LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Leofwine_draca GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH is the final in the 1990s series of GODZILLA films that started with GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE back in 1989. This is rather a sombre effort with a heartbreaking climax that will upset many Godzilla fans; it's an effective piece but not really one of the best in the series. It's a watchable and entertaining film all right, but just one of those films that seems to be going through the motions rather than offering much new.Godzilla himself is in trouble this time around: he's suffering a nuclear meltdown from the inside, which is causing him to go completely crazy. Godzilla Junior is still hanging around, and boy has he grown up; this means that Megumi Odaka is back in the film as the woman with a psychic connection to the not-so-little-anymore critter. And the villain of the piece is Destoroyah, a kind of prehistoric sea bug which grows to super-scale to fight our scaly heroes.For much of the running time, DESTOROYAH seems to have been inspired by other movies, not least the preceding Godzilla outings. There are plenty of moments which reference JURASSIC PARK, which must have been a big hit in Japan; the car attack is the most obvious. Other moments are reminiscent of ALIENS with motion detectors and the like. The special effects look cheap and cheerful here, and the climax is appropriately large scale and dramatic with plenty of destructive mayhem. It's just a shame that this is a rather maudlin movie as I would have preferred an all-out party atmosphere to celebrate the big guy's (temporary) demise.

classicsoncall About once a year I'll tune into a goofy martial arts flick from the Seventies or one of these Godzilla films. Turns out that once a year is probably a bit too frequent. I know there's an audience for this stuff but I don't know how one manages the patience. However I do get a kick out of the pseudo-scientific babble about subjects like micro-oxygen, freezer rays and cadmium shells. What got me the most about this picture was how a Japanese teenager that looked about sixteen years old was advising the country's top scientists and military leaders. Not to mention how any time the venue changes, there was Kenichi or Yukari right in the thick of the action whether it was in a lab, on a helicopter or on the scene of Godzilla's next battle. I think I may have learned my lesson with this one, I'll just lay low and not get enticed the next time I see something like this on the cable listings.

gigan-92 Other than the original film, this movie is my all-time favorite Godzilla film and if you ask me one of the best Japanese monster films ever!! It is sad, yet dramatic, and still is one action-packed G-film. I love this movie first off because of its story. Kazuki Omori returns for the screenplay and he did a super job! I love how it references to "Gojira" by using a monster, Destroyah, as I prefer to call him. Although his actual Japanese name translated is Destroyer (after the Oxygen Destroyer). The story also tries to convey a nuclear message in mind with Burning Godzilla's meltdown, excellent! Takao Owara directs once more and he definitely knows what he's doing. So ironic he let us down with "Godzilla 2000". Akira Ifukbe does a compelling score, one of his best. 'Burning' Godzilla's terror theme sounded great and Destroyah's theme pounded terrifically. Godzilla Jr.'s theme returns from "Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II" but now it's sad and moving. The final climax piece for Godzilla's death is the saddest music you'll ever hear in a G-film. It's so tragic, it made my eyes practically water.Godzilla looks tight as Burning Godzilla and it was incredible effect, especially when CGI glows were added. Jr. looked great and brung a whole new design for infant Godzilla's. No more Minilla or Little Godzilla. Strangely, he's still pretty small compared to his adoptive father. Then comes Destroyah, one of my favorite monsters. He was incredibly original and probably one of the fiercest-looking foes Godzilla's ever met. Most of the forms looked great and moved realistically, except for the human-sized Destroyers. They looked good here and there, but overall were more than satisfying. The real weak pointto me was the soldier fighting them; the scene kind of holds back on the violence, which made it seem kiddy almost. But the scne with the reporter in the car was awesome!! They looked fearsome, and the flying and aggregate form still were A plus work. Thanks to Koichi Kawakita, we see the magnificent final form; a huge beast that delivered several unique attacks that were unexpected. I can't decide what's cooler: Destroyah's gripping tail claw or laser horn. One major reason this film is so great because of the graphic fight scenes. The monster bloodshed is fantastic and helped recover the film's darker tone.Another is the drama. All along you know Godzilla is going to die, possibly ruin the Earth for eternity and at the same time, despite the pain, he is trying to get to his son. Destroyah is battling Jr. at Tokyo and you wonder; will he make it in time? At first it seems so, the two sharing a brief reunion, just before the reborn of Destroyah ruins it by killing Jr. It's a heart breaking moment that made me cry when I first saw it ( in 2000. I was a precious 8). Jr.'s theme makes it a tragedy. We see Godzilla mourn his son, showing us the battle worn monster still has heart. Destroyah too gets his character moment, both when we killed Jr. and when he interrupts Godzilla's grieving, showing us he is a cruel and truly evil monster. It is these moments I find so thrilling about this film. The monsters do more than just shoot rays at each other put simply. Then Godzilla and Destroyah battle and it's pretty intense. All along, Megumi Odaka plays her role beautifully and other than "Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II", this is the only other G-film to make her a major part of the story. Although I have yet to see "Godzilla vs. Biollante", Odaka's first portrayal of Miki Saegusa (Besides, she's hot in this movie. I didn't like her hair in the last film). The battle is incredible and keeps on coming up with ways to surprise you.The Super-X III stars in the final battle and surprisingly, along with the JSDF, blast my Destroyah out of the sky like a duck. This makes him the only monster in the Godzilla franchise to be killed by the Japanese military and not by Godzilla himself. Just an interesting point I wanted to bring up. After that, Godzilla unfortunately melts down, a combination of spectacular special effects and tragedy. Godzilla literally melts away, seemingly taking Tokyo with him (all the nuclear fallout). The music really enhances the King of the Monster's death I really have to say. It also seems both Godzilla's have died. However, Jr. is revived by his father's massive radiation fall out, creating a tight but still sad ending. A silhouette Jr., now a nearly fully grown adolescent Godzilla, roars in sorrow over his now gone father.With both great SFX, a sad-ending, superb story line and Momoko Koichi even reprising her role from the first film, one of the best G films ever!! Despite its budget constraints, this film delivers in my opinion.

