Roland Emmerich's Godzilla:

           

    The first attempt of an American Godzilla film to get any progress was in 1983. Director Steve Miner of Friday the 13th fame struck a deal with TOHO for an American adaptation of Godzilla.

The film would have been called Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 3D. According to the screenplay, The plot would have Godzilla chasing after a baby Godzilla concluding with a fight on Alcatraz on which he is defeated by the military.  This Godzilla resembled a T-rex, but still retained the atomic breath, Miner shopped the idea to the studios, but none went for it.

     In 1992, TriStar announced their acquisition of the rights to produce an trilogy of films. Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio were hired to write the film with Jan De Bont,director of Speed, set to direct. Stan Winston was even brought on for creature design.

The script had Godzilla battle a new monster called the Gryphon. Their battle concluding in New York with Godzilla using the same finisher featured in Godzilla(2014) Unfortunately the script was deemed too costly. Interesting to note, the released film cost around the same amount to produce. De Bont left the project, and TriStar approached Director Roland Emmerich and  Producer Dean Devlin the duo behind Independence Day to pick up the project. This original script has been adapted into a graphic novel free to read online.

   Emmerich and Devlin agreed to do the project under the condition they do it their way. Both were not fans of Godzilla.  In fact, Emmerich complained about the original script ending with two monsters going at it.  Being a fan isn't necessarily required for adapting a established property, but respect is. That seems to be lacking with Devlin, describing the TOHO films as "a fat guy in rubber suit". 

Patrick Tatopoulos completely redesigned Godzilla from Winston. TOHO executives were skeptical, but eventually approved it. The goal was to make this Godzilla fast and agile. As expected, the primary method to bring Godzilla to life was CGI with suits and models used for select shots.  Emmerich and Devlin rewrote the script, although Elliott and Rossio still got writing credit. 

  The script actually starts out promising depicting nuclear test in  French Polynesia. Originally, I thought the blame of Godzilla's creation was shifted from the U.S. in order to get military assistance for the film. That may possibly be a secondary reason, but the primary reason was due to France conducting tests up to 1996. The following scene depicts an attack on a Japanese fishing vessel which is also shot very well, and is followed by Jean Reno's character Philippe Roaché questioning the only survivor who only utters the word. "Gojira".  Now we're introduced to the protagonist, Nick Tatopoulos played by Matthew Broderick. Name obviously taken from creature designer, Patrick Tatopoulos, his name is used for comic relief being that everyone mispronounces his name. He's a NRC scientist studying Chernobyl earthworms. He is recruited by the U.S. military to investigate the aftermath of Godzilla's appearance. I personally don't mind his character. The moment  I pinpoint when the film starts going downhill is the introduction of Audrey, Nick's love interest, and her friends Animal and Lucy. It just marks when a bunch of bullshit subplots are introduced.  Godzilla introduction in New York is actually pretty great.  We only see parts of him which is effective. All of Sudden, Godzilla disappears.  Fish is used to lure him out.

Here we officially see they got Godzilla wrong. He runs from the military, and they're the ones causing most of the destruction. Godzilla disappears again. Nick discovers the creature reproduces asexually, but is kicked off the team due to a information leak thanks to his former girlfriend. The military performs "operation fish fetish" a second time, but Godzilla doesn't fall for it. They do incapacitate him with submarines. Nick meets up with Philippe, and they hunt for the nest. I do like Reno's character, although his group of Frenchmen are pretty much stereotypes. They discover hundreds of eggs in Madison Square Garden, and they all start to hatch. Here the film feels more like Jurassic Park with all the Baby Godzillas behaving like raptors. They run into Audrey and Animal.  Together they get a message out for the military to blow up the building.

All seems well, but Godzilla is still alive and pissed due to his slaughtered young. A chase ensues. Funny, that they outrun Godzilla when the filmmakers stated Godzilla can run up to 300 mph. Godzilla gets tangled up in the Brooklyn Bridge where the military takes him down. The final shot of the film is the lone surviving egg finally hatching. That's cute. they thought there was going to be a sequel.

