was it a good Godzilla movie?

In Godzilla a mining operation discovers a giant egg, which just so happens to be a Kaiju egg. The creatures inside are these moth like (actually more like roach like) creatures who fly around the city sucking up anything that’s radioactive, including nuclear power plants! This of course spells certain doom for many nuclear plants around the world. Fortunately, Godzilla has also awakened and has emerged from the ocean! Will Godzilla protect or destroy the world from these giant radioactive cockroaches?

First things first, the filmmakers behind this movie got Godzilla absolutely freaking perfect! Unlike Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla (1998), which tried it’s very hardest to get away from the cheesier elements from the Japanese Godzilla films, Gareth Edward’s Godzilla actually embraced Godzilla exactly how he is depicted in the Japanese films, but with an added element of reality to it. This isn’t just a guy in a suit; nope, this is a gigantic, walking, stomping, atomic breathing King of All Monsters! So thanks go out to Gareth Edwards for giving us the Godzilla we always wanted, a Godzilla that I’m sure even the Japanese people can feel proud of and enjoy. On this film you will see everything you want to see in a Godzilla film, you will see Godzilla emerge from the ocean and go back into it, you will see him brawling with other giant monsters and he most certainly fires his atomic breath! So feel assured, if you’re a Godzilla fan, you will be pleased.

Aside from the awesomeness of Godzilla itself, the film has an amazing asset going for it, which I felt they could have exploited a bit more and that is actor Bryan Cranston, a solid actor if there ever was any. While he is in the movie, the movie flows perfectly well; the performances where believable and intense; unfortunately when he disappears half way through the film as does Juliette Binoche, things loose believability. You have two great actors and then you have them do a vanishing act to leave us with Aaron Taylor Johnson for the rest of the film? Not that I have anything against Aaron Taylor Johnson, but damn, Bryan Cranston could eat him for breakfast when it comes to acting! Why this cheap ass exchange? I would have found a way to keep Bryan Cranston on for the entire film!

The only real problem with this new Godzilla is the human side which felt clichéd and unconvincing. A good actor can make or break a film, and in this sense, this new Godzilla satisfied me only half way. Had they found a way to keep Bryan Cranston throughout the whole film, this movie would have gotten a perfect score from this reviewer, alas, we get clichéd characters and forced situations instead. For example, there’s this whole sequence in which Aaron Taylor Johnson has to save a little kid and you get the feeling that they did this simply to turn him into a hero; this sequence, while exciting, felt soooo forced and fake. Worse yet is that the kid disappears in a few seconds after he is saved, without a word or a thanks. It’s like you served your purpose in the plot kid, now scram! What the--? Characters weren’t well developed because one, you take away the good actors and leave us with the less experienced ones, and two, you have characters doing things simply to fulfill a character type or a purpose in the plot. It’s like, you’re hero, you’re the wife, you’re the soldier, you’re the scientist and you will do exactly what is expected of your archetype and that’s it. Ugh. My advice is next time, work on better human characters and the film should be better. Not that it’s an awful film acting wise, but characters felt like archetypes, not real people. I should add that this is a problem that many Japanese Godzilla films suffer from as well, a weak human side.

But aside from that, this movie rocked the house. Trust me when I say that whenever Godzilla is on, he is most certainly ON! Godzilla commands that screen whenever it appears! So much so that when he disappears you are left wanting more; which reminds me that what this movie needed more of was Godzilla! There’s this thing that Edward’s does in the film, he shows us Godzilla, teases us with this cool beast and then bam, the camera turns away! And you’re left wanting more Godzilla! Which is cool in my book, he kind of wets your appetite and the tortures ya by taking away what you want the most. I guess this technique was done on purpose, to keep us wanting more, to make us want a sequel; which by the way has just been approved! You will see Godzilla stomp the world again! You see, this Godzilla film made close to 100 million in one weekend alone! It’s a raging success! It is poised to make even more money than Pacific Rim did, but that’s to be expected because Godzilla is a brand name, and Pacific Rim was an original product. Still, if you ask me, if I had to compare this new Godzilla to Pacific Rim, I say Pacific Rim is still the superior of the two. It’s just more bombastic, bigger, more epic. But Godzilla is a damn fine Kaiju film, not a disappointment in the least and a cinematic experience not to be missed; go see Godzilla roar! It’s an experience!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Godzilla's Nuclear Origins

The majority of people who are going to see Gareth Edward’s Godzilla (2014), have a very general idea of Godzilla; all they see is a giant monster that goes around destroying buildings, stomping on screaming Japanese people, while shooting laser beams from its mouth. In reality, Godzilla is so much more than that, Godzilla is a creature with some depth to it! So here my friends I offer you a small explanation of where Godzilla comes from, and what he really means, metaphorically speaking of course.

