Godzilla (1998)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Film C

  
  Godzilla is an average horror, action movie and although i found it very entertaining just as a light hearted not to serious movie, it is just an average movie and nothing special about it. It is action packed and enjoyable movie to watch on a rainiy day but thats about it!

• Phil H

  
  Hmmm very dodgy US update of the classic Tokyo destroying lizard. Its a rip of so many ideas, and the little baby zillas make it even worse, almost 'Jurassic Park-ish' crossed with 'Aliens'. The look is good, the effects being quite decent for the time, its all cgi… More
  Hmmm very dodgy US update of the classic Tokyo destroying lizard. Its a rip of so many ideas, and the little baby zillas make it even worse, almost 'Jurassic Park-ish' crossed with 'Aliens'. The look is good, the effects being quite decent for the time, its all cgi of course but because its dark allot it does look quite atmospheric. The best part of the film easily is the choppers attacking zilla and being chomped down one at a time. The cast is pretty lame though, Broderick isn't fit to be in anything frankly and Azaria should stick to TV comedies, Reno is the best actor on show here. Basically the film looks good and thats it, the rest is a bit embarassing really. Love how the old Japanese man on the dock at the start see's something happening in the sea before him and cries 'Godzilla!' even before he's seen anything haha why would it have a name in the first place? insane! lol!

• AJ V

  
  A very American, and modernized retelling/remake of Godzilla. Although it's yet another film in the Godzilla series, which has way too many versions as it is, the cast makes it worth watching, they're really good. I really liked this movie.

• Directors C

  
  The only film Roland Emerrich had directed that I enjoyed up until now was The Day after Tommorow. Which wasn't that great anyway. Godzilla is far from perfect but better than DAT. The typical aggresiveness of CGI in most of his movies like Independence Day and 10000 BC are so… More
  The only film Roland Emerrich had directed that I enjoyed up until now was The Day after Tommorow. Which wasn't that great anyway. Godzilla is far from perfect but better than DAT. The typical aggresiveness of CGI in most of his movies like Independence Day and 10000 BC are so mind blowing that it causes the films to fall to ruins. The films didn't have to be that aggressive because of their plotline's that could have turned them into modern epic's. With his remake of Godzilla, like the original japanese film, the effects and characters are necessary to the storyline. You do however have to be in a dumb mood to enjoy it. I was.

• Christopher H

  
  When I was a kid, I loved the Godzilla movies. There is something about watching model cities getting destroyed that is so awesome. I also loved watching Godzilla movies for the cool looking monsters and the classic monster rumbles. So when I heard that an American adaptation was… More
  When I was a kid, I loved the Godzilla movies. There is something about watching model cities getting destroyed that is so awesome. I also loved watching Godzilla movies for the cool looking monsters and the classic monster rumbles. So when I heard that an American adaptation was being made, I was really excited. It would have been cool to see Godzilla properly updated and introduced to American audiences. Unfortunately, what we got was a film that owed more to "Jurassic Park" or "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" than "Godzilla". Not only is the monster a crappy looking CGI oven-roasted T-rex , it does not even posses Godzilla's basic traits. The monster doesn't have radioactive breath or indestructible. The monster gets killed by the military, something that never happens to Godzilla. Most of the time the monster is getting chased by the military which is an insult to Godzilla's character. Another flaw with the film is it spends way too much time with the human characters, who are cliche and shallow. This movie is just a boring and cliche disaster/monster movie that was given the name Godzilla for market value. How can anybody mess up Godzilla?

• Brad W

  
  I hated this monster movie. First of all the effects were not good, it sucked. Godzilla looked like a T Rex, not a dragon. So many cliche and stupid moments in the plot that it sucked too much. This movie had many flaws, and they all keep it from being good, overall the movie… More
  I hated this monster movie. First of all the effects were not good, it sucked. Godzilla looked like a T Rex, not a dragon. So many cliche and stupid moments in the plot that it sucked too much. This movie had many flaws, and they all keep it from being good, overall the movie sucked beyond all belief.

