Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (Gojira tai Desutoroia) (1995)

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General		Extras
Category	Science Fiction	Teaser Trailer-x 4 Theatrical Trailer TV Spots-x 2 Gallery-Photo Trivia Trailer-Madman Trailers
Rating
Year Of Production	1995
Running Time	98:48
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Takao Okawara
Studio Distributor	Toho Company Madman Entertainment	Starring	Takuro Tatsumi Yôko Ishino Yasufumi Hayashi Megumi Odaka Sayaka Osawa Saburo Shinoda Akira Nakao Masahiro Takashima Momoko Kôchi Shigeru Kôyama Ronald Hoerr Kôichi Ueda Takehiro Murata
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual
RPI	?	Music	Akira Ifukube

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	Yes, montage from previous Godzilla films

     Godzilla vs. Destoroyah commences with a bang as a glowing red Godzilla destroys Hong Kong during the opening credits before heading north towards Japan. It seems that his internal temperature is increasing rapidly and that when it reaches 1200 degrees centigrade he will suffer a nuclear meltdown, creating a cataclysmic explosion that could devastate the entire earth. Meanwhile Birth Island has been destroyed; baby Godzilla is missing and psychic Miki Saegusa (Megumi Odaka) fears he is dead.

     In Tokyo Dr Kensaki Ijuin (Takuro Tatsumi) is working on an oxygen depletion devise. In 1954, in the original Godzilla, a similar devise had been invented by Dr Serizawa and used to neutralise Godzilla but, fearful of the destructive power of the weapon, Serizawa had burned all his research papers. Emiko Yamane, Dr Serizawa’s fiancé (played by Momoko Kochi reprising her character 40 years after the original film) warms reporter Yukari (Yoko Ishino) of the dangers of the device but when she challenges Dr Ijuin she is ignored. While digging in the Tokyo area when Godzilla was originally destroyed by the oxygen destroyer, Dr Ijuin brings to the surface some soil samples that eat their way through the test tubes and mutate into tiny crustaceans. The explanation is that they were fossils from the Cambrian era, 2.5 billion years ago, that mutated due to the particles from the oxygen destroyer. They quickly mutate into bigger crab like creatures and the Japanese Special forces are brought in to destroy them with flamethrowers inside a building complex that feels like a sequence lifted straight from Aliens (1986) or even Them! (1954). The main effect of their destruction, however, is that they merge together and mutate into something even bigger; an oxygen destroying monster called Destoroyah.

     But what of Godzilla? He is spotted heading for the nuclear power plant on Okinawa. It seems he may be following the path of baby Godzilla, who has now been rediscovered heading towards his birthplace in the Bering Sea. However, he is no longer “baby” Godzilla, but has grown to about 40 metres high, so he is redubbed Godzilla Junior. G-force then utilise their newest weapon the SX-III, a plane that looks a bit like a Stealth Bomber but is equipped with special “freezing” weapons that can lower the temperature of a victim to minus 200 degrees centigrade. The SX-III successfully freezes Godzilla (the effects expected to last 6 hours) and saves the nuclear power plant. But they know it is only temporary and so a desperate plan is hatched; they will use Godzilla Junior to lure Godzilla into conflict with Destoroyah.

     Miki and another psychic Meru (Savaka Osawa) succeed in luring Godzilla Junior to Tokyo where he is attacked by Destoroyah. It is a relatively even contest until, through a sort of transfusion of atomic synergy (I think) Destoroyah mutates into an even bigger monster and kills Godzilla Junior. Then Godzilla arrives, and a contest of gigantic proportions ensues in a welter of pyrotechnics and destruction as Destoroyah assumes his final form and first one monster, then the other, gets the upper hand until Destoroyah is defeated and explodes. Godzilla’s internal temperature has now reached meltdown and as the chain reaction commences, the SX-III and similar vehicles with freeze weapons fire them all into Godzilla, averting the nuclear explosion but causing Godzilla to disintegrate. Yet in the chaos of death there is life, and Godzilla Junior is glimpsed in the smoke, alive to carry on the Godzilla legacy.

     Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (Gojira tai Desutoroia) was intended to be the series finale and writer Kazuki Ohmori, who had written three Godzilla film before this and directed two, packed enough into Godzilla vs. Destoroyah to sustain five films! It starts off with an explosive sequence as the glowing red Godzilla smashes up Hong Kong, but then for a long time it does not feel like a Godzilla film at all as the crab like creatures take centre stage and we are treated to a number of sequences that owe far more to Aliens or even Them! than to Godzilla as the military hunt creatures that look like a cross between a Predator and an Alien through narrow corridors with flamethrowers. In its way it is quite tense, such as when Yukari is trapped in a car by one of the creatures, and spectacular but it feels like a different movie altogether. Indeed, the numerous plot strands mean that the human characters do little except stand around and try to explain the “scientific” back-story. Some appear briefly, only to disappear from the story as the creature action hots up.