  Now, a major thing missing is Godzilla's atomic breath. They replaced it with what they called power breath which is just combustible fish breath. The design is not necessarily bad, but signature aspects of the character are not present mainly him being  impervious to traditional firepower.  Seriously, the military kills him. Godzilla has had two deaths in his filmography. The most notable being a top secret super weapon in the original. Here, it's just tradition missiles. Someone at TOHO stated, " Guess the U.S. couldn't deal with the idea of a foe who bests their military".  TOHO and fan reception of the film was one of disappointment. Kenpachiro Satsuma, who played Godzilla throughout the 90s (or just some fat guy according to Devlin), walked out saying " It lacked the spirit".  Due to the drastic difference with this Godzilla fans have coined the term GINO (Godzilla In Name Only) to refer to the creature. It would eventually be named Zilla by TOHO due to the God being taken out of Godzilla. This creature would even go onto appear in the 2004 film Godzilla Final Wars. 

   The characters in this are pretty generic.

Like I said, I do like Reno in this, but most others are just okay or one dimensional  caricatures.  A couple characters to note are Mayer Ebert and his assistant, Gene. A reference to film critics Siskel and Ebert. Probably a jab at them by Emmerich for their negative reviews of his previous films.  For some reason, there's a handful of Simpsons cast members in this. Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer have significant roles, and Nancy Cartwright with a cameo. 

   Despite a poor critical reception, the film was still a box office success.  A sequel really was planned with Godzilla's offspring fighting a giant insect in Sydney. But Emmerich and Devlin left due to budget disputes. Eventually, the film was cancelled. In the years since, Emmerich and Devlin have considered it a mistake taking on this project. Emmerich said he never took the original film's seriously. 

What did come out of it was an animated series which I have not seen, but I hear it's actually pretty good and more faithful to the character. It features Godzilla's offspring who has imprinted itself onto Nick. This one is gentle and can be communicated with. Plus it actually has an atomic breathe. The series ran for two seasons.

      This film does have some nostalgia for me. I remember it coming out. The marketing campaign, the toys, and the hype. I wasn't into Godzilla yet, and this was my introduction. While not a true Godzilla movie, it at least opened that door. There's a stupid, small line from this movie that has stayed with me. 555-7600. For some reason, these numbers are cemented in my brain due to the multiple times this line is spoken in the film. Then there's lines that are frowned upon today like,"Get back here, you retard", which dates the film a little.  Now, Initially I liked this film, but it has lost favor over the years. On the technical level, the CGI is a little dated. The story feels like a typical Emmerich disaster film.  The truth is I consider the film a generic monster movie in which there is enjoyment to be had. The problem is it's called Godzilla.  To sum it up, Roland Emmerich's Godzilla is an enjoyable monster movie, but a terrible Godzilla film.

 

 

     

Godzilla vs Destroyah

 

     "GODZILLA DIES!" This was the focus of the advertising. Imagine if the advertisements for Avengers Endgame promoted " Iron Man dies, April 26"; but for this film, it worked. It brought international attention to this installment. Even news sources in the US reported on the film despite it not even getting a release in the states. By this time, Godzilla had already cemented itself as a pop culture icon. It was a big deal like the death of Superman.  This film also ties itself closely with the original. With its adversary being a direct result of the oxygen destroyer which destroyed the original Godzilla forty years prior.  

    The plot involves Godzilla now has red, glowing rashes along his chest and his atomic breath has exponentially increase in power. This is due to him absorbing too much radiation, and is on the verge of exploding to the extent which would destroy the planet. 

