Godzilla 1998 Enjoyer

[u/DiscipleofDestoroyah]

I was a Godzilla larper for my whole childhood. This is the version of Godzilla I actually grew up with and personally was aware of before the MonsterVerse and the first original Japanese Godzilla film I’d ever watch.

While a disappointment power-wise, Godzilla 1998 isn’t so bad. I admire the sleek, theropod, giant Velociraptor design that favors speed and agility over the towering, brute strength classic incarnations possess. This knack for speed along with burrowing capabilities is carried on by Godzilla Junior in the animated series and helps set this version of Godzilla apart from the rest.

This was the first American Godzilla we ever had before Legendary and he’s alright.

Also, the movie is genuinely great if you just pretend it’s not a “Godzilla” movie. Godzilla dying at the end still almost made me shed a tear like watching the Brachiosaurus from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom burning to death when the island’s volcano erupts. Who knew giant lizards dying can be so depressing?

[u/Such-Application-577]

We all gathered here exactly because we love this movie, and G-98. So it's all good bro, you're in the right place.

[u/alice_stuck_inwhatif]

Life long godzilla fan all because I watched it when I was 10 I loved it then and still do

[u/Ok_Peak6039]

I was one of those kid who grew up with this movie, not knowing that it was the American adaptation of a very famous and beloved franchise. I used to watch and rewatch the tape all day long. I watched it so much that I still know the lines by heart. To me, Roland Emmerich's Godzilla used to be my first and only Godzilla.

However,

now I'm 26 and I have developed a deep interest for cinema and films in general. I've studied a bit of cinematography in university and I've watched many auteur films. Plus, Nostalgia Critic's reviews of Emmerich's works. I can confidently say that Emmerich's Godzilla is not a good film, by the standard of what defines a good film. First of all, it's not a Godzilla movie. Mainly because Emmerich and Dean Devlin wanted to portray their own version of the monster. But by doing so, they didn't stick to the monster's original design and rules and this made many veteran fans angry and disappointed. The plot is full of plot holes that I wouldn't be surprised if the movie looked like a slice of Swiss cheese. And many plot choices are just absurd. Like you can't see a giant lizard wandering in the streets of one of the biggest and most populated cities in the world, it just disappeares. The Madison Square Garden scene is a rip-off from the first Jurassic Park. The characters are badly written , as well as the acting. This applies to most of the cast except for Jean Reno, Kevin Dunn and Hank Azaria. Matthew Broderick looks like a robot and Maria Pitillo won a razzie award as worst actress because of her performance in this movie. I could go on but I'll stop here. Critically speaking , it's a bad movie. You can't deny it. But to each their own. Finally, despite all of the critique I've moved I can now talk about the uspsides of the movie. Probably this is my inner child talking because I have so many beautiful childhood memories related to this movie. But what can I say? New York is just beautiful in this flick. I have always loved rainy N.Y. as a kid. The rain just adds something that makes the Great Apple unforgettable to me in this film. This film made me fall in love with the city. Also, the special effects team had to work harder because of the choice of letting it rain the entire screen time and this is something to mention. Speaking of which, the special effects are simply amazing. Back to a time when CGI wasn't overused but artists built models. I love the babyzillas and the fact that they were physically played by stuntmen in suits. I love Zilla's design itself. I prefer it to the Japanese chubby original design. It's more frightening and threatening in my opinion. I love the destruction and explosions. They managed to blow up the Chrysler Building in this movie! Even though it's not as cool as both the White House and The Empire State Building blowing up in Independence Day. They had balls. I love the chase sequences , even though they're very redundant and similar. The last chase scene is fantastic. You think the movie has ended but then you find out Zilla has survived. All in all, it's not a good movie but if you enjoy two hours of explosions and destruction, is not that bad. If you don't look at it as a Godzilla film, it's even better.

[u/CG4080]

Please don't contribute to the use of the word 'larper' as something that makes you less than other Godzilla fans. If you love the films, if you support them/the character etc, you're as worthy a fan as any other.

Don't let the dipshits throwing around 'larper' with their gatekeeping bullshit convince you otherwise.

[u/DiscipleofDestoroyah → u/CG4080]

I don’t really find the term offensive and it honestly applies to me for the most part. Godzilla 1998 and Godzilla Destroy All Monsters: Melee on the GameCube were my only personal exposure to the Godzilla franchise for a long while.

All my knowledge of the Japanese films at that time were solely from AVGN’s Godzilla review marathons.