GODZILLA
Jack Choo
Read an article with a slightly more academic slant on Godzilla.
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Produced by: Sony Tristar Entertainment
Written by: Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich
Cast: Matthew Broderick (Nick Tatopoulos), Marie Pitillo (Audrey), Jean Reno (Philippe Roche), Hank Azaria (Animal), Maria Pitillo (Audrey Timmonds), Michael Lerner (Mayor of New York), Harry Shearer (Charles Caiman), Doug Savant (Sergeant O' Neal).
Runtime: Approx. 1.5 hrs.
Rating : *** out of *****
Official Web Site: Godzilla.com
Gratuitous Godzilla trailers: Page of GODZILLA trailers and commercials.
JURASSIC CENTRAL PARK!
Back from the immensely successful INDEPENDENCE DAY, director ROLAND EMMERICH and producer DEAN DEVLIN (both collaborated in earlier moderate hits UNIVERSAL SOLDIER and STARGATE) are back with yet another eye-popping, effect-laced excuse of a movie. GODZILLA has nothing going for it other than its CGI effects, which form nearly 90% of the film! And what effects! As yet again, EMMERICH and DEVLIN have opted to use lesser actors (that is, in terms of hit movie quotient) as in their pre-GODZILLA films. The teasers for GODZILLA started hitting screens and TV more than a year ago and rumours are that the film's budget is close to a whopping US$200 million.
The story brings us to the pacific where the French are conducting nuclear tests that inevitably harm the wild life and setting them off from their predestined path of evolution. GODZILLA was thus born, and he now stands as tall as the Empire State Building, no more than a gargantuan mix of a Komodo Dragon and a T-Rex. It sets off from the pacific, walked across Mexico (without being detected!) and swims its way to Manhattan, New York to make it its nesting place. Sounds more like an excuse than a story right? Well, I don't blame you. After all, this is Hollywood!
Broderick is the ever-zealous Nick, who leads his field of study in the effects of radiation on the evolution of animals. Trailing the creature to New York, he bumps into ex-girlfriend, Audrey (Maria Pitillo), an aspiring reporter who find herself lacking in the nasty skills required in achieving her dream. When the military falsely dismisses Nick from their research team with the accusation that he has been leaking information to the public, he is picked-up by French secret agent Phillippe Roche (Jean Reno). Incidentally, the French has sent a team of secret operatives to destroy the creature, an effort to undo what they have indirectly done through the nuclear tests. Jean Reno once again reprises his role as "The Cleaner" (seen in Luc Besson's LA FEMME NIKITA and LEON), fulfulling his character's words "we are here to clean the mess we have made." Hank Azaria plays Animal, the crazy cameraman who would do anything for a shot.
In GODZILLA, the creature takes centrestage. True to the original Japanese GODZILLA movies, we get to see gratuitous lack of respect for public property as it tramples through landmarks of New York. The CGI effects are impressive: imagine JURASSIC PARK with a few thousand percent more worth of CG creatures. One cannot help but notice the resemblance of this creature to the previous two dinosaur movies, and though it may not deliver the landmark quality to outshine the realism of JURASSIC PARK and THE LOST WORLD, it sure has the magnitude and destruction to significantly numb audiences, forcing them to immerse themselves in the fast-paced action and loud sound effects.
EMMERICH's direction flows with unoriginal ideas, regurgitated from landmark action sci-fi movies of our time. Each scene an excuse to flex yet another muscle of his CGI team. Definitely the special effects movie of the year. Not quite memorable stuff, but it was highly entertaining while it lasted.
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