Godzilla 1998 Blu-ray
It’s big, it’s overblown, it’s out of control, and that’s just the budget
Tags: Godzilla (DVD) Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Dec 15th, 2009
The “American” Godzilla film is ridiculous. I say this as both criticism and as endearment. I’m not referring to Matthew Broderick being a scientist who single-handedly saves the world from a giant monster, but the fact that the production team of Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich simply tossed logic out the window. The monster in question changes size throughout the film for example. You don’t need to adhere to hard scientific principles, but some basic storytelling procedures should be adhered to.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen the film, so I was glad to see it again, knowing what was in store ahead of time. What I wasn’t prepared for was just how long the film is. At over two hours, this version of Japan’s famous export is about an hour longer than necessary.
Godzilla (this version, anyway) is a big dumb action film meant for the big screen, or at least a big television set. In that respect it works. Big is a major operating description in that the sense of scale is nearly ludicrous. Several buildings are destroyed in New York City and the whole thing is bleak (taking place mostly during a massive rainstorm). While striving for an “epic” feel, Godzilla instead comes across as overblown and bombastic. Dumb is also a major operating word in that there is a severe lack of intelligence in the script. The dialogue is pointless, and the film seems to defy logic in both human nature and scientifically. As for the action, when it takes place, even that is uneven. During one sequence towards the end some characters are being chased by a pack of baby Godzilla monsters. These creatures managed to take out some of the special operations military personnel, but Matthew Broderick’s scientist character manages to “Indiana Jones” his way out of danger in an elevator with a well placed foot. I remember when I first saw that sequence in the theater I laughed out loud so hard that people in the audience turned around to look at me. Now, in light of knowing just how serious (or not) Godzilla is meant to be, I am able to enjoy the film a bit more than when I first paid money to see it.
While Godzilla isn’t meant to be a scientific exploration of what would happen if a giant radioactive monster managed to wash up on the shores of New York City, but simply a serving of light entertainment. If you are able to “turn off” your brain and just go along for the ride, then Godzilla will entertain.
The plot? Is it really necessary? Blame the French for their nuclear testing. Oh, and Jean Reno plays a badass “insurance agent” which is fun to watch. Monster destroys New York City – that’s enough.
As a fan of the genuine Japanese original, I found much to dislike in this version of Godzilla. There isn’t any of the charm the man in the rubber suit holds, and the storyline is overly simplistic and takes too long to go anywhere. Even without the Japanese franchise, if this film were the beginning of a franchise or monster series, it would be riddled with the same exact problems. Still, there is something about turning off your brain and watching a shiny spectacle for an evening.
Now on Blu-ray, the film is brought into high-definition with most of the previously released special features. From what I can tell, the only thing missing is a photo gallery. Newly incorporated are a Movie IQ and trivia game, both of which are not worth the time and effort. As for previous special features, there’s one music video (Wallflowers), which is a shame because there was more than one music video released from the soundtrack (Puff Daddy and Rage Against the Machine come immediately to mind). There’s a very short “behind the scenes” featurette which isn’t bad, but it’s not really informative either. There’s a very boring audio commentary that I sampled, but simply couldn’t get through, as well as a 10 minute “best of” fight montage that makes no sense.
This version of Godzilla isn’t anywhere near as good as it should be, and turns a beloved character and franchise into a mindless action film. While this is distasteful to Godzilla purists, there is some entertainment value to be had – but you really have to be in the right mood for it.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
| + Fun enough if you can turn off your brain | 5.5 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Too much emphasis on the "dumb" in "big dumb entertainment" - Incomplete set of special features |
|
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| It's just as bad as you remember, but just as fun too. | |
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Tags: Godzilla (DVD)
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Dec 15th, 2009 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
