Talkback: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

[Gigantis]

This is a movie that's so bad,it becomes skreoonking incredible. I always liked Megaguirus's design,it's a very nice blend of an insect while also taking tons of cues from Godzilla himself,arguably better than Orga (but then again he was incomplete.) And the black hole cannon is a welcome edition to weaponary and i honestly wanna see more of it.

[daveblackeye15]

I think this is the most underrated movie in the whole series. In fact, I didn't realize how many people hated it until a couple of years ago. I'm glad a lot of the people in this thread at least have some appreciation for it, because Megaguirus has always been a favorite of mine. There are definitely special effects blemishes but let's be serious, is there a Toho-produced Godzilla movie that doesn't have at least SOME bad special effects work? And there's some really great effects work too, like the scene of Tsujimori climbing Godzilla. As a few of you above have commented, I like how Godzilla comes off as a cunning fighter. In fact, the final battle in general is one of the best of the whole series. Maybe THE best. A contest of raw strength vs incredible speed is much more interesting than the endless beam wars of the Heisei series. At the very least, I think Megaguirus has one of the two best post-Showa kaiju showdowns, along with the final battle in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla.

I’m going to rewatch the film in a few days, I think I’d agree with you, but I remember after such a great fight, Megaguirus just loses in a really dumb way.

What? I love that part! I was happy when the article I linked said that was a well done moment. I like that she's durable to physical attacks but he's very fragile to his atomic breathe so the hard part is just hitting her. God I seem to remember so much of the movie was a slog though. I mean riding on Godzilla's scutes was fantastic don't get me wrong.

[LSD Jellyfish]

Just rewatched this. Yeah it’s not a classic, but I tubing it’s fine. It has a lot of interesting elements, which well could have been executed better, and elongated work well.

Megaguirus is awesome, as is the fight. It just makes you wish that the meganulon had more scenes and terrorized Tokyo more. I also wish there was more with Megaguirus after it first appears.

I think there’s actually a lot of creative shots and stuff going on. I like how the film starts out as an almost documentary, and has this weird alternative japan future where Osaka is the capital. It oddly gives the film this really unique vibe.

One thing I noticed, is that this Godzilla...might be the weakest? That isn’t a complaint. It’s just heavily implied Godzilla is purely a radioactive animal that is just feeding. He’s not some super powered atomic creature, or out to destroy japan. It’s implied he’d just be happy living in the ocean if he wasn’t bothered. Additionally, he doesn’t display any super powers, like a nuclear pulse, or any super healing. He’s also small. One thing that made this Goji unique is his tail usage. While Godzilla has always used his tail, it’s easy to forget in some movies, and in this one he uses it as a third arm. He uses it a few times in the movie, like when he swats away the Meganula, so it doesn’t feel out of place when Godzilla uses his tail to grab Megaguirus.

The biggest issue with the film is the DT and Megaguirus plot lines. They feel like two completely different movies, and it feels like both suffer development as a result. Instead of having the time for the DT, there could have been the military versus the meganula, and more of Megaguirus. If they wanted to focus just on the DT, more time could have been built up establishing Godzilla as evil.

While I don’t think this film compares classically, I appreciate that it doesn’t try to be EPIC, like subsequent Godzilla films try to be. It isn’t as good, but it reminds me of Ebirah, and Son Of Godzilla, in that they’re just films with stories and aren’t about how the Xilliens want to conquer the world, or how Godzilla Ghost wants to rampage. It works great as “just another Godzilla film”. It’s a good watch but doesn’t change the genre that much.

