| 2004 was the year of Godzilla.
The year marked a milestone for the big G; his
50th anniversary. Across the country several film
festivals were held in honor of the monster, and
the long awaited release of the original uncut
Godzilla
(1954) was shown on the big screen in the U.S.
for the first time. The year also featured an
honor that was long overdue in many-a fans’
eyes: Godzilla got a star on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame (the 1st and only monster to receive this
honor). That night (in Hollywood as well) also
premiered Godzilla’s 50th anniversary film:
the Ryuhei Kitamura directed Godzilla Final Wars;
and the controversy began. Even though the plot
is well known, I’ll still do a short synopsis.
After Godzilla is buried in Antarctica by the
Gotengo, the world is plagued by repeated attacks
from giant monsters due to repeated warfare. Mutants
(humans with super abilities) appear as well and
are recruited to fight the monsters for the Earth
Defense Force (EDF) called Organization-M. Their
greatest enemy, the King of the Monsters himself:
Godzilla.
As years pass, suddenly a worldwide epidemic
of monsters appear: Rodan in New York City, Anguirus
pops up in Shanghai, King Caesar attacks Okinawa,
Kumonga appears in Arizona, Zilla shows up in
Sydney, Ebirah causes havoc in the Tokai Petrochemical
Complex, and Kamacuras buzzes Paris. Soon aliens
(known as Xiliens) appear and eliminate the monsters.
They have come to warn that a giant asteroid called
Gorath threatens to destroy the Earth and that
they have a solution. After some snooping, it’s
revealed that the Gorath is a fraud and that world
leaders are being replaced by Xiliens! After their
ploy’s revealed, a young officer takes control
and unleashes the monsters and UFO fighters on
the world; destroying the civilization of Earth.
A small group of survivors (lead by Captain Douglas
Gordon) realize humanity’s only hope is
to wake up Godzilla (the lesser evil) to take
care of the monsters and the Xilains. They use
the Gotengo to fly down to the South Pole to do
just that and to lure Godzilla to the Mothership
in Tokyo. On their way from the South Pole to
Japan, Godzilla decapitates Gigan at the South
Pole, fries Zilla in Sydney, flings Kumonga in
New Guinea, and in Kazanura, Japan, skewers Kamacuras.
Impressed with Godzilla’s strength, the
Controller dumps Rodan, Anguirus, and King Caesar
at Mt. Fuji to battle Godzilla; but they don’t
fair any better as they end up piled on top of
one and another.
Meanwhile, the Gotengo crew is captured by the
Xiliens while attempting to destroy the Mothership.
Godzilla blasts Hedorah and Ebirah out of Tokyo
Bay and thrusts them across the city with his
atomic ray. An asteroid called to Earth by the
Controller earlier arrives and Godzilla destroys
it above the city with his ray; revealing its
contents, a new creature called Monster X. Godzilla
soon realizes that this monster won’t go
down so easily. Mothra arrives to help but the
Controller intercepts her with an upgraded Gigan,
which leads to a four way melee. Eventually, Gigan
is decapitated again (this time with his own discs)
and Mothra finishes Gigan, sacrificing herself
in the process.
Ozaki and the Controller do battle until Ozaki
realizes his true power and mortally wounds the
Xilien Controller. The defeat causes the ship
to self-destruct! Everyone escapes aboard the
Gotengo in time as the Mothership is destroyed.
Godzilla soon gets a bigger problem when Monster
X becomes Keizer Ghidorah! The three-headed creature
throws Godzilla around like a rag doll with its
gravity beams and proceeds to suck the life force
out of the King of the Monsters. Ozaki uses his
newfound Keizer power to give Godzilla energy
to finish off Keizer Ghidorah. After defeating
the dragon, Godzilla attempts to destroy the Gotengo
once and for all when his son Minilla intervenes
and calms the monster. Godzilla and Minilla swim
off into the sunrise after a hard, long fight.
The human acting is, for the lack
of a better term: there. Ozaki (played by the
band TOKIO’s drummer Masahiro Mitasuoka)
is a mutant with a heart that gains the ability
to save the world. That’s pretty much it.
The trend of putting popstars in lead roles is
something that’s really not a good idea.
Then again it’s better than using popstar
status as a reason to make a movie (From Justin
to Kelly, anyone?) However Ozaki does provide
a truly funny moment in the beginning. When he
finds out he’s going to be a bodyguard for
a biologist, he comments that he’ll probably
be old and argumentative. He turns around to the
stunning Miyuki Otonashi (model Rei Kikukawa)
and she apologizes for being those things. The
look Ozaki has when he realizes he stuck his foot
in his mouth is absolutely hilarious. Miyuki Otonahsi
doesn’t fare any better. She seems merely
to be the scientist of the group and the love
interest for Ozaki (but that part’s left
to interpretation). Major Komuro (Jun Kunimura)
is simply Captain Gordon’s right hand man
on the Gotengo and an unfortunate individual who
always seems to be on the bad end of the deal
in a fight.