Due to this, the military cannot use conventional weapons due to the risk of triggering a explosion. Therefore they use freeze and cadmium based weaponry. They also use a new version of the SuperX called SuperX 3. During this time, a search is conducted to find Godzilla's son who hasn't been seen since the the island on which him and Godzilla lived was destroyed by some sort of volcanic eruption. Various incidents lead to the discovery of a ancient life form which was mutated by the oxygen destroyer's use in 1954. The creatures evolve to various forms. First appearing as tiny organisms which eat away fish in a aquarium. Much like the effects of the oxygen destroyer on the original Godzilla's corpse. They take a large 15 ft form which fights the JSDF. Then they merge to a 200ft form. During an encounter with the JSDF, Godzilla is frozen which manages  to temporarily get his temperature under control.  Meanwhile Godzilla's son is found, but now a young adult dubbed Godzilla Junior. It is determined that Destroyah is the key to preventing Godzilla from melting down. So, they lure Godzilla Junior to Destroyah which draws Godzilla. Godzilla Junior takes on, and defeats the current form of Destroyah. Godzilla shows up, and they unite. They are interrupted by the final form of Destroyah appearing. This form even larger than Godzilla.

  Destroyah carries Godzilla Junior away dropping him from a great height, killing him. Godzilla mourns for his son until turning his rage on Destroyah.  During this time, Godzilla begins to meltdown. Outmatched, Destroyah attempts to escape, but is shot down by the military. Godzilla continues to meltdown. The military uses their freeze weapons to minimize the damage. After his meltdown, Tokyo is left uninhabitable by the radiation. Suddenly, the levels begin to fall. Through the smoke, Godzilla Junior, revived and fully grown by the radiation gives out a roar taking up the mantle as king of the monsters.
The credits roll over footage from the original film and moments throughout the Heisei series.

    Destoyah was a great villain to end the series on. Much like how Godzilla is the result of nuclear power, Destoyah is the result of another one of man's inventions. The device in which man created to combat one monster became a far worse monster.  In addition to Destoyah there's others elements and characters in connection to the '54 film. The characters of Kenkichi Yamane and Yukari Yamane are the grand kids of Dr. Yamane from the first film. Emiko Yamane makes a brief appearance played by original actress Momoko Kōchi. There's a subplot involving a scientist who is on the brink on rediscovering the secret to the oxygen destroyer. G-Force wants him to create one to combat Godzilla. The military seems to finally have their shit together here. They defeat Godzilla for once by freezing him.

And for a first, They are the ones who take down Destroyah. Godzilla's death is presented as a mix of emotions. The military leaders look relieved that their battle with Godzilla is finally over which Psychic Miki Maegusa is sadden that her work with Godzilla is over. Yukari Yamane comments on Tokyo becoming uninhabitable as it being atonement for man's misuse of nuclear energy. The finally shot may have seemed as a hint to a return of Godzilla Junior, but this was never pursued.

   Godzilla vs Destroyah was a great finale to the Heisei Series. It had compelling characters, a inventive story that ties to the original, and top notch fight scenes. The series was supposed  to go on a nine years hiatus for Tri-Star could make their own trilogy of American Godzilla films, but that's a topic for another time.  They ended up bringing Godzilla back four years later for a new millennium.

Here's my Heisei series rankings 

1. Godzilla vs Desroyah
2. Godzilla vs King Ghidorah
3. Godzilla vs Biolante
4. Return of Godzilla
5. Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II
6. Godzilla vs Mothra
7. Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla
   

   

    

Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla

     Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla brought an alien threat into the Heisei era.  Not through Cockroaches or apes from outer space, but a space monster created by mutated Godzilla cells.

      The plot involves two operations against Godzilla. Project Telepethy( Project T) which means to control Godzilla through telepathy and Project M.O.G.U.R.A which is a giant robot designed to kill Godzilla. They encounter Godzilla's son, now known as Little Godzilla on the island where project T is being tested.

Spacegodzilla shows up, beats Godzilla, and captures little Godzilla. Eventually, Godzilla with  help from MOGURA  takes down Spacegodzilla.

       The films gives two explanations on how G cells made it into space. Through Biolante or Mothra. It's been noted by another reviewer how bizarre it is that they give two possible explanations rather than just settling on one. 