It’s important to mention that Godzilla is one of the longest running franchises in cinema. Like James Bond or Dracula, Godzilla is an iconic behemoth that will live on forever! So far, there’s 28 Japanese Godzilla films produced by Toho Co. Ltd! There are two American Godzilla films and countless videogames and comic books. Godzilla coming back film after film makes sense when we take in consideration that in the films, practically nothing can kill Godzilla! Just ask the Japanese and American armies, they have tried everything against The King of All Monsters, but practically nothing gets through the creatures indestructible skin. Only a device called The Oxygen Destroyer could. But for some reason they only use it in the first film!  

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah! 

Godzilla is sometimes portrayed as a God, walking the earth, punishing humanity for abusing the planet. Seeing Godzilla as a god isn’t so farfetched when we consider just how big he is. He gets bigger with every passing film! Actually, in Gareth Edwards film he is as big as he’s ever been! His name even has the word ‘God’ in it. In other films, Godzilla appears as earth’s protector, like in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) where Godzilla protects humanity from Destoroyah, one of the most powerful monsters to ever walk the face of the earth. Be it punisher or protector, Godzilla is an unstoppable force of nature. But where did the idea of Godzilla come from?

Godzilla’s birth as a character can be traced all the way back to the many nuclear weapons tests that the United States conducted during the 40’s and 50’s. These tests did not pass unnoticed; they affected many people in the world, but most of all, the Japanese. Let’s not forget the nuclear attacks upon Nagasaki and Hiroshima, events that for obvious reasons left a profound scar on the psyche of the Japanese nation. You see, once upon a time, the United States was all about nuclear weapons. For a while there, all they wanted to do was test their nuclear capabilities, to see just how much destruction they could inflict on any given enemy. Their ultimate goal with these tests was to know the effectiveness and explosive capabilities of these bombs before using them against Japan during World War II. But even after World War II (and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) the tests continued and so the U.S. tested their atomic bombs on their own turf, igniting atomic bombs in places like New Mexico and Nevada. Other times, they would test these bombs out in the Pacific Ocean, near the Marshall Islands, where they actually managed to tests 67 nuclear weapons! It doesn’t surprise me then that in every Godzilla movie, Godzilla comes out of the Ocean, as if a nuclear weapon had just been detonated.

Rio Bravo Nuclear Test 

All this testing yielded valuable knowledge and information to scientists and the American military, but it caused irreparable damage on many islands and territories; with health effects lingering on the affected population. In other words, if you lived anywhere near the places where these tests were conducted, chances are you’d start suffering from exposure to radioactive fallout. This happened to the residents of Bikini Atoll in The Marshall Islands. The residents of these islands suffered horrible health effects because of exposure to radioactive fallout, the U.S. simply hurled money their way as a way to repay them for their troubles. But what’s a couple of million worth when two weeks later your dick falls off? Know what I’m saying? Sadly, nuclear weapons testing continued! For example, on March 1, 1954, United Sates conducted a nuclear test called ‘Castle Bravo’ which just so happens to be the biggest nuclear explosion ever detonated by the United States! This test yielded an explosion far greater than they expected, and so the aftermath was worse than they had imagined. Radioactive fallout spread throughout the world, it affected residents of nearby islands and killed one crew member belonging to the Japanese fishing boat named Lucky Dragon #5. 

My point being that nuclear testing has been something of a concern for Japanese people for a very long time. When we look at it, the Japanese people are an entire nation of people psychologically affected by nuclear weapons and why wouldn’t they be. I mean, these detonations yielded thousands of deaths in one swoop. The fear of nuclear weapons reflected itself in Japanese popular culture in many ways, but especially in Japanese films. One example is Akira (1988), a film that takes place within a society affected by a nuclear attack that took place during ‘World War III’. Another film to directly reflect a society traumatized by nuclear weapons would be Grave of the Fireflies (1988), one of the best films on the subject, I highly recommend checking that film out, it’s a very emotional experience. Hell, even films from other countries addressed these horrifying events, like the French film Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959) a film about an actress that’s making a film about the after math after Hiroshima. While making this film, she falls in love with a Japanese man; together they muse about love, life and war. In that film the city of Hiroshima is a character on itself, a survivor of the horror. But, one of the best examples is without a doubt Ishiro Honda’s Gojira (1954), the first Godzilla film ever made. This film was a direct response to all these nuclear worries.

