Directed by:
Roland EmmerichCinematography:
Ueli SteigerCast:
Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, Kevin Dunn, Michael Lerner, Harry Shearer, Arabella Field, Doug Savant, Malcolm Danare (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
A blinding flash of white light fills the sky above the French Polynesian islands. Giant footsteps plow an ominous path through miles of Panamanian forests and beaches. Ships off the U.S. coast capsize, dragged into a rolling sea where they are instantly demolished. This incessant, inexplicable destruction is heading toward New York. Far away, nuclear scientist Nick Tatopoulos is called upon for the greatest project of his life--to help the United States track the beast behind these mysterious disasters. As Nick begins his investigation, the enormous creature descends upon New York City, causing complete chaos. The army mobilizes its troops to attack, but the monster disappears. Phillipe Roche, an insurance investigator, leads the team assessing the destruction left in the creature's wake. While the two teams have their own agendas, they find they must join forces to unravel the mystery behind the incredible creature and stop him before it is too late. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (10)
Roland Emmerich's penchant for monstrous effects in films without any stable meaningful plot was already evident here with Godzilla. This movie is actually a lot of scenes that were done to suit the director regardless of whether or not they make sense. Virtually all of Godzilla is about decent visual and sound effects with enjoyable music. That's all I can see! The script and the actors ... let's be honest, this is not how solid movies should be. Perhaps the only excuse is that it was a blockbuster that eventually flopped so badly that no further sequels could be made. Too bad, the ending was really a gateway to the next installment. In short, a technically proficient film, but artistically rather bland. I still watch it once a year, though.
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It's big, it's stupid, Roland Emmerich filmed it. No, I didn't pick that guy out, I didn't know who filmed it at first, but when I looked at this gentleman's filmography, everything was clear to me. What I don't know is how someone can spend that kind of money to promote a film in which "it's going to be big and it's going to stomp everything and sell like a plastic figurine on Uncle Donald's menu," was probably written in the script. Why Jean Reno plays in such a wretched role is a mystery to me, but then again, everyone needs to make a living... This Hollywood direction of "a lot of effects, not enough story" is an atrocity that I will avoid in the future. At least Peter Jackson and his King Kong will set a new standard. Roland, dear boy, you don’t have that much of a lack of talent to be funny like Ed Wood... You have a deficiency that bothers.
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Godzilla is a hit, but a slightly questionable one. It can never be taken seriously, even a little bit. Unfortunately, sometimes it seems that way (the music, the script), but if you consider the cast and the overall atmosphere, it is clear that they all had a great time on set. Technically, it is very variable, with almost perfect static shots of Godzilla in the city alternated with striking computer-generated scenes of fast chases between skyscrapers. Logically, the movie is very silly (Godzilla moving in underground tunnels?), but as an entertaining break and a showcase of all possible and impossible effects, why not? Is not that often that you see a devastated Manhattan. Roland Emmerich wanted to entertain, not frighten.
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Godzilla is a bland cocktail of popcorn entertainment mixed up from dozens of older films about all kinds of lizards. Matthew Broderick is uninteresting in the lead role, Maria Pitillo is hysterical and the irradiated lizard, as tall as a mid-sized skyscraper, passes through the narrow tunnels of the New York subway without a single tremor or sound. So why am I giving Godzilla three stars? Because that’s the average between one and five. The duo of Roland Emmerich/Dean Devlin gets one star and the visual-effects masters get five. As does the laid-back Jean Reno, who justifies his participation in this fiasco with his sense of responsibility for the nuclear test explosions carried out by his native country in French Polynesia.
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Roland Emmerich disregards the basic rule of kaiju films and immediately presents us with the monster in the first few minutes. He loses out on a strong weapon this way, which unfortunately falters over time, even with moments that are quite intense. This could still be overlooked if it weren't just nonsense with a big monster, where most scenes don't make much sense and are piled on top of each other just because of the writers. Godzilla from 2014 isn't brilliant, but it understands the genre much better and updates it for the modern era.
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Gallery (72)
Photo © 1998 Tristar Pictures
![Godzilla - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/158/583/158583072_5085dc.png)
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