MOGURA  has its roots in another TOHO film called the Mysterians from 1957. Of course its given a new origin for this. The problem with it is it's a poor man's MechaGodzilla. Continuity wise it makes no sense, In the previous film, they already tried killing Godzilla with a giant robot. Little Godzilla looks more like Minilla now.

Gone is its dinosaur look. This was due to a planned children's television show starring Little Godzilla.  

     There's a human plot involving the Yakuza, buts it resolved almost immediately. There's an attempted romance between a psychic Miki Saegusa and a G-Force member, but nothing much comes from it except him learning the value of life. One stand out character is a man whose best friend was killed by Godzilla in Godzilla vs Biolante. Which gives him a personal  agenda.  This film is a weaker entry in the Heisei series. It has good action sequences, but the story around it isn't very engaging.  As a fun fact, There is a scene of brief nudity. A male character showers in a makeshift shower on the island, and he's seen from behind. It's dark so not much detail is seen. This marks the third and last time nudity would show up in the series.  The others being topless photos on the back wall of a truck cab in Godzilla vs Megalon and a plastic bust of Katsura's breast during surgery in the Japanese cut of Terror of MechaGodzilla.

Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla II

                            Despite having 2 in the American title, this film is actually not a sequel. The  number was added for international distribution due to their being a Showa film sharing the same name.
                            The United Nations establish the United Nation Godzilla Countermeasures Center(UNGCC).  Their military branch G-Force salvages the remains of Mecha-King Ghidorah to create Mechagodzilla, their ultimate weapon against Godzilla.  On an island in the Bering Sea, a large dinosaur egg is discovered. Before long,  the giant pteranodon Rodan shows up. Godzilla then arrives on the island and battles Rodan as the researchers escape. Rodan is defeated. The egg is taken back to Japan where it hatches.

Turns out to be a Godzillasaurus like Godzilla, but a non aggressive species. By studying it, They discover it has a second brain in it lower back. They use this info in their strategy against Godzilla. Rodan, now with some sort of fire breath,  arrives and ruins their plans. They send Mechagodzilla out which defeats Rodan. They successfully incapacitate Godzilla by destroying his second brain.  Rodan arises once more, and transfers his life force to Godzilla which repairs his second brain, Godzilla, now supercharged, destroys Mechagodzilla, then heads out to sea with the Godzillasaurus.
                           
                         Unlike the earlier incarnation of the character, Mechagodzilla was turned into a weapon against Godzilla rather than a threat to earth. This film is when mankind finally stands a chance against Godzilla. Godzilla's first encounter with it almost overwhelms him.  At the beginning of the film, the narration speaks of two weapons being built. The other being an attack plane called Garuda.

For the finale, the two machines combine to create Super-Mechagodzilla which almost kills Godzilla. Rodan is kept pretty tradition in design and abilities until the third act when he gets some sort of fire breath. The reason for this isn't entirely clear. The Godzillasaurus AKA Baby Godzilla, actually looks like a reptile rather than the puffy monstrosity of earlier version. There's a subplot involving a woman who Baby Godzilla has latch itself upon considering  her its mother. Kind of touching. The fights between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla involve very little physical combat. It's  primarily projectiles. Mechagodzilla's attacks against Godzilla is just an onslaught of various weapons giving him no chance to recover. When Godzilla finally defeats Mechagodzilla, he has gained a enhance atomic beam which obliterates the it.  With explosive special effects and a great re- imagining of classic monsters, this is one of the best of the Heisei.

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth.

                        There's a lot of nostalgia for this entry. It was one of the few films in the series that I owned on VHS before all the films became easily available. It's a new take on a old adversary.
                         Following Godzilla vs King Ghidorah, a meteor lands in the Ogasawara  Trench where it awakens Godzilla. Meanwhile, the Japanese government sends an expedition to Infant Island. There they discover Mothra's egg, and meet the Cosmos( Mothra's tiny fairies).