[HedorahIsBestGirl]

Top 10 Reasons I Love Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
1) The "fake history lesson" opening sequence is great. While Godzilla 2000 gave us no indicator of how long Godzilla's been around or how much trouble he's caused, this movie makes the film's continuity very clear. Also, the Osaka sequence features some damned fine camerawork and sets up Tsujimori's vendetta nicely.
2) Tsujimori is one of my favorite lead characters in a Godzilla movie. It's worth noting that she's the first MAIN female protagonist in a Godzilla movie, and was followed by two others. While she's not a super-developed character, her vendetta against Godzilla is a believable drive for her actions in the film. Surprisingly, she's only the second character in the series (after Yuki) to target Godzilla for revenge, and her revenge plot is handled much better than Yuki's. I also like that she actually plays an active role in the finale, unlike most human protagonists in Godzilla movies.
3) Megaguirus is my favorite insect kaiju that Toho has ever designed. Kamacuras and Kumonga are just big bugs. Mothra and Battra are cool, but the props used to portray them in the Heisei series are stiff and unconvincing. Megaguiurs is like a dragonfly, a scorpion and Godzilla all rolled into one. And she's purple; a garish color choice, perhaps, but one that works well. Her powers are cool and while the prop used to portray her in some shots is stiff, I think it's a big step up from all of the flying kaiju in the Heisei series. She also exudes quite the sinister and cunning personality in her final showdown with Godzilla
4) The final battle in this movie is just skreeonking awesome. I think it's my favorite of the whole series, as I mentioned in an earlier post. It's exciting and well-choreographed with some very memorable moments (the tail grab, the building drop, the stinger fireball, even that ridiculous bodyslam). I enjoy how Godzilla comes across as both ferocious and intelligent in the battle, adapting to Megaguirus's strategy and gradually overcoming her. It's a contest of strength and speed, and so refreshing after the endless beam wars of the 90s and the rather bland final showdown in Godzilla 2000.
5) This film is narratively ambitious, more so than any Godzilla film since 1989. Sure, the two plotlines don't mesh together perfectly, but I still give the film points for trying. The origins of Megaguirus are nicely connected to the Dimension Tide, I just wish there had been a better revelation moment where our heroes realize they brought this new threat into the world in their attempts to destroy Godzilla. The flooding of Tokyo is also a cool concept, albeit one that could have been expanded on. If anything, this movie is too ambitious, and could have been better if it reined in some of its concepts for the sake of a more consolidated narrative.
6) The Meganura are handled well in this film. It's cool to see a smaller kaiju from Rodan return after almost 50 years with a much scarier portrayal. The scene where the Meganuron kills the young couple is genuinely horrific, and gave me nightmares as a kid. Along with the Shockirus sequence from Godzilla 1985 (which I suspect was an inspiration), this is the farthest the Godzilla series travels into the horror genre. The shots of all the Meganura metamorphosing on the sides of buildings is pretty creepy too. The Meganura swarm attacking Godzilla is a cool sequence; never before have we seen Godzilla go up against a horde of smaller kaiju. Of course, Gamera beat him to the punch on that one...
7) The music in this movie is excellent. It's my second favorite score of the Millennium series, after GMK. The energized battle theme and the eerie theme used for the Meganura are particular standouts to me. People always compare Oshima's score for this film to her later scores for the two Kiryu movies. Personally, I think this is her best work by far, as I found the soundtracks of the latter two films rather repetitive.
8) The special effects are a mixed bag, yes. But I'm gonna go against the crowd and say there's much more good than bad here. Godzilla feels more lifelike here than in Godzilla 2000, in part because he brings his tail into play (something that's happened in surprisingly few Godzilla movies). Megaguirus, as I already said, is handled better than any flying kaiju since Mothra way back in 1964. The scene of Tsujimoro climbing on Godzilla's dorsal spines is a particular standout, and I think this scene alone gives this movie the edge over anything from the 90s in the effects department. Aside from the CGI Meganura and occasional stiffness from the Megaguirus prop, I don't have any major complaints.
9) This movie has some excellent cinematography. Shots such as the G-Graspers firing rockets at a shadowy Godzilla, the Meganuron attacking the couple, Tsujimori climbing Godzilla and many moments from the final battle stand out in my mind as some of the more impressive shots in the Godzilla series. The shot of Godzilla finally nuking Megaguirus is particularly well-framed.
10) Overall, I think this movie has the second best pacing of the Millennium series (once again, after GMK) and some of the better pacing in the series overall. The plot flows nicely, with a good mix of action and exposition, and keeps me gripped all the way to the end. By contrast, Godzilla 2000 drags in the middle, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and Final Wars both drag in the first half, and Tokyo SOS pretty much drags from start to finish.

