by Giganfan » Mon Jul 16, 2018 7:57 am
"The Godzilla Hack", as I like to call him, Takao Okawara was never much of a director, but he was a seasoned-enough professional of the business that he at least knew how to make a Godzilla movie, or two, provided of course that it's other key-contributing factors (effects, score, cast, etc.) were up-to-snuff. He directed four, which is more than Tezuka, and less than Honda or Fukuda, and at least two of the them, I think, are good. Godzilla vs. Mechagodilla had the most straight-forward, "not-much-meat-on-the-bones" screenplay that understands the monsters are the main attractions, and with Kawakita's exceptional effects-work, and Ifukube's masterful score, I consider it to be the "Destroy All Monsters" of the Heisei series. Godzilla vs. Mothra, I believe, is somewhat underrated, though I understand why that is. The human drama here is dull-as-ditch-water, and some of Kawakita's effects show a lack of enthusiasm. With Godzilla 2000, I think they were really trying to bring the Big G back in-style, but though it does have it's strong points, as I watch it today, I find it to be underwhelming, from Hattori's awful score, to the uneven effects work and, well, Okawara's (by the time) passe', formulaic approach. And Godzilla vs. Destroyah? Well, Toho certainly got as much mileage out of the "Godzilla Dies!" promotion tactic as they could, but once all of the exposition has been introduced, it is promptly discarded, "The Destroyer" (which, by the way, is a lazy-a-name for a Toho kaiju as "Monster-X"; the same goes for "De-su-to-ro-yah", which is nothing more than the Japanese pronunciation of "The Destroyer") falls out of the sky, and disappears "POOF!" into a puff of smoke, and cue the "Requiem". I mean, the film was a hit at the Japanese box-office, but watching it now, 13 years later, is extremely laborious for me.
So no, Takao Okawara may not deserve the same kudos as Ishiro Honda or Jun Fukuda, nor does he possess the same kind of enthusiasm for the Godzilla legacy as Masaaki Tezuka, but he still managed to deliver "on-time, and under-budget", while never forgetting that the only reason people came to see Godzilla movies, was that the "monster-drama" was all they really cared about.
I give credit where it's due.
"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