The History of Godzilla (1998)

The History of Godzilla (1998)
This is a re-upload with some minor corrections, additions, and edits.
Original upload date: Oct 21, 2020.
Sources
- Brian Solomon's "Godzilla FAQ"
- David Kalat's, "A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series".
- Steve Ryfle's "Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G".
- wikizilla.org
- www.tohokingdo...
I do not own nor do I claim to own Godzilla or any property related to it. This video falls under fair use as it is educational regarding the history of the Godzilla film franchise. Any usage of footage from movies or marketing material is transformative for educational purposes.
FAIR-USE COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER:
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, commenting, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
You can purchase or rent "Godzilla 1998" at www.amazon.com.

[@BigActionBill]

This is a re-upload with some minor corrections, additions, and edits. Original upload date: Oct 21, 2020.

[@rage_playz199]

Hey Bigactionbill when are going to review Godzilla 2014?

[@jeremyhague2119]

It’s always appreciated. Your Hedorah video dropped when I just got out of the ICU and was still out of it so it really helped me. Also, I am the only non Jets fan in my family lol

[@rockyofnaniwa]

Hmm I wonder if that's why this doesn't appear in my Subscriptions feed. But KZbin recommended it on my homepage anyway 🤷🏽

[@BigActionBill]

@@jeremyhague2119 hope you're feeling better!

[@jeremyhague2119]

@@BigActionBillI am! Thank you! Keep up the good work!

[@coolthings_1]

Patrick Stewart introducing Godzilla's achievements in a matter of fact way will never not be hilarious.

[@madscientist2621]

I remember sitting in the theater as a kid with my dad. When Godzilla dies at the end, my dad leaned over said "that's not Godzilla. Jets can't kill Godzilla"

[@redskull378]

Your dad knows his kaijus

[@blackwatchpilot5329]

and then minus one came out and a plane kills him and no one seems to bitch about it

[@varmahlid7323]

@@blackwatchpilot5329a plane stopped him. It did not kill him

[@gavinsiville9969]

It went inside his mouth. Godzilla’s tough on the outside but not on the inside.

[@Gizeh59]

@@blackwatchpilot5329 yeah cause he flew a plane into his mouth, he didnt just fire some missiles at him. not only missed the point but probably didnt even watch the movie

[@Venom-Boiii]

Fun fact: the Godzilla footprint that was made for filming in Hawaii is STILL there, 25 years later!

[@whalehands]

GodIlla '98 was marketing gold. I remember seeing this trailer for the first time. Was not expecting it at all. I was seven. I was the happiest kid in the world in that moment.

[@lancethefilmguy9392]

Yep 1998 was a cool year for us kids

[@MaceDeMarco2010]

Yes. I hope I can witness that type of marketing someday in my lifetime. I missed it by 13 years…

[@poopsock7493]

"I wanted to make it my own" - That is exactly the problem with directors and writers even today. They want the title in name only and want to completely ignore the source material that made the name famous in the first place. The arrogance is stifling and insulting.

[@harveylong5878]

there is a difference between making an established lore your own and completely blatantly shitting on it. Toho shouldve pulled the plug on this dumpsterfire when they were shown the character designs much less wait for the shitshow the writers tried calling a script

[@DIEGhostfish]

@@harveylong5878 Zilla's visual design was fine. It was the powerlevel and everything else around him that sucked. The cartoon that went more high power with Zilla jr was much more in the spirit.

[@Windwalker88]

​@@DIEGhostfishmy girlfriend watched 98 after she watched showa and Heisei and i never seen her more mad when she saw the Godzilla design in 98

[@lordtrigon1733]

It hurts when that happens. I’m a fan of the iZombie comics, I was super excited to see a TV show of it only to find out they just wanted the title (the only references to the comics are lines that make fun of them). I can only imagine how Godzilla fans in 98 felt.

[@hrishikeshnair586]

@@DIEGhostfish It was a good design, but it wasn't enough like Godzilla, at least to me. Even the most radical big G designs like Shin and Legendary fit to the overall Godzilla "baseline" - erect posture, maple-shaped spines, overall looking a bit like a combo of a T-Rex, an Iguanodon and a Stegosaur as per Akira Watanabe. Zilla is too theropodish, and his head is too big with oversimplified spines. He simply looks too drastically different to be correctly identifiable with Godzilla. I'd honestly see more similarities b/w him and Gorosaurus than him and Godzilla. Zilla is visually like the Godzilla equivalent of what would happen if they made a King Kong movie with a Hamadryas Mandrill as Kong. He's fine on his own but really does not look enough like Godzilla except superficially.

[@kingjamesc1156]

This was my first Godzilla movie. My papa showed it to me when I was a little kid. It didn’t take too long from me to get familiar with the more iconic Godzilla. And since then I’ve been a Godzilla fan till this very day.

[@haroldjohnson5368]

Happy new years to Burner!

