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Akira Takarada, Rei Kikukawa, Don Frye, Masahiro Matsuoka

Giant monsters are rampaging in cities across the globe, and as the Earth Defense Force struggles to find a way to defeat the malicious mutants, their only hope lies frozen in the Antarctic in Versus ... read more read more...director Ryuhei Kitamura futuristic entry into the long-running kaiju series. In the near future, Earth is being decimated by monsters that have been mysteriously unleashed in every major city from New York to Sydney, and as the world population falls into a paralyzing state of panic, the Earth Defense Force must stage a daring initiative to save the human race. After a giant unidentified flying object suddenly appears and vaporizes the beasts in a matter of seconds, the relieved citizens of Earth are comforted to hear that the newly arrived alien race is seeking to make a peace treaty with humankind. All is not as it seems, however, and as the nefarious aliens reveal their true nature, it's up to Godzilla to take back the planet -- or die trying. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

68% liked it

9,382 ratings

Critics

44% liked it

9 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 5 min.

Directed by: Ryuhei Kitamura

Release Date: November 29, 2004

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DVD Release Date: December 13, 2005

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Stats: 842 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (842)

  • phubbs1
    March 11, 2012
    phubbs1
    I admit I haven't seen any of the old Godzilla films from Japan and never really been into them but the poster for this film just intrigued me, it looked like a computer game cover which I wanted to play.

    Dunno how they do it but somehow Japanese films always seem to look glorio... read moreusly slick n glossy and at the same time completely insane and over the top whilst also managing to be really good. This is no exception with a mix of the traditional hammy looking 'men in suits' approach which all Zilla fans will know and love, combined with some bluescreen work, cgi and model work.

    It sounds like a real cocktail and it is with some truly silly camera angles and in your face effects and stunts which wouldn't look outta place in tacky W.S. Anderson film being accomplished by Milla Jovovich but somehow the Japanese make it all look terrific, colourful, stylish and original, just like their computer games.

    All the monsters are included in this Zilla epic, a real monster mash just like the old Universal horrors, plus there are cast members from various older Zilla pics also (apparently) which is great for fans. The film is a blend of many genres and ideas you could pick from lots of films, its such an outrageous ambitious looking project but clearly made with care for the franchise.

    The film is a fans wet dream and for newbies like me its a great sci-fi monster rumble with plenty of great visuals and neat ideas. The characters are all a bit cliched but you kinda know that going in, still they all look good, kudos to Don Frye who looks great in his 'M. Bison' looking outfit, sounds daft I know but he really looks cool.
    Despite not being a graphic novel or comicbook adaptation this film really does feel and look like one, I really can't give enough praise for the tasty visuals, its so pleasing to eye especially with the mix of effects on offer. Completely enjoyable for all we no knowledge of previous films required :)
  • fb100002384654145
    December 15, 2011
    fb100002384654145
    Godzilla's 50th anniversary and it is a birthday blowout. The plot is pretty much a remake of "Destroy All Monsters", in which many monsters make an appearance. Not all of Toho's monsters appear, but it is a ton of them. Gigan makes an appearance, his first appearance since th... read moree Showa series. Even obscure monsters like Ebirah and King Cesar are in this movie. The film is literally non-stop action from beginning to end. Not only do the monsters fight, but the human scenes are laden with gravity-defining kung-fu fighting. It is a nice trade-in because the usual formula is monsters fighting and people talking. Here it is all fighting. The action sequences are kinetic and also varied, so it never becomes repetitive. The sci-fi look of the film makes me feel like I'm watching a live-action anime at times. Don Frye gives the film a memorable human character because he is tough and holds his own in fight scenes. If Michael Bay were to make a Godzilla flick, this is probably what it would be like. Final Wars is crazy but insanely fun.
  • skeletonking101
    August 9, 2011
    skeletonking101
    Godzilla is by far my favorite movie monster, and to me, this is the best out of all of the films he has been in. For the 50th anniversary, Toho definitely went all out with this movie having nearly every monster Godzilla has fought. Though I did wish that there were a few other ... read moremonsters such as Orga, Biollante, Space Godzilla, or Mecha-Godzilla (which I was shocked he at least wasn't in it.) But I'm happy they included my favorite monster villain Gigan, since he hadn't been in a monster movie in over 40 years prior to this film. And we had probably the best fighting scenes ever in a monster movie, but its not just the monsters fighting, its also humans and aliens fighting as well, and each of the fights are all very well choreographed and done, and thats saying a lot for a movie where dudes dress up in rubber monster outfits that are boiling hot inside and they couldn't see out of them. Also the musical score for this film is fantastic, and it definitely suits the situations around them. Though the cg in this film, though very little, isn't all that impressive, it still does its job at telling a legitimate story, and the spaceships attacking the Otango ship is pretty cool to watch, and reminds me of something out of Star Wars.
  • kiriyamakazou
    July 3, 2011
    kiriyamakazou
    50th anniversary and last film for at least a decade. This movie really does have it all. That is also its biggest flaw, but still. We have mutant humans, aliens are back, and almost every monster that has ever graced the cinematic screen. The world has united to help fight monst... read moreers, which seem to appear all the time. This really goes back to the trashier, but no less fun, entries from the 70's. It was great to see so many monsters, though some of them are dispensed with much too quickly. That was OK in the case of the films major highlight, seeing Godzilla take on Zilla, a monster that looks like the 1998 Hollywood Godzilla. It was a nice little touch for the fans. The film does try too hard to be a bit of everything, such as having a subplot involving a young boy, his grandfather and Minilla, which really goes nowhere. With so many monsters, there is also not much human interaction. This is certainly a great entry in terms of fun.
  • kenstachnik
    April 7, 2008
    kenstachnik
    Man in Suit! MAN IN SUIT!!!!!!!!
  • ceWEBrity
    July 8, 2007
    ceWEBrity
    I went to go see this at Sacramento's Trash Film Orgy and, well, it was trash. This is a huge budget for a Japanese movie (20 million dollars) but pocket change for American studios, and the discrepancy shows. A lot of the special effects are riotously cheap by our standards. Of ... read morecourse, Final Wars has a lot more to worry about than cheap special effects, such as the acting, the nonexistant plot, the derivative visuals (count the sci-fi references!) and the occasional dry spots. Seeing all the monsters is cool, but loses its novelty pretty quickly.

