Godzilla vs. Destroyah

This was the last Godzilla film in the Heisei series, and it certainly topped all the rest. All the stops were pulled out to make this one a fantastic and explosive film that made July 4th a real firecracker.

First, they are trying to develop some new chemical to kill Godzilla and they create some really neat looking creatures that look somewhat like a crab or a lobster with a long neck and a head. I really don't think Godzilla will have any trouble with these things as one spent five minutes trying to get a girl our of a car and couldn't do it before he was destroyed.

But, the creatures apparently form in to one Destroyer and this one kills Baby Godzilla. Godzilla arrives to do battle and what a battle it is. The fireworks were spectacular and the sound track was marvelous.

Add to the mix a space shuttle-like super jet piloted by a cross between Tom Cruise and Will Smith and these babies don't stand a chance. Since this is the end of the series, you know Godzilla will die, but you can be sure that he will likely comeback in some form in the future.

22nd installment and still kicking. This is the climax to the Heisei series. It's quite a beautiful climax, and rather poetic in its relation to the rest of the series. It's the first film with strong connections to the original. It brings back talk of the Oxygen Destroyah, which inadvertently created a new breed of monster. Meanwhile, Godzilla goes on a dramatic journey of character for such a big monster. First of all, he is getting close to meltdown, having absorbed too much nuclear radiation, he may be about to explode. This leaves him with a rather interesting glowing look, Also, he may be about to become a responsible father, as he tracks down his presumably dead son. Toho put a lot of faith into a big rubbery character, but he pulls it off. This is the most emotional since the original, and it still has time for awesome action sequences. Part of me wishes I had watched these years ago, as the city destruction scenes must have seemed even more impressive. Still, it's engaging stuff, and the perfect end to this series.

When I first saw this movie, I hoped this would have more of a brooding, menacing feel to it than it did. I half expected them to return more to the tone of the 1954 GOJIRA, especially since they made so many other references to the original, like bringing back Momoko Kochi as Emiko.

Instead, G. vs. Desutoroia was shot in the usual nervous style of the Heisei series, which so irritated me at first that I found myself counting seconds, to see if ANY SHOT in the whole movie would make it to ten.

On repeated viewings, though, I felt the movie held together better than most of the others in the 'new' Godzilla series. As usual, the human characters seem simply to be along for the ride (the exception is G. vs. Mechagodzilla (II), where I found myself actually caring what went on between the humans). In this case, it's only natural that the Big G. takes center stage.

The final moments are absolutely amazing. Akira Ifukube's classic "the-army-mobilizes-against-Godzilla" theme is heard for probably the last time: not as the usual march, but in a slow choral arrangement that will tear the heart out of any Godzilla fan...

Godzilla may be back in the form of the new, improved Little Godzilla, but PLEASE someone reassure me that we've finally seen the last of that psychic Miki Saegusa. By the time the Heisei series was over, I knew more about Godzilla's inner life than I did about hers. IMHO the whole Psychic thing added nothing to the continuing story... give her a 900 number and an infomercial and keep her out of Godzilla Millennium!

I liked this movie because it had some connection with the original Godzilla movie of '54. I finally learned what happened to Shinkichi and Dr. Kyohei Yamane after the original Godzilla movie. Shinkichi got adopted by Dr. Yamane (!) What a great story line, and Shinkichi's son and daughter carries on the mantle of their father.

I've read some of the comments made by other Godzilla fans for this movie and their complaint is basically what I've been saying about these movies all the time - That Toho has very bad casting. I understand that it's cheaper for them to use their in house actors, but they probably have no aspirations to improve their acting or to be a good actor because they're on salary and don't have to worry about where their pay checks are coming from. More over, they might think that nail that sticks out gets hammered and tries not to stand out. Hence, the movies made have no central focus and plot meanders.

But out of all the '90s Godzilla movies, I thought this one did have better plots and better casting. Special effects was great with Godzilla appearing in places its never been seen like Hong Kong and its body spewing steam due to heat generated from within. It was also good to see Kochi Momoko reprise her role as Emiko Yamane in her last appearance before her demise in 1999 (Now if they had Akira Takarada's character in this movie too it would have been 100% better but...).

The epic finale of the second Godzilla series concludes with Big G himself facing his toughest challenge yet! This is my personal favorite of the entire Godzilla series after the original 1954 film, and in many ways, this film does it's best to tie back to that film as much as possible, even explicitly tying the origins of Godzilla's new foe to the fate of the original King of the Monsters. Godzilla is at his largest, most powerful, and by far the most furious that he's ever been in the entire franchise, but he will be matched up against the nightmarish Destoroyah, one of the strongest and most terrifying monsters to ever appear in any film!

What follows is a fitting and powerful conclusion for the King Of The Monsters, the last dance so to speak. For Godzilla's days are numbered, as the same radioactive meltdown that is triggering his increased strength and fury is also draining him and will eventually kill him. With some of the best visual effects and creature designs of the entire franchise, and an appropriately epic score to match, G vs. D represents the best the series has to offer. If you must watch only one Godzilla movie, watch the original 1954 Japanese version. But if you watch two, then I urge you to consider Godzilla vs. Destoroyah with the original.

With this film, the Heisei series decisively came to an end, and Godzilla would enjoy a well earned and fitting retirement ... that is, until an American impostor pretending to be the original King Of The Monsters would rear its ugly head in a certain 1998 Columbia/Tristar film that shall remain nameless ...