zv300 I'm at a quandary grading this movie, the deaths of the 2 protagonist do elicite true emotion from all watching, but those scenes are almost200 completely negated by just horrible movie making. Godzilla and his son apparently die and those scenes are truly emotional, but are only 2% good compared to 98% crap. People either love or hate this movie, and people generally think this is the best of the series, but others, including myself think it's the worst. First of all, this "Destroyah" looks like pure crap in ALL it's incarnations, especially when it was smaller. You can see this thing actually FLOATING on on it's tracks. Horrible. It just looks bad. It's not a good Monster at all, it just lacks any emotional attatchment what so ever. I KNOW it's a monster movie, but this thing is at the lower end of the genre. And the fact that Godzilla fans accept this crap speaks VOLUMES, I am a fan but was insulted at this failed attempt at movie-making. And don't even get me started with all the Oxygen-Science mumbo jumbo. Then there is the X3 Military 'Freezer' plane. It's not a sleek or cool design at all, looks like it weighs a ton and it's exhaust is horrible. The ONLY redeeming factor of this movie was Godzilla and his sons seeming demise. (I'm not happy they died, but it WAS emotional) With a name like "Destroyah" you would expect some sort of impervious brute with the raw strength to go toe-to-toe with Godzilla, but the monster is nothing but a mutated crab. All the special effects money must have been spent soley on the Godzilla "glowing" costume. As good as he looked, the crab-monster looked like it cost a grand total of 7.89+tax. (American, not yen) As popular as Godzilla is, why do studios continue to refrain from spending a decent amount of money on the series? Even the most advanced Godzilla effects pale in comparison to his cousin, Gamera. (Well, I guess they are cousins, one a turtle and the other a lizard, both reptiles?) Pick ANY Godzilla effect (even the inane Godzilla 1998) and put it up against the scene from Gamera vs Isis when Gamera lifts off at FULL AFTERBURNER (looking just like the space shuttle) and see what I mean. In all honesty, the Gamera movies just seem rawer and better, and I LIKE Godzilla so it pains me to say that but it's true. I think Godzilla can make a comeback if they do 2 things, give the director some money to work with, and don't let American studios touch the franchise ever again!