They tell them of a  rivalry between Mothra and a new monster Battra. A ship with a raft is sent to transport the egg to Japan.  When in Transit, Godzilla and Battra show up. The egg hatches revealing Mothra's larva stage. Godzilla and Battra duke it out as Mothra escapes. Godzilla and Battra are seemingly engulfed by a underwater volcanic eruption. In Japan, the Cosmos are stolen by a greedy businessman who wants to profit off them. Mothra comes to Japan to save them. After ensuring their safety, she cocoons herself, and transform into her moth form. Meanwhile, Battra is discovered to still be alive, and transforms into its flying form.

Godzilla then are arrives out of Mt Fuji. Mothra and Battra battle it out until Godzilla arrives. They eventually join forces to take on Godzilla. They carry Godzilla out to sea, but Battra is killed in the process. Mothra then leaves Earth to stop a meteor which could destroy the planet.
                           This film carries a bit of a environmental message in it. The disasters that the meteor brings forth are retribution for the damage man has done to the planet. The Cosmos put it as the earth getting revenge. The overall point is the earth belongs to every living thing and it must be treated with care and respect. The Battra/ Mothra story is closely tied to the earth. Battra was created by the earth when a ancient civilization created a device to control the weather which angered the earth.

  This film has what I call a badass Godzilla moment. Godzilla is swallowed by an underwater eruption and swims in molten lava to Mt Fuji.  It's like Thor taking the full force of a star in Avengers Infinity War. The human characters are a explorer, his ex-wife, their daughter, and they seem to know Miki Saegusa( the psychic girl throughout the Heisei films). Their story is really about them reconnecting. They're the ones who rescue the Cosmos and the explorer and his wife were part of the island expedition.  This film is also notable for being the few Mothra appearances in the Godzilla series where she doesn't die. This entry has loads of monster action, and the story is well written.
It doesn't have any aspects which are not explained well.  Not quite as good as Godzilla vs Mothra( 1964), but a solid entry.

Godzilla vs King Ghidorah

                          Godzilla vs King Ghidorah is when the Heisei era really took off.  It has one the most complex plots of the series  involving time travel and Godzilla's origins.
                          Godzilla has been resting in a deep sea trench since the last film. Attempting to recover from the Anti Nuclear Energy Bacteria which he was exposed to. A UFO is spotted over Japan until it comes to rest at the base of Mt Fuji. The occupants are revealed to be Futurians, time travelers from the 23rd century. They warn of a future where Japan is destroyed by Godzilla. The only way to prevent this is to erase Godzilla from history.

They travel back to 1944 to an Island in the Marshal chain where a garrison of Japanese soldiers were saved by a dinosaur who kills the invading US forces. The island was subjected to atomic test ten years later. Using teleportation, they transport the dinosaur to the Bering Straight. When they return to the present, Godzilla has disappeared from his resting place, but in his place a new monster has surfaced, King Ghidorah. The Futurians lied about the future. Japan was actually the most prosperous nation in the 23rd century. They wanted to weaken Japan with King Ghidorah.

They created the monster by leaving these cute little creatures called dorats which merged into one giant creature when exposed to radiation. Now Japan has a dilemma. They need Godzilla to fight this new threat. The send a nuclear sub to the Baring Straight in hopes of blasting the dinosaur with radiation to create a new Godzilla. Little do they know, a Russian sub sunk there years earlier, irradiating the dinosaur. The sub they send is destroyed, and merely just strengthens Godzilla. Godzilla fights King Ghidorah and defeats him. Now Japan has Godzilla to deal with. One of the Futurians who has a change of heart, salvages the remains of King Ghidorah in the 23rd century, and creates a cyborg, Mecha-King Ghidorah.

they send it back in time to fight Godzilla. It takes Godzilla out to sea where Godzilla emerges still alive.
                           This film isn't the most action packed of the series. In fact, godzilla doesn't show til over 45 minutes in. But the plot is very intriguing that it doesn't hurt the film. The issues with the time travel in this film, it's not really clear on how it works. They eliminate Godzilla from history, but people still remember his existence. There's articles that do try to make sense of it, but there's still a failure on the movies script for not making it clear. The Futurians are pretty interesting. They are part of a group with the goal of balancing the power of Earth's nations. Their crew also include a android which is used to resemble the Machines from the recently released Terminator 2. They even have scenes resembling moments from that film. Even on one of the posters he looks like a terminator.

