Following Roland Emmerich's controversial Americanization of the Japanese monster icon in Godzilla (1998), the Beast from the East comes roaring back in this sci-fi adventure tale. Yuji Shinoda (Naomi Nishida), a scientist devoted to researching Godzilla, is setting up equipment on a fog-shrouded peninsula with her daughter Io (Mayu Suzuki) and journalist Yuki Ichinose (Takehiro Murata) when everyone's favorite 180-foot-tall lizard appears from the sea and begins laying siege to a nuclear power
plant. The military swings into action, but the monster's fiery breath soon uncovers an alien spacecraft; beings from outer space have come to take over the earth, and now Godzilla is our last line of defense against them. Hugely successful in Japan, Gojira Mireniamu (aka Godzilla 2000) was the first Japanese Godzilla movie since Godzilla 1985 to receive a US theatrical release. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Godzilla 2000 is yet another traditional Japanese production, weakly plotted, woodenly acted and indifferently dubbed. Yet, for all of that, there is something pleasant and familiar about this old-fashioned home-cooking approach.
We know we're in for a good time right from the start when plucky photographer Yuki says, "I've really got to get some great pictures here," while moving her lips only twice.
this is old-school Godzilla, meaning unconvincing special effects, a ridiculous plotline involving a rival monster, and lots of Japanese actors with badly overdubbed dialogue
Low production values, high camp and a guy in a giant rubber reptile suit rampaging through a detailed miniature of Tokyo, knocking down buildings, kicking cars and breathing fire! Yeah, that's the stuff!
Everything the American adaptation should have been. It updates Godzilla for the modern age while still remaining faithful to what makes these movies so enjoyable. The visual style is still the same affair with Godzilla being a guy in a rubber suit and model cities being blown up. The Godzilla suit looks really good
in this film. The film incorporates some use of modern day CGI which looks pretty bad. There is this one scene that shows a computer-generated Godzilla swimming under water and it looks like a video game cutscene. The plot is nothing special but it is enough to keep the viewers attention. Surprisingly, Godzilla gets to fight another monster in this film. This is surprising because usually Godzilla flies solo in reboots. The monster rumble is a great fight with one of the greatest Godzilla finishing moves of the franchise. The English dubbing is laughably bad but it almost adds to the film's cheesy fun factor. This Godzilla movie is delightfully cheesy fun with enjoyable action. Overall, Godzilla 2000 provided a breath of fresh air to fans that were disappointed by the Roland Emmerich film and kick-started the Millennium Godzilla series.
Not the best start to a new series of Godzilla movies, but it'll do. It did have some work to do after the shitstorm that was the American Godzilla. It mostly makes up for that. We get a guy in a suit, looking better than ever. The film also brings us some CGI, with a wonderfully dodgy looking spaceship. I praise this
film for not holding back on its imagination. I wish people would stay away from the American dubs. I've never seen one, and I've enjoyed the series thoroughly. This film had everything I'd come to expect, but seemed scared of being too outlandish. Hiroshi Abe also ruined a lot of the movie by having ONE look. Was it fear? Was it determination? Was it confusion? I'll never know.
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