One of the standout players here
is Don Frye as the rough, gruff, and battle-hardened
Gotengo captain Douglas Gordon. Many viewers complain
about Frye’s acting but they forget: HE’S
NOT AN ACTOR! However, he DOES have screen charisma,
which is not necessarily a bad thing, and is a
good start to an acting career. Another complaint
is his lack of emotion during intense scenes.
Well, there are battle-worn military people out
there that can witness the world falling down
around them and still not be bothered. Gordon’s
badass charisma, combined with Frye’s gruff
line delivery, steals the show from the main hero
Ozaki (which actually wasn’t that hard to
do). Conan O’ Brian has a saying: “the
eye goes to Goldblum”. In Godzilla:
Final Wars; the eye goes to Frye. The other
standout character is the Xilien Controller played
by Kazuki Kitamura. His over-the-top performance
is actually more believable (and more entertaining)
than most screen villains. His attitude, comments,
and motions are all things that such an evil villain
as this is expected to do.
With this film being a tribute
to Godzilla; actors from all three series makes
appearances that range from brief cameos to main
roles. No matter how small the part, the returning
actors are a welcome sight among the newbie players
that make up the main character list. Akira Takarada,
who’s been in kaiju eiga since Godzilla
(1954), puts on a great show as Secretary General
Natarou Daigo and doesn’t look a bit like
he’s pushing 80. Kumi
Mizuno (Commander Namikawa) still looks amazing
for her age and is a nice harking back to Godzilla’s
golden age. While Kenji Sahara’s (another
longtime kaiju eiga face) role as Professor Jinguji
is small, it’s still a pleasure to see him
again. Other small parts are also played by familiar
faces. Akira
Nakao (from the late Heisei series and the
Kiryu Saga) plays the original Gotengo Captain
and his right hand man aboard the ship is played
by Koichi Ueda; a man who’s been in every
Godzilla film since Godzilla
vs. Biollante (1989) but is more recognizable
from his roles in the Millennium series. Even
some faces from the aforementioned series appear
in Godzilla: Final Wars. Takeshi Obayashi
(the man who attacks Secretary Diago) was in Godzilla
2000: Millennium (1999), Masatoh
Eve, last seen in Godzilla
vs. Megaguirus (2000), plays the Xilien
General that gets killed by the young officer.
Koh Takasugi, Lieutenant Togashi in the Kiryu
Saga, appears as the captain of the Karyu warship.
Masami Nagasawa and Chihiro Otsuka reprise their
roles as the Shobijin from a year before in Godzilla:
Tokyo SOS (2003).
The human action in this film is
some of the best seen in Godzilla movie. Unfortunately,
it’s mostly taken from The Matrix,
Star Wars, and X-Men. Two scenes
that really stand out are the cop and gangster
pimp scene and the boy chucking the Gamera toy
in the fireplace. The cop and gangster pimp (there’s
something you don’t say everyday in a Godzilla
flick) scene in New York is one of the top most
entertaining scenes in a Godzilla movie. The scene
was played as satirical, and it comes off great.
However, one will notice that lines sometimes
don’t match the lip movement. Well, that’s
because the actors originally used authentic New
York language and they had to dub out the words
(though even people who can’t read lips
well can figure out what they’re saying).
If one doesn’t know the reason behind the
dub, it would not be held against them for thinking
that this is another tribute to Godzilla’s
olden days. Of course who can forget the boy in
Vancouver who tosses the Gamera toy in the fireplace?
While this scene could be interpreted as a pot
shot at Gamera (considering his rap for being
a Godzilla rip off for the longest time); it can
also be interpreted as a pot shot to what the
Godzilla fandom has turned into, which is something
that’s not too far off from the truth, whether
fans want to admit it or not. While played for
laughs, this scene most likely make people flinch
(especially figure collectors) for how he treats
his toys.
A surprise to first time viewers
is the amount of English that is spoken in Godzilla:
Final Wars, which helps the international
feel of the film. While one can expect English
to come from sources like Don Frye or the kid
in Vancouver, or from characters in New York City,
Sydney, and Arizona; a crewmember of the Gotengo
is an English speaker. During the monster invasion,
there is English heard in the EDF Headquarters.
