Audience Member
Let’s take a nostalgic dive back to 1998 when Hollywood decided to unleash its first crack at the iconic Japanese kaiju with Godzilla. Directed by Roland Emmerich, the mastermind behind Independence Day, this iteration of the King of Monsters didn’t just stomp into theaters—it cannonballed, leaving behind a tidal wave of mixed reviews.
But love it or hate it, this big-budget blockbuster is a fascinating piece of cinematic history, complete with towering highs, disappointing lows, and just enough charm to earn its spot as a “so-bad-it’s-good” cult classic.
The opening act of Godzilla is where this movie truly shines. Emmerich builds suspense masterfully, teasing the monster’s arrival through clever glimpses—giant footprints, colossal tail swipes, and legs that could crush city blocks. By the time Godzilla makes his grand entrance in New York City, you’re hooked. The destruction is cinematic, the tension palpable, and the visuals—while dated—still manage to capture the grandeur of a giant reptilian behemoth stomping through the Big Apple.
Trivia Time: Did you know that the filmmakers consulted paleontologists to design the new Godzilla? The intent was to create a leaner, more reptilian creature inspired by dinosaurs, diverging from the bulkier, man-in-a-suit design of the Japanese original.
The Creature Design: Love It or Hate It
Say what you will about this movie’s narrative, but the redesign of Godzilla was bold. This isn’t your grandpa’s kaiju. Gone is the hulking, rubber-suited figure of old; in its place stands a sleek, muscular beast with a more dinosaur-like aesthetic. While purists were up in arms, this modern take undeniably fit the late ‘90s vibe, catering to an audience that had just fallen in love with Jurassic Park. Personally, I appreciated the leaner, meaner look—it made Godzilla feel more dynamic, even if the film forgot to give him much personality beyond smashing stuff.
Raptors in the Garden
Unfortunately, after the first act, Godzilla dives headfirst into a generic blockbuster formula and never resurfaces. The suspense and wonder give way to a derivative plot involving Godzilla nesting 200 eggs in Madison Square Garden, leading to a chase sequence that feels more like a Jurassic Park knockoff than a kaiju showdown. Suddenly, we’re watching raptor-like baby Godzillas scampering around as our human protagonists duck, dodge, and outrun them in what feels like a PG-13 video game.
And let’s not forget the absurdity of a 130-foot monster “disappearing” in New York City. Sure, NYC is a sprawling metropolis, but come on—a creature this size couldn’t hide behind a streetlamp, let alone vanish into thin air. The scale inconsistencies throughout the film are laughable, with Godzilla shrinking and growing depending on the scene’s needs.
It may sound like we are tearing the film down, but we are not. The story is perfect to introduce you to Godzilla and the first half of the movie involves seeing (Just enough) of Godzilla to make it incredibly believable. They clearly also used real SFX as opposed to CG for a good amount of the film. Once they started using CG in the film, well, Godzilla came crashing down.
The ensemble cast boasts some notable names—Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, and R. Lee Ermey. Broderick’s bumbling scientist and Pitillo’s wide-eyed reporter are serviceable, but none of the performances are memorable. Even Reno, usually a scene-stealer, feels underutilized. It’s a shame, given the talent on display, that the script didn’t offer more depth or development for the human players. On the rewatch though, the reality is that Matthew Broderick and Hank Azaria were absolute perfection in the film, they just weren’t given enough to work with.
Despite its flaws, Godzilla (1998) made a splash at the box office,
but it wasn’t enough to warrant a sequel.
Plans for a franchise were scrapped, and what we got instead was Godzilla: The Series, an animated spin-off that ran for two seasons. While the show has its fans, it never reached the same level of notoriety as its cinematic counterpart.
Interestingly, Toho Studios, the creators of the original Godzilla, later renamed this version "Zilla" to distinguish it from their beloved kaiju, arguing that Emmerich’s creature lacked the spirit of the original. It’s a fitting moniker for a movie that feels like Godzilla in name only—a flashy, Americanized take on Japan’s most iconic monster.
A Big, Dumb, Fun Disaster
Look, Godzilla (1998) is far from perfect. It’s a product of its time, stuffed with late-‘90s blockbuster clichés, laughable logic, and a second half that can’t decide if it’s a monster movie or a raptor chase. But despite all that—or maybe because of it—it’s still a guilty pleasure. The first act delivers some genuinely thrilling moments, and the sheer spectacle of Godzilla stomping through NYC is worth the price of admission alone.
Sometimes, you just need to embrace the chaos, grab a bucket of popcorn, and let a giant lizard trash Manhattan. For all its missteps, Godzilla is a fun, mindless romp that reminds us why we love monster movies in the first place. Sure, it’s no King of the Monsters, but it’s not trying to be. It’s a loud, messy, over-the-top ride that fails with style—and honestly, isn’t that what Godzilla is all about?
You can find it streaming for free on a variety of services and we suggest you do
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/12/25
Full Review
Daniel N
Enjoyed this when it first came out but watching it in 2025 is very difficult. It really hasn't aged well and is tough to get through. We're definitely spoiled with the new Godzilla movies but this just feels very old and dated. The CGI is far from great and the acting just feels like a typical 90's B-grade comedy action movie.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
12/31/24
Full Review
Birithivy Y
Godzilla - 4/10. Godzilla, the 1998 version, is one of the best guilty pleasure films that I've ever seen. Is it a good film? Absolutely not. Considering this came right off the heels of the mega blockbuster that was Independence Day, its quite astonishing how far from the target that director Roland Emmerich and writer Dean Devlin missed with this film. In ID4, they created a great over the top alien invasion film, which put up some great action set pieces and some great hammy acting. In the case of Godzilla, the casting is some of the worst I've ever seen in a big budget film. Matthew Broderick is a good actor, and one that is great in lighter type of roles. Having him as the lead of a film like this is a huge miscalculation. He does a good job with what he's given with, but you just don't feel any connection to his character and the film. Hank Azaria is probably the best character in the film, and he's relegated to being the comic/side relief. Jean Reno's character is an interesting throw in character, but the way his character and his associated characters enter the storyline just feel a little forced. As a movie, Godzilla has entertaining aspects. I for one actually liked the character design for Zilla, and loved the action scenes in the film. Especially the Madison Square Garden sequence, which is a lot of fun, even with its blatant inspiration from Jurassic Park. Making Godzilla into a nesting mother was a nice spin, and interesting way of moving the story in a different direction. But the film falters really hard with the really cheesy acting and badly casted roles. When it dedicates itself into being a fun action film, it succeeds to a certain extent. But its a weirdly made movie. One moment feels like a film dedicated towards a younger audience and family audience, whereas the next moment makes the film feel like a more serious movie. When watching the movie as a kid, I appreciated it, and still do till this day. However, I understand the fact that it is a bad film. But as a guilty pleasure film, it succeeds really well. Definitely one of the best worst big budget films of all time.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
12/28/24
Full Review
Kalel D
It’s an ok movie, but it relies way too much much on cgi, and I just have a hard time routing for the characters. It doesn’t feel like a Godzilla movie. It feels like a normal cgi action movie people would see in the early 2000s
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
11/26/24
Full Review
Raymond The Godzilla Fan R
Hear me out. If it was not called Godzilla, It would definitely get this rating. The movie is a great big monster movie, its just a sucky Godzilla movie. So if you just call him Zilla, it would be so much better.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
11/01/24
Full Review
Zack W
Horrible v affects,horrable interpretation of godzilla,Horrible story
Rated 0.5/5 Stars •
Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars
10/26/24
Full Review
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