    Still, when you've got a theater full of people yelling jokes and everyone's cheering at the film's little goofs - the audience went wild when one character told another character to "Jerk it harder!" - it becomes impossible not to appreciate its campiness. I suggest you come into it with the same attitude and you'll probably find it a lot more enjoyable.

    Heh. "Come into it."
  • skactopus
    June 1, 2007
    skactopus
    Being a fan of Godzilla and Ryuhei Kitamura there was no way I could hate this. Low and behold this ended up being my all-time favorite Godzilla movie.

    The story is nothing new here. You have the aliens coming down to earth and they control the other monsters, which Godzilla

    ... read moremust destroy. Although the story is nothing new, this is what you expect in a Godzilla movie and that is why it works.

    Once again Godzilla is played by a guy in the suit and that was to pay homage to all the past Godzilla movies. It doesn't look all that bad either. The CG effects are done very well, especially when Godzilla blows fire, and the action comes in bunches. If you've seen other Kitamura movies you will know that he loves to have action and this film is no different. It ranges from hand-to-hand combat, sword and gun play, a motorcycle chase, spaceship fights, and of course plenty of monster fights. There are many of the past Godzilla monsters in this flick and Godzilla takes on all of them throughout. Mothra even helps out for the final fight.

    Any Godzilla and/or Kitamura fan should enjoy this movie. All others can still find this movie enjoyable as well. Just kick back and let Godzilla take over your night.
  • Beefy
    May 13, 2007
    Beefy
    Oh man, it's like a Godzilla movie on crack, or after eating pure sugar for nine hours!
  • DuncanRR
    February 6, 2009
    DuncanRR
    'Kay...so I just recently re-watched this, and I admit that I may have been a teensy bit over-zealous with my original five-star rating and rave review. That was pretty much covering most of the second half of the movie. The first half was a snooze. Godzilla's only there f... read moreor the first scene (in which the army of the future encases him in an iceberg), and the rest of it is needless exposition broken up by one fun montage of monsters destroying the world and one fun, if a bit out of place, chase/fight scene involving two more-or-less "human" characters on motorbikes. And the tone was extremely inconsistent, changing from angsty and brooding to tongue-in-cheek so much that I got kinda nauseated. Having Don Frye badly act in his native language while everyone else around him badly acted in Japanese was also a bit jarring.

    But once the movie goes into it's second act, things kick into high gear. The true villain mastermind is a hoot, Don Frye's bad acting becomes less stilted and more Shatner-esque, and Godzilla is awoken from his hour-long slumber to kick ass and take names! The only bad thing I have to say about the second half is an annoying sub-plot involving Minya (the Big G's son for those of you not in the know), but if you fast-forward through those, you're in for a treat. A very brief treat, but a treat nonetheless.
  • threefolddado
    May 25, 2007
    threefolddado
    The director of Versus makes a Godzilla movie??!!! I'm in!!!

View All Godzilla: Final Wars Reviews

Critic Reviews

Ty Burr
August 5, 2005
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

This 28th entry in Toho Studio's series about the fire-breathing big fella is campily engaging for a while, but at two hours-plus you may come out feeling captivated dead. Full Review

Steve Biodrowski
July 11, 2008
Steve Biodrowski, ESplatter

This 50th anniversary grand finale to the long-running series is a rush of explosive excitement that pays homage to what came before but hypes it up into a kinetic brew that feels fresh and exciting %... Full Review

Mark R. Leeper
January 3, 2006
Mark R. Leeper, rec.arts.movies.reviews

This final film offers a lot of sound and fury and weaves fourteen copyright Toho monsters into one plot, but the film offers nothing that is both new and of interest. The plot is a re-tread of that o...

David Nusair
December 18, 2005
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...it becomes clear almost immediately that Kitamura is absolutely the wrong choice for the material... Full Review

Sean Axmaker
December 14, 2005
Sean Axmaker, St@tic Multimedia

... a blithely campy, altogether good-natured love letter to the classic Godzilla films of the 1960s and 1970s directed by... Japan's adolescent action stylist. Full Review

David Cornelius
December 10, 2005
David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com

Happy birthday, Godzilla! Sorry your movie stinks. Full Review

Jim Agnew
July 12, 2005
Jim Agnew, Film Threat

If this truly is his last outing, at least he's going out with a massive bang. Full Review

Dennis Harvey
December 25, 2008
Dennis Harvey, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

December 6, 2005
Film Threat

Click to read the article Full Review

James Verniere
August 5, 2005
James Verniere, Boston Herald

Click to read the article Full Review

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