| Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
is the quintessential epitome of the latter Heisei
entries. While the “golden age” of
Heisei (The
Return of Godzilla [1984], Godzilla
vs. Biollante [1989], and Godzilla
vs. King Ghidorah [1991]) may have passed,
this movie truly revitalizes the awe-inspiring
spirit of Godzilla's renaissance era. With
an elegant style, a powerful plot, brilliant effects,
and believable acting, this entry is definitely
a notch above favorites from all three timelines,
and its impact on the series is challenged by
only a handful of competitors. Godzilla vs.
Destoroyah is without a doubt a paradigm
all its own.
The year is 1996. Birth Island,
the home of Godzilla and Little Godzilla, is a
smoldering graveyard beneath the waves. All of
the cogs are finally in place for the most momentous
event in Godzilla's history; but it all
starts serenely at an airport in Hong Kong. Flights
come and go as an eerie calm permeates the air
under the amber sky. The inky darkness of night
befalls the metropolis as two pilots soar above
the deceptively calm sea. The waves break and
the head of Godzilla appears before them. Godzilla
glows a fiery red as it stampedes through the
urban sprawl.
The perplexing mystery of Godzilla's
glow prompts the G-Summit to convene. It is learned
from one Professor Marvin that Godzilla's
heart is a natural nuclear reactor and that something
has disturbed it. The professor admits that the
findings are not his own, but are instead those
of a Japanese college student, Kenichi Yamane…
the grandson of Dr. Kyohei Yamane. Professor Fukazawa
arrives at Kenichi's dormitory to question
him. The student accompanies Professor Fukuzawa
on his return to G-Force, where Kenichi reveals
an awful theory: Godzilla may be on the verge
of a nuclear explosion, the likes of which would
equal the total power of the world's atomic
arsenal.
Elsewhere, the television reporter
Yukari Yamane (Kenichi's sister) questions
Dr. Kensaku Ijuin about his new discovery: micro-oxygen.
Arrogantly, Kensaku dispenses any and all claims
that micro-oxygen could be dangerous. The elderly
Emiko Yamane, the daughter of Dr. Kyohei Yamane,
warns Yukari that the micro-oxygen process and
the oxygen destroyer process may be one in the
same. Fears continue to mount as an accident occurs
within close proximity to where the first Godzilla
was laid to rest over forty years earlier. A mysterious
form of life is detected in the marine soil, and
that life is discovered to have a very potent
quality. The microscopic creatures spread into
a nearby aquarium, and the fish become the victims
of a morbidly horrific death. They are completely
stripped of their flesh! Kenichi, through the
assistance of his sister Yukari, pleads with Kensaku
to expand his research into forming a new oxygen
destroyer to defeat Godzilla, but their conversation
is interrupted by the news of the terrible fish
kill.
Time passes and Tokyo is forced
to deal with the awful threat in an entirely new
form. The once microscopic beings now tower above
humans, and the deadly arthropods journey into
the Premium Building in Tokyo. Special forces
are released in order to eliminate the stealthy
threat, but weaponry is of little assistance as
the creatures spray micro-oxygen in order to brutally
liquefy and subdue their attackers. Containment
of the monsters fails, and the sinister creatures
crawl out of the building, much to the horror
of the film crews and military personnel outside.
Yukari barely escapes with her life, as the creatures
are subdued through the burning blaze of lethal
flamethrowers.
As the gruesome scene fades into
memory, Godzilla enters the Bungo Channel. The
burning desire for nuclear nourishment climbs
as Godzilla closes the gap between he and a nuclear
power plant. Major Sho Kuroki is ordered to intercept
Godzilla with the Super-X 3. The technologically
advanced craft overwhelms the monster with freezer
missiles, cadmium missiles, and a super cold laser.
Godzilla is frozen and neutralized for six hours.
A quaking force suddenly interrupts
a calm day at the beach. Godzilla Junior, now
grown due to the radiation on Birth Island, rises
from the tide. Miki Saegusa arrives on the scene,
relieved that the creature is still alive. Junior
moves north, and Godzilla follows far behind.
Meanwhile, Kenichi theorizes something
devastating. If Godzilla's internal temperature
reaches 1,200º Celsius, then he will experience
a meltdown, effectively boring a hole toward the
core of the Earth. As Destoroyah continues to
change and develop into a living oxygen destroyer,
Kenichi concocts a mad plan of action: lead Junior
to Tokyo in order to lure Godzilla to his death
at the hands of Destoroyah. The creation of a
new oxygen destroyer isn't necessary if
the living oxygen destroyer can kill Godzilla.
Fellow psychic Meru Ozawa convinces Miki Saegusa
that they must use their extrasensory perception
to shift Junior's course toward Tokyo. Miki
is hesitant, but ultimately agrees.