There are various interpretations for Godzilla, but without a shred of a doubt, he is a metaphor for nuclear weapons. Other elements of Godzilla that let us know he is a metaphor for nuclear weapons are that his scaly skin was designed to mimic the keloid scars seen on survivors of Hiroshima. Godzilla’s origins have varied from film to film, but in general, he is an ancient prehistoric sea monster that is awakened by nuclear radiation, so Godzilla is actually a mutation. I would say that the biggest allusion to Godzilla’s nuclear origins would be his ‘atomic breath’, a nuclear blast that comes out of Godzilla’s mouth that is sometimes blue, sometimes red, depending on the movie. Many of the films allude to this nuclear connection, but the biggest one for me is in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) a film in which Godzilla becomes a threat to humanity because it’s about to have a nuclear sized heart attack that could wipe out most of Japan.

Godzilla's Atomic Breath in Action!

Whatever the case, Godzilla is something to be feared and be horrified by, a destructive force better left slumbering beneath the ocean depths. When awakened, only death and destruction follows. We could say the same about nuclear weapons can’t we? When we look at Godzilla through all this background, it makes sense that the first Godzilla film was more of a horror film, after all, most of the time Godzilla is something to be feared, not our friend, but a destroyer. Sure he later turned into a childish thing to say toys, but from inception Godzilla was something to be feared. But there's also that duality to the character, he could be our savior as well. As you can see, if we connect the dots, we know exactly what Godzilla represents. Speaking of the current state of nuclear testing in the world, there was an attempt to get all countries to sign the ‘Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty’ of 1996, but alas, eight countries have not signed it, so it is not in effect yet and so nuclear testing still continues to happen throughout the world. The most recent of these tests have been conducted by North Korea. It’s kind of scary to know that some countries still consider nuclear weapons an option. So now Godzilla is not just a symbol of the Japanese’s fear of nuclear weapons, it represents a fear we all share. It’s the fear of madmen who are ready to press a button that can wipe us all clear from the face of the planet. Good, now you know a little bit more about Godzilla, now go see that new movie and amaze your friends with your new found Godzilla knowledge! 

The Film Connoisseur Turns Three! Plus: 16 Things You Are Likely To See In A Godzilla Film

Hello everyone out there, this past August 25th The Film Connoisseur turned Three Years Old! That’s right, it was three years ago that I promised you guys reviews for all kinds of films, and so far, I think I’ve been delivering. Yay or Nay? I want to thank all you guys out there for reading and commenting on my reviews and articles. So far we got more than 200 readers (and growing) so I guess I must be doing something right! If not, than I’d appreciate your comments on how I can improve. Also: what would you guys like to see more of? Monster Blog Posts? More lists? Collaborations with other blogs? Remember: I aim to please so speak up!

I promise you guys to continue delivering quality articles and reviews for as long as you guys keep reading them. I’ve got some really cool stuff lined up for you guys in the coming months, starting with my focus on action/revenge films which should be starting up this September, so look forward to a bunch of articles, lists, reviews on the wonderful world of revenge films! Also, like always, Halloween is going to be a special event this year on The Film Connoisseur! Not gonna spoil it for you guys, but I can promise you, it will be so cool that it will bring back the dead! Be on the look out for that!

Well, you know how I’ve kind of turned into a Godzilla nut lately? If you don’t believe me, check out my Godzilla reviews, they keep growing in number! So, I thought that in order to celebrate our third year it would be a good idea to write a special article on certain things that you are likely to see on a Godzilla film. You know how when you watch a James Bond film, there are some things you will always see? Like for example, you just know your going to see Bond driving a cool new car, or use a new gadget. You just know he is going to meet with ‘Q’ and go through a new batch of gadgets he will be using in the film. Or you know how when you see a Dracula film, you just know your going to see vampire bats, or someone coming out of a coffin? Well, the same rule applies for Godzilla films. And so here, I offer you, 16 THINGS YOU ARE LIKELY TO SEE IN A GODZILLA FILM! Enjoy this celebratory post!

