Godzilla (1998) [DVD]

All my Godzilla issues aside, this really isn't that bad of a movie. This was intended to be a "popcorn" movie, a summer action blockbuster that sought merely to entertain - and I did find it entertaining. Heck, I even liked the French guy, and that almost never happens. Of course, it was the French who got New York into this mess with their atomic tests, but here they actually recognize that a problem exists and do something to rectify the situation - that, even more than the CGI Godzilla's wake of destruction - is how you know this is pure fiction. Matthew Broderick carries the film pretty well as "the worm guy," and that Maria Pitillo is just cute as a button. Harry Shearer's rather needless role as the smarmy local news anchor is interesting only because of the Simpsons connection (apparently, his real voice is that of Principal Skinner). Hank Azaria, who can be annoying at times, adds some great comedy to the film, which prevents him from being completely overshadowed by the mysterious French agent Philippe (Jean Reno).

There's plenty of action - there's no denying that fact. What Godzilla doesn't tear up himself, the military destroys in the process of trying to kill the world's biggest illegal alien. Bombs, explosions, tanks, rifles, missiles by land, sea, and air - they're all here in droves. Then, of course you have the whole siege of Madison Square Garden by untold numbers of baby monsters. And then, just when you think the credits are about to roll, the biggest chase scene of the whole movie takes place. None of it is remotely plausible, but it's not supposed to be. For some, such as me, the film is ultimately rather sad. Here's this monster created by radiation, and all he wants is to raise a family - and then he has to watch his whole world fall apart and ultimately fail.

There is a bit of the oddball in this film. I am still trying to figure what the heck the deal was with the Siskert and Ebert parody (Mayor Ebert and his assistant Gene). Where in the world did this come from? Did someone actually think this would be funny? It's really just extremely silly, and it does the film no good whatsoever. You can also add some really stupid lines of dialogue to the movie's faults -New Yorkers arguing over driving directions while the monster is breathing down their tail, the "That's a lot of fish" throwaway line, etc. The movie is also pretty long - many will find it too long, but I rarely mind getting extra minutes for my money. Ultimately, though, this film relies far too much on special effects; give me the guy in the big rubber suit any old day. Notwithstanding this, however, the film does what it sets out to do, and it succeeds rather well at meeting its less than lofty goals; first and foremost, this is, after all, nothing more than a "popcorn" movie.