Anyway, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus is one of my top ten favorite Godzilla films and I consider it the second best of the Millennium films after GMK.

[LSD Jellyfish]

Top 10 Reasons I Love Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
1) The "fake history lesson" opening sequence is great. While Godzilla 2000 gave us no indicator of how long Godzilla's been around or how much trouble he's caused, this movie makes the film's continuity very clear. Also, the Osaka sequence features some damned fine camerawork and sets up Tsujimori's vendetta nicely.

I agree. It made me realize how much I would like a Godzilla film shot in a documentary format.
I also agree with Tsujimori's vendetta, and while the director did the same thing in subsequent films, this time it comes across as original.

2) Tsujimori is one of my favorite lead characters in a Godzilla movie. It's worth noting that she's the first MAIN female protagonist in a Godzilla movie, and was followed by two others. While she's not a super-developed character, her vendetta against Godzilla is a believable drive for her actions in the film. Surprisingly, she's only the second character in the series (after Yuki) to target Godzilla for revenge, and her revenge plot is handled much better than Yuki's. I also like that she actually plays an active role in the finale, unlike most human protagonists in Godzilla movies.

I wouldn't say she's my favorite, she's fine. It's still just a generic revenge plot. But in Japanese I can tell her acting is super good. She gets a lot of unique moments, like jumping onto Godzilla, or her flying above Godzilla in the climax. Plus she's cute but hey. I think the bad thing though, is that for a good character, they pair her with a really obnxious dork that spends the entire film hitting on her and harassing her...

3) Megaguirus is my favorite insect kaiju that Toho has ever designed. Kamacuras and Kumonga are just big bugs. Mothra and Battra are cool, but the props used to portray them in the Heisei series are stiff and unconvincing. Megaguiurs is like a dragonfly, a scorpion and Godzilla all rolled into one. And she's purple; a garish color choice, perhaps, but one that works well. Her powers are cool and while the prop used to portray her in some shots is stiff, I think it's a big step up from all of the flying kaiju in the Heisei series. She also exudes quite the sinister and cunning personality in her final showdown with Godzilla

Big disagreement about what's in bold. They're basic, but Kumonga and Kamacuras for their time were really well executed puppets, and had a lot of personality. Kumonga had this really creepy stalking presence. Plus, both Kumonga and Kamacuras have unique features, like their coloring, and subtle differences.

5) This film is narratively ambitious, more so than any Godzilla film since 1989. Sure, the two plotlines don't mesh together perfectly, but I still give the film points for trying. The origins of Megaguirus are nicely connected to the Dimension Tide, I just wish there had been a better revelation moment where our heroes realize they brought this new threat into the world in their attempts to destroy Godzilla. The flooding of Tokyo is also a cool concept, albeit one that could have been expanded on. If anything, this movie is too ambitious, and could have been better if it reined in some of its concepts for the sake of a more consolidated narrative.

Agreed it's ambitious. The film could've easily been 15 extra minutes long, and segwayed into the climax. What if the DT started up during the fight with Megagurius?I tend to give things more leeway that are interesting.

6) The Meganura are handled well in this film. It's cool to see a smaller kaiju from Rodan return after almost 50 years with a much scarier portrayal. The scene where the Meganuron kills the young couple is genuinely horrific, and gave me nightmares as a kid. Along with the Shockirus sequence from Godzilla 1985 (which I suspect was an inspiration), this is the farthest the Godzilla series travels into the horror genre. The shots of all the Meganura metamorphosing on the sides of buildings is pretty creepy too. The Meganura swarm attacking Godzilla is a cool sequence; never before have we seen Godzilla go up against a horde of smaller kaiju.

Yeah, but they, like Megagurius, could have had some more screentime. I'm not saying that we need a full act devoted to them, but a few scenes of the Meganulon on land, attacking some people would have been nice.

7) The music in this movie is excellent. It's my second favorite score of the Millennium series, after GMK. The energized battle theme and the eerie theme used for the Meganura are particular standouts to me.

Agreed.

[HedorahIsBestGirl]

3) Megaguirus is my favorite insect kaiju that Toho has ever designed. Kamacuras and Kumonga are just big bugs. Mothra and Battra are cool, but the props used to portray them in the Heisei series are stiff and unconvincing. Megaguiurs is like a dragonfly, a scorpion and Godzilla all rolled into one. And she's purple; a garish color choice, perhaps, but one that works well. Her powers are cool and while the prop used to portray her in some shots is stiff, I think it's a big step up from all of the flying kaiju in the Heisei series. She also exudes quite the sinister and cunning personality in her final showdown with Godzilla

Big disagreement about what's in bold. They're basic, but Kumonga and Kamacuras for their time were really well executed puppets, and had a lot of personality. Kumonga had this really creepy stalking presence. Plus, both Kumonga and Kamacuras have unique features, like their coloring, and subtle differences.

Just to be clear, Son of Godzilla is also a favorite of mine and I really like Kumonga. Not faulting Toho for anything regarding Kumonga's portrayal; definitely a creepy presence and the leg movements are very well done. Great theme music, too. Just making the point that while Kumonga is a super-sized spider, Megaguirus is a hybrid of a couple different bugs plus Godzilla himself, and I personally think that's cooler.

[Terasawa]

The "fake history lesson" opening sequence is great. While Godzilla 2000 gave us no indicator of how long Godzilla's been around or how much trouble he's caused, this movie makes the film's continuity very clear.

I don’t think that’s such a bad thing, regarding G2K. They’re different kinds of movies: GXM’s history is important because the film is about establishing that Godzilla appears when Japan experiments with nuclear energy. It wouldn’t have worked with the G2K approach. But G2K doesn’t dive into Godzilla’s history, and I don’t think it needs to. I don’t think a GXM history lesson would have benefited that film at all.

[orderofthemeganulon]

DEMAND FROM THE ORDER OF THE MEGANULON

IN THE NAME OF OUR GOD THE MILLENNIUM MEGANULON AND OF OUR INQUISITION WE COMMAND YOU TO SEND THE BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS OF THE MEGANULON ATTACKING THE COUPLE IN SHIBUYA OF TOKYO. BOTH MOTOKO NAGINO AND YUJI. AND WE PROMISE THEE' THERE WILL BE NO MORE STORMS FROM OUR GOD UNTO THY ISLAND.

[UltramanGoji]

Go back to deviantART with the roleplaying poop.

[LSD Jellyfish]

DEMAND FROM THE ORDER OF THE MEGANULON

IN THE NAME OF OUR GOD THE MILLENNIUM MEGANULON AND OF OUR INQUISITION WE COMMAND YOU TO SEND THE BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS OF THE MEGANULON ATTACKING THE COUPLE IN SHIBUYA OF TOKYO. BOTH MOTOKO NAGINO AND YUJI. AND WE PROMISE THEE' THERE WILL BE NO MORE STORMS FROM OUR GOD UNTO THY ISLAND.

Probably the cringiest poop I’ve ever seen on this site.

[HedorahIsBestGirl]

DEMAND FROM THE ORDER OF THE MEGANULON

IN THE NAME OF OUR GOD THE MILLENNIUM MEGANULON AND OF OUR INQUISITION WE COMMAND YOU TO SEND THE BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS OF THE MEGANULON ATTACKING THE COUPLE IN SHIBUYA OF TOKYO. BOTH MOTOKO NAGINO AND YUJI. AND WE PROMISE THEE' THERE WILL BE NO MORE STORMS FROM OUR GOD UNTO THY ISLAND.