Godzilla Coming Out of the Water

Godzilla is an amphibious creature, he lives happily in the underwater depths of the ocean, but when he emerges to show us humans a lesson or two on who’s boss, first we see a burst of light, then we see a mountain of water, then we see Godzilla himself.

Godzilla Stomping Over Tokyo

It is almost a given that we will see Godzilla walking over Tokyo at some point in any Godzilla film. When you and I wake up in the morning, the first thing we think about is a nice breakfeast with bacon, eggs and coffee; Godzilla’s mind works just a little different. His first thoughts of the day? "Destroy Tokyo !"

People Running From Godzilla

This is perhaps the sure fire image you are apt to see on every single Godzilla film, people running for their lives! In some films, the people of Japan are so used to Godzilla attacking; that they know exactly what to do. He’s attacked Japan 28 times already after all!

Godzilla vs The Army

When Godzilla attacks Japan , one of the first things that humans mobilize against the green skinned monster is the army. Though to tell you the truth, humans have never really learned the fact that regular tanks and machine guns just don’t cut it against Godzilla’s practically indestructible body. In every movie, the army always gives it their best shot. Gots to give the Army a couple of points for developing new weapons to fight Godzilla like the so called ‘Maser Guns’, unfortunately, said Maser Guns are still completely useless against Godzilla!

Human Made Machines Built to Fight or Destroy Godzilla

Maybe in the first film Gojira (1954) humans were caught off guard by Godzilla emerging for the first time, but after repeated attacks, humans aren’t just going to sit back and let Godzilla destroy Japan anymore! Humans have created various giant robots spaceships and weapons to fight the giant lizard! They have even built a robotic version of Godzilla called Mechagodzilla! The Japanese are such crafty beings that they even built a machine that creates a black hole that sends Godzilla into another dimension as seen in Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)!

G-Force

After a couple of films, an organization called G-Force was established to study and find ways to stop Godzilla. They have a department that monitors Godzilla’s movements across the face of the earth, they have a unit that concentrates on ways to destroy Godzilla, and they even have a unit that drives ships and giant robots that go up against Godzilla himself, mano-a-mano as they say. Funny thing about G-Force, the logos and uniforms constantly change from film to film, I think that’s so freaking funny.

Godzilla vs. Whatever Monster Is On The Films Title (Or The Joy of Watching Giant Monsters Fighting!)

This is the reason of being for these films, watching two giant monster kicking each others asses! Gotta hand it to these movies, it is true. Watching giant monsters fighting and destroying buildings is extremely fun! Whats the funnest part of these fights? The special moves that the creatures pull off when they fight each other, for example, in Invasion of the Astro Monster (1965), when Godzilla kicks Ghidorah’s ass while fighting on planet X, he jumps up and down in the air doing this hilarious dance that you just have to see to believe! On another film Godzilla shoots his laser beam out of his mouth which allows him to fly through the air! Yes siree ladies and gentleme, these movies can get really nuts! And that’s not all, some of these Godzilla movies unite a whole bunch of monsters in one single film for one gigantic monster brawl! Examples of this are: Godzilla Final Wars (2004) and Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack (2001)! If you ask me, Destoroyah has been Godzilla's most fearsome/deadly enemy to date, but King Kong himself ranks way up there in that category as well. King Kong vs. Godzilla is a must watch for anyone interested in seeing a classic monster fight!

Godzilla Shooting His Atomic Breath

This is one of the most iconic images you are likely to see on any Godzilla film, and a large part of what makes Godzilla, Godzilla. Were talking about Godzilla shooting his Atomic Breath, which is basically a powerful radioactive ray that shoots straight out of his mouth. The ray sometimes changes color from film to film. In the early films, the Atomic Breath was more like a spray, or a mist and looked like it. On the more modern ones, the Atomic Breath resembles a laser beam. I even saw a Godzilla film in which his Atomic Breath changed to red. In Roland Emerich’s Godzilla (1998) he basically shoots a ball of flame out of his mouth instead of the usual Atomic Beam. But whatever, the results are the same: total destruction for whoever steps in the beams way!

Monsters Falling On Buildings

What do you expect when giant monsters decide to duke it out right smack in the middle of a city? Of course they are going to tare half of the cities buildings down! And this is one of the funnest parts of these movies. To be honest though, the Japanese have never really perfect the art of making believable miniatures, in some of these films it is painfully obvious we are looking at miniatures. But who cares right? Watching monsters destroying public property is fun! Plus, there’s genuine artistry involved in the making of these sets, and to be fair, in the more modern films, they are more convincing. I just love it when one monster hurls the other through the air and they end up falling and toppling a whole building!

