Godzilla 2000 (2000)

57% of critics liked it
(67 reviews)
49% of users liked it
(10,775 ratings)

Following Roland Emmerich's controversial Americanization of the Japanese monster icon in Godzilla (1998), the Beast from the East comes roaring back in this sci-fi adventure tale. Yuji Shinoda (Naomi Nishida), a scientist devoted to researching Godzilla, is setting up equipment on a fog-shrouded… More Following Roland Emmerich's controversial Americanization of the Japanese monster icon in Godzilla (1998), the Beast from the East comes roaring back in this sci-fi adventure tale. Yuji Shinoda (Naomi Nishida), a scientist devoted to researching Godzilla, is setting up equipment on a fog-shrouded peninsula with her daughter Io (Mayu Suzuki) and journalist Yuki Ichinose (Takehiro Murata) when everyone's favorite 180-foot-tall lizard appears from the sea and begins laying siege to a nuclear power plant. The military swings into action, but the monster's fiery breath soon uncovers an alien spacecraft; beings from outer space have come to take over the earth, and now Godzilla is our last line of defense against them. Hugely successful in Japan, Gojira Mireniamu (aka Godzilla 2000) was the first Japanese Godzilla movie since Godzilla 1985 to receive a US theatrical release. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Takao Okawara
Written By: Hiroshi Kashiwabara, Wataru Mimura
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Aug 18, 2000 Wide
On DVD: Dec 26, 2000
Studio: TriStar Pictures

Critic Reviews

Jay Carr, Boston Globe
Godzilla 2000 is a ton of fun, and then some.
Bob Longino, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Godzilla 2000 is everything hard-core fans want it to be. So corny. So campy. So MST3K-ready. And, God bless it, so badly dubbed in English, it soars.
Mark Caro, Chicago Tribune
Contains more laugh-out-loud moments than The Replacements and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps combined.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Take the kids. Watch Godzilla crush Japanese cars, smack Cobra helicopters and burn the mutant alien. It's a tradition and one worth passing on to another generation.
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
We know we're in for a good time right from the start when plucky photographer Yuki says, "I've really got to get some great pictures here," while moving her lips only twice.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
this is old-school Godzilla, meaning unconvincing special effects, a ridiculous plotline involving a rival monster, and lots of Japanese actors with badly overdubbed dialogue
Emily Blunt, Blunt Review
Just nuthin' special
Rob Blackwelder, SPLICEDWire
Low production values, high camp and a guy in a giant rubber reptile suit rampaging through a detailed miniature of Tokyo, knocking down buildings, kicking cars and breathing fire! Yeah, that's the stuff!
Eric Lurio, Greenwich Village Gazette
The main problem with this film is it isn't Cheesy enough.

Read all 9 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Christopher H

Everything the American adaptation should have been. It updates Godzilla for the modern age while still remaining faithful to what makes these movies so enjoyable. The visual style is still the same affair with Godzilla being a guy in a rubber suit and model cities being blown up.… More
Everything the American adaptation should have been. It updates Godzilla for the modern age while still remaining faithful to what makes these movies so enjoyable. The visual style is still the same affair with Godzilla being a guy in a rubber suit and model cities being blown up. The Godzilla suit looks really good in this film. The film incorporates some use of modern day CGI which looks pretty bad. There is this one scene that shows a computer-generated Godzilla swimming under water and it looks like a video game cutscene. The plot is nothing special but it is enough to keep the viewers attention. Surprisingly, Godzilla gets to fight another monster in this film. This is surprising because usually Godzilla flies solo in reboots. The monster rumble is a great fight with one of the greatest Godzilla finishing moves of the franchise. The English dubbing is laughably bad but it almost adds to the film's cheesy fun factor. This Godzilla movie is delightfully cheesy fun with enjoyable action. Overall, Godzilla 2000 provided a breath of fresh air to fans that were disappointed by the Roland Emmerich film and kick-started the Millennium Godzilla series.
Luke B

Not the best start to a new series of Godzilla movies, but it'll do. It did have some work to do after the shitstorm that was the American Godzilla. It mostly makes up for that. We get a guy in a suit, looking better than ever. The film also brings us some CGI, with a wonderfully… More
Not the best start to a new series of Godzilla movies, but it'll do. It did have some work to do after the shitstorm that was the American Godzilla. It mostly makes up for that. We get a guy in a suit, looking better than ever. The film also brings us some CGI, with a wonderfully dodgy looking spaceship. I praise this film for not holding back on its imagination. I wish people would stay away from the American dubs. I've never seen one, and I've enjoyed the series thoroughly. This film had everything I'd come to expect, but seemed scared of being too outlandish. Hiroshi Abe also ruined a lot of the movie by having ONE look. Was it fear? Was it determination? Was it confusion? I'll never know.
Jason O

"Godzilla 2000" is not anything like the "Godzilla" movie that graced the theatres a few years ago and that most people hated. It's a lot more like the old Godzilla movies that were made decades ago such as "King Kong vs. Godzilla" and "Godzilla… More
"Godzilla 2000" is not anything like the "Godzilla" movie that graced the theatres a few years ago and that most people hated. It's a lot more like the old Godzilla movies that were made decades ago such as "King Kong vs. Godzilla" and "Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster." Yep that's right, "Godzilla 2000" takes place in Tokyo Japan, it's dubbed in English, and Godzilla has that all-familiar cry, or voice, that he always had. This time around, Godzilla terrorizes the city of Tokyo while battling against a huge monster formed from rock that seems to be controlled by aliens. This rock monster has supposedly been resting for many many years, yet it's also very powerful and might be unstoppable....for people that is. If you like the old type of Godzilla movie where the whole movie centers around Godzilla battling against a huge and powerful nemesis, then you gotta see "Godzilla 2000." "Godzilla 2000" has great special effects, and it's one movie that doesn't need great acting in order to make it a good movie because Godzilla is the star, not the actors. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2001.
a b

Since seeing it in the theater, all I remember is a lot of stuff getting blown up.
Christopher B

Excellent comeback for the big guy. This was the one that made everyone breath a sigh of relief after the American version.
Anthony V

Updated special effects. Good story.
jason d

I fell asleep during this.