Godzilla 2000

This is old school Godzilla plain and simple. Nothing terribly exciting, no super cool computer effects. Just a guy in a rubber suit and godzilla breathe drawn on the film. Actually there is a little computer stuff, but nothing that hasn't been done for years.

This is not a great movie, by any stretch of the imagination, but nostalgia makes it enjoyable. I think this is also a better movie for kids than most of the action monster movies coming out. Almost no one dies in the movie and there is little swearing or sexual overtones. This might make it too simple for adults who are not nostalgic for the old movies, but others should enjoy it.

"Godzilla 2000," actually completed in 1999 (and was released during the summer of 2000 in America), was the first Toho-backed kaiju-eiga film to receive a major theatrical distribution in the U.S. since 1985. I saw "Godzilla 2000" at the theater and wasn't disappointed, even though a lot has changed since Toho killed off their iconic monster at the end of 1995's "Godzilla Vs. Destoroyah."

I'm 19; I've been a hardcore "G"-fan since I was four years-old and of course, I was quite hesitant about seeing a new "Godzilla" film, being that the Americanized 1998 version wasn't that good. The Toho logo that appears during the opening credits reassured me that "Godzilla 2000" was taking me back to the good old days when Godzilla wasn't afraid to knock down a building or stomp down the military when they threatened him.

With their third generation of "Godzilla" films being kicked off with this flashy new movie, Toho continued a trend that was seen in generation two, where they discard the events of the previous Godzilla incarnation and instead start with the original 1954 "Godzilla" and work from there.

Toho took full advantage of this new series by designing a distinctly reptilian Godzilla, who as the film opens, has already popped up on the radar of some brainy scientist who argues that Godzilla should be studied, instead of destroyed.

And Toho didn't skimp on creating a new monster either, which is a giant UFO that yields something a lot more than just martians. This new foe is actually a nasty little creature that's never given a name, though subsequent debate about the film has concluded that its name is "Orga," who proceeds to try to consume Godzilla and his powers, thus creating one powerful monster.

"Godzilla 2000" has a lot of problems too, which may or may not mar an otherwise decent stomping experience. Though on the whole, it's nice to see Godzilla back in form (somewhat) and this Toho production firmly returns their most beloved creation to dominance, it also suffers a lot from the problems that have plagued its predecessors, and some of those problems may have been due to Roland Emmerich's 1998 Americanized version of the big green guy.

Of course, since I never really cared for the people in a "Godzilla" movie and those feelings haven't changed, it must be pointed out here that the people have been drastically short-changed in favor of the all-out monster showdown that is the film's climax. You're really given a reason to not care about humans in this picture, whereas any previous "Godzilla" movie may have made you have an inkling of feeling for them.

Godzilla himself has changed a lot, with massive plates that line his back and he's also been given a pretty nifty set of fangs. But the thing is, this Godzilla looks and behaves quite... different. Though it's evident with this production that Godzilla is the bad guy (pending on your view), this was one of the things that really struck me as unique about the previous generation of kaiju-eiga films - in that you never really knew if he was the bad guy or not - this movie makes that pretty clear to you, even though the new monster Orga is clearly the bigger problem for the people of Japan.

The special effects in this third generation "Godzilla" film seem to actually be a step back too. The previous generation (the first two movies at least) had really beautiful and thoughtful effects that put you into wonder about how they were achieved. This series doesn't have that level of wonder for some reason. You'd expect their effects to improve over five years or so, but these effects look rushed and unrealistic.

Aside from these quibbles, "Godzilla 2000" doesn't suffer a whole lot, but I was glad to see that it firmly reestablished Godzilla back to his good old, stomping self.

7/10

Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999) is a movie that I recently watched on a random streaming service. The storyline follows an alien artifact that crashes to Earth leading to the emergence of Godzilla. Initially they find Godzilla's attacks to be a threat to humanity, but what he's really doing is preparing for what's about to emerge from the alien rock. What could be more threatening than Godzilla and is he powerful enough to stop the alien?

This movie is directed by Takao Okawara (Yukai) and stars Hiroshi Abe (After the Storm), Shirô Sano (Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack), Masahiko Nishimura (Princess Mononoke) and Denden (Cold Fish).

I adored that this movie went back to the Godzilla roots of a man in a costume and the traditional model trains and civilizations for Godzilla to destroy. The modern tanks and airplanes used via CGI were fine also. The dialogue in this was hilarious at times and the acting was as you'd expect for the monster universe. The alien monster CGI initially is awful but the final monster battle is fun, just not as good as some of the legendary monster fight conclusions. The music also uses the classic soundtrack which was a treat.

Overall, this falls short of some of the monster universe classics but it's still worth a viewing. I would score this a 5-5.5/10 and strongly recommend it.

Heh heh, what isn't there for me to love "Godzilla 2000"? Minimal computer graphics, well built city models, awesome looking makeover for the big G and a neat and fierce looking foe named Orgah. Oh, and not to mention a cute little girl named Iyo, who shows a big interest for Godzilla and Orgah (perhaps a nostalgic refrence to the monster loving kids Ken Yano and Rokku-chan?).

Alot of people seem to hate this movie due to it not having too much CG, no "super sexy" model actor or actresses or were just spoiled off of the recent Hollywood trash cinema. OMG, and someone even compaired the recent Godzilla movies to Evangellion (GAG ME!).

I however, stand up for Toho. Long live Toho! Long live the King of Monsters!

I was fortunate enought to see the original Japanese version of Godzilla 2000. I have to say that this is The Best Godzilla Movie Of All Time. Instead of the futuristic technologies of the Heisei series (maser tanks, mechas and ESP), G2K presents more or less ordinary Japanese life. The only thing slightly futuristic in the movie are the JSDF's Full Metal Missiles (and the UFO itself).

I loved the human cast. G2K will be the second movie that I loved which has a human cast I enjoyed watching, the other being "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe". Katagiri and Shinoda shined throughout. Yuki Ichinose and Io Shinoda are just as good to. One of my favorite scenes with the humans is Io and Shinoda giving Yuki the runaround in their little headquarters (a scene deleted from the American version, I believe). The Godzilla Prediction Network is very well thought-out organisation. Shame they don't really exist ^_^*

MireGoji (the fan name for the 2000 suit) is one of the best G-suits in existence. The new dorsal plates are just great, especially as they light up. They seem to heat up from the inside, rather than flash. The new heat beam is just marvellous. Shame Goji lost the ability to blink.

The UFO and Orga are one of the greatest enemies Goji's had yet. Shame Orga didn't get much to do. However, his destruction was new and refreshing.

The special effects are fantastic. It's so relieving to see missiles hit their target. The CGI shots are great. My favorites are the shot of Goji swimming underwater and the tracking shot of the Full Metal Missiles under the bridge. The music by Takayuki Hattori is also fabuluous.

To sum up: GOJIRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!