English is also heard from people chanting “We
love X!” after the Xiliens show up (the
reaction is something that would not be surprising
if that was to happen in real life). The two guys
looking after Godzilla at the South Pole are English
speakers. The song “We’re all to Blame”
is sung in English in the film. Kazama, the Xilien
Controller, and Major Komuro all go from Japanese
to English and back again in some scenes. Thankfully,
the English is spoken clearly and is not disturbing
to the ears like that heard in Godzilla
vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993).
While the musical score doesn’t
sound like your average Godzilla score, remember:
this isn’t your average Godzilla movie.
The musical score was sort of a mixed bag. Some
were great, most were uneventful. Among the great
ones is the “King of the Monsters”
theme that comes up at the movie’s opening.
When this score kicks in, the viewer knows that
this is not going to be the average Godzilla movie.
The theme that plays during the opening credits
is catchy and fits the montage of Godzilla clips
and close-to-impossible-to-read credits. The theme
that plays when Godzilla is awakened from his
icy tomb fits the mode that Godzilla’s back.
“Kazama’s Sacrifice” appears
several times, but it fits each scene it appears
in. It adds to the already hectic battle with
Ebirah. When the Gotengo launches to free Godzilla,
it adds to the “Let’s go save the
world” feel to the scene. And of course
when Kazama crashes the dogfighter into shield
generator, it makes the audience briefly feel
for Kazama even though his character is not well
developed. The most controversial music in the
movie is the theme that plays during the end credits.
While it’s not as bad as most people make
it out to be, it’s probably due to it being
repetitive; being the only song played during
the long credits. One of the more popular songs
heard in the film is the song “We’re
all to Blame” by Sum41. When the song is
heard by itself, the lyrics fit with Godzilla’s
message but one wonders how it’ll fit in
the movie. When one hears it during the brief
Godzilla vs. Zilla scuffle, oh it fits all rights.
Of course, as a tribute movie, there are themes
from the Akira
Ifukube and Masaru
Sato. Godzilla’s theme from King
Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) is heard when
the film opens. Music from Son
of Godzilla (1967) is heard when the
old man and his grandson discover Minilla, and
the guys looking after Godzilla in Antarctica
are listening to a theme from Godzilla
vs. Mechagodzilla (1974).
Special effects are a mixed bag
too, unfortunately. Some are absolutely marvelous:
like Rodan’s attack on New York City. The
sight of the Statue of Liberty is ruins with catch
any American’s attention. The Xilien general
showing the asteroid Gorath (from the movie of
the same name) hitting the Earth was spectacular.
Also the scene where Godzilla destroys the asteroid
sent to Earth was breathtaking. The transformation
of Monster X into Keizer Ghidorah was awesome
and terrifying. The Gotengo and the other airships
were realistic and truly different. However there
were some bad shots too. The fake tanks during
Ebirah’s attack are rather obvious. A lot
the matte shots of explosions was easily distinguished.
Of course there is stock footage (probably another
reference). The smokestacks being destroyed during
Ebirah’s rampage were from the movie Conflagration
(1975); a scene used in two previous Godzilla
movies: Godzilla
vs. King Ghidorah (1991) and Godzilla
Against Mechagodzilla (2002).
Now for the main event: the kaiju.
Some of the major complaints are the short fights
and the screen time that some monsters received.
This is another instance of “can’t
please everybody”. With so many monsters,
some are going to get the short end of the stick
when it comes to screen time and fans of the monsters
that do will not like it, but that can’t
be helped. Anyway; on to the reason for this movie:
Godzilla. This Godzilla has the moves of Showa,
the power of Heisei, and the look of the Millennium
series. His movement in this film is more lifelike
than some of the bulkier suits. Another tribute
to the King of the Monsters is the many styles
of Godzilla’s roar. A harkening to the Showa
series is the portrayal of intelligence that the
monster shows during the battle at Mt. Fuji. The
red ray that he uses to finish off Keizer Ghidorah
was last seen in the Heisei series. The close
up of Godzilla’s eye with fire burning in
it is downright chilling. In general, this is
truly a badass Godzilla. Rodan, last seen in Godzilla
vs. MechaGodzilla II (1993), is more
life like with the use of CGI and suitimation,
unlike the unconvincing marionette from the aforementioned
movie. The animation for Rodan’s sonic waves
is also better than in his 1993 appearance. During
his attack on New York his flight was realistic
in that he flapped his wings. During his battle
with Godzilla, Rodan suffers again from SWIF syndrome
(stiff wings in flight). The fight that Rodan
was involved with does reminisce of the fights
from the 70’s such as Godzilla versus Gigan
and Godzilla versus Megalon. Mothra makes a return
appearance. Even though fans claim she’s
overused, it still wouldn’t be a tribute
without her. Her look hasn’t changed from
Godzilla:
Tokyo SOS (2003) and her battle with
Gigan is not only one of the better battles in
the movie; but is a reference to her relationship
with Battra in Godzilla
vs. Mothra (1992). Her turning into Fire
Mothra was well animated. She’s also involved
with a cut scene that has caused some controversy.