Monsters Grabbing Each Other By The Tail

This is a common fight move amongst giant monster fights. Mothra, the giant moth that continually kicks Godzilla’s ass film after film, loves to grab Godzilla by the tail. And Godzilla himself has done it many times, especially to King Ghidorah who has three tails! The move consists of grabbing a monster by its tail, then spinning him around in the air two or three times and then letting the monster go to fly through the air and land on some building or mountain. Pretty nifty move if you ask me!

People Looking At Giant Monsters Fighting

What are humans to do when giant monsters are fighting? Well, those who aren’t trying to stop the giant monsters have to simply step back and watch the spectacle, which is what always happens in these films. Film after film you will find scenes of humans simply sitting back and watching the Monster Gods fighting each other in complete awe. Most times, these watchers simply explain what is going on, for example they'll say comments like: "It looks like this will be Godzilla’s final fight!"

Mothra

This cute little creature is not to be judge by its colorful look; it will eradicate your sorry ass from this world with a flap of its powerful wings! You don’t believe me? Then ask Godzilla, who’s been beaten by this seemingly harmless creature on more than one occasion! Mothra represents the spirit of the earth, so it is always represented as a good guy in all Godzilla films. For some reason, Mothra is always referred to as a ‘she’, but that’s probably because it’s name ends with an ‘a’. This creature has a couple of powers, she has shot laser beams out of her antennas, she has this magical pixie dust that comes out of her wings that’s a killer, and when she starts flapping those wings, even buildings will start falling down, so don’t piss this giant moth off! Mothra has two shapes, before she turns into a giant Moth, she’s a larva that can also be very deadly, in fact Mothra has even beat Godzilla in her Larva stage by shooting a liquid out of its mouth paralyzes Godzilla! In almost all Godzilla films Mothra dies, only to be reborn in future films. Believe it or not, Mothra is one of the more popular Godzilla creatures in Japan , she’s even starred in her own series of films.

The Shibojin (a.k.a. Mothra’s Twin Fairies)

In the Pantheon of Godzilla movies, there is a giant creature called Mothra. This giant moth has two fairies that serve as a means to communicate with the humans. Since Mothra appears in so many Godzilla movies, well, so do Mothra’s twin fairies. The are called ‘The Shibojin’. They’ve been played by a long list of Japanese actresses, but one of the first to interpret these fairies was a Japanese pop band called ‘The Peanuts’. But basically, these two little fairies can convince Mothra to help humanity, and how do they do these? By summoning the giant Moth with a song, which is a pretty catchy tune if you ask me. They also have magical powers, they can appear and disappear, teleport, they can do all sorts of crazy things depending on which film your watching.

Godzilla Junior, Baby Godzilla, Little Godzilla, The Little One, Godzuki

This is a character that most Godzilla fans hate, but others have grown to love. I personally despise this chracter because it looks so childish and unrealistic. In most movies he is portrayed so badly that I can’t help but to hate him. Still, Toho Studio’s always finds a way to squeeze this character into many Godzilla films especially when they want to aim a particular film towards children. Usually, a child will tag along with Godzuki through out the film. Essentially, Little Godzilla is Godzilla’s child, though we’ve never seen Godzilla give birth to Little Godzilla or anything of the such. Which brings to mind the question: is Godzilla a female? He is always referred to as a ‘he’, yet he gives birth to a Baby Godzilla? Or does Godzilla reproduce a-seuxally? Or perhaps there is a Lady Godzilla we’ve never seen? Whatever the case maybe, Godzuki is one hell of an annoying characters sometimes squeezed into a film for no reason whatsoever other than to sell another toy. The one time I liked Little Godzilla was when he appeared in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), on that film he resembled his father a bit more, because Little Godzilla was all grown up. In fact, Little Godzilla actually kicked some ass in that one!

Alien Invaders

On more then one occasion, Aliens come down to earth and figure somehow into the plot line of a Godzilla film. On almost every occasion, in fact, I’d say on every occasion the aliens purposes are devious and harmful towards humanity. Sometimes what they want is to take away earths monsters so earth will powerless against their invasion as seen in Invasion of the Astro Monster (1964), other times all they want is to harvest our mitichondrias, don’t ask. Sometimes they even bring their own monsters to do battle with the Big G. Sometimes the aliens even control the giant monsters with the powers of their minds! One thing is for sure, Alien beings are not to be trusted on any Godzilla film!

