Eric Stevenson
This was the first theatrically released Japanese Godzilla film in the United States in 15 years. The wait seemed to be worth it! "Godzilla 1985" suffered from not bringing anything new to the character and being too bland. This movie on the other hand is a huge improvement with a brand new idea coming about. We get to see Godzilla destroy a city "and" fight a monster. Well, it originally doesn't look like he's even going to fight another monster. It starts off with an alien spaceship appearing that he fights which brings out a giant monster. That was very nice and unpredictable.Unfortunately, the CGI is pretty lame at times. It makes you realize how better the practical effects in the Godzilla franchise are. We even get some interesting insight into the mythology of Godzilla. It actually has the characters question why it is that Godzilla attacks and destroys cities while at the same time helping the humans. They conclude Godzilla just sees himself in the people as they are responsible for his awakening. It really does set up the personality of Godzilla. Most of the good stuff as usual doesn't come near the end, but it's worth the wait. I could believe this was the 2000th Godzilla movie. ***
Paul Magne Haakonsen
Once you have seen one of the Japanese Godzilla movies then you have essentially seen them all; a monstrous threat stands against Tokyo in the shape of a massive creature and Godzilla emerges to fight the creature.The story in "Godzilla 2000" (aka "Gojira ni-sen mireniamu") was another copy-and-paste storyline of basically every other Godzilla movie. And it is a wonder that with almost 30 movies that there still is a market for the 1954-born king of monsters Godzilla, and even more so impressive that Tokyo still stands.The effects in this 1999 addition to the Godzilla franchise was actually quite alright and did help the movie as being entertaining.I watched a version that had only an English and French dubbed audio track, much to my irritation. I do prefer movies in their original language. And yes, "Godzilla 2000" had one of those really bad dubbed voice tracks that makes you wonder just where did they dig up someone who talks like that.Godzilla is a force to be reckoned with and has been so since 1954.
Horrorfan1995
Originally in 1995, Godzilla vs Destoroyah was meant to end the Godzilla franchise, putting it in a hiatus until 2005 (according to Executive Producer Shogo Tomiyama). However, after the release of the 1998 remake by Ronald Emmerich, Toho Co. didn't want to wait 7 years until his return, so they brought Godzilla out of retirement one year later. It was released in Japan on December 11, 1999, and August 18th, 2000 in the U.S. It was the first Godzilla movie since Godzilla 1985 to be released theatrically in the U.S.To the fans, it was a dream come true, but to the general public, it was overlooked. Most people thought it was a sequel to the 1998 remake, but us fans knew it was the real deal.The synopsis is once again another reboot to the series, ignoring the sequels from the 50s up until the 90s, and taking place only after the original. Another Godzilla comes to Japan and wreaks havoc once more. It's very similar to The Return of Godzilla, however, unlike Return, 2000 has Godzilla fighting a new monster. We first see this monster as a UFO throughout most of the movie, but near the end, we see his true form. The monsters name is Orga, and he is (in my opinion) of of Godzilla's best foes. He takes G-Cells and tries to become like Godzilla.Now for Godzilla's new look. It's a personal favorite of mine. The giant jagged spines, the fanged teeth, the facial structure, even the roar has been modified. I also like the yellowish, orange like color for his atomic breath. It's a nice change of pace compared to the past films. It's also fun to note that Godzilla is green in this movie, despite the fact that the past Godzillas always had a charcoal-black coloring. Another fun fact, this suits structure was inspired by the KingGoji look from King Kong vs Godzilla.The acting is pretty decent for a film like this, and the effects are spectacular. Although there are some underwater scenes where Godzilla is in CGI, and they don't look good, and the English dub can get pretty goofy at times, which such lines like "I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed", and "Great Caesar's Ghost", other then that, the acting is decent, and the miniatures are still as fantastic as they were in the old age.If I had any complaints with the film, it's with the origin of Godzilla himself. No one knows if it's the same one from 1954, Jr. from the Heisei films or if it's another Godzilla all together. Ever since 1999, and still to this day, no one, not even hardcore fans know about his where a bouts. I like think however that it's another one of it's kind. In the end, Godzilla 2000 is a great entry in the series, some fans maybe put off by the continuity being re-imagined, but once you get passed that, it's still a very good entry in the series, probably one of the best the Millennium Series has to offer. Give it a chance.My Rating: 9-10
SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain
Not the best start to a new series of Godzilla movies, but it'll do. It did have some work to do after the shitstorm that was the American Godzilla. It mostly makes up for that. We get a guy in a suit, looking better than ever. The film also brings us some CGI, with a wonderfully dodgy looking spaceship. I praise this film for not holding back on its imagination. I wish people would stay away from the American dubs. I've never seen one, and I've enjoyed the series thoroughly. This film had everything I'd come to expect, but seemed scared of being too outlandish. Hiroshi Abe also ruined a lot of the movie by having ONE look. Was it fear? Was it determination? Was it confusion? I'll never know.
