Godzilla

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1:45

Godzilla

PG-13

1998

2h 18m

Sci-Fi

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

20%

Tomatometer

148 Reviews

28%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

During a nuclear test, the French government inadvertently mutates a lizard nest; years later, a giant lizard makes its way to New York City. Dr. Niko Tatopoulos, an expert on the effects of radiation on animals, is sent by the U.S. government to study the beast. When the creature, dubbed "Godzilla" by news outlets, emerges, a massive battle with the military begins. To make matters worse, Niko discovers that Godzilla has laid a nest of 200 eggs, which are ready to hatch.

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Critics Consensus

Without compelling characters or heart, Godzilla stomps on everything that made the original (or any monster movie worth its salt) a classic.

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David Edelstein

Slate

02/15/2023

What the new, monstrously budgeted Godzilla brings home is that size doesn’t matter -- that tacky crudeness harnessed to a real vision can have more brute power than all the state-of-the-art computer wizardry that Hollywood’s money can buy.

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Peter Howell

Toronto Star

02/15/2023

1/5

This 'Zilla is no thrillah. The only thing huge about it is the size of its failure, with monsters straight out of Jurassic Park (yawn), a plot thinner than the butter topping on popcorn and mailed-in acting by the cast.

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Gary Dretzka

Chicago Tribune

02/15/2023

2/4

How do you screw up "Squish" and "Aargh"? By spending more than $100 million on marvelous special effects, another $50 million on a brilliant marketing campaign, and, then, forgetting to invest any money on a logical script. That's how.

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Evan Dossey

Midwest Film Journal

10/31/2023

As someone who subscribes to the notion that there are no bad Godzilla films, I still find the best bits of Godzilla to be good enough to make the entire thing worth sitting through every few years.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

10/28/2023

1.5/4

Forget the Emmy-winning TV special Liza With a Z -- here we have the Razzie-winning theatrical stinker Godzilla With a Zzzz (aka Godzilla vs. Ferris Bueller, since the oversized monster proves to be no match for Matthew Broderick’s incessant shtick).

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Allison Rose

FlickDirect

10/23/2023

3.5/5

The 1998 Godzilla may be less beloved for its lighter tone and special effects, but it offers entertainment if you approach it with an open mind.

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Mikendrick G

@GodzillaFOREVER May 8

Even though its not very "godzilla-like", it still provides entertainment. Bit underrated in my opinion

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D3Z 1

@RT51637195 May 5

This version of Godzilla lacked anything interesting and compelling whether this is from a dull plot, lack of characterization or even any good action from the gigantic reptile itself.

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Dominik K

@RT50285864 Apr 24

Godzilla 1998. 99% Disaster Movie-Like And 1% Actually Godzilla Movie. This Is Just A Generic Disaster Movie With The Name "Godzilla" Slapped On It. Seriously, Godzilla Babies That Look Like Dinosaurs? That Sounds Completely Unrelated To Godzilla. I Don't Recommend It. And Heck, The Special Effects On Those Godzilla Babies Are The Worst Ever. Visible Seams And Zero Organic Feel.

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Christopher M

@Chris7 Apr 5

Very underrated and entertaining film so criticisms against it were both ridiculous and baseless! It is the most realistic looking Godzilla past and present there is. Shame how they reversed it to the old fashioned overkill Japanese style design which does not live up to the 1998 dino like Zilla!

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JakeW T

@RT20111342 Apr 4

I was actually excited when i saw this movie a while back, expecting it to be life changing. Now, I barely remember it because of how hard it was to watch back in 2019. The main issues are that Godzilla appears 43 minutes into the movie, Godzilla looks like a Failed Jurassic Park Experiment, Finally it only centralises on one of the main characters who is Audrey Timmon, she cries for almost every time we see her with a sob story about her life covering it up. A good example of this version is the movie in 1995 Godzilla vs Destroyah, they get a good mix of every genre and sci-fi action specifically with the Monster having his own backstory which builds to the plot. Meanwhile this film just takes 2 characters that rely on the whole film to be somewhat 'good', and then the Monster just comes out of nowhere. But in the Final Wars Godzilla movie, (which you should check out), recreates 'Zilla into a much better monster to rely on and watch. The only good thing is the Movie Graphics.

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Drake S.

@TohoGojibetterthanLegendaryGoji Apr 2

Who in their right mind cleared this.

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Roland Emmerich

Director

Matthew Broderick

Dr. Niko Tatopoulos

Jean Reno

Philippe Roaché

Maria Pitillo

Audrey Timmonds

Hank Azaria

Victor "Animal" Palotti

Kevin Dunn

Colonel Hicks

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Synopsis

During a nuclear test, the French government inadvertently mutates a lizard nest; years later, a giant lizard makes its way to New York City. Dr. Niko Tatopoulos, an expert on the effects of radiation on animals, is sent by the U.S. government to study the beast. When the creature, dubbed "Godzilla" by news outlets, emerges, a massive battle with the military begins. To make matters worse, Niko discovers that Godzilla has laid a nest of 200 eggs, which are ready to hatch.

Director: Roland Emmerich
Producer: Dean Devlin
Screenwriter: Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Centropolis Film Productions, Fried Films, Independent Pictures, TriStar Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Scenes of Scary Horror|Mild Bad Language)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 19, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $136.1M
Runtime: 2h 18m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)