When I was a kid I really enjoyed watching Godzilla movies. I have recently rewatched some of them, however, and they just seemed extremely silly and inferior to my adult mind, especially compared to the first movie which started the franchise way back in the 1950s. Has any one seen the movies they have made in the last ten years or so? Are they any good?
Yes, I’ve seen them all, including the latest movie that came out in Japan in December 2002. The special effects are, for the most part, far superior to the old 60s and 70s movies, but still not up to modern Hollywood standards. For films that have a budget of US $10 million or so, however, they’re quite good.
The plots, however, are all over the map, and it’s really a matter of taste which of them are “good” or not. I personally like some of the cheesy humor of the earlier films, and would rather see that in a new film instead of an attempt to be all ponderous and serious.
Anyway, you can view my reviews of all the different movies on my website, Barry’s Temple of Godzilla (hence my username). Just click on the “Movie Reviews” icon on the main menu on the left-hand side.
Enjoy!
Barry
The only recent one I’ve seen was Godzilla 2000 which I liked a lot. I don’t remember anything about it, (other than it was super-heavy on the Sony product placement) but I had a good time. Pretty sure that’s the only Godzilla I’ve ever seen in a theater, so that was fun. From what I’ve heard, the remake with Matthew Broderick and Hank Azaria is absolute garbage, so steer clear of it.
Yeah, g2k was brilliant.
A slap in the face to the American version, proving once and for all that there is only one nation of Earth that can do Godzilla.
“Oh no! There goes Tokyo! Oh, go, Godzilla!”
GOJIRAAAA!!!
G2K is great stuff. And has a number of very clever in-jokes, including some warm tributes to Jurrasic Park.
Hey Tuckerfan, I’ve had that song stuck in my head since yesturday, but I can’t think of who the hell sings it. Can you help me out here?
I think I’ve seen one other one since Godzilla 2000, but don’t really remember. The best part of that one, though, was the ending:
[SPOILER]After killing the evil alien, Godzilla walks up to the protagonist standing on the edge of a building, and rips the ground out from under him and kills him. As he walks away, the little girl asks “Daddy, why does Godzilla always save us?” to which he responds:
“I don’t know, but perhaps, there’s a little bit of Godzilla in each of us.”
As if that wasn’t funny enough, right after that, Godzilla stops, blows a ring of fire around him in the middle of the city, and then just stands there staring at the screen while the credits role.[/spoiler]
Absolutely brilliant!
Blue Oyster Cult
With a purposeful grimace and a terrible growl
He pulls those spitting high tension wires down
Helpless people on a subway train
Scream bug-eyed as he looks in on them
…
Oh, no – they say he’s got to go
Go, Go, Godzilla!
Oh, no – there goes Tokyo
Go, Go, Godzilla!
I should point out, BTW, that most of the “in jokes” in Godzilla 2000 (especially those that quote other movies) were the fault of the people who did the English language dubbing. This is also the case with much of the cheesy dialog. Still, it was great to see a “real” Godzilla movie in the theater, especially after the so-called “American Godzilla” movie (about which, the less said, the better).
Barry
There is no American Godzilla movie! It doesn’t exist! They talked about making it, but realized that it would totally suck so they didn’t do it. I know people claim they saw one, but it was a CIA mindcontrol plot that failed! (The CIA put LSD-39 in the water supply! Only those of us who drank bottled water were spared! It’s true! I swear it is!)
I certainly didn’t see one. A giant lizard stomping aruond NYC? And not setting off any car alarms? Yeesh!
I liked G2K a lot, and I thought Godzilla vs. Destroyah was pretty good (I mean, Godzilla-good) too.
Then, of course, there are the MST3K versions, which are in a class of their own.
A “Godzilla” that runs away when the Army attacks it? That’s not Godzilla, son, that’s a GINO… 
GINO = Godzilla In Name Only (for those who are curious).
Geez, I remember when that word was first coined over on the old alt.movies.monster news group. I haven’t been there in ages…
Oh – I forgot to mention… I also have brief video clips of the recent Godzilla movies on my website, for those who want to check out Godzilla’s new look in those films:
Enjoy!
Barry
Well, I’m really not much into Godzilla hentai, to be honest, but the site itself looks extremely well-done. It’s nice to see that some people with real web design skills have finally gotten into the world of Godzilla. When I first started my website back in '95, the few Godzilla sites that existed were basically one page photo galleries (with the exception, of course, of the seminal “Mark’s Godzilla Page,” R.I.P.)
I’ve tried to spruce up my site over the years, but I’ve never had the time or resources to delve into Flash or Shockwave animation, ASP, etc.
Ah well, I guess I’ll just have to live with being the “Oldest Surviving Godzilla Page” and leave the spiffy design work to the young pups…
Barry
Barry
I never once imagined that there was lizard porn out there. I’m not sure I should thank you for expanding my horizons, Bosda.