• Jeff "

  
  Godzilla is the type of film that you watch when you're 12 and you think it's the best film ever. But once you hit your mid twenties, you realize that whatever you thought was great in films when you were 12, is actually crap. I have never seen an original Godzilla film; but… More
  Godzilla is the type of film that you watch when you're 12 and you think it's the best film ever. But once you hit your mid twenties, you realize that whatever you thought was great in films when you were 12, is actually crap. I have never seen an original Godzilla film; but I have to say that this film is a disgrace to the original Japanese films. I have seen snippets of the original films, but nothing more. Roland Emmerich crafts a film that is based more on the special effects than on plot or character development. Not to mention that this Godzilla is much smaller than the original. Looking back now that I'm in my twenties, I have to say that this film sucks. I think this is Emmerich's worst film along with 10,000 B.C. The film lacks anything to make it appealing. Luckily I grew wiser and discovered what truly makes a good film. Godzilla is not one of those films. A pointless action film with terrible acting, Roland Emmerich's film is simply a big disappointment, and is a film that has definitely not stood out the test of time. One of the worst remakes too. The film relies more on its special effects than on story. The end result is a film that's struggling to be entertaining without offering anything really that interesting on screen. A stupid and awful remake.

• Conner R

  
  Call me crazy, but I actually like this. Granted, i've always been a Godzilla fan and seeing this at age nine was like heaven on earth. When I look back on this I can say that it was well made, has some great special effects and the characters are fun. Now it's not a… More
  Call me crazy, but I actually like this. Granted, i've always been a Godzilla fan and seeing this at age nine was like heaven on earth. When I look back on this I can say that it was well made, has some great special effects and the characters are fun. Now it's not a wonderfully constructed story and it basically revolves around showcasing Godzilla destruction, but honestly I don't really care. The movie works for what it is: a big budget monster movie. While it basically changes everything about Godzilla's origins and everything about the character basically, we do get to see him destroying Manhattan and that's good enough for me. For what it's worth, Matthew Broderick does a good job here and so does the always awesome Jean Reno. Roland Emmerich succeeded in making an incredibly larger than life disaster movie that at times appears extremely surreal, other times goofy, but always entertaining.

• Mike S

  
  Yes, it's a B-movie. And yes, the writing could be better. But like most other Roland Emmerich flicks, it's got enough entertainment value to go around. I can't quite explain it, but I've always had a thing for stories that features giant monsters on a path of… More
  Yes, it's a B-movie. And yes, the writing could be better. But like most other Roland Emmerich flicks, it's got enough entertainment value to go around. I can't quite explain it, but I've always had a thing for stories that features giant monsters on a path of mayhem and destruction. Leastways as long as the special effects are good, which is definitely the case here. I can understand why some may dislike this film, or even hate it, but in my eyes, this is an enjoyable guilty pleasure. Kind of comical though that they hired Matthew Broderick to play the main role. Not that he's a bad actor, but he just looks a bit misplaced here - like a pacifist at an NRA meeting or a teletubby at a rock concert. Well, you get the point.

• Lucas M

  
  Roland Emmerich's Godzilla, promise a great entertaining time that brings amazing special effects, thing that changes when we see the disappointing script and weak direction. Cliche, Godzilla, show be a bad disaster film trying looks Jurassic Park. Rotten.

• Marc L

  
  Was it as bad as everyone says it is? No. Was it good? No. That being said, this is really an average movie at best, and a below average movie at worst. Typical Rolan Emmerich style of a crapload of special affects and battle scenes that are Oscar worthy, but not much else. To… More
  Was it as bad as everyone says it is? No. Was it good? No. That being said, this is really an average movie at best, and a below average movie at worst. Typical Rolan Emmerich style of a crapload of special affects and battle scenes that are Oscar worthy, but not much else. To start off, I disagree with most Godzilla fans about the monster. It wasn't what I expected, but it was pretty cool. Emmerich must have done a lot of work on this thing. Also, the chase scenes were pretty nice too. They were even better than the ones from the 2005 King Kong movie. There were also some pretty creative ways that the director used to help the heroes escape. The plot was pretty nice too. However, there was slightly more bad than good. Most of the acting was downright terrible. I particullary disliked Matthew Broderick's preformance as Dr Niko. It was emotionless and underdone. But the good news was, it was better than most Broderick preformances. The good news for Broderick was that he was not the only one with a bad preformance. Maria Pittilo was pretty bad too, the overacting to Broderick's underacting. Heck, you might say every actor was bad. The intorduction to the baby Godzilla's was ridiculous and uncalled for. The baby godzilla scene was basically a badly redone Jurassic Park Velociraptor scene. They looked like deformed reject giant birds more than terrifying monsters. When Broderick is the cause of your demise, you know you're lame monsters. The ending was horrible. When Godzilla finally dies, there is this moment where we are suppoused to feel sorry for it. It is kind of emotional, at least until the crowd starts cheering and it ends of on a completly different note. Overrall, bad movie. Not horrible, but bad.