The WWII scenes actually garnered some controversy initially due to the depiction of American soldiers being trampled by the Godzillasaurus. The main moment to note is two naval officers on the ship who see the time machine fly by, thinking it;s a extraterrestrial aircraft. One says to the other, " Let's keep this our little secret. You can tell your son about it, Major Spielberg".  The commander of  the Japanese garrison eventually becomes a successful businessman, and watches as his former savior destroys the city he's help build. He comes eye to eye with the monster. You think maybe they'll have a moment. But nope, Godzilla just blasts him with his atomic breath. The best part of this film how Japan can't catch a break.  They remove Godzilla. King Ghidorah shows up. They need Godzilla to defeat King Ghidorah. Godzilla defeats King Ghidorah. Now they need something to fight Godzilla.  With the convoluted aspects of its time travel put aside, this is one of the best of the series.

Godzilla vs Biollante

                         Godzilla vs Biollante was released in 1989. Five years after The Return of Godzilla.  It brought back the monster brawl with a new monster for Godzilla to face.

                         The film starts out with a recap of the previous film's ending, reestablishing Godzilla is only entrapped in Mt. Mihara.  In his wake, Godzilla has left precious Godzilla cells. Cells are stolen,and taken to Saradia where Dr. Genshiro Shiragami does research on them until a terrorist attack destroys the cells and kills his daughter.

Five years later Shiragami has merged his daughter's cells with that of a rose to preserve her soul. The JSDF uses Godzilla cells in hopes to create Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria as a weapon against Godzilla if he returns. Shiragami agrees to help create the ANEB, but under the condition he has access to the cells for his own research. He merges the G-Cells with the rose in hope of keeping it from dying. The result is a giant rose he names Biollante. 

                           An  American genetics company plants explosives at mount Mihara threatening to release Godzilla if the cells aren't handed over. The Japanese agree to hand them over. but the trade is thwarted by a Saradian agent who also wants the cells. Godzilla is released and seeks out Biollante who is defeated with ease. The JSDF use ANEB against Godzilla which seems to have no effect.

They determine that Godzilla's body temperature needs to be raised for the bacteria to take effect. They construct microwave-emitting plates which create artificial lightning to raise Godzilla's temperature. They lure him into into the trap until Biollante arrives now larger than godzilla. Godzilla and Biollante fight it out until Godzilla flees, and collapses on the beach exhausted from the ANEB. The Saradian agent kills Shiragami, but is disintegrated on one of the plates.

Biollante dissolves and floats into space, but the spirit Shiragami's daughter ascends with it. Godzilla awakes.and heads out to sea.

                             As earlier films explored the dangers of nuclear energy, this film explored genetic engineering. Biollante is one the most creative monsters of the series. As Godzilla represents the dangers of nuclear energy, Biollante is the result of the mismanagement of genetic power. A line within the film sums up its view on the two monsters. Shiragami states, " Godzilla and Biollante are not monsters. It's the scientists who create them who are the true monsters". It really hits home a message of responsible use of power mankind possesses. The film is heavily human driven . The human plot involves different parties who desire the cells which results in a significant amount of action and car chases. One thing that really sets the Heisei era apart from the Showa is continuity. These films acknowledge previous events, and many characters  return throughout these films. This allows viewers to follow and watch as characters grow as their fight against Godzilla and other threats go on. The JSDF command is kept from film to film which makes you feel for them due to all the struggles they go through.

One Character is particular is Miki Saegusa. She is a Psychic who joins G-Force in the fight against Godzilla. As the films go on, she comes to realize Godzilla has a purpose,  Godzilla vs Biollante is a overlooked film in the series primarily due to it using a original monster. For the next entry, TOHO would bring back Godzilla most famous adversary.