Best '90's Film

[JVM]

Before anyone starts getting on to technicalities, yes, G2K and G98 are '90's films, but this in the Heisei section and caters only to the Heisei series. Thank you.

Biollante is practically universally hailed as the best of the Heisei films, but I've been curious... out of the available, nineties-only titles, which share many flaws, which do people like best?

[Destroyer]

I'm going to be honest, I think Godzilla vs. Biollante is overrated. Some great concepts, but it's just dull and un-engaging.

My vote would go to Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, followed closely by Mechagodzilla II. I think the ladder is under-appreciated, but that's just me.

[Tohosaurus]

I would say Destoroyah since it evokes the most emotion and has the greatest sense of dread and despair throughout the movie, but most heavily towards the end. Bringing back the oxygen destroyer and an associated monster was an interesting idea. There are plenty of parts to the movie that fall flat, not the least of which were the uninspiring characters and lousy special effects, but none of these were strong points with the other 90s Heisei movies either. Second for me would be Mechagodzilla due to the battle scenes, but otherwise the film is not as good.

Unfortunately, these 90s Heisei films tried to be less outrageously goofy in some regards than the Showa era films that are most known in the Godzilla franchise. However, the sloppy scripts left gaps and produced thin stories with disappointingly weak characters. Now of course these are giant monster movies where the rest of the movie is just an excuse to get two (or more) of them to duke it out, but still. Had they just gone for something campier and more in the vein of some Showa productions, it would've been more fitting in a a way. For the budgets they had and the dedicated following, they really should've been able to whip up something better than what 1991-1995 actually did. Return of Godzilla and Godzilla vs Biollante, though boring to some, undoubtedly displayed more intelligence in the plot and numerous details/ideas.

[Goji]

I'm going to be honest, I think Godzilla vs. Biollante is overrated. Some great concepts, but it's just dull and un-engaging.

It's actually neither of those.

VS. KING GHIDORAH is my favorite, but I'm not going to argue it's "the best". I don't think any of them are that great, frankly.

[Destroyer]

Besides Biollante, her scenes, and the two battles, I didn't think it was really that engaging. The human story I felt was a bit of a mess.

[Berzerkgodzilla]

Destoroyah is the one I find the best. Spacegodzilla is a guilty pleasure of mine and is my favorite of the heisei, but I can definately see that is in no way shape and form the best of the 5 options

[Goji]

Besides Biollante, her scenes, and the two battles,

Aren't these the same thing?

I didn't think it was really that engaging. The human story I felt was a bit of a mess.

You mean, the story, was a bit of a mess? Sure, but it's still more interesting than anything from the 90's. I don't understand this "human story" shit when talking about Godzilla films. It's all just one story.

DESTOROYAH could have been a classic, but it ended up falling pretty short of all the hype. Nowhere near as disastrous as FINAL WARS though. At least the last half hour of GvsD is good.

[Destroyer]

Aren't these the same thing?

Yeah, I guess they are. I just wanted to say that both the monster solo scenes and the fights were good.

You mean, the story, was a bit of a mess? Sure, but it's still more interesting than anything from the 90's. I don't understand this "human story" shit when talking about Godzilla films. It's all just one story.

The actual story was interesting, but the whole government conspiracy plot point wasn't explored properly.

DESTOROYAH could have been a classic, but it ended up falling pretty short of all the hype. Nowhere near as disastrous as FINAL WARS though. At least the last half hour of GvsD is good.

I thought the build-up to the final half hour was great, there was a lot of emotion. Also the Aggregate Destoroyahs against the force (albeit some funny action figure effect sequences) was pretty intense and re-introduced horror to the franchise.

[Godzilla 2000]

Vs. Biollante was great, everyone shut up.




Anywho, my vote goes to Vs. King Ghidorah. It just feels the most "solid" out of all of them.

[Destroyer]

The dub of that one always cracks me up.

"Make my day!"

[Hellspawn28]

It been while since I seen them and I don't think any of them are very good. I guess GvsKG and GvsD are the best. GVM and GVMG both had their moments, but I'm not sure if I want to watch them again.

[edgaguirus]

I see G vs MG2 and G vs Destroyah as the best. G vs MG2 has a good story, a nice reworking of Rodan, and most of the sfx are good.

G vs Destroyah is a much better "last" film that GFW. The connection is makes with the past is part of its charm, and Godzilla's role shows more emotion that before, especially with the death of Jr. It was a fitting end for the Hesie era.

[Cimmerian Dragon]

I really think that GvsMGII and Destroyah are tied, quality-wise. MGII has better SFX in my opinion, but Destroyah has a more interesting story. In the end, I'm giving the nod to Destoryah, because of the emotional quality.