     As it does! Director Takao Okawara, returns for his third Godzilla film and while the human action is indifferent the creature action is anything but, helped by returning director of special effects Koichi Kawakita and special effects production designer Tetsuzo Osawa. Unlike the silly looking baby Godzilla suit in Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla, here Godzilla Junior looks fantastic, as does the glowing red Godzilla. The various Destoroyah’s are a mixed bag; the smaller crab like creatures with Alien type heads don’t really work and the final huge Destoroyah looks clumsy, but some of the intermediate versions, such as during the fight with Godzilla Junior, look and move fine. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah also features more CGI than usual, but it mostly looks good while the model work, such as the SX-III and the buildings are great. The pyrotechnics are frequent, and spectacular. And, as a final bonus, original Godzilla composer Akira Ifukube also returns with a rousing score including the final, memorable, rendering of the Godzilla March as the creature walks in towards Destoroyah in what we know will be his final battle. Simply wonderful.

     This was the final Godzilla film for Producer Tomoyuka Tanaka, one of the original Godzilla’s creators in 1954 who had worked on every Godzilla film since. Indeed, there are many reminders in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah of the original Godzilla; the “oxygen destroyer” device plus actual footage from that film of the inventor Dr Serizawa (Akihiko Hirata), actress Momoko Kochi reprising her character, two of the characters are descendants of Professor Yamane who was the palaeontologist who led the first study of Godzilla, plus the destruction of the same Tokyo buildings that Godzilla destroyed 40 years previously.

     Clearly, Tanaka wanted not only to take us back to where it all started but he also wanted the series, and Godzilla himself, to go out with a bang, not a whimper. And although, due to the messy plot that tried to cram too many things into one film, he did not quite succeed, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is hardly a failure. Reuniting special effects directors Koichi Kawakita and Tetsuzo Osawa with original Godzilla composer Akira Ifukube, when Godzilla vs. Destoroyah gets down to serious monster action, the result is spectacular, colourful and explosive with the death of Godzilla Junior and then Godzilla adding an extra dimension to the saga. This is adult Godzilla, moving and poignant and a good, if flawed, conclusion to the series.

Video

     Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, close to the original theatrical ratio of 1.85:1, and is 16x9 enhanced.

     This is a good print. While some back projection scenes and CGI shots are not quite as sharp as the rest, the film mostly looks very sharp indeed. Blacks and shadow detail are fine, brightness, contrast and skin tones are good and the colours warm and natural. The pyrotechnics look wonderful and the creatures are as clearly detailed as one would wish There is mild grain but I did not notice any film or film to video artefacts.

     English subtitles are in a yellow font, follow the action well and have no obvious spelling or grammatical errors. When English is spoken white burnt in Japanese subtitles appear although occasionally both white Japanese and yellow English run across each other making them hard to read.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Audio is a choice between Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps, Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps and English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps. The 5.1 is very good. Dialogue was clear, it has separation and reasonable clarity and the surrounds are used for music and effects, although panning effects were absent. The sub woofer did support the music, explosions, the destruction of buildings and the thump and rumble of Godzilla’s feet as he moves across the landscape. While not up to more recent standards this has a good enveloping feel that supports the onscreen action.

    The Japanese 2.0 and English 2.0 mono tracks lack depth and sound quite tiny, as one might expect.

     The score by Akira Ifukube sounds wonderful and came across in the mix beautifully.

     Lip synchronisation was good.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Original Trailers

     Included are 4 Teaser Trailers (2:52), the original Theatrical Trailer (1:37) and 2 TV Spots (0:31).

Image Gallery

     Some very good stuff, including how Destoroyah was created for the screen. Sections are:

• 15 Promotional Stills
• 33 Destoroyah Sketches
• 18 Model Stills of Destoroyah
• 13 Godzilla Sketches
• 14 Sketches of Super X-111
• 10 Vehicle Sketches
• 2 Scene Sketches

Trivia Section

     Two silent pages of text.

Madman Trailers

     Trailers for other films from Madman: Godzilla – Tokyo SOS (0:57), Godzilla vs. Ebirah – Horror of the Deep (2:18) and Godzilla – Invasion of the Astro Monster (2:24).

     The Region 2 Japanese release has an audio commentary by director of special effects Koichi Kawakita, a “Making of” featurette that includes interviews, behind the scenes, deleted scenes and an alternative ending (50 minutes), trailers and the image gallery; however there are no English subtitles for either the feature or the featurettes.

     The US Region 1 disc has 2.0 audio only and no extras.

     Region 4 is the pick for English speakers.

     Reuniting special effects directors Koichi Kawakita and Tetsuzo Osawa with original Godzilla composer Akira Ifukube, when Godzilla vs. Destoroyah gets down to serious monster action the result is spectacular, colourful and explosive with the death of Godzilla Junior and then Godzilla adding an extra dimension to the conclusion of the film, and the Heisei Godzilla saga. This is adult Godzilla, moving and poignant and it is all the better for it.

     The film is presented on a DVD with excellent video and audio and better extras than usual on Region 4 Godzilla releases

     Godzilla vs. Destoroyahis included in the Madman 5 disc box set Godzilla Heisei Series along with Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Godzilla vs. Mothra: Battle for Earth (1992), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (II) (1993) and Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla (1994). For a RPI of $49.95 the box set is still a fabulous way to stay in touch with “the original monster of mass destruction” during his later reincarnations.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall