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Special Features
- "Godzilla Takes New York": before and after shots
- Music video "Heroes" by The Wallflowers
- Photo Gallery
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
As "gigantic monster reptile attacks New York" movies go, you've got to admit that Godzilla delivers the goods, although its critical drubbing and box-office disappointment were arguably deserved. It's a shameless, uninspired crowd pleaser that's content to serve up familiar action with the advantage of really fantastic special effects, and if you expect nothing more you'll be one among millions of satisfied customers. There's really no other way to approach it--you just have to accept the fact that Independence Day creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin are unapologetic plagiarists, incapable of anything more than mindless spectacle that can play in any cinema in the world without dubbing or subtitles. The whole movie plays out like a series of highlights stolen from previous blockbusters of the 1990s; it's little more than a rehash of the Jurassic Park movies. The derivative script is so trivial that it's unworthy of comment, apart from a few choice laughs and the casting of Michael Lerner as New York's mayor, whose name is Ebert and who closely resembles a certain well-known movie critic. Perhaps that's a clever hint that this movie's essentially critic-proof. It's stupid but it's fun, and for most audiences that's a fitting definition of mainstream Hollywood entertainment. The widescreen Special Edition DVD includes a wealth of bonus materials--audio commentary by the film's special effects supervisors, a "making of" featurette, the Wallflowers' music video "Heroes," a photo gallery, and a variety of features related to this and all the classic Godzilla films from Japan. --Jeff Shannon
Product Description
Following the French atomic bomb tests in the South Pacific, an unknown creature is spotted passing westward 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(r) 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?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
78 of 97 people found the following review helpful
By Mojo Jojo
Format:DVD
Okay, I know this is going to be a highly disputed opinion, but I think this movie is very, very good. Great, I'd even daresay. And I am a Godzilla fan. I love the Big Guy from his early masterworks to his campy mid-period to his new thrilling outings.
Admittedly, this is not the same Godzilla. But Godzilla himself is a product of the 50s fascination with giant monsters, and this movie is really just an homage to all those old, great monster movies. Anyway, I don't see why the universe isn't big enough for two Godzillas.
A lot of fans hated this just for the idea. But Tristar had to make a new version. The old version would've flopped in America. In fact, Godzilla 2000 came out about a year later, and it did terrible. So where were those so-called fans when he really needed them? I submit that there really aren't that many Godzilla fans. There's plenty of people who claim to be, but do they really like him or these types of films? Doesn't seem like it.
Onto the movie. First there's Godzilla. He's a terrific special effect. Some people say he doesn't look real. He looks pretty darn impressive to me. Realism is a rather silly complaint when you're talking about a giant lizard running through New York.
The story is deceptively simple. You could boil it down to Army vs. Monster, but there's a creativity here that gets overlooked. The characters (all of whom are well-developed especially considering none are the real star) are all likable. Their motivations are believable. And their story arcs are solidly connected to the central conflict in a way that doesn't seem forced.
The action sequences are wonderful. I like to think of them as monstrous versions of great kung fu showdowns. Godzilla isn't invulnerable in this film, and so when he fights helicopters, rockets, and submarines, I actually felt suspense, even though I knew he wasn't going down until the end of the movie.
The plot of Godzilla's young gives a nice excuse for some human-scaled action. The pacing is expertly handled. At two hours, there's still a lot crammed in here. The acting is good. Jean Reno's French military agent is beautifully understated. And the final end of Godzilla is both tragic and satisfying.
I don't love the last little bit, but to me it's not so much an advertisement for a sequel as a wink to those "THE END?" titles at the end of those great old movies.
Boy, this is a long review. I guess I'm just trying to make a case for this underrated and much-maligned film. Personally, I think the original Big Guy would love it. Although I'm sure his version would end a little different.
Admittedly, this is not the same Godzilla. But Godzilla himself is a product of the 50s fascination with giant monsters, and this movie is really just an homage to all those old, great monster movies. Anyway, I don't see why the universe isn't big enough for two Godzillas.
A lot of fans hated this just for the idea. But Tristar had to make a new version. The old version would've flopped in America. In fact, Godzilla 2000 came out about a year later, and it did terrible. So where were those so-called fans when he really needed them? I submit that there really aren't that many Godzilla fans. There's plenty of people who claim to be, but do they really like him or these types of films? Doesn't seem like it.
Onto the movie. First there's Godzilla. He's a terrific special effect. Some people say he doesn't look real. He looks pretty darn impressive to me. Realism is a rather silly complaint when you're talking about a giant lizard running through New York.
The story is deceptively simple. You could boil it down to Army vs. Monster, but there's a creativity here that gets overlooked. The characters (all of whom are well-developed especially considering none are the real star) are all likable. Their motivations are believable. And their story arcs are solidly connected to the central conflict in a way that doesn't seem forced.
The action sequences are wonderful. I like to think of them as monstrous versions of great kung fu showdowns. Godzilla isn't invulnerable in this film, and so when he fights helicopters, rockets, and submarines, I actually felt suspense, even though I knew he wasn't going down until the end of the movie.
The plot of Godzilla's young gives a nice excuse for some human-scaled action. The pacing is expertly handled. At two hours, there's still a lot crammed in here. The acting is good. Jean Reno's French military agent is beautifully understated. And the final end of Godzilla is both tragic and satisfying.
I don't love the last little bit, but to me it's not so much an advertisement for a sequel as a wink to those "THE END?" titles at the end of those great old movies.
Boy, this is a long review. I guess I'm just trying to make a case for this underrated and much-maligned film. Personally, I think the original Big Guy would love it. Although I'm sure his version would end a little different.
20 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By Antonio
Format:Blu-ray
The 1080p Video:
'Godzilla's 1080p MPEG-4 AVC transfer, in its original 2.39: 1 aspect ratio, is actually fairly solid. This isn't the knock-it-out-of-the-park home video presentation some might be expecting, but it's a perfectly fine transfer in its own right. (Especially of a movie I have no intention of ever, ever, EVER watching again.)
The movie is drenched in persistent rain, which adds a blurry, oppressive look to the entire film. While there is a fair amount of grain on the transfer (more than you'd expect for a relatively recent film), sometimes it became unclear whether or not the image was muddled or grainy or if it was just the added element of rain.
That said, other aspects of the transfer fare better. There are no wonky technical issues, skin tones look good, detail is heightened, and blacks are deep and dark.
The only other major problem has nothing to do with the crispness of the image, but rather the newly presented high definition presentation, in which the visual effects (of which there are many) look even lousier. Watch those baby Godzillas bouncing around Madison Square Garden and you'll wish Ray Harryhausen had slapped the filmmakers.
Now The Audio:
On the other hand, the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is truly impressive. Literally from the opening frame, when the dirigible in the logo for Emmerich and Devlin's Centropolis Films production shingle flies through your living room, you'll know you're in for a treat.
This is one of those kick-ass mixes where, if you turn it up all the way, you'll probably get complaints from the neighbors, while at the same time there's enough nuance, subtlety and directionality of the mix that you'll actually be impressed, and not just for its sofa-shaking prowess.
Literally, the action sequences spring violently to life. Rubble cascades from buildings, suspension bridges snap and sway, and Godzilla lets out his piercing roar with such lifelike force that you'll wonder if the dinosaur-ish creature is in your home. There's always so much going on, with an emphasis on bowel-rattling bass that you'll wonder if you can take it all. You do, because it's that good.
That said, every effect is crisp and clear, the atmospherics (like that persistent rain) remain admirable and in the few sequences with dialogue, that too is crisp, clear and also well prioritized, even when competing with the on-screen mayhem. David Arnold's fantastic score, which is often overlooked, also sounds spectacular.
This mix really is reference-quality and was almost enough for me to watch the movie again. I said almost.
Also included are mixes in French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, Portuguese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 with subtitles in English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
The Bottom Line is,
I might just only go see this movie for it's crisp audio track.
Video: 4/5
Audio: 5/5
Movie: 2/5
'Godzilla's 1080p MPEG-4 AVC transfer, in its original 2.39: 1 aspect ratio, is actually fairly solid. This isn't the knock-it-out-of-the-park home video presentation some might be expecting, but it's a perfectly fine transfer in its own right. (Especially of a movie I have no intention of ever, ever, EVER watching again.)
