Godzilla (1998)

I didn’t think Roland Emmerich could screw this up, but he did. With the visual effects available in the late ’90s, this film had real potential. But Emmerich being Emmerich, the result is a loud, shallow mess: no real story, unconvincing and unlikable characters, weak dialogue, and a complete lack of drama or humor. Attempts at both verbal and visual comedy are just grating. What we’re left with is mediocre action, headache-inducing rapid cuts, a few nice visuals, and a blaring, annoying score. Emmerich may be a cinematographer, but he’s no storyteller.

There were two smart directions the film could have taken. It could have been a hard-hitting, modern monster/disaster spectacle that established Godzilla as a true cinematic force, or it could have been a clever homage to the campy charm of the original Japanese films, blending action with self-aware comedy.

Instead, the film lands awkwardly in the middle, trying to be serious but offering little payoff. If this was supposed to be the start of a trilogy, killing off the main creature in the first film was a baffling move. Godzilla should have owned this movie. Instead, his presence is diluted by poor direction and baffling design choices.

The action is forgettable. There’s some suspense, but it’s never earned. Instead of showcasing epic monster-versus-city destruction in wide shots, we get endless close-ups: people firing guns, glimpses of limbs, and jerky cuts that rob the monster of scale. Godzilla’s roar and fire-breathing are nice nods to the original, but they’re barely used. And where are his iconic glowing, radioactive scales?

And the baby Godzillas? Complete Jurassic Park rip-offs in look and behavior, and they steal far too much screen time from the main attraction. The film is supposed to be about Godzilla, not about baby raptors running around Madison Square Garden.

Godzilla’s redesign is another letdown. He’s smaller, hunched over, and looks like a creature with spinal issues. The face is worse than the original’s, with beady eyes, a protruding chin, and nothing memorable or expressive. We rarely see his full body, making it difficult to grasp his physicality or feel any sense of awe. The editing works against the monster’s presence.

Then there’s the writing: terrible. The film leans far too heavily on tired human subplots, trying to force drama and romantic tension where none is needed. In a monster/disaster movie, you don’t need deep characters. You need believable reactions, tension, and spectacle. Unknown actors and minimal human backstory might’ve served this film better.

The morality of the film is also questionable. The human characters joyfully torch hundreds of baby creatures, then celebrate when the adult monster, who didn’t really do anything wrong, is killed. Matthew Broderick’s character briefly shows sympathy, only to abandon it in time to join the crowd’s applause. What kind of message is that?

And then, plot holes and logic issues. If Godzilla isn’t intelligent, how does he consistently dodge missiles and connect the death of his offspring with the humans? If he is intelligent, why doesn’t anyone, especially the scientists, acknowledge it? Why does home video footage shot by a character look like it was framed and edited by the film’s cinematographer? And what’s with the baby dinosaurs being expert runners and hunters minutes after hatching?

Even some of the more grounded ideas are underdeveloped. The brief use of TV footage to “ground” Godzilla in reality was promising, but that thread is dropped quickly.

As for the characters? Jean Reno is good, but not used to his full potential. Broderick does his best, channeling a poor man’s Goldblum, but he’s given nothing to work with. Maria Pitillo is cute, but her character adds nothing. The rest are a bland collection of stereotypes and Jurassic Park knockoffs. The blonde bimbo reporter with zero credibility (a clone of JP’s lawyer), a tough, attractive older woman into young guys (who resembles Laura Dern in look and personality), a quirky sidekick with a cold (a discount Goldblum meets ID4’s gay hairdresser)

Musically, it’s a mess. The score, recycled Independence Day bombast, relies on loud horns, shrieking strings, and military drums. At one point, there’s a Cape Fear knockoff cue. The pop songs shoved into the soundtrack feel like pure marketing, distracting and out of place. The feature song doesn’t even appear until the end credits. Product placement is relentless.

There are also far too many borrowed visuals and tropes… Empire State Building collapse for local color? Check. The Internet “saving the day”? Check. Bullet hole light streams (True Romance, The Professional), bouncing flashlights (E.T.), “we’re gonna need bigger guns” (Jaws), the lunging monster tease for a sequel (Species), and secret tape tropes (Strange Days, Mr. Nice Guy). Emmerich grabs from everywhere, but adds nothing new.

In the end, the film is loud, empty, overly commercial, and painfully generic. It had the tools to be something better, either epic or campy, but it failed to commit to either and ended up with nothing but a disappointing mess.