Godzilla


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Details At A Glance

General
Extras
Category Action Theatrical Trailer(s) Yes, 3 (1 Theatrical, 2 Teaser)
Rating Other Trailer(s) Yes, 1 - Dolby Digital City
Running Time 133 minutes Commentary Tracks Yes, 1 - Volker Engel (Visual Effects Supervisor), Karen Goulekas (Associate Visual Effects Supervisor) and Patrick Tatopoulos (Godzilla Designed and Supervised by)
RSDL/Flipper RSDL (54:33) Other Extras Animated Menus
Photo Galleries (2)
Featurette - "On Assignment with Charles Caiman"
Music Video - The Wallflowers "Heroes"
Cast & Crew Biographies
Start Up Menu
Cast & Crew
Region 4 Director Roland Emmerich 
Distributor

Columbia Tristar
Starring Matthew Broderick
Jean Reno
Maria Pitillo
Hank Azaria
Kevin Dunn
Michael Lerner
Harry Shearer
RRP $34.95

 
Video
Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame No MPEG None
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.40:1 Dolby Digital 5.1
16x9 Enhancement Yes Soundtrack Languages English (Dolby Digital 2.0 )
English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Commentary Track - English (Dolby Digital 2.0 )
Theatrical Aspect Ratio 2.40:1    
Macrovision Yes    
Subtitles English    

Plot Synopsis

    If you like Godzilla, or are offended by strong language, then I suggest you skip right over the plot synopsis and go to Transfer Quality. My opinion of the plot of Godzilla is well-known, and you may check my opinions here. I thought about not discussing the plot in detail during this review, but decided that an opportunity such as this was way too tempting to pass up.

    How can you summarize the plot of Godzilla? Well, perhaps let me start by pointing out that the team of Emmerich and Devlin has previously brought us Universal Soldier, Stargate and Independence Day, in that order. What do these movies have in common? Well, they all start with a very promising premise. Then, they all fail to deliver. In fact, each one is more farcical than the previous. As the effects get bigger and better, clearly the story budget gets smaller and smaller. One thing all of the aforementioned films have above Godzilla is that you could leave your brain at the door and still be entertained, even with Independence Day.

    Unfortunately, Emmerich and Devlin have taken the "summer movie" (or "popcorn movie") concept to its ultimate expression with Godzilla. To watch this movie, you not only need to leave your brain at the door, but also most of the rest of your anatomy. So, plonk your anus on the seat and point it towards the screen, since that is the only part of your anatomy that will enjoy this steamer. Take the rest of your body to do some healthy exercise instead whilst your anus enjoys Godzilla.

    OK, now that you are settled into your seat for the show, the movie opens with shots of American nuclear tests in the Pacific. We are meant to believe that these are French nuclear tests. Lizards and lizard eggs watch the proceedings. Never mind the fact that the apparent amount of radiation spewed over the lizards and the eggs will turn them into a very overdone omelette, this is the movies! Now, the rain starts, and keeps going for the rest of the movie.

    Next, we see a Japanese fishing ship get munched up by some mysterious sea creature. One survivor remains, and all he can say when prompted by a cigarette lighter is "Gojira, Gojira, Gojira". This must be the special Babel fish cigarette lighter, since the Japanese man obviously cannot understand Japanese, but he can understand Jean Reno's accented English. Not only this, but it turns out that the voice of the Japanese man isn't even his own voice (listen to the commentary track). Herr Roland must have liked this shot, since we get to see it again, not once, not twice, but three times more during the course of the film.

    We now cut to Ferris Bueller, oops, I mean Patrick Tatopoulos (Matthew Broderick). He's studying worms in Chernobyl. Important-looking military guys cut short this project, and here we institute the first of the films very unfunny running gags. Guess what, the military guys can't pronounce Tatopoulos. I can just see Emmerich and Devlin dreaming this one up over a few steins...."ja, ja, very funny, ha ha ha, we put zat in ze film, haw haw ".

    Ferris, err Patrick gets transported to Panama, and gets to stand in a radioactive footprint that the entire world can see except for him. Must be the rads frying his brain. In a brilliant piece of dialogue, he goes up to the General and says "that was a footprint". Hmmm, no wonder the military had to fly him all the way from Chernobyl, all this time the military thought it was a meat popsicle. We now find the ripped up fishing boat, with Philippe Roache (Jean Reno) in attendance posing as an insurance assessor. Great military security. Patrick takes a sample of tissue from the boat.

    Next, some fishing boats near the New York coast get pulled underwater. I guess they couldn't just let the ropes go. Then, we get to see the amazing bionic man, as an 80-year old fisherman hooks Godzilla and then runs away. Fast.

