Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Must See Movie...

Just what I expected

Good movie but grossly overrated

To emulate the great Roger Ebert, I'm going to start this off by making note of an exceptional moment in the middle of "Godzilla vs Destoroyah". After Miki objects to the idea of using Godzilla Junior as a decoy to lure Godzilla, she receives a stern remark from her colleague. Subsequently, both of them leave the room, and from everyone else we hear…silence. That this is a difficult decision is not lost on the group. It's moments of empathy like this one that make this a very unique type of monster movie: one that can actually appeal on an emotional level. This great quality is the primary reason the final installment of the Heisei series is one of the strongest of the Godzilla films.The story primarily concerns the efforts to prevent an impending catastrophe threatened by Godzilla's unstable increase in power. It is interesting, not only because of the gravity of the situation but also because it forces the human characters into a tough situation: they have to stop Godzilla without using conventional military weapons. Not only does a sense of urgency pervade the film, but the crisis is rarely relegated to the background. People are often shown actively dealing with it, as opposed to merely talking about it. The script does occasionally trip over itself because of the exposition. How exactly dd Ijuin reference Serizawa's papers if they were all destroyed? What makes up for this is that the scientific elements are actually quite neat and fun to hear about. Who wouldn't want to know about further applications for micro-oxygen? There are also welcome references and connections to the 1954 film that enable the audience to see the long term consequences thereof, and help bring a sense of "bringing things full circle".Most notably, every "larger" subplot has a pay-off. Ijuin's work with micro-oxygen sheds light on the new menace, Kenichi Yamane joining G-Force reveals some key information on Godzilla's condition, and the search for Godzilla Junior sets the stage for the end fight, all converging into an emotional wallop of an ending. Such a structure makes this one of the most focused stories from the kaiju genre in the 90's, even more so than the Gamers films. Only in the smaller matters do things feel incomplete, such as with Kenichi's crush on Miki and the relationship between Ijuin and Yukari. Perhaps increasing the running length would have allowed these matters to develop. But, the individual conversations manage to engage by contributing to the larger aspects of the story, even conveying exactly how several people feel about the situation. Emiko's comments, for example, help to remind us that using the original oxygen destroyer was not an easy choice, adding weight to some of the decisions at hand. Comments on the visuals and special effects have been given in abundancy. The suits and miniatures are all well above par (save for the unfortunate inclusion of Bandai action figures for one scene), and there is an overall sullen atmosphere that increases as the film approaches its climax. The monsters' place in the story is also worth mentioning. Rather than appearing out of necessity or convenience, the whole story seems to be framed around Godzilla's threat. He acts with real purpose and his own tale to tell by the end, with the glowing suit, steam effects and red ray fantastically giving the impression of a creature reaching critical mass. Beyond this, Godzilla is humanized more than ever before, mostly due to the situation that he finds himself in. He searches for the lost Godzilla Jr., oblivious to what is about to happen, and ends up only finding the pain of loss. Destoroyah, in my opinion, is one of the best villainous monsters ever to appear in a Toho film. He too has a story to tell, one that works because his origins and nature are specifically suited to this movie's crisis. No random monster could play his part. The suit is incredible and just emanates evil, while at the same time inspiring a sense of awe partially because of the unforgettable first appearance and partially because of the sheer size (he is quite a bit taller than Godzilla). Its multiple forms and gradual mutation over the course of the movie enable some creepy scenes, making this one of the few Godzilla films to successfully incorporate elements of horror. Consider how disturbing the sight of the fish in the aquarium is, or the ominous music that accompanies the image of a burning juvenile Destoroyah. All of this effectively builds the sense of threat and puts the audience in the right state of mind for the monster fights.The actual climax of the movie, Godzilla's meltdown, is one of the better accomplishments thereof. Not only is it surprisingly sad, bolstered by a unique theme that resembles nothing else from the series, but it also makes effective use of CGI work; how else would one be able to pull off such a scene? Additionally, in one of the finest examples of the human side of the story complementing the monster side, the human characters actually respond respectfully to Godzilla's suffering and death! We understand that his experience is a tragedy, but it's more than welcome for some people in the film to know that as well, with others showing reverence for the passing of such a creature. This was the perfect way to end the second series of the Godzilla franchise.In spite of a few shortcomings (a somewhat choppy script, underdeveloped human relationships and a running time that is arguably too short), "Godzilla vs. Destoroyah" amounts to an admirable conclusion that, in my opinion, has had little competition in the years since. This is how a Godzilla film should be made.

