Godzilla
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Written by Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich, and 2 other guys who’s names escape me
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Hank Azaria, Maria Pittilo, and Godzilla
First of all, let me just say that I saw this after the backlash started about how much it sucks and that it has no plot. This “negative hype” made me want to see if it was really that bad. I had been waiting for this movie ever since I first heard that an American studio picked up the rights. I wet myself when I saw that first trailer in front of Men in Black. And, when I heard that the people who made Independence Day were making it, that just made me want to see it that much more. I loved ID4. So, needless to say, I was really looking forward to this movie.
It delivered. This is just the kind of movie I was expecting. This is the general plot: a giant, fire-breathing lizard created by French nuclear tests is sighted in the South Pacific. This thing, dubbed “Godzilla” by the American press, begins nesting in New York City. It’s about to give birth to a bunch of babies that threaten to overtake the planet. Our crack team of people to stop this thing consists of: Nick (Broderick), a biologist who specializes in radioactive mutations, Philippe(Reno), a French secret agent sent to stop the thing, and two intrepid reporters, Audrey and Animal (Pitillo and Azaria), covering the story. But, the real star is Godzilla.
He trashes New York like nobody’s business. The scene where Apache helicopters are chasing him through the streets of New York is a visual effects masterpiece. And, when the babies hatch and start chasing our heros through Madison Square Garden; it’s just beautiful. There are homages to Jurassic Park of course, the babies are very raptor-ish, but this film rocks. This is just what to expect from summer entertainment. Good, mindless fun that gets you out of the sun. Despite what the press says, I loved it.