    Godzilla stomps around New York for a while, causing mayhem and destruction, which lifts the movie slightly, but then he disappears, but not before we get introduced to the excruciating Audrey Timmonds (Maria Pitillo). If ever a female lead should have been stomped by Godzilla, this was the one who should have bought it. Sadly, she lives. Pray that she doesn't make it into the sequel, people. We also meet Charles Caiman (Harry Shearer) and Victor 'Animal' Pulotti (Hank Azaria) who make up the Simpson's contingent in this movie. Charles is a anchorman, and a typical nasty person, Victor is a cameraman.

    New York is evacuated by Mayor Ebert (hmmm, I wonder who he represents?) which solves the problem of how to keep the film at a PG rating - no need to show scenes of mass people destruction. The mayor, and his sidekick Gene, constitute the second of the unfunny running gags in the movie. Must have been another stein.

    The military can't find Godzilla. Considering he is 40 storeys high and radioactive, this seems a little odd. Perhaps the background radiation of New York is too high. Patrick comes up with the plan of using a big pile of fish as bait to lure Godzilla out. The military like this idea so much that they back it up with a few automatic weapons. Forget about serious firepower here, we wouldn't want to hurt Godzilla, now would we? Patrick gets Up Close and Personal with Godzilla. Phew! Talk about fish breath, then Godzilla takes the bait and runs away again (er, excuse me Mr Helicopter Pilot, Helicopters can fly up, you know, oops, too late). Godzilla disappears for the second time in the movie, this time for over 30 minutes.

    Two departments in the movie now spring into full action; the product placement department, and the cut-and-paste moviemaking department. Patrick works out that Godzilla is pregnant using many Johnston & Johnston products. I won't even begin to explain the scientific inaccuracies of this scene, nor will I attempt to explain how a friendly neighbourhood chemist is conveniently open in an evacuated city at night. This is a movie, right? These things just happen.

    Audrey runs into Patrick. All is well again between Patrick and Audrey. Conveniently, Patrick tells Audrey all of the military secrets he knows - after all, he can trust her, right? I mean, she left him eight years ago without a word, and now she's a reporter in New York. Clearly she can be trusted with confidential information. Especially the Top Secret videotape labelled Top Secret. Must be something pretty important on that tape.

    We get to see the Gojira tape again (third time, or is that the fourth, I forget), and this gets Patrick fired from the military team, but not before he tells them that Godzilla is pregnant and must have laid eggs somewhere in New York. Of course, the military think this is nonsense, and, as is required by such movies, the good guy who knows what's really going onTM is railroaded.

    Patrick is abducted by the French, sponsored by Baskin Robbins. We learn that the French are very sorry about the damage their nuclear tests in the Pacific did (errr, they were American tests, remember), and that they want to get to the nest to destroy it. Philippe would like a good cup of coffee whilst we're at it (unfunny running gag #3).

    Audrey is upset by all of these goings on. Somebody please give her a gun so she can shoot herself and put us out of our misery. Unfortunately, they don't so she and Animal go looking for the nest, too

    Meanwhile, the military figure that the fish trick worked so well last time that they should do it all again, and with the same puny weapons, too. Godzilla runs away and jumps into the set of Alien Resurrection meets The Hunt For Red October. We think he is dead, and New Yorkers are impatiently wanting to get back into their city.

    Oh oh, looks like Patrick and the French guys have stumbled onto the set of Aliens. No, it's the inside of Madison Square Gardens made up to look like the set of Aliens. And look, after an incubation period of at least 3 hours, the eggs are hatching. Talk about fast developers. Run away, run away!

    Let's tell the whole world about the velociraptors, oops baby Godzillas, figures Patrick, the Frenchies, Audrey and Animal, who have all met up by now. But first, let's pay for this clunker with some gratuitous product placement by Bacardi, Konica, Swatch and Sprint. While we're at it, lets rip off more of Jurassic Park, The Lost World and Gremlins.

    Well, all seems to have resolved itself, with Madison Square Garden being blown up and our heroes outside the Garden hugging and kissing. According to the commentary track, many people at the previews up and left at this point, apparently fooled into thinking this was the end of the movie. Guys, they weren't fooled, they were just hoping that this was the end of the movie.

    Unfortunately, more is to come. Godzilla isn't dead, and he (?she) is pretty upset at our heroes for blowing up its babies. Obviously this lizard is far more maternal than normal lizards. However, Godzilla is clearly very much slowed down by the happenings in New York Harbour, since he cannot catch our heroes in a cab. Remember earlier on in the movie, Godzilla was outrunning helicopters. More Jurassic Park rip-off follows, though I must admit, that this chase sequence is actually slightly entertaining.

    The lizard is finally laid to rest, courtesy of a King Kong rip-off, and the scene is set for a sequel. Ouch.

    As a specific point, several scenes and product placements are missing from this cut of the movie. In particular, the Star Wars rip-off scene with attendant Blockbuster promo is gone (run one way and then the other with babies in hot pursuit), and earlier on in the movie, the scene with Philippe Roache introducing his henchmen - "Jean-Luc", "Jean-Paul", etc, is gone. Never mind, the joke wasn't funny anyhow.