[g2kmaster]

I chose Gvs.MG‘93.

With the exception of GVS.M '92 and Gvs.SG, the three remaining choices strive for having a dramatic story. In terms of Gvs.KG, the time-spanning story does good, when it comes to aspects like Shindo and aspects like him who are part of "the past". The emotional heart is there, for that Shindo's death scene really is going for that tear jerker quality. But then you have some failures, such as the love triangle and the social-economical side of the story. There is some nice commentary in relation to Japan's Tiger Economy years, but nothing too impacting - particularly with the story. A lacking of the fleshing out of the love triangle is what hurts most, with the government side of things being handled the way it probably should be (professionally).

Gvs.D works the usual "final film" attributes by relating itself to the first film of the continuity. When I was younger, I might have felt something for whenever Ken Yamane would detail an Armageddon scenario followed by a CG-fueled demonstration. I don't now. The film is just a bit of ineffective filmmaking on the human side of things. One of the best things about the film - Momoko Kochi - is underused. As if the filmmakers thought the audience would rather have more of a descendant of Yamane's we just met rather than the genuine article who we knew from the original film. More than that, all of the family relationships in the film really don't matter unless it's a kaiju family relationship. Sure, Ken had to ask Yukari to have the good doctor keep on exploring micro oxygen as to possibly make a weapon against Godzilla. But of course we know Yukari is going to say yes. Ken's family and the good doctor is a love interest. That's just predictable. When it comes to the kaiju relationships, there is some effective drama. Junior dying was a great moment. Godzilla's meltdown was another great moment. Destroyer being a bad guy when he owes Godzilla for his existance is also a nice touch (and makes it even more sad that Junior had to die at Dessy's big obese hands). Kawakita wasn’t much in way of pioneering special effects, but he shows that he does have a flair for emotion and grandiose in his directing when he is at the top of his game.

But now, the one I chose, Gvs.MG‘93, truly is one of the best. A good part of the reason why it works is precisely the kaiju relationships. Godzilla and Rodan fight over baby, and even in light of a common enemy (Mechagodzilla), neither really team up or stop fighting each other until death is a 100% guaranteed occurrence (especially in case of Rodan, who finally had to balls to help Godzilla out in death). Of course, Mechagodzilla is not emotionally involved with the fight, but in return is a device that helps the humans inject themselves into the kaiju drama. The need to get rid of Godzilla, along with the general lack of care for Baby by pretty much everyone except for a couple of key people, all of that plays big parts in how the story could twist ands turn. Where the film fails at is only when it gets down to Kazuma and Azusa and the utter lack of drama between them. If she knew about it, she would have been upset with Kazuma's wanting to get Garuda to be an accessory for MG along with possibly fleshing out Kazuma's moral being. But that is missing from this potential love interest angle.

In the end, all of the films suck as far as the development of possible dramatic elements of the human elements, thus it comes down to the kaiju relationships and how well they are tied into the human relationships. For those reasons, I pick Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla '93.

Extra points to Gvs.MG ‘93 for not only having a great theme for MG, but also bringing back a piano theme from Gvs.KG which sounds completely ruthless when used in a kaiju battle.

[JAGzilla]

Out of the ones I've seen recently, I gotta give it to GvsKG. It's kind of slow and dull at times, but the battles and such make up for it. The godzilla suit is also a factor. And mutant rat origin aside, Ghidorah is my favorite of the Heisei villains. I also find the human side of things more interesting than in the other movies.

That said, I suspect I'd probably like vs. Destoroyah more. I just haven't seen it recently enough to be sure.

[ZillaMaster91]

Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla (1993) and Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) are the two Heisei era films that I consider my favorites. However, I chose GvD over GvMG because I liked how the story flowed better in that film, and how it connects itself with the first film much stronger than any of the Millennium films (with the exception of GxMG). Even though GvMG is one of my all-time favorites - it's the whole misconception of Pteranodons in the film that robbed it of being my number one choice.

[Giga Shark]

Godzilla vs Destoroyah, undoubtedly. Everything I wanted to say about this film has already been said, so... I guess I'll shut up now.

[Tyler]

Destoroyah
Mechagodzilla
King Ghidorah
Mothra
SpaceGodzilla

[DaikaijuSokogeki!]

The dub of that one always cracks me up.

"Make my day!"

*scratches nose* He says that in the Japanese version too. In English. It's pretty awful.

I've always enjoyed Mechagodzilla the best. Out of the '90s films, I've always found it to be the most engaging.

[Destroyer]

Ah, I didn't know that. Still, it probably sounds a lot more serious in the original version.