The movie is drenched in persistent rain, which adds a blurry, oppressive look to the entire film. While there is a fair amount of grain on the transfer (more than you'd expect for a relatively recent film), sometimes it became unclear whether or not the image was muddled or grainy or if it was just the added element of rain.
That said, other aspects of the transfer fare better. There are no wonky technical issues, skin tones look good, detail is heightened, and blacks are deep and dark.
The only other major problem has nothing to do with the crispness of the image, but rather the newly presented high definition presentation, in which the visual effects (of which there are many) look even lousier. Watch those baby Godzillas bouncing around Madison Square Garden and you'll wish Ray Harryhausen had slapped the filmmakers.
Now The Audio:
On the other hand, the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is truly impressive. Literally from the opening frame, when the dirigible in the logo for Emmerich and Devlin's Centropolis Films production shingle flies through your living room, you'll know you're in for a treat.
This is one of those kick-ass mixes where, if you turn it up all the way, you'll probably get complaints from the neighbors, while at the same time there's enough nuance, subtlety and directionality of the mix that you'll actually be impressed, and not just for its sofa-shaking prowess.
Literally, the action sequences spring violently to life. Rubble cascades from buildings, suspension bridges snap and sway, and Godzilla lets out his piercing roar with such lifelike force that you'll wonder if the dinosaur-ish creature is in your home. There's always so much going on, with an emphasis on bowel-rattling bass that you'll wonder if you can take it all. You do, because it's that good.
That said, every effect is crisp and clear, the atmospherics (like that persistent rain) remain admirable and in the few sequences with dialogue, that too is crisp, clear and also well prioritized, even when competing with the on-screen mayhem. David Arnold's fantastic score, which is often overlooked, also sounds spectacular.
This mix really is reference-quality and was almost enough for me to watch the movie again. I said almost.
Also included are mixes in French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, Portuguese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 with subtitles in English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
The Bottom Line is,
I might just only go see this movie for it's crisp audio track.
Video: 4/5
Audio: 5/5
Movie: 2/5
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By P. Oh
Format:DVD
I actually enjoyed this movie quite a bit. 2 key things is to (1) forget about the original Godzilla which this is not and understandably has upset Godzilla fans - think of this as something entirely separate (2) view this movie in Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Its Amazing and significantly enhances the film. When seen in this light the movie is a lot of fun, with good acting killer special effects.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Smash, explosion, lizards!
I watched this purely for the entertainment value. Big dinosaur smashing buildings, inept army blowing things up, mildly interesting love story. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Benjamin James Verdoorn
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's watchable, but so long.
I wanted to watch this movie out of nostalgia. I found it so long. It's not a great story or great acting, but it can fill time if you're really bored.
Published 2 days ago by mykalt45
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not Broderick's best effort
Too predictable and Broderick was not a believable character. Plot was thin and the subplots were transparently thin. Surprised I watched the whole thing.
Published 3 days ago by David Reed
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good movie making for that time
A good movie to watch whether family.
Action suspense thrill everything is there.
Director and actors are nice. I watched this movie 12 years ago while I was boy
Action suspense thrill everything is there.
Director and actors are nice. I watched this movie 12 years ago while I was boy
Published 4 days ago by Engr. Mehedi
4.0 out of 5 stars
Better than the original
This must be the 6th time I saw this movie, and enjoyed every minute.....even though I knew what was coming next. Read more
Published 6 days ago by R. H. Katow
5.0 out of 5 stars
Godzilla your are the best
Godzilla is always good to watch and this one has a little different twist to it. Godzilla in any form is grreat
Published 6 days ago by Cajun Girl
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining
I thought it was entertaining in a Sci-Fi tradition. The special effects were good. I like Matthew Broderick. He's such a cutie.
Published 11 days ago by cgvk
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Viewing
Easy viewing as content was exciting and entertaining. It was a good flick for a quite Friday evening.
As a Prime movie offering the price was right.
As a Prime movie offering the price was right.
Published 11 days ago by hcecil
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shame shame
What's a sham are the negative reviews. I say this in almost every review. You can not compare movies. Read more
Published 15 days ago by D. Santos
2.0 out of 5 stars
It would have been better if it had been just a little worse
My real rating is 2.5. the thing just didn't work. I really felt bad for all the actors in it. Most of them are world class in my book, but what can you do? Read more
Published 15 days ago by D. Claar
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