Godzilla 2000 - a Retrospective Review

An alien vessel awakens from the bottom of the ocean. Godzilla once again comes ashore in Japan after several years of inactivity. The military attempt to stop both threats. Meanwhile, a scientist and his young daughter try to make sense of it all, and a spunky reporter hopes for the story of a lifetime just in time for the new century.

Godzilla 2000 presents an interesting return of the 'King of the Monsters', one that actually wasn't supposed to happen at that time. After 1995, the Japanese Godzilla franchise was to go on hiatus until 2005, while Sony Studios had their way with the character. When Sony/Tri-Star failed to make an impression with their 1998 film by Roland Emmerich, Toho Studios felt the time was right to once again present their more recognizable icon to the world to usher in the new millennium, and director Takao Okawara takes a 'back to basics' approach. Rather than a lot of super-scientific weaponry or a global agency out to destroy the monster, Godzilla 2000 features a straightforward military vs. Godzilla vs. a singular threat to mankind, and the film works within that context.

The premise reverts back to a theme of the Japanese Self Defense Force protecting the nation from the monster just as it had done since the original 1954 version. Those interested in studying Godzilla are more akin to a grassroots organization made up of scientists, students, even hobbyists connected together via the internet and telephone, and work out of studio apartments or SUVs, much like the tornado chasers of the Midwestern U.S. This lends credence to the idea Godzilla is just as much a 'force of nature' as he is a giant monster. The major extraterrestrial threat this time around starts off as a simple flying saucer, reminiscent of 1950s drive-in fare, which morphs into something quite different by the climax. It is with these simple subtleties that a fresh perspective on the series is given, even when the human drama is kept to a bare minimum.

The Americanization by Sony Pictures is an uneven mix. Though it is always best to see production by the way the original filmmakers intended it, the pacing of the American version of Godzilla 2000 is an improvement over the Japanese running time (which did tend to drag), with an excise of about nine minutes and a reshuffling of a few scenes into a more cohesive narrative. The soundtrack and special effects were punched up a bit with some additions and enhancements, making for a fuller digital track. Unfortunately, some irreverent English dubbing and corny one-liners detract from the overall effort. This was the first Godzilla film in over 20 years to use the 2:35:1 widescreen aspect ratio, and was also the first to receive a wide North American release in 15 years. About 500 computer generated effects were used in the film, though all of them are not good. This was the first time Toho rendered Godzilla via CGI in a thrilling underwater sequence and is also the first time he was actually colored green on film!

Godzilla 2000 may be considered a minor entry in the series but it accomplished what it needed and re-introduced the 'real' Godzilla to the world.