Godzilla Going Back Into The Ocean

Almost all Godzilla films end this way, with Godzilla heading back into the ocean. After a hard days destruction of private property, its back into his oceanic home for Godzilla. Sometimes he gets thrown into the ocean by his enemis (or along with his enemy) and sometimes he simply walks away from the fight, and slowly goes back into the water depths. Until his next film that is! I am one of those eagerly awaiting Godzilla’s resurrection, the last Japanese Godzilla film (Godzilla: Final Wars) was made in 2004, so it’s been a while. Godzilla always changes from era to era, so I am expecting the next Godzilla era with eager anticipation. Cant wait to see what Godzilla will look like on his next film, and I cant wait to see what crazy story will come along with it. Until then, I guess we’ll have to see that American remake that is being made, I hope it wont disappoint.

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1996)

Title: Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1996)

Director: Takao Okarawa

Review:

So far, I haven’t seen a Godzilla film that I haven’t enjoyed in one way or another. Even the ‘bad ones’ have something fun or entertaining about them. Not that the film I’ll be talking about today is one of the ‘bad ones’. Actually, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1996) is one of the best ones; a milestone in the Godzilla Universe. On this one, Godzilla is on the verge of having the heart attack of the century! And it’s because of this forthcoming heart attack that Godzilla’s body now glows red as if he was just about to blow up. His spinal fins glow red, his eyes glow red, and his laser blast is red! Also, his radioactivity levels are out of control! And do you my dear readers know what it means when a creature that is essentially a walking nuclear bomb has a heart attack? Nothing less than the destruction of the world, that’s what it means! If Godzilla blows up (as scientists in this film predict he will) the resulting explosion would take the entire world with it; in other words, Godzilla’s death would destroy the whole planet! Now if that isn’t a good premise for a Godzilla flick, I don’t know what is.

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is one of the best times I’ve had watching a Godzilla flick. There’s lots of action and lots of destruction on this one! It starts out fast and doesn’t let go. Even before the opening credit sequence begins, we’re already hearing Godzilla’s monstrous roar, which can only mean one thing, Godzilla is already on a rampage of death and destruction! No set up, no nothing, right from the get go it’s just Godzilla, glowing red, destroying a city. Interesting note: in the opening sequence for this film, Godzilla is destroying part of China , not Japan as he does most of the time. What’s Godzilla doing in China ? Who knows, maybe he took a wrong turn somewhere, got lost, I don’t know. But there he is knocking down important Hong Kong landmarks and spooking the hell out of the Chinese people. I have to admit that the Red Glowing Godzilla from this film is a very unique image, it’s not every day you see a giant glowing lizard stomping a city! Those scenes with the glowing Godzilla destroying the city look even cooler because most of them take place during the night. So on this film we get a special version of Godzilla, I would call him ‘Nuclear Heart Attack Godzilla’. On previous films, whenever Godzilla isn’t destroying Japan, he spends most of his time residing on ‘Birth Island’, problem is that Birth Island has just disappeared from the planet, and now Godzilla and his son have nowhere to live. Their home destroyed, Godzilla and his son are now nomads, wondering aimlessly through the ocean. Their next destination? Japan ! 

This could happen to the earth if Godzilla explodes!

But wait, there’s more. Complications arise when it is discovered that the weapon that killed the very first Godzilla (a.k.a. ‘The Oxygen Destroyer’) has mutated a life form from the Precambrian Era. In other words, in the same way that nuclear radiation mutated Godzilla, these microscopic creatures were mutated by The Oxygen Destroyer. The creatures look like mutated crab monsters or something. For a while in the film, these crab like creatures go around the city, terrorizing people, turning cars over, and basically destroying the whole city. How deadly are these creatures? Well, they shoot a lightning bolt out of their mouths that opens a black hole on what ever it hits! So imagine what happens when they aim it at humans! Things go from bad to worse when all of these creatures unite and form the most hellish looking of all Godzilla’s enemies: Destoroyah! This guy has got to be one of Godzilla’s most formidable foes ever! I know I keep saying that in my reviews, but in this case, I mean it. Destoroyah is even bigger then Godzilla! He is the meanest and deadliest! He has horns, wings, claws; basically, it looks like Godzilla is fighting against Satan himself! I mean, literally when Destoroyah appears, its as if he came straight out of hell! Coolest part about Destoroyah is that he comes back about three times before he finally reveals his final demonic visage! Each time Destoroyah comes back, he looks even more demonic than before. 

