Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
AKA
Godzilla vs. Destroyer
(1995)
(Page 2)
Why is this movie so great? There's a lot wrong with it. The guesstimation science that takes a front seat in the film is rediculous. Rarely in the film do I gain the impression that any of the characters had the slightest clue what was going on, and looked to me like they were throwing ideas on the table and presenting them as facts. Adding to the groad factor is Sony's dub track, which is hideous (actually, all of their dub tracks are pretty freakin' awful, with the possible exception of Godzilla 2000, which at least sounds like they hired more than three people to do the voices). I have no doubt that this movie would play out 10 times better in it's original language, which unfortunatly we don't have the luxury of here in the States (though keep you're fingers crossed for an HD release with the original track).
The fight between Godzilla and Destoroyah is a bit disappointing as well, since it suffers from the slow and lazy Heisei choreography, which includes a lot of bumping and beam fighting.
But in the end, it's a solid monster mash, and one of the best Godzilla flicks ever made. Director Takao Okawara wisely went in an emotional direction for the film, knowing that most of the G fanbase has loved him their since their childhood, watching B monster movies on TV. For many, myself included, Godzilla has been with them their entire lives and to watch their beloved childhood hero just melt away is a very moving experience. And indeed, Godzilla's death scene is truly spellbinding, and I remember first watching this movie how utterly speechless I was. Slowly puting the video tape (remember those?) back in the box, I walked outside and sat on the bench, and I let tears roll down my face. To this day, I still get choked up when I see that scene. I just love Godzilla too much, and I always will.
At the emotional core of the film is Godzilla Junior, though. Who's role in the film strikes the right emotional chords in two different ways. The first being Miki Saegusa, who has acted as a sort of mother figure toward the tike since Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. Her love for the creature is genuinly touching, and her small look of "Kick his ass, Godzilla" after Destoroyah kills Junior speaks louder than anything she could say at that moment. The second is, of course, Godzilla himself, who does indeed proceed to kick his ass. Godzilla is portrayed with such emotional rage in his final brawl, one could almost forget the shortcomings of Heisei's choreography.
Not that the fighting is all weak. The fight between Junior and Destoroyah has some pretty nice tooth and claw, and the final battle does indeed have it's moments. The monster suits are stunning to look at. The red glow on Meltdown Godzilla is amazing and Junior's costume is superb. Seeing how Godzilla's main baddie, King Ghidorah, was already used and killed off in a previous Heisei film, Toho had to come up with something supremly badass for Destoroyah. The succeed for the most part, though he looks a bit too plastic to be taken entirely seriously. But it is a very menacing design for all of it's various forms.
The film marks two unfortunate farewells to the franchise. Series producer and showrunner Tomoyuki Tanaka (who died in 1998) and composer Akira Ifukube (who died in 2006), who conducts his final score, not just for this series, but for any film. Their last film should be one they're proud of, because they've both done a fabulous job on it.
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah isn't quite what you would call "brilliant," but it's a stunning movie and one of my all-time favorites. We've seen countless G films that have half of what this film has going for it, but rarely any that matches it. Hopefully, maybe someday we get another as good as this one.
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