Godzilla

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1:45

Godzilla

PG-13

Released May 19, 1998

2h 18m

Sci-Fi

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

20%

Tomatometer

150 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

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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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Alex B

A lot of people HATE this movie, but I see it as a fresh take on the Godzilla franchise as a whole. And because I say that, It was a good movie overall, just not a really good Godzilla movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/08/25

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Patrick S

I can't remember a movie that ever disappointed me worse than this.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/05/25

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Audience Member

This movie got me into Godzilla so I respect it and I know it’s not the best but I enjoyed watching it and I love it so much for what it was trying to achieve but the poor visuals just annoy me. Why is it raining for the whole movie like it doesn’t get exsplained by the director at all but it’s an ok movie to watch . Definitely recommend it .🔥

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/02/25

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Gianni M

I remembered this movie not that bad, this is not godzilla

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/24/25

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Alex C

Loved this movie, not sure why it has so much negativity towards it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/25

Full Review

Matthew L

This film would have probably worked better if it was not called "Godzilla", as the character is almost nothing similar the Toho character which fans would have an issue with, but had it been titled something else, the film could have been a Kaiju film, and could have been received better. Overall, still a pretty enjoyable film, as long as one does not think of it as Godzilla.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/26/25

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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Godzilla: Trailer 1

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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: Fried Films, Independent Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Centropolis Film Productions
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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