Junior is led into Tokyo. He comes
face to face with Destoroyah, and they become
locked in battle. Junior shoots his thermonuclear
breath at Destoroyah and rips off one of his limbs.
Destoroyah proceeds to inject Junior with micro-oxygen
in a brutal and utterly repulsive scene. Junior
finally regains his strength and fires his breath
at Destoroyah, causing the creature to fall into
a nearby building.
Day turns to night as Junior and
Godzilla meet in Tokyo, exchanging respectful
roars. Their meeting is cut drastically short
as Destoroyah transforms into its final stage.
Rising from the burning building, Destoroyah subdues
Godzilla and airlifts Junior into the sky. The
cruel and heartless monster releases Junior, who
crashes to the ground. Miki and Meru's helicopter
lands, and they run to check on Junior's
condition. Junior and the helicopter are blasted
with Destoroyah's micro-oxygen mist. Miki
and Meru, barely escaping the destruction, make
their way to the dying monster. Junior's
strength fails and it closes its eyes. Miki falls
to the ground, crying over the loss of Junior
as Godzilla also cries in sadness.
Godzilla, with nothing left to
live for, charges at Destoroyah. The demonic Destoroyah
drags Godzilla with its tail and slices Godzilla
with its horn beam as the Super-X 3 arrives. Godzilla's
spiral breath ruptures Destoroyah and causes the
malicious monster to regurgitate yellow fluids.
It reproduces into several juvenile Destoroyahs,
but the creatures are quickly tossed aside by
the infuriated Godzilla.
Godzilla somberly trudges his way
over toward his broken son. Yukari and Kensaku
airlift Miki and Meru away from the scene of Junior's
fall. Godzilla arrives and attempts to revive
his son, to no avail. Junior's eyes close,
and he dies. Destoroyah, once again in his final
form, interrupts the farewell and clashes with
Godzilla. The two monsters fight savagely, but
Destoroyah is ultimately killed by an array of
freezing weapons.
Robbed of his revenge, having lost
his son, and burning close to 1,200 degrees, Godzilla
quickly begins melt. The Super-X 3 and several
nearby freezing weapons try to minimize the damage
from the meltdown. Slowly, Godzilla's flesh
melts away and a skeleton becomes visible. Godzilla's
body collapses in on itself, and it dies. The
mood is very somber as the world anticipates a
terrible apocalyptic disaster… but suddenly,
the radiation levels decrease. Among the smoke
of the urban rubble, a fully-grown Junior is visible.
Godzilla's son lives on…
The acting is quite refreshing
in this movie, as is the character development.
There are no lapses in performance from any of
the main characters. That's a lot to say,
especially considering the era in which this film
was created. Megumi
Odaka by far delivers the best performance.
Her character's hesitation at the dilemma
of whether or not to use Junior as bait to lure
Godzilla to his death is well-executed, and reminds
one much of her character's similar moral
dilemma in Godzilla
vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993). Her grief
at the death of Junior is also a very genuine
performance, and coupled with Akira
Ifukube's music, the scene is truly
accentuated to a level of pure sadness. Yasufumi
Hayashi handles his character nicely, as well.
While his character has few moral dilemmas or
difficult decisions, it should be noted that he
is easily the least annoying young male lead in
a Godzilla film. He portrays his character as
bold and exuberant, while still maintaining a
down-to-Earth persona. Sayaka Osawa plays a psychic
in this movie. Her character's bold nature
is similar to Yasufumi Hayashi's character,
yet her general demeanor is more similar to Megumi
Odaka's character. Yoko Ishino and Takuro
Tatsumi are among the top billed characters in
the movie, but their characters are given extremely
little development. With what they're given
they do fine, but the audience only learns a little
about each. Ultimately, the two characters become
plot devices, only meant to explain a new occurrence
or help the other characters. Momoko Kochi reprises
her role as Emiko Yamane after over forty years.
She is given merely cameo appearances, but her
dramatic style greatly lends to the intensity
of this film. Masahiro Takashima reprises his
brother's role as Major Sho Kuroki in this
film. He does rather well with the character that
his brother portrayed in Godzilla
vs. Biollante (1989), but he is given
relatively minimal screen time in comparison.
Akira
Nakao reprises his role as the gruff and somewhat
aggressive Commander Takaki Aso. Like the former
two Godzilla movies, his role is used infrequently.
It is obvious that his inclusion is simply meant
as a method by which to symbolize the militaristic
aspect of the counteroffensive in just one man.