• Steven C

  
  Roland Emmerich's "Godzilla" is just a lot of stupid fun. What makes a film this stupid so enjoyable is that it's constructed like a theme park ride. It's got flashy special effects (for the 90s that is), big name stars acting like fools, a plot you don't… More
  Roland Emmerich's "Godzilla" is just a lot of stupid fun. What makes a film this stupid so enjoyable is that it's constructed like a theme park ride. It's got flashy special effects (for the 90s that is), big name stars acting like fools, a plot you don't have to think about, and plenty of giddy thrills. Like all of Emmerich's disaster pictures, "Godzilla" is mindless, silly, silly fun.

• Dead A

  
  I see this is terribly underrated <a href='http://www.mysmiley.net' title='smiley icons'><img src='http://serve.mysmiley.net/rolleye/rolleye0019.gif' alt='smiley icons' border='0'></a> But let me give you the nice… More
  I see this is terribly underrated <a href='http://www.mysmiley.net' title='smiley icons'><img src='http://serve.mysmiley.net/rolleye/rolleye0019.gif' alt='smiley icons' border='0'></a> But let me give you the nice shock ---> I LIKED THIS! Brilliant special effects and has several breath taking moments. Though I didn't liked the ending. Especially the fact that Godzilla died. And giving another twist at the very end, I expect this has part 2 or something? Haven't seen the Japanese version (and I see that is a really good one since everyone is sighing on this).

• Richard C

  
  C

• Tim S

  
  Another terrible flick with a good soundtrack.

• Anthony L

  
  A big green Bogey that totally misses the point of the original classic Japanese versions.

• Thomas B

  
  one of the most well-known monster films, godzilla is a very interesting look at the humanity of flesh eating monsters, as they're just trying to survive, after all.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Size Does Matter"</i> Following the French atomic bomb tests in the South Pacific, an unknown creature is spotted passing eastward through the Panama Canal. Scientist Niko Tatopolous is called in to investigate the matter, and he quickly arrives at the… More
  <i>"Size Does Matter"</i> Following the French atomic bomb tests in the South Pacific, an unknown creature is spotted passing eastward through the Panama Canal. Scientist Niko Tatopolous is called in to investigate the matter, and he quickly arrives at the conclusion that a giant, irradiated lizard has been created by the explosions. Godzilla then makes its way north, landing at Manhattan to begin wreaking havoc in the big city. Even with the combined forces of the U.S. military to fight the monster, will it be enough to save the people of New York? <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Despite the promise of its snide tagline "Size Does Matter", Godzilla's penis never fully comes into play; herein, he reproduces asexually. People who re-make campy monster movies have got to consider what made the originals great - and, it usually has nothing to do with a bulging budget. The original "Godzilla" was endowed with some personality, despite being relatively low-budget in appearance. This version is one long special effect. The filmmakers include a spiteful, sarcastic swipe at movie critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, who must have found their thumbs going limp after witnessing "Godzilla".

• Coxxie M

  
  whoa... 1998. the beginning of the remake era. not a great way to start it off... baby godzillas was a bad idea. kinda like putting Jimmy Fallon on SNL

• Aaron N

  
  Sergeant O'Neal: We need bigger guns A giant lizard faces off against Ferris Bueller, Leon the Professional, and Hank Azaria in an epic showdown about radioactive tests, big lizards with raptor-like children, and the Madison Square Garden. The team behind Independence day… More
  Sergeant O'Neal: We need bigger guns A giant lizard faces off against Ferris Bueller, Leon the Professional, and Hank Azaria in an epic showdown about radioactive tests, big lizards with raptor-like children, and the Madison Square Garden. The team behind Independence day brings an event film version of Godzilla to the big screen. Its a big, loud, terrible movie that I can't help but enjoy due to its stupidity. Dr. Niko Tatopoulus: The radiation isn't an anomaly, it's the clue. Awful dialog, awful casting, and other strange issues make this into a terribly enjoyable film. It is fairly cool to see Godzilla terrorizing New York, even if some of the effects are iffy. Colonel Hicks: We didn't accomplish anything. Dr. Niko Tatopoulus: No, we fed him.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings