Godzilla

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1:45

Godzilla

PG-13

1998

2h 18m

Sci-Fi

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

20%

Tomatometer

148 Reviews

28%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

During a nuclear test, the French government inadvertently mutates a lizard nest; years later, a giant lizard makes its way to New York City. Dr. Niko Tatopoulos (Matthew Broderick), an expert on the effects of radiation on animals, is sent by the U.S. government to study the beast. When the creature, dubbed "Godzilla" by news outlets, emerges, a massive battle with the military begins. To make matters worse, Niko discovers that Godzilla has laid a nest of 200 eggs, which are ready to hatch.

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Critics Consensus

Without compelling characters or heart, Godzilla stomps on everything that made the original (or any monster movie worth its salt) a classic.

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David Edelstein

Slate

What the new, monstrously budgeted Godzilla brings home is that size doesn’t matter -- that tacky crudeness harnessed to a real vision can have more brute power than all the state-of-the-art computer wizardry that Hollywood’s money can buy.

Feb 15, 2023

Full Review

Peter Howell

Toronto Star

This 'Zilla is no thrillah. The only thing huge about it is the size of its failure, with monsters straight out of Jurassic Park (yawn), a plot thinner than the butter topping on popcorn and mailed-in acting by the cast.

Rated: 1/5

Feb 15, 2023

Full Review

Gary Dretzka

Chicago Tribune

How do you screw up "Squish" and "Aargh"? By spending more than $100 million on marvelous special effects, another $50 million on a brilliant marketing campaign, and, then, forgetting to invest any money on a logical script. That's how.

Rated: 2/4

Feb 15, 2023

Full Review

Evan Dossey

Midwest Film Journal

As someone who subscribes to the notion that there are no bad Godzilla films, I still find the best bits of Godzilla to be good enough to make the entire thing worth sitting through every few years.

Oct 31, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Forget the Emmy-winning TV special Liza With a Z -- here we have the Razzie-winning theatrical stinker Godzilla With a Zzzz (aka Godzilla vs. Ferris Bueller, since the oversized monster proves to be no match for Matthew Broderick’s incessant shtick).

Rated: 1.5/4

Oct 28, 2023

Full Review

Allison Rose

FlickDirect

The 1998 Godzilla may be less beloved for its lighter tone and special effects, but it offers entertainment if you approach it with an open mind.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 23, 2023

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Max H

The first amazing American adaptation of the legendary movie monster named Godzilla (1998) is worth a watch I recommend. It may not be as good quality as some other Godzilla films but it's a classic and was the first film that got me into the Godzilla series of movies

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/23/25

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Leaburn O

Nowhere near as bad as the critics say. As a popcorn cinematic action drama it’s fun, cheesy and predictable but always good value. The ending is wildly predictable but the CGI whilst not up to modern standards is actually pretty impressive for its time. Enjoyed it as a switch your brain off form of entertainment. Watched on DVD.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/23/25

Full Review

Ary B

While the movie may not be a good Godzilla movie, by any means, I still find it to be a good monster movie. Had the movie been released under a different title, maybe it would have found more success. Still, it finds its home among other cult classics.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/18/25

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Saul C

Cheesy, but great! Cult classic forget what the naysayers have to say and enjoy the glory of this funny roller-coaster ride of a film

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/16/25

Full Review

Eric S

A movie without a protagonist (except for maybe Matthew Broderick and Godzilla himself), more explosions than any other movie I can remember, a massive special effects budget, and it somehow managed to be boring (and more than 2 hours long). I gave up about halfway through. It's hard to know where to begin in describing how bad this movie is, so I won't try. By the way, this is not one of those bad movies you watch with your friends to have a laugh, it's too boring for that. Good God.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/25/25

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Vincent W

Garbage, absolute trash,

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/23/25

Full Review

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Roland Emmerich

Director

Matthew Broderick

Dr. Niko Tatopoulos

Jean Reno

Philippe Roaché

Maria Pitillo

Audrey Timmonds

Hank Azaria

Victor "Animal" Palotti

Kevin Dunn

Colonel Hicks

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Synopsis

During a nuclear test, the French government inadvertently mutates a lizard nest; years later, a giant lizard makes its way to New York City. Dr. Niko Tatopoulos (Matthew Broderick), an expert on the effects of radiation on animals, is sent by the U.S. government to study the beast. When the creature, dubbed "Godzilla" by news outlets, emerges, a massive battle with the military begins. To make matters worse, Niko discovers that Godzilla has laid a nest of 200 eggs, which are ready to hatch.

Director: Roland Emmerich
Producer: Dean Devlin
Screenwriter: Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Centropolis Film Productions, Fried Films, Independent Pictures, TriStar Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Scenes of Scary Horror|Mild Bad Language)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 19, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $136.1M
Runtime: 2h 18m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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