by jamaal7 » Mon Jul 09, 2007 5:39 pm
G'84 is one of my favorites of the series. The score is very atmospheric and evocative of the Cold War tensions of the time.
As for Godzilla: love the design. I just wish he could have been on a rampage while in Tokyo. It seems the idea was to create sympathy for the character; when he falls into the volcano the prime minister seems to be crying. Professor Hayashida says that they want to send him home (Maybe they could have called Kaiju Cabs). He's obviously not a hero, or even an antihero in G'84, but, he's not really scary. People are shown trying to get out of town, but Godzilla's low level of activity once he reaches land diminishes the horror aspect that this entry could have had. He seems to be just walking around. With the exception of the raid on the power plant, one does not get the impression that he is driven.
The film starts out really creepy with that dark stormy night at sea, that roar, and then the ship in deep trouble...then a scary silence when the reporter comes aboard. The giant sea louse effect was technically lacking, but the idea was a good one.
Still, a good entry in the series, nice and dark.
I forgot to add that I love the ending theme sung by the Star Sisters. It's nice little bit of J-Pop as one of the earlier posters pointed out. It's also a kind of balance to the overall darkness of the film, while reminding us that we should really feel sorry for Godzilla (sayronara until we meet again). Perhaps the idea was to get moviegoers to re-embrace this character, so misunderstood, himself a victim of the nuclear power driving the Cold War.
Until we meet again?
“Godzilla is a force. He is not something that can be stopped by human weapons. He is brutal and severe. My Godzilla will be the cruelest and fiercest in the history of the series.â€