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Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, Kevin Dunn ... see more see more... , Michael Lerner , Harry Shearer , Arabella Field , Vicki Lewis , Doug Savant , Malcom Danare , Lorry Goldman , William O'Leary

Dedicated to Tomoyuki Tanaka (1910-1997), who produced the 1954 original and sequels, the Devlin/Emmerich interpretation displays a redesign of Godzilla, now a large lizard mutated after fallout from ... read more read more...French nuclear tests. A blinding flash of white light fills the Eastern sky. Thousands of miles away, the Pacific Ocean churns, engulfing a freighter. On another part of the globe, giant footsteps plow a path through miles of Panamanian forests, Tahitian villages, and Jamaican beaches. In the Ukraine, biologist Dr. Niko Tatopoulos (Matthew Broderick), with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is examining the impact of radiation on Chernobyl earthworms. Colonel Hicks (Kevin Dunn) and a military team escort Niko to check out giant claw marks on the beached freighter; they're joined by paleontologists Elsie Chapman (Vicki Lewis) and Mendel Craven (Malcolm Danare). Blood and giant-size footprints indicate "some sort of enormous reptile." French secret agent Philippe Roache talks to the freighter's only survivor, who keeps repeating, "Gojira...Gojira." Tatopoulos et al arrive in Manhattan's Fulton Fish Market where Godzilla surfaces, moving on to the NYC financial district where Mayor Ebert (Michael Lerner) is speaking. Ambitious Audrey Timmonds (Maria Pitillo), who works for TV news anchor Charles Caiman (Harry Shearer), is Niko's former girlfriend, and she uses this to her professional advantage. As the wave of destruction continues, Niko and Roache track the creature through the evacuated city and discover Godzilla's eggs about to hatch in Madison Square Garden. They are followed by Audrey and TV cameraman Victor "Animal" Palotti (Hank Azaria), and soon the hatching Godzilla offspring prowl the Garden corridors, leading to a final showdown. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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38% liked it

277,316 ratings

Critics

26% liked it

62 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Roland Emmerich

Release Date: May 20, 1998

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DVD Release Date: December 26, 2000

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Stats: 11,276 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (11,276)

  • FiLmCrAzY
    March 29, 2012
    FiLmCrAzY
    Godzilla is an average horror, action movie and although i found it very entertaining just as a light hearted not to serious movie, it is just an average movie and nothing special about it.
    It is action packed and enjoyable movie to watch on a rainiy day but thats about it!
  • phubbs1
    February 29, 2012
    phubbs1
    Hmmm very dodgy US update of the classic Tokyo destroying lizard. Its a rip of so many ideas, and the little baby zillas make it even worse, almost 'Jurassic Park-ish' crossed with 'Aliens'. The look is good, the effects being quite decent for the time, its all cgi of course but ... read morebecause its dark allot it does look quite atmospheric.

    The best part of the film easily is the choppers attacking zilla and being chomped down one at a time. The cast is pretty lame though, Broderick isn't fit to be in anything frankly and Azaria should stick to TV comedies, Reno is the best actor on show here. Basically the film looks good and thats it, the rest is a bit embarassing really.