Saburo Shinoda's character: Professor Fukazawa,
is given little development, but Shinoda handles
what little he is given with success. Ronald Hoerr's
brief appearance as Professor Marvin seems to
be just a reminder of the international elements
of the film. Luckily, his dialogue is a little
more natural than what fans have come to expect
from American actors in Godzilla movies. The final
actor worth mentioning is Koichi Ueda, who plays
the night watchman at the aquarium. His role is
a rather pleasant addition to a movie of this
intensity, as his reaction to the fish kill is
an enjoyable, yet twisted comic relief.
Character development does not
stop at the actors in this movie; it expands into
the realm of the kaiju in a way that it hasn't
since the Showa Era. The antagonist in this film
is perhaps the most heartless and cruel of any
kaiju to ever exist, Destoroyah. Physically, the
props and suit look amazing, and are really an
excellent choice for Godzilla's final Heisei
foe. The reddish hues, the jagged features, and
the demonic appearance of the many forms of Destoroyah
are handled nicely. In fact, its wild and deadly
features, coupled with its personality and several
stages, can easily be seen as a loose remake of
Hedorah. Destoroyah's many forms are portrayed
as vicious, but it is the final form that is shown
to be truly cold. The portrayal of its ruthless
murder of Junior is a form of cruelty truly unseen
since the vicious tooth-and-claw battles of the
latter Showa entries, and it is this one act that
best sums up the character Destoroyah as a whole.
The protagonist, Godzilla, is handled powerfully
as well. Its anger is intense, and its ferocity
is great. Physically, the suit is fantastic. The
glowing nuclear rash, the fiery spines, and the
red eyes all contrasting the dark gray flesh truly
creates a most nightmarish incarnation of Godzilla.
Underneath this exterior, the character of Godzilla
is given a far greater range of emotions than
previously seen in any Heisei movie to date. Godzilla's
respectful and close relationship with Junior
shows purpose and kindness. Godzilla's depression
following Junior's death shows his extreme
grief at the loss of his only friend, and after
Destoroyah's death, it shows an added sense
of hopelessness at an inability to exact his revenge.
This is one of the first movies, since the Showa
timeline, to really portray Godzilla as something
much more than just an animal. Junior is the final
kaiju in this movie. The creature, like Godzilla,
shows kindness and respect toward his kin. Unlike
Godzilla, there is somewhat of a precedent behind
his personality. Physically, Junior looks positively
fantastic. If Junior's suit were ever used
as a Godzilla suit, it would be among the best.
The neck movements are organic, the hunch is reptilian,
the color is superb, and the spines are a perfect
size for the overall look. Behind the wonderful
suit is Junior's character, whose nobility
is surpassed by few kaiju. He fights Destoroyah
valiantly and is murdered ruthlessly and unfairly.
Though his fear is ever-present, he fights with
intensity. Despite it all, he holds on long enough
to bid a silent farewell to his father. Then,
in the end, he remains alone, revived by his father's
dying radiation and succeeding his father as the
King of the Monsters. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
is truly one of the most intriguing, interesting,
and beautiful monster dramas to ever unfold on
the big screen.
The special effects in this movie
are fantastic. There is no doubt that there are
few movies prior to Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
that match the effects of this film. Still, there
are a few lapses to get out of the way first.
Destoroyah's earlier forms are plagued by
the “hovering crawl”, a Showa-old
effects flaw where a monster prop appears to hover
as its legs move. Another embarrassing special
effect is the exhaust from the Super-X 3, which
at times looks very dated, much like the misty
rocket exhaust from the Showa era. The poor special
effects are few and far between, though they should
be mentioned. For the most part, this movie has
brilliant effects. First and foremost, the matting,
backdrops, and overall use of composite shots
are executed brilliantly. Miki standing in front
of a dying Junior can be considered a special
effects risk. Normally, ballooning a shot of a
suit behind an actor can create a terrible blurring
effect. The blur is quite minimal, and the scene
is effectively executed in this film. Godzilla's
attack on Hong Kong is even more convincing, as
is Junior's appearance at the beach. Luckily,
the need for this form of special effect is minimal
when one notes the magnificent miniatures. They
are quite realistic and provide an excellent urban
arena for the battling monsters. Speaking of tangible
special effects, the scene where the special forces
attack the many Destoroyahs with flamethrowers
is pretty superb. Using larger props, real flamethrowers,
and a more eyelevel-fighting environment, the
makers of this film really know how to add diversity
to the action scenes. While the scene may last
a little long, it is still a wise addition to
the movie. Speaking of the flamethrowers, the
pyrotechnics are handled nicely in this film.
From the explosions, to the burning Destoroyah
props, the effects in this category work cooperatively
with several other types of effects to create
a very powerful and diverse environment. The pyrotechnics
may excel, but the rotoscoping effects are handled
even more beautifully. Godzilla's spiral
breath and Junior's traditional blue breath
provide a great contrast and appear full and realistic.
Destoroyah's micro-oxygen beam is an animated
white mist that looks eerily familiar to the rotoscoping
effects used in Godzilla
(1954). Destoroyah's horn beam gives a fantastic
three-dimensional effect when it is used to present
the illusion of slicing through Godzilla's
shoulder. Finally, the Super-X 3's super
cold laser also presents a superb rotoscoping
effect. The CG in this film is used very effectively,
if relatively minimally. The simulation of Godzilla's
explosion and resulting mushroom cloud is not
only a brilliant addition to the movie plot wise,
but it excels in the graphics department too.
The most amazing special effects display is, of
course, Godzilla's meltdown. From the use
of the simpler elements such as glitter and smoke
to the actual melting effects and energy rotoscoping,
Godzilla's meltdown is the ultimate special
effects triumph in this particular film. Giving
the illusion of a giant monster, whose flesh melts
away to bone as it collapses, is an enormous challenge,
but the outcome is truly an enormous accomplishment.
The music in this film is without
a doubt among the most powerful and interesting
in the entire Godzilla series. Godzilla's
opening theme is a revamped version of one of
his long-unused 1954 themes, and it greatly helps
to draw a firm connection to the first movie.
This particular theme is very heavy and very powerful,
and it is an amazing and apropos theme for this
movie's Godzilla. Several of Akira
Ifukube's usual Godzilla themes make
an appearance in this movie, as well. Junior's
theme (which is relatively young in the scope
of Godzilla movies) makes a triumphant return,
and its tragic and melancholy sound gives it an
ironic amount of gravity and flexibility. Oddly,
it is used just as successfully to show that Junior
survived the Birth Island destruction, as it is
to show Junior's death. The Super-X 3 has
a very interesting theme, as well. It is yet another
urgent military theme, complimenting the technologically
advanced craft nicely. It is a somewhat common
formula to have a higher pitched and faster paced
theme to accompany the military, and it has been
a working standard since the Showa timeline. Luckily,
that working standard still works. Destoroyah's
theme may be repetitive, but its villainous tone
aids in increasing the monster's most heinous
and maniacal nature. There is another brilliant
theme in this movie too, and it is perhaps the
most enigmatic. This theme makes its way into
the credits montage. It is a revamped version
of King Kong's 1962 island theme, and its
inclusion is very perplexing. One can theorize
that its usage may have something to do with the
failed attempts at a Heisei remake of King
Kong vs. Godzilla. Perhaps that is reading
a little too far into it, but one must admit that
its addition to the soundtrack is thought provoking.
The final theme worth mentioning is perhaps one
of Akira
Ifukube's most brilliant themes of all
time, and this might very well be an understatement!
The theme starts out as a chorus, and eases its
way into a very chilling and very haunting theme
that accurately and most beautifully provides
closure to the tragic monster known as Godzilla.
This theme accompanies Godzilla's meltdown,
and no theme could so perfectly reflect the mood
as this one does. Truly, there is no mistaking
that Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is virtually
unmatched in musical sophistication.
One last aspect worth mentioning
about this film is the stock footage. Stock footage,
when used properly, can accentuate a Godzilla
movie by building bridges to the past. The use
of footage from Godzilla
(1954) during the earlier parts of the movie aids
to build further interest in the plot and the
Heisei timeline as a whole. This is not the only
location where stock footage can be found. A montage,
added to the end of the movie, shows scenes from
[I]all[/I] of the Heisei entries, solidifying
the tight continuity that fans adore about this
timeline. It not only provides a visible eulogy
for Godzilla, but it also expertly lightens the
mood and sums up Godzilla's modern career.
Though this movie could survive fine without it,
the use of stock footage really kicks it up a
notch!
There is no
doubt that Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is
among the best and most beloved Godzilla films.
The music, the special effects, the acting, and
the plot are well above average, and the film's
cinematic impact is challenged by only a few kaiju
movies. It captures the darkness of the first
movie, while adhering to the Heisei style. Godzilla
vs. Destoroyah also has the perfect way to end
the closely-knit Heisei timeline: with closure.
Unlike Terror
of Mechagodzilla (1975), which ended
the Showa timeline without a real “goodbye”,
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah finally brings Godzilla's
story to a close (at least the Heisei portion
of his story). Had no Godzilla movie been created
after Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, this movie
could have stood as the final Godzilla movie,
with more than a few Godzilla fans satisfied that
the long saga finally had a beginning and an end.
Of course, where would the fun be in just stopping?
Above all, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is
a milestone, both cinematically and chronologically
in the scope of the importance of Godzilla films.
With so much said, and so many splendid compliments
tossed, there is only one viable way to sum it
all up: Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is really,
really cool.
|
(4/5)