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 for me. 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 out 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. -

On the surface, "Godzilla vs. Destroyer" may look like it's just your average 90s Godzilla flick, offering you nothing more than what you would see in "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah" or "Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla". Mediocre special effects, men in rubber suits, members of the cast who don't really know how to act, and an okay basic storyline. But once you actually sit down and look at the film and go deeper, you realize that it really is one of the better Godzilla films there is out there. And it's the second-best of the Heisei Godzilla movies. Not only does it offer great action sequences, but it also presents heart-breaking dramatic moments and you can feel part of you dying with the great monster himself."Godzilla vs. Destroyer" has this feeling to it that I really appreciate and find attractive. It has an atmosphere that really makes you think about the monsters and treat them as more than just men in rubber suits, which they are. But you almost see them as real characters. Godzilla's new enemy, and one of his most formidable, Destroyer, is a very creative and original design of monster and he is given development and traits that make him seem like a real, destructive and killer monster. A beast that destroys for the sheer enjoyment of killing. And he reflects the fears of Dr. Serizawa, who is indirectly responsible for Destroyer's creation. Dr. Serizawa feared that his weapon, the Oxygen Destroyer, would be used in reckless destruction and lead to the end of the world. And Destroyer seems to bring his fears to life. And Godzilla himself, while still an anti-hero, seems like he is really putting his life on the line to both save the world and destroy it. Even though he is on the verge of meeting his end.As many people know, "Godzilla vs. Destroyer" is the first film in over forty years in which Godzilla is killed off. And to be honest, the death scene of the monster is one of the most moving and dramatic cinema deaths ever to grace the screen. About the last twenty minutes of the film is full of great drama and in the meantime, Godzilla is slowly losing his life. And you feel part of you dying with him, as you had seen and fallen in love with this monster in his previous movies. Even though he always had been an anti-hero and was a killer, you feel incredible sympathy for Godzilla and when he's at last gone forever, you're in tears. And as the monster dies, there is no celebration. There is very little response from the characters, who can only stand and watch in silence. Even the characters who for years had been wanting to see Godzilla dead, stand and look with expressions that clearly read "did it have to end this way?" Akira Ifukube's wonderful and somber music in the background really sets the theme. Ifukube had always been a masterful score composer and "Godzilla vs. Destroyer" features one of his best scores in years.The special effects in "Godzilla vs. Destroyer" are also pretty good, maybe even a bit better than some of the other Heisei films. Of course, there are still some scenes where Godzilla and the others are more than obviously made of rubber, but the pyrotechnics, the blood used for the battles, and the colorful and creative death-rays are truly a treat.There is one problem though and that revolves around the juvenile forms of Destroyer. These numerous creatures and their battle with the SWAT team was more than obviously ripped off from the classic science-fiction film "Aliens". Destroyer's second jaw, and the SWAT team's trackers and guns were definitely inspired from the Alien films. But I can get around that and just sit back and enjoy the movie, for it doesn't rip off anything else. Everything else is entirely original.Performances by the cast were overall pretty good, although the actor who played Dr. Ijuin didn't seem to put enough effort behind his performance, mostly in the final death scene. But everybody else was fairly good, especially Megumi Odaka, who was always keen at her role as Miki Saegusa. The actors playing Kenichi Yamane and Dr. Fukuzawa were also favorable in their roles. The only thing wrong is that a lot of the cast don't get the development they need, unlike the monsters. But that's nothing unexpected in a Godzilla film.Bottom line, "Godzilla vs. Destroyer" is one of the better Godzilla films in years and still remains to this day, twelve years later, as one of the best. It is one of the most moving, visually spectacular, and compelling entries in the Godzilla series. It's an action movie with soul-killing drama that can make you cry.

This isn't a big Godzilla movie. It it plagued by all the shortcomings of the G movies, and gets none of the advantages. For example, Destroyah is clearly an Alien rip-off ( EG the scene in which it attacks soldiers, coming from the roof ), swarming blood-thirsty creatures with a second mouth on the top of a tube they protrude from their bigger mouth (did i mention Alien?). Destroyah on fire looks like the Terminator on fire from the 1984 movie.The plot struggles to make sense...some scientist ( a plagiarist maybe? ) might have re-invented an oxygen destroyer similar to the 1954 weapon. Godzilla internal nuclear reactions are out of control and the earth is in danger. A college nerd publishes a thesis over the internet about it and gets hired by the G force team as he guessed right what top scientists couldn't. Supa X (the multi-purpose flying machine ) is back as X-III.SFX are decent, but often Destroyah looks like a cartonbox puppet on strings; at other times it is evident X-III and the army "freezing tanks" (the same from decades earlier as in SANDA TAI GAIRA ) are just big garage sale toys & nothing more. SFX when monsters are superposed with panicking crowds or loom from far away often look like practice tests from absolute beginners in video editing. The G suit looks like an hot air balloon.There is a whole classroom of characters, so it is difficult to focus on who is who/who does what and there is no tangible character development. Acting skills are negligible.There is pop-culture from the mid-90's, namely the mention of the internet, cellphones still as big as a brick, etc.