Godzilla Vs. Destroyah - a Retrospective Review

Godzilla appears in Hong Kong with his body burning a bright orange, and a descendant of the late Dr. Yamane, who studied the first Godzilla in 1954, confirms the worst: the monster has overdosed on nuclear materials and is going to explode. The Godzilla Countermeasures Center deploys the Super-X III to contain the situation with freezing projectiles. Meanwhile, a prehistoric crustacean has been mutated by the Oxygen Destroyer, the weapon used to destroy the first Godzilla. The inevitable conflict ensues in a final showdown, with Godzilla's offspring and the fate of the world hanging in the balance.

Godzilla Dies! Don't think the movie is spoiled for you with this pronouncement, as it was emblazoned over all of the advertising of this film in its original Japanese release. The advertising ploy worked. Box office sales for this film were the highest in the series in a while, and it still remains among the top grossing Godzilla films ever since it's release in 1996. Toho Studios truly planned for this to be the last Godzilla film produced by them in a long while and they were making way for Sony Pictures and Tri-Star's own Godzilla series, so they went all out to end their series with a bang, literally. Images and references stemming back to the original 1954 film are invoked, including a wonderful appearance by Momoko Kochi as she reprises her role of Emiko Yamane.

The Godzilla suit for this film is quite unique, adding about 200 tiny orange lights placed behind semi-transparent vinyl plates to create the burning look coupled with carbonic-acid gas for the steaming effect. The overall final effect is amazing looking.

The evil Destroyah monster doesn't fare as well. While several different stages of the monster are showcased, the creature design is uninspiring, as if it were lifted from rejected designs of cartoonist Go Nagai or unused props from the sets of Aliens or Predator. In fact, many scenes using the creature seem taken from established films, using special effects that don't live up to expectations of the times. On a positive note, there are some well-crafted scenes including a fight with Godzilla Jr. and the final confrontation with Godzilla and the Super X III along with Destroyah features some interesting ideas.

This production also marked the final film score for famed composer Akira Ifukube, who retired after the film. Ifukube uses several familiar themes from previous Godzilla entries, but also composed some beautiful original cues including the heart-wrenching 'Requiem' used in the final scene.

Godzilla vs. Destroyah is a milestone film in the series as it brings the entire mythology full circle since its 1954 inception.