    Love how the old Japanese man on the dock at the start see's something happening in the sea before him and cries 'Godzilla!' even before he's seen anything haha why would it have a name in the first place? insane! lol!
  • ajv2688
    November 21, 2011
    ajv2688
    A very American, and modernized retelling/remake of Godzilla. Although it's yet another film in the Godzilla series, which has way too many versions as it is, the cast makes it worth watching, they're really good. I really liked this movie.
  • aquateen2
    November 16, 2011
    aquateen2
    The only film Roland Emerrich had directed that I enjoyed up until now was The Day after Tommorow. Which wasn't that great anyway. Godzilla is far from perfect but better than DAT. The typical aggresiveness of CGI in most of his movies like Independence Day and 10000 BC are so mi... read morend blowing that it causes the films to fall to ruins. The films didn't have to be that aggressive because of their plotline's that could have turned them into modern epic's. With his remake of Godzilla, like the original japanese film, the effects and characters are necessary to the storyline. You do however have to be in a dumb mood to enjoy it. I was.
  • fb100002384654145
    November 16, 2011
    fb100002384654145
    When I was a kid, I loved the Godzilla movies. There is something about watching model cities getting destroyed that is so awesome. I also loved watching Godzilla movies for the cool looking monsters and the classic monster rumbles. So when I heard that an American adaptation ... read morewas being made, I was really excited. It would have been cool to see Godzilla properly updated and introduced to American audiences. Unfortunately, what we got was a film that owed more to "Jurassic Park" or "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" than "Godzilla". Not only is the monster a crappy looking CGI oven-roasted T-rex , it does not even posses Godzilla's basic traits. The monster doesn't have radioactive breath or indestructible. The monster gets killed by the military, something that never happens to Godzilla. Most of the time the monster is getting chased by the military which is an insult to Godzilla's character. Another flaw with the film is it spends way too much time with the human characters, who are cliche and shallow. This movie is just a boring and cliche disaster/monster movie that was given the name Godzilla for market value. How can anybody mess up Godzilla?
  • DreamExtractor
    August 14, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    I hated this monster movie. First of all the effects were not good, it sucked. Godzilla looked like a T Rex, not a dragon. So many cliche and stupid moments in the plot that it sucked too much. This movie had many flaws, and they all keep it from being good, overall the movie... read more sucked beyond all belief.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    August 6, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Godzilla is the type of film that you watch when you're 12 and you think it's the best film ever. But once you hit your mid twenties, you realize that whatever you thought was great in films when you were 12, is actually crap. I have never seen an original Godzilla film; but I ha... read moreve to say that this film is a disgrace to the original Japanese films. I have seen snippets of the original films, but nothing more. Roland Emmerich crafts a film that is based more on the special effects than on plot or character development. Not to mention that this Godzilla is much smaller than the original. Looking back now that I'm in my twenties, I have to say that this film sucks. I think this is Emmerich's worst film along with 10,000 B.C. The film lacks anything to make it appealing. Luckily I grew wiser and discovered what truly makes a good film. Godzilla is not one of those films. A pointless action film with terrible acting, Roland Emmerich's film is simply a big disappointment, and is a film that has definitely not stood out the test of time. One of the worst remakes too. The film relies more on its special effects than on story. The end result is a film that's struggling to be entertaining without offering anything really that interesting on screen. A stupid and awful remake.
  • ythelastman89
    July 24, 2011
    ythelastman89
    Call me crazy, but I actually like this. Granted, i've always been a Godzilla fan and seeing this at age nine was like heaven on earth. When I look back on this I can say that it was well made, has some great special effects and the characters are fun. Now it's not a wonderfully ... read moreconstructed story and it basically revolves around showcasing Godzilla destruction, but honestly I don't really care. The movie works for what it is: a big budget monster movie. While it basically changes everything about Godzilla's origins and everything about the character basically, we do get to see him destroying Manhattan and that's good enough for me. For what it's worth, Matthew Broderick does a good job here and so does the always awesome Jean Reno. Roland Emmerich succeeded in making an incredibly larger than life disaster movie that at times appears extremely surreal, other times goofy, but always entertaining.
  • CloudStrife84
    July 6, 2011
    CloudStrife84
    Yes, it's a B-movie. And yes, the writing could be better. But like most other Roland Emmerich flicks, it's got enough entertainment value to go around. I can't quite explain it, but I've always had a thing for stories that features giant monsters on a path of mayhem and destruct... read moreion. Leastways as long as the special effects are good, which is definitely the case here. I can understand why some may dislike this film, or even hate it, but in my eyes, this is an enjoyable guilty pleasure. Kind of comical though that they hired Matthew Broderick to play the main role. Not that he's a bad actor, but he just looks a bit misplaced here - like a pacifist at an NRA meeting or a teletubby at a rock concert. Well, you get the point.
  • fb100002359227440
    June 14, 2011
    fb100002359227440
    Roland Emmerich's Godzilla, promise a great entertaining time that brings amazing special effects, thing that changes when we see the disappointing script and weak direction. Cliche, Godzilla, show be a bad disaster film trying looks Jurassic Park. Rotten.

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Critic Reviews

James Plath
February 11, 2012
James Plath, Movie Metropolis

Broderick is like the proverbial deer in headlights . . . . Full Review

Nell Minow
December 24, 2010
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media

Updated classic is Jurassic Park with one monster. Full Review

Rob Gonsalves
February 14, 2008
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

A great lumbering beast that has no personality, has size but no power. Full Review

Philip Martin
January 17, 2005
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

This is the view from the end of the world -- we look on the smoking ruin of Manhattan and shrug and eat our popcorn. Full Review

Jeffrey Overstreet
December 6, 2004
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer

Godzilla ... is so poorly written and so un-original that it makes Independence Day sound like Shakespeare.

Martin Scribbs
July 19, 2004
Martin Scribbs, Low IQ Canadian

Where's stock footage of Raymond Burr when you need it?

Judith Egerton
July 1, 2004
Judith Egerton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

If only one could fast-forward past the idiot characters to the parts where the creature nests in Madison Square Garden, crushes Fifth Avenue and chomps a taxicab. Full Review

David Nusair
August 1, 2003
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...Godzilla literally runs away from battle, and is presented in such a way that the audience is actually supposed to feel sorry for him! I don't think so.

Phil Villarreal
July 9, 2003
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star

Unspeakably boring and despicable. How anyone could possibly like such a piece of wretched excrement is beyond my comprehension.

John R. McEwen
February 8, 2003
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online

If you like your movies big, loud, and shallow, you'll be like a pig in slop. Full Review

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    • Sergeant O'Neal: Alright, Nick, listen to me, you guys have got to lure him out into the open so we can get a clear shot at him, over.
    • Victor (Animal) Palotti: Ah, no problem there! Do you want us to wash him up for ya' too?
    • Audrey Timmonds: Aren't there rats down here?
    • Victor (Animal) Palotti: I'm more worried about big, ugly lizards.
    • Dr. Niko Tatopoulos: That's a lot of fish.
    • Dr. Niko Tatopoulos: [repeated line] It's Tatopoulos.
    • Victor (Animal) Palotti: Where did you find this guy?
    • Dr. Niko Tatopoulos: He's from France!
    • Dr. Niko Tatopoulos: That's a lot of fish.
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