Transfer Quality

Video

    Even though the movie itself is the worst movie in existence in my opinion, this is a magnificent transfer of it to DVD, so it can be enjoyed in all its 'splendour'.

    The transfer is presented at an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, 16x9 enhanced.

    The transfer was absolutely razor sharp at all times. Shadow detail was very very good, with no low level noise marring the picture. Much of this movie is shot in the rain and in the dark, and except for one or two scenes early on in the movie which had a slight lack of shadow detail, all of the rest of the movie is superb in this area.

    The colours were generally muted, once again as a result of the low level of light that this movie was shot in. Brighter scenes, such as indoor scenes were well-rendered.

    No MPEG artefacts were seen. Only two very minor film-to-video artefacts were present, and this consisted of very slight aliasing of venetian blinds in the news office and some slight aliasing on the upwards pan in the Frenchmen's headquarters when we see their guns laid out. I saw no film artefacts at all. This is a very very clean transfer.

    The movie is presented on an RSDL disc. The layer change is at 54:33, which is between Chapters 13 and 14. It is well-placed, and does not particularly disrupt the flow of the movie.

Audio

    There are several audio tracks on this DVD. The default is English Dolby Digital 2.0 audio, surround-encoded, as appears to be the standard for Columbia Tristar DVDs. The other tracks present are an English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack (which is the one I listened to first) and the Commentary Track (which is the one I listened to second time around).

    Dialogue was loud, crisp and clear at all times, even during scenes with loud surrounding audio.

    The musical score is unremarkable.

     The surround channels often have full range and full volume sound, ranging from explosions and other special effects to some music. It is highly enveloping mix.

    The .1 channel has a very large presence on this soundtrack and is used nearly continuously.

Extras

    The menu on the disc is excellent, and consists of a moving eye with movie footage and audio in DD 2.0. The scene selections are animated. All in all, a top-notch effort.

    The major extra is the commentary track by Volker Engel (Visual Effects Supervisor), Karen Goulekas (Associate Visual Effects Supervisor) and Patrick Tatopoulos (Godzilla Designed and Supervised by), though Patrick only turns up about 53 minutes into the movie. This is informative and interesting to listen to, and is one of the better commentaries that I have listened to. The commentary is mixed as a Dolby Digital 2.0 surround-encoded track. The commentary is mixed into the centre channel with the movie's audio mixed in with the commentary at a low level.

    An approximately 10 minute featurette entitled "On Assignment With Charles Caiman" is also present. This stars Harry Shearer in character as Charles Caiman and is presented as a pseudo-report on Godzilla. This is presented as a 4:3 picture with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound (though it was mixed into the Left, Centre and Right channels only). This was reasonably entertaining.

    The Wallflowers music video of "Heroes" is also present, presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 non-16x9 enhanced and with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. The video quality of this presentation was quite ordinary compared with the movie. The audio was recorded at a very loud level.

    Two photo galleries are present, consisting of production stills and of before-and-after shots of New York.

    Limited cast and crew biographies round off the extras on this disc.

    The Sony DVC and the Dolby Digital City Trailer are present on this disc in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.

    Compared with the Region 1 DVD, we miss out on two Godzilla trailers for old Godzilla movies, but otherwise all the extras are present. I personally have not seen the Region 1 version, but the word is that the menu on our version is just that little bit better than the Region 1 version.

Summary

    As a movie, Godzilla is indescribably bad. So bad that it can be used as a stunning example of how to take a great concept and totally and utterly destroy it. As a DVD, loaded with excellent extras, you could consider adding it to your collection. However, I doubt that anything I or anyone else will ever say about this movie or the DVD will influence your decision either way. If you have to have it, then you will buy it, otherwise you won't. If you do buy it, you can be assured that Columbia Tristar have produced a stunning looking and sounding DVD.

    The video quality is pretty much perfect.

    The audio quality is flawless.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Michael Demtschyna
19th December 1998

Review Equipment
DVD Pioneer DV-505, using S-Video output
Display Loewe Art-95 95cm direct view CRT in 16:9 mode, via the S-Video input. Calibrated with the NTSC DVD version of Video Essentials.
Audio Decoder Denon AVD-2000 Dolby Digital AddOn Decoder, used as a standalone processor. Calibrated with the NTSC DVD version of Video Essentials.
Amplification 2 x EA Playmaster 100W per channel stereo amplifiers for Left, Right, Left Rear and Right Rear; Philips 360 50W per channel stereo amplifier for Centre and Subwoofer
Speakers Philips S2000 speakers for Left, Right; Polk Audio CS-100 Centre Speaker; Apex AS-123 speakers for Left Rear and Right Rear; Yamaha B100-115SE subwoofer