Plot: What’s it about?
After a nuclear test on a remote island, a normal lizard is transformed into a mythical beast of harrowing proportions, GODZILLA ( insert echo). Aboard a huge fishing boat, a crew of Japanese fisher-men is thrown into the sea after Godzilla smashes their ship and steals their fishies to eat. Godzilla makes his way through the ocean, and all the way to The Rotten Apple, where he decides to crash for awhile. I mean, New York, is the city that never sleeps, but I would stay awake if there was a huge lizard wandering in my city. Anyway, a animal researcher (Matthew Broderick) is called in to help keep Godzilla under control, and get him out of New York. A small back-story brews about Broderick and his old girlfriend, but what the real draw of this film is, is the smashing and trashing of the Big Apple. Godzilla vs. New York. Does size matter?
Godzilla had a massive media blitz, promising huge thrills and an epic film for the ages. Well, it’s not an epic, and it’s not an AFI 100 candidate by any means. It delivers on the thrills part of the hype however, giving us a few, but not enough, scenes with Godzilla wreaking havok throughout the city, knocking buildings to the ground, squashing cars and people, and doing that cool-ass growl of his. The effects in this film are excellent, but not very often. But when they are done, they are done very, very well, as should be expected from Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, who also did Stargate and ID4. While the effects are fantastic, the story could use some work. The whole love story between Broderick and his old flame seems out-of-place, and slows the movie considerably. The movie would be much better with more Godzilla, less mushy stuff.
Godzilla is a franchise, and even in this big-budget version, it still seems campy, which is not at all a bad thing. It is a very fun movie, and is re-viewable many times, but only if you like it the first time. While it is not deep on believability, why should it be? It’s Godzilla, not Amistad for Pete’s sake. The supporting cast is very good, featuring Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, Michael Lerner, Harry Shearer, and Kevin Dunn. While not the greatest of acting, it’s better than any cast in a Godzilla flick before this one. The main reason to watch this is Godzilla, the lizard himself, and the chaos he creates. This is a special effects movie, pure and simple. So, look elsewhere for brain-busting plots, and stay with the big green guy for great effects and alot of fun.
Video: How’s it look?
Last year Sony released a 4K Blu-ray offering the highest possible resolution. That disc omits all the special features found on this disc, however. The version reviewed here is the first-run disc. The image is still quite nice. Many of the scenes take place at night and there is a bit of softness at times, but otherwise, this is a solid transfer. The print is clean and polished and displays strong clarity throughout. Flesh tones and facial features remained strong as well. While some of the effects are a bit dated (we’ve come far since ’98), that’s no fault of the transfer itself. It’s simply presenting the film as it is. I think fans will be pleased. If features aren’t important to you, then it might be worth seeking out the 4K version, but I can’t comment on the image quality there. The image is AVC encoded with a 2.40:1 ratio.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The DTS HD track also impresses. This is a pretty effect-heavy film and that means we can expect plenty of heavy usage from all channels. The splashing of the rain and havoc done to the city comes through strongly here. There’s a solid boost throughout the track and that certainly helps matters here. Vocals are clear sounding with no issues, but let’s face it, the action is what you’ll be most excited for. There’s strong clarity and plenty of depth to this track. No issues here.
Supplements: What are the extras?
I’ve never owned a copy of this film on DVD, but this disc has a small, but decent assortment of extras.
- Audio Commentary – The effects team sit down to provide a running track for the film.
- All-time best of Godzilla fight scenes – This is kind of neat to see. This mixes footage from various Godzilla scenes. It was cool to see a lot of the older ones that hold a bit of a campy factor to them.
- Behind the scenes with Charles Caiman – This is a short look at the history of Godzilla. Caiman narrates and guides us through this feature. It’s nothing too deep, but it was still nice to check out. They discuss the creation and look of Godzilla in this film as well.
- Music Video – “Heroes” by The Wallflowers
- 2012 sneak peak – This is nothing more than a promo for the film 2012.
- The Ultimate Godzilla Multi-Player Trivia Game – This asks various questions pertaining to Godzilla. I don’t particularly care much for these types of features. I find them to be time consuming and frustrating to have to constantly fiddle with my remote.
- Previews
- Movie IQ – You can get real-time updates as you watch the film.
- Digital Copy – This actually can be done directly from the Blu-ray disc. The offer has since expired, however.
