Godzilla

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1:45

Godzilla

PG-13

Released May 19, 1998

2h 18m

Sci-Fi

Action

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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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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 out of 5 stars

11/01/24

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Zack W

Horrible v affects,horrable interpretation of godzilla,Horrible story

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/26/24

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Benjie P

The fact zilla is just a dinosaur ruins a what would be a not to bad of a movie. Like the story line and I find it pretty decent but needs some work. Though I recommend the animated series of this!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/21/24

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Shobhit B

One of the worst movies , i have ever watched.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

09/21/24

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Jack R

DEFINITELY DOES NOT DESERVE A RATING THAT LOW.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/28/24

Full Review

Justin T

This is a very well made Godzilla film. It’s far from the best and it lacks charm but I enjoyed the spectacle. The human story is pretty forgettable, Matthew Broderick actually is a horrible miscast in my opinion and sinks this film a bit rather than carry it. The effects are mostly good, especially for the time. The sets are really awesome in places. The production quality all round is very high. This also has the best sense of scale for a Godzilla so far, he actually looks huge. Shame they changed the design of Godzilla so much and it’s just ugly now. I didn’t like the whole plot of baby Godzilla, it felt like a bad Jurassic Park movie. At least the city smashing and finale was very exciting making up for the many shortfalls.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/30/24

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: Official Clip - Helicopter Chase

2:31

Godzilla: Official Clip - Fire at Will!

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Godzilla: Official Clip - Godzilla Babies

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Godzilla: Official Clip - Godzilla vs. Submarines

2:53

Godzilla: Official Clip - Almost Squashed

1:53

Godzilla: Official Clip - Godzilla Goes Down

2:28

Godzilla: Official Clip - Godzilla Rises

2:46

Godzilla: Official Clip - We're in His Mouth!

2:32

Godzilla: Official Clip - Blowing Up Madison Square Garden

2:43

Godzilla: Official Clip - Negative Impact

2:42

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Godzilla: Trailer 1

1:45

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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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