During the credits there is a scene with Mothra
returning to Infant Island, making it look like
she survived. To set the record straight; she
doesn’t.
The name that frightened fans when
he was mentioned, Minilla, is done real well here.
He actually looks somewhat like Godzilla and is
still cute. Minilla growing is a throwback to
his appearance in All
Monsters Attack (1969). While his subplot
was interesting in that it showed the effects
of the invasion from the common person’s
view, and it there were funny moments (grabbing
the steering wheel), his subplot was almost unneeded
and could have been more developed. A fan favorite,
Anguirus “returns” to the big screen
(after his character’s last appearance,
having had his jaw broken by Mechagodzilla in
1974). His hind legs are hidden to prevent seeing
him on his knees, which adds realism to the monster.
Curling into a ball was a power that Anguirus
has always been associated with and now it’s
shown (well done in CGI). In fact he was used
as a soccer ball in his battle with Godzilla by
King Caesar; causing Godzilla to do a soccer goalie
dive to avoid. Kamacuras (from Son
of Godzilla [1967]) reappears and CGI
brings him more to life then the marionette does.
Kamacuras getting skewered by Godzilla is both
funny and just plain cool. Kumonga, the spider,
has a role reversal, and steps on a trailer home
containing a human. His battle with Godzilla is
one of the most convincing displays of size in
the whole movie. His marionette was convincing
and his webbing turning into a net came off better
then the spray from the Showa series.
The lobster Ebirah is involved
in one of the most intense battles of the movie,
where he fights the mutants in the petrochemical
complex. The humans are matted flawlessly. Fans
of his complain that he was beaten easily, but
he was pounded on relentlessly; something that
would make even the strongest monster take notice.
His death also involves the briefly seen Hedorah,
who is obviously, from what is shown, a cool design.
The cut scene of him using a spray from a smokestack
is something that would have been nice to have
seen. King Caesar is considered the worst looking
monster of the movie, but he’s not as bad
as he’s made out to be. Fans complain he’s
too human-like, but unless CGI is used, his design
will still be plagued by this. His look resembles
the statues he’s based off of then his 1974
counterpart. As for this monster’s performance,
he does manage to deliver an “ouch”
factor in his fight with Godzilla when he’s
tossed on top of Anguirus. Manda, the sea serpent,
makes a comeback and has a “rematch”
with the Gotengo (from Atragon
[1963]). The prop was wonderful but the CGI made
him look unrealistic. His getting frozen from
the zero cannon was a great addition to his scenes.
Gigan makes a triumphant return
with the most upgraded look of all the monsters.
He resembles a cyborg here more than his Showa
design. However, when he flies; he resembles a
stiff prop. The upgraded version added to the
cyborg design with the chainsaw hands but they
sometimes wobbled unrealistically. His joining
with the enemy monster is another throwback to
his Showa form. Zilla, the biggest shock of the
movie, was done wonderfully. As much as fans would
like to forget, GODZILLA
(1998) is a part of the Godzilla legacy and is
worth a mention. His CGI was believable and he
actually does do some property damage. His fight
with Godzilla is the shortest in Godzilla’s
history, but it is oh so satisfying… and
the Xilien Commander’s comment about him
being a “useless tuna-eating monster”
is the icing on the cake. The only new creature,
Monster X is yet another bland monster, only there
to give Godzilla a good fight, but he is still
very cool. His human like design has brought complaints
but adds the creepiness of the monster. Finally,
it wouldn’t be a celebration without Ghidorah
would it? He appears in this film as the 4-legged
Keizer Ghidorah. His feet aren’t focused
on when he moves to mask any phoniness that it
might show. Ghidorah tossing Godzilla around like
a rag doll with his gravity beams is a throwback
to Godzilla
vs. Spacegodzilla (1994).
I feel I need to put this out.
This is my favorite Godzilla movie. While you’re
sitting there trying to figure out why this wasn’t
a fanboy review, let me explain. While I enjoy
this movie immensely, I’m not blind to the
fact that it has its faults. I tried to look at
this film realistically. If one views this film
as a tribute rather than an actual movie, it’s
actually quite fun to try and figure out some
of the references and throwbacks. Whether you
are fan of this movie or not; you can’t
deny that Kitamura did make an interesting (and
unique) movie to add to Godzilla’s resume.
Toho wanted the series to go out with a bang and
to make a movie that would have people talking
for years to come. With the way fans are fighting
over this film; they succeeded.
|
(3/5)