by Tyler E. Martin » Fri Oct 23, 2009 3:35 pm
There is such a mix of good and bad going on here, it's really frustrating. When I was younger, I absolutely adored this movie, but with age has come a kind of cynicism that I often wish I could get rid of altogether.
To start out with the weaknesses, the effects are mostly poor-to-mediocre. The design for the second form of Destoroyah as used in the awful Aliens sequences leaves a lot to be desired, and all of the forms are hampered in some regard by poor execution, at least in some instances, though I do find the designs to be pretty cool. Junior's in the same boat here--nice idea, but not always carried out too well.
And then, of course, we have a story that's rife with lost potential. The concept of a monster being spawned from the Oxygen Destroyer is a great one, but it's not taken very far and ends up feeling like more of an afterthought by the time the movie's over. Combine that with the uninteresting characters and the fact that it's the humans, not Godzilla, who end up taking out Destoroyah (seriously?), and you've got a whole lot working against this picture.
On the plus side, we do have Godzilla looking truly fantastic. Burning Godzilla is one of my all-time favorite designs, looking deadly, majestic and somewhat sympathetic all at the same time. This is helped by a good performance by Ken Satsuma, who puts a nice dose of emotion into his final go-around as the King of the Monsters. The fight scenes, while they do tend to drag at times, come across as more engaging here than in the other '90s films, at least in my opinion, thanks again in large part to Mr. Satsuma. I should also mention that I really like the pyrotechnics work here.
Having the story revolve around Godzilla's approach to meltdown, while it is hurt by quite a number of weaknesses, does make for a pleasant change in pace and creates at least a little bit of suspense. And when the meltdown finally arrives, barring a few unfortunate shots (such as the obvious smoke ring at the beginning), it's handled quite well.
And of course, we have one last hurrah from Maestro Akira Ifukube. I stand by my previous statements that his work in these films of the '90s are the only element in them to remain consistently strong. It gives them a sense of weight that they need desperately, and Destoroyah is no exception. Ifukube's music here is a true tour de force, with a real sense of ferocity in the themes for both of the title monsters. There's also a nice mix of military marches, mysterious atmospheric material, and a great reprise of the younger Godzilla's theme from the 1993 film. His requiem for Godzilla is very touching and is easily the most emotional component of the meltdown sequence. The inclusion of the main title from King Kong vs. Godzilla in the ending credits piece is quite bizarre, but it sounds great, especially when book-ended by the rousing march from the first film. The music here is nothing short of magnificent, and a fitting end for Ifukube's film career. It's a shame the rest of the movie didn't match up to the quality of the score.
Another spectacularly uneven effort in my book.
