| Where should I start? This movie
is awesome from beginning to end! The film is
absolutely thrilling, and features excellent music
and fantastic suit work to match. This is undoubtedly
my second favorite Heisei movie.
The film begins with a bang! Godzilla
is on a burning (literally!) rampage throughout
Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Destoroyah, a mysterious
creature created by the oxygen destroyer, attacks
Japan. It is revealed to the world that Godzilla
is on the verge of a melt down; if he detonates,
he will bore a hole straight through to the Earth’s
core. In the midst of these terrifying events,
a plan is concocted to utilize Miki Saegusa’s
psychic ability to lure Godzilla into battle with
Destoroyah. However, Godzilla Junior appears first,
attacking Destoroyah in what would ultimately
become a fatal exchange. The two engage in a drawn
out battle, with Destoroyah constantly changing
form. Junior wins a few rounds, although Destoroyah
eventually gains the upper hand and kills the
poor little guy. Godzilla arrives, and attempts
to revive Junior, to no avail. Enraged, Godzilla
attacks Destoroyah, but cannot seem to defeat
him. Luckily, the Super X-3 arrives and exploits
Destoroyah’s weakness to low temperatures.
Destoroyah is defeated, but Godzilla’s temperature
quickly approaches critical. The JSDF attempts
to freeze him, but fails. Godzilla finally melts
down...
It appears as though Tokyo, and
perhaps the entire world, will be doomed to exposure
by a terrifying dose of radioactivity; when suddenly,
all the radiation is absorbed by Junior... who
becomes the new Godzilla! (I hope to see him in
the new series in 2013!)
The effects
were very impressive, with Godzilla’s suit
looking quite amazing. The only other suit that
matched the quality of this was the one featured
in Godzilla
vs. King Ghidorah
(1991). The red eyes made him look super vicious;
the steam and radiation emitted from the Big G’s
body made it look even more painful for the creature.
As far as Junior is concerned, he looks just like
a smaller version of Godzilla, and has a roar
almost exactly like his father's. Destoroyah looks
very scary, with a suit that looks almost like
the Alien Queen. Destoroyah is just a great monster
all around. One aspect I did not like however,
was the scene with the mini Destoroyahs. FAKEST
GODZILLA MOMENT EVER! Need I say more? The props
used were like Bandai Destoroyah toys. I also
loved the CGI here. Godzilla freezing scene, rendered
through computer animation, was particularly effective.
Acting-wise, Miki’s anguish
when Godzilla Junior is killed by Destoroyah is
very well done. Megumi
Odaka’s display of emotions in that
scene is what clenches it. Many reviewers will
strongly disagree with my view, but Godzilla is
semi-heroic in this flick, somewhat reminiscent
of his role in Godzilla
vs. King Ghidorah (1991). He doesn't
quite destroy as much of Japan as usual, and only
seems to destroy Hong Kong in his state of pure
anguish. Destoroyah was most obviously the greater
threat. Momoko Kochi, from the original Godzilla
movie, revives her role as Emiko Yamane. She does
a good job, despite barely appearing at all during
the course of the movie.
WOW! My second favorite Akira
Ifukube score! That's the best way to describe
the music here. The orchestral pieces are very
emotional, with the music playing during Godzilla’s
meltdown being some of the most effective ever
utilized. I cried during that scene. Destoroyah’s
theme is menacing, albeit repetitive. The music
that plays during Godzilla’s first appearance
also very menacing. Ifukube gets a great score
across the board.
I would highly recommend that you
BUY! NOW! Great SFX, powerful acting, a solid
plot, and riveting music make this one a winner.
You won't be disappointed!
|
(4/5)