by Giganfan » Fri Oct 10, 2008 12:17 pm
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah - The time-travelling fubar notwithstanding, this is one of the best Godzilla movies ever. Bad occidental actors are the norm in these films. Deal with it.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla - Okawara got a simple story from screenwriter, Mimura and he made just that. A light-weight, daikaiju epic with a touching climax.
Godzilla vs. Biollante - To this day, I'll contend that Kazuki Omori was one of the top directors of the Godzilla movies, even if he didn't particularly like the genre. The story was inventive, the characters, interesting (most of them, anyway) and it features not only some of the best effects work of any Godzilla movie (this is Kawakita's masterpiece), but one of the most original and frightening opponents the Big Guy has ever faced.
Godzilla vs. Mothra - Unjustly underrated. Sure the effects work is lacking in many areas, and the Indiana Jones-laden opening is lame, but other than that, I think this is a pretty solid movie. The characters aren't particularly annoying, and they're all given enough to do before the final kaiju fight. It also includes one of Akira Ifukube's very best scores for any Godzilla movie.
Godzilla vs. Destroyah - Considering the fact that this was the film where "Godzilla Dies!" as was so loudly proclaimed, it had a lot to live up to. And when contrasting the pros and cons, I think it lived up to the hype, atleast partially. Like Godzilla vs. Mothra, it has its flaws, but it's still a well-rounded story. And Ifukube once again delivers a first-class score. Godzilla's rampage on Hong Kong was the perfect way to start the movie.
Godzilla 1985 - I just recently watched this movie, and it gave me a completely different perspective than what I had previously about it. Despite the enormous amount of sentiment I have for Godzilla 1985 (it was the first film I can ever remember seeing when I was little), this has to be one of the worst Godzilla movies ever made. And I'm talking about the Japanese version too, because the U.S. release goes without saying. The story is paper-thin, most of the acting is weak and you don't really care about any of the principal characters (the Prime Minister and Dr. Hayashida are cool though). And why does the Prime Minister cry when Godzilla falls into the volcano? It has to be the cheesiest moment of any Godzilla movie. I feel terrible now, because this film created so many happy childhood moments for me.
Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla - I used to damn this film as the absolute worst of the entire series. I still feel the same way, but the truth of the matter is I don't hate any Godzilla movie, and this one has plenty to offer. Spacegodzilla is a bad-ass foe, MOGERA is alot cooler than most fans give him credit, and Godzilla looks the best that he's ever looked. The final battle is probably about as long as the one in GvsMG, but the only difference is in who was directing the film. Okawara made him film seem like a breeze, while Kensho Yamashita's work just comes off as a hassle. The main problem with this movie is that it has more story packed into it than any other Godzilla movie, and more than it really needs. You have the Japanese mafia, Fairy Mothra, the Cosmos, Little Godzilla's ugly-ass, T-Project, MOGERA splitting in two, Yuki hates Godzilla, Shindo likes Miki, Miki has telekinesis all of a sudden, etc. etc. etc. I don't condemn a film for having so many story elements, but this one is justa mess.
"EVERYONE FORGET YOUR TROUBLES! ENJOY YOURSELVES!THERE'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!" - Gigantis The Fire Monster
"It was HUGE...It was...IT WAS LIKE A MONSTER!!! Suddenly the rocks rose...ALIVE!" - Godzilla 1985