Another thing that makes this Godzilla film special is that Little Godzilla is all grown up. Don’t know how many of you out there are fans of ‘Little Godzilla’, but me, I personally despise whenever he appears because the creature just looks so childish and cheesy. It’s a creation made to sell toys to little kids. Usually, Little Godzilla doesn’t even figure prominently in the plot, its simply inserted there so the kids will get excited about it and buy the toy. Little Godzilla completely takes me out of whatever Godzilla film I might be watching. But this didn’t happen to me on Godzilla vs. Destoroyah because ‘The Little One’ as he is called on this film, is all grown up. He basically looks like his father, only with smaller spikes on its back. On this film the humans try lure The Little One, so that he fights against Destoroyah because Godzilla sort of wanders away and ignores the fact that the city is being destroyed by Destoroyah!

'The Little One' all grown up

Destoroyah Flies!

The best thing about this movie though is that it shakes things up. Nothing is sacred on this one. I kept thinking to myself that this wasn’t just any Godzilla flick, this one was special, and it is. Even if you don’t normally watch Godzilla films, I think you might find yourself enjoying this one. I mean, you’ll keep asking yourself: “Is Godzilla really going to die?” The idea of Godzilla dying might come as a surprise to many because in most of his films, Godzilla is practically indestructible! Godzilla might get attacked by missiles, lasers beams, robotic monstrosities, he might even go up against three headed creatures from other planets, but he takes a licking and keeps on ticking! Always coming back for more, as if nothing had hit him. But not on this one! On this film Godzilla has a level of vulnerability that hasn’t been displayed before. Since Godzilla’s radioactivity is increasing in intensity, you feel as if every step Godzilla is giving might be his last, which of course adds a level of suspense to the whole experience. Will Godzilla blow up in one final nuclear blast? Coolest part of the whole premise is that as Godzilla’s radioactivity increases, so do his powers! So which each passing second, Godzilla is actually getting more powerful and deadlier than ever. When these two monsters finally face off, the fight is epic! It has to be one of the best fights on any Godzilla film. 

Then there is G-Force, an organization that exists solely to study Godzilla and other giant monsters. Their main goal is usually figuring out ways to fight Godzilla. They have created various weapons to go up against Godzilla, for example the giant robot Mogera, seen in Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla (1995). They even created Mechagodzilla so it could go up against Godzilla in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002). In this case, G-Force employs a new battle ship called the Super X III, the follow up to Super X and Super X II seen in previous Godzilla films. Super X III is equipped with special missiles that are meant to freeze Godzilla and stop him from destroying the world with Nuclear Meltdown. In this way, I thought the film was similar to Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002), in which Mechagodzilla is equipped with a similar weapon called the ‘Absolute Zero’. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah has some similarities with other films as well, most notably James Cameron’s Aliens (1986). The Destoroyah’s look like alien Drones, when they get bigger they look like the Alien Queen. They even have an extendable inner jaw that can emerge and snap at its enemies. This doesn’t surprise me, most Godzilla films are influenced by an American film in one way or another, right down to the first Godzilla film which was influenced by King Kong (1933). 

The Super X III

This was an awesome Godzilla movie, and one I would personally place amongst my top favorites. The only negative thing I can say about it is that the dialog is sometimes overtly simplistic, and it is constantly stating things that are obvious, but that could be due to bad dubbing, or not, I don’t know Japanese, so I don’t know if the dialog sounds equally as cheesy in Japanese. But aside from that minor hiccup, the battles are epic, the storyline is involving, the special effects are great and it’s a suspenseful film. Nothing is sacred on this one; it’s a Godzilla film that wants to shake your expectations of a Godzilla film. And it has one hellish villain for Godzilla to go up against! By the way, Destoroyah was a ‘Kaiyu’ created especially for this film, it wasn’t a creature that came from the classic roaster of Godzilla villains, this one was special. And what a formidable creature it was, a memorable one in deed. This film was the 22nd Godzilla film ever made and it was well received at the Japanese Box Office, actually, it became the highest grossing film in Japan that year! It was also the last of the ‘Heisei Series’ of Godzilla films, which are the films that take place from 1984 to 1995. I guess they wanted to end this era of Godzilla films with a bang, and so they did. Highly recommend this one if you want to see an exciting and eventful Godzilla flick.

Rating: 4 ½ out of 5