Amazon.com: This 2001 Godzilla feature from Japan's Toho Studios, released as part of the mighty monster's 50th anniversary, is a visually impressive and action-packed entry in the long-running franchise, but also one with a fast and loose re-interpretation of its history that may displease some stalwart fans. Writer-director Shusuke Kaneko (who previously revitalized the Gamera series) erases everything that occurred after 1954's Godzilla and re-imagines the beast as a mythical creature harboring the souls of the Japanese victims of World War II; its attack is challenged by three "Guardian Monsters": Mothra, perennial villain King Ghidorah (here reinvented as hero) and B-list player Baragon (from Frankenstein Challenges the World). The retooling, while imaginative, is supported by spectacular special effects, but the monsters' brawls (a core reason for enjoying these films) seem abbreviated, and Kaneko's script experiences awkward seismic shifts from comedy to grim drama that may befuddle longtime G-fans. Columbia-Tri-Star's DVD is widescreen and offers Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and a Japanese language track (with English subtitles) that should please viewers with an aversion to dubbing. Trailers for other Sony/Columbia sci-fi titles like the American Godzilla feature are also included. --Paul Gaita
A mediocre offering This film re-imagined our favorite monsters in a way that I found most irritating. New-agey hoo-haa was substituted for substance. Not only did the monsters have to carry on the guilt of Japanese actions in the Pacific during WW2, they also had to carry the anger of the victims of the war. The portrayal of Godzilla as evil made this more of a Mothra-as-hero movie than a Godzilla movie. My 10 year old daughter kept asking me why Godzilla didn't have eyes (they are white throughout this film) and I told her that maybe they were going for a ZombieGodzilla look. Honestly, why does Toho have to mess with a perfectly good formula??? What happened to Coke when they tried reinventing the taste that has stood them in good stead for almost 100 years?
I found Final Wars to be vastly superior to this one.
Possibly the best Godzilla film of 'em all! What a treat this film turned out to be.
I've seen the majority of Godzilla films, and this is my favorite so far.
Godzilla is a mean-spirited murderer in this film, stomping on, and frying crowds of people with real malevolence. He is scarier, and crueler than usual in this movie.
Some of the effects are the best I've seen in any Godzilla film.
The shots of him coming ashore and attacking the relatively small, coastal city (Shizuoka/Kaizu harbor), are fresh, thrilling and spectacular.
Ghidorah, Baragon and Mothra get to be "good guys" in this one, a cool twist.
This is probably the best-directed Godzilla film, overall.
Shusuke Aneko humanizes the film surprisingly well, and "camp" is kept to a minimum. (Just be aware that some "camp" factor is especially unnavoidable in the dubbed English version). Watching in Japanese with English subtitles minimizes the camp to a surprising degree, in many cases (to my sensibility).
But with DVD, the choice is yours.
Director Aneko's handling of the action scenes is utterly masterful. The entire sequence in Hakone valley is pure genius, IMO, and Godzilla's prior entrance is truly breathtaking.
Many human-perspective shots are done from where the escaping people would see the beasts (thru car windshields, hospital windows, and from the ground a few hundred yards away from the titanic battles). In this way, the movie outdoes "Cloverfield", and yet, it is 7-8 years older!
There are even some ghostly supernatural touches to round out the plot--Something about a mysterious old man-A powerful hermit-medium, who warns of Godzilla, is able to astral-project himself, and eventually even has the psychic capabilities to channel millions of dead souls from WWII into 3 sleeping "Guardian" monsters to awaken them for the great death-duel with you-know-who.
It's a wild "explanation", but it's just cool-sounding enough to work, until the monsters take over the show and the gifted Director Aneko really gets to flash his chops.
The film delivers on its promise of imaginative sci-fi/myth-action more in the way of a big movie like "Independence Day", than like a traditional Godzilla movie with all of the expected conventions (although it still keeps a few).
If you like Godzilla & have not seen this one yet, you are in for a real treat.
It is a true gem (if you like Godzilla).
Definitely in the Top Five Godzilla Movies, Maybe the Best Shusuke Kaneko, the director of the superb 1990's trilogy of Gamera movies, finally gets his shot at Godzilla and turns out what might be the best of the whole series. GMK brings Godzilla back to his dark wartime roots, here speculated to be powered by the spirits of the WWII dead. Kaneko does the only thing he can to tell an "adult" giant monster story and that is to take the material and characters into a more mythic and allegorically charged direction and to make a movie that is thematically strong. He knows that the only way to make these monsters work is for them to actually mean something, unlike the shallow and unfortunate American Godzilla which is the target of a much deserved dig at the beginning of this movie.
Although it is undeniably one of the strongest entries in the series (easily the best of the Shinsei movies), it is not without controversy. The Godzilla suit is radically redesigned with a look that, while not exactly based on the 1954 suit, probably matches your impressions of his original appearance, right down to its monochromatic charcoal color and bony dorsal fins. Matching his characterization in this movie, Godzilla looks far more evil than ever before with milky white eyes and huge fangs. That being said, his large square head and potbelly give him a strangely Barney-like appearance. After the relatively svelt G2K suit, this Godzilla is back to looking decidedly pudgy and not quite as life-like.
Mothra comes off a lot better here, and this maybe the first time where she flies in a somewhat lifelike way (such a relief after the horrible flying effects in Godzilla vs. Megaguirus). Although Mothra plays a familiar role here, the previously evil King Ghidorah is re-imagined as a noble guardian monster and is far smaller and less powerful than we are used to seeing him. This was a little strange and jarring to long time Godzilla fans. The reason for this is that both monsters are last minute switches for Varan and Anguirus, two lesser-known monsters that Kaneko had originally planned to use but the studio didn't feel that they had enough "starpower" to help carry the movie.
This was the most successful and acclaimed of the Shinsei movies, yet strangely Kaneko was not invited to come back for any of the remaining movies. Hopefully when the series relaunches in the next decade, Kaneko will give us another movie. Kaiju movies are not exactly common these days and he's the only working director who has proven himself a master of this weird and difficult little genre.
one of his finest I would rate this as one of Godzilla's finest showings. His sullen white eyes seem to mesmerize one... Literally the use of modern technology has produced a serious wrecking machine. In essense, this would be the Oscar performance of the big guy. I've watched this time and time again... always appreciating the plot & production.
godzilla my youngest son has always had a thing for Godzilla!!! Product was in excellent shape and my son is happy!!! Thanks so much! also arrived on time! THANKS!
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