Probably the cringiest poop I’ve ever seen on this site.

Ditto...

What the actual skreeonk?

[ReiwaGodzilla]

Is this movie worth watching? I've seen a lot of people saying this movie is terrible, but, recently i've seen a lot of positive opinions about this movie.

[HedorahIsBestGirl]

Is this movie worth watching? I've seen a lot of people saying this movie is terrible, but, recently i've seen a lot of positive opinions about this movie.

It's absolutely worth watching, and highly underrated. If you go to the top of this page on the thread, you'll see I listed ten reasons why I love the film, so I won't bother reiterating. All I'll say is that if you enjoy out-there sci-fi plots and good kaiju action, I think you'll be able to have at least some fun with Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, even if you don't end up loving it. Personally, I think it's one of the strongest post-Showa Godzilla films, but I am in the minority on this one.

[ReiwaGodzilla]

Is this movie worth watching? I've seen a lot of people saying this movie is terrible, but, recently i've seen a lot of positive opinions about this movie.

It's absolutely worth watching, and highly underrated. If you go to the top of this page on the thread, you'll see I listed ten reasons why I love the film, so I won't bother reiterating. All I'll say is that if you enjoy out-there sci-fi plots and good kaiju action, I think you'll be able to have at least some fun with Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, even if you don't end up loving it. Personally, I think it's one of the strongest post-Showa Godzilla films, but I am in the minority on this one.

Ok, after that, i'm going to give it a watch, i'm excited to know more about Megaguirus.

[Terasawa]

Is this movie worth watching? I've seen a lot of people saying this movie is terrible, but, recently i've seen a lot of positive opinions about this movie.

If you're a Godzilla fan then isn't every Godzilla movie is worth watching at least once?

GXM has some entertaining moments but on the whole it's one of my least favorite entries in the series. (You can scan this topic for more specific comments I've made.) But don't let me or anyone else decide your opinion for you. Watch it if you can.

[ReiwaGodzilla]

Oh god, i literally ended watching this movie minutes ago. I never realized how GxMG and Tokyo SOS were such an improvement compared to Godzilla vs Megaguirus. I have several problems with this movie, but as the problems are more numerous than the good aspects I'll talk about the good aspects.
1. Meganula is incredible and they're pretty terrifying, specially when transforming into Meganulon, they make the earlier forms of Destoroyah look like bad in comparison.
2. Megaguirus is incredible, great design (though, they should've made the wings bigger, same thing applies to Meganula and Meganulon), cool transformation and even good personality... a great addition to the lore!
3. I like the scenes with the flooded city, really creative
4. The fights are decent and each monster has loads of personality, the fight between Meganula and Godzilla is personally the best for me.
5. There's some cool shots with Godzilla

I wish they made the rest of the movie besides that better, there's really a LOT of missed opportunity with this movie.

[Living Corpse]

I've said it countless times in the past but I like that this feels like a return to movies like Godzilla vs Gigan where the monster isn't some anti-Godzilla weapon, they just kick his ass because they play to their strengths and exploit his weakness. Godzilla actually feels like he is in danger like he might lose, and by all right he could have. Megs got robbed because of dumb luck. That's not to say it was a one sided fight, Godzilla was able to turn the tables around for a few times but in the end when Godzilla won, it felt less like plot armor and more like I said before, dumb luck and I mean that in a good way.

[edgaguirus]

This film does have a Showa feel, and that's partly why I like it. It's a fun movie, and Meg is an interesting kaiju.

[Destorogoji]

The more I watch this film and the more experience I gather, the more I see both its flaws and the good aspects of the movie.
And yeah, it's pretty much a lot of wasted potential.

[VoyagerGoji]

My opinion of this film:


Don’t bully me.