[@LeoBlight]

I myself really enjoyed this movie for what it is. A giant creature that is just trying to survive and is being attacked for it’s very existence. If they only would have called it something else than maybe it would have done much better because people wouldn’t have come to see the movie with already preconceived expectations. The animated series, though short last proved that this giant monster could have been great!

[@jokpok7119]

cant wait for your history of shin godzilla video

[@internettrash5120]

They also made a commercial for the movie to air during the Seinfeld finale. It starts with a faraway view of NY with scrolling text that reads "It's time to say goodbye to something that holds a special place in our hearts." Followed by footage from the film

[@KatOwO2235]

should also do a video on Bagan while you do Godzilla VS Mechagodzilla and Terror Of Mechagodzilla, then ya gotta get Shin Godzilla, the Netflix animes, anything else of Godzilla that Toho did, Godzilla 2014, Godzilla King Of The Monsters 2019, Godzilla VS Kong, all King Kong movies, Godzilla 1998 The Series, Godzilland, all the Gamera movies, and Ultraman, and all other toho kaiju movies

[@George_M_]

Second best Godzilla soundtrack after KotM. (GMK comes third). Shame no one remembers that part and I literally couldn't find the actual soundtrack (not the pop songs) for a decade after. Also if they didn't want it to be campy....whyyyy everything.

[@austintrousdale2397]

My only substantial disagreement with BAB in his upload was about the original score. The way that this composition played over the opening montage/stock footage showing (as opposed to telling) Zilla’s origin was excellent.

[@benmalsky9834]

33:31 You know, I feel like had Godzilla 1998 been billed as a remake of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, it would have been much more well received.

[@fourloaves]

Awesome video.

[@icebreaker8902]

This was the first godzilla movie that I ever watched and it's one of my favorites in the series and i love godzilla's design in this movie its one of my favorite godzilla designs on my opinion, happy new year Bill

[@chichiboypumpi]

I still think the animated series deserve a live-action, a mini-series, Godzilla: H.E.A.T. the creature named after the cinematic Gman, and Caiman mistaking it for Japanese folklore. A series with all monster battles including Cyberzilla and the Lizard-slayer mechs. third -generation creature of hyper-evolution and might have mimicry as well.

[@Megarover]

Happy New Years! I wish everyone many great Godzilla films in the future

[@VJ_The_Vigilant]

See I felt like this was really a remake of The Beast From 2000 Fathoms.

[@VideoSmarts1]

Guess simply referring to it as simply “The Beast” wouldn’t have sold as many tickets

[@Jupiter-ly7mt]

After reading Rulers of Earth I have a soft spot for Zilla now.

[@zuelajinda9683]

I wish we would have gotten the cartoon sequel godzilla in an actual movie.

[@josuedejesus21]

Makes me wonder if he watched the current Monsterverse version of the G man and his reactions to it he's probably throwing a tantrum saying where the eggs, the french guys, the hiding, and the babies lol 😆

[@skwisgarskwigelf7191]

This was my introduction to Godzilla. Sure the movie ain’t perfect but it’s entertaining. For my 8th birthday I even had a Godzilla themed birthday

[@artosin]

The first Godzilla movie I saw as a kid in 1998. I saw the teaser trailer in 1997 in theaters... I was shock😱😱. I saw it twice in theaters, rented the movie many times, had the Godzilla toyline. And my grand ma gave me the vhs. Imported from the US.

[@ItsRawdraft2]

You know your movie sucks when most of the marketing focuses around Brian Cranston playing a side character lmao

[@smileysatanson3404]

I liked this movie, it was my first godzilla movie, BUT it was clear that the director didnt have much respect for the franchise, which is clear here as he just says "i dont want anything to do with the original or the other movies, its basically just a bunch of fat guys in suits" so, yeah, he was a douche only wanting the name to make money and nothing more

[@captainkirk9691]

Like you bill since I was born in 95 my father manage to pick 2 Showa era Godzilla tapes back in the day for me it was Godzilla vs mothra and the terror of mechagodzilla those 2 movies hold a special place in my heart when I managed to get the 90s Godzilla at the time I also had mixed feelings about the film especially the design of Godzilla it just wasn't quite what I was used to seeing.

[@oceanblueheart1472]

It's a watchable B+ film for the most part. Won't deny Puff Daddy's "Come with me" was a fun hip.

[@ThePyrvmids]

My mom took me to go see this and went to sleep 15 mins in 😂

[@jextzee]

as i get older i realize it’s not that bad of a movie its a good “monster flick” it’s not godzilla tho godzillas name just unfortunately is attached

[@Thisisnotadreamhaha]

Idc I loved this movie. I was 9 and watched it on my 9th birthday, and cried in front of my friends when Godzilla died at the end. Loved the animates show too, but hey I'm a 90's guy. Shout out to Gargoyles!

[@Clone_Zero]

Kinda funny how after this movie came out, Toho was like: "Okay, nope, give me Godzilla back, and you know what? Screw you, give me that Godzilla too."

[@ThrackerZ0d]

"Give me that Godzilla! So i can kill him in our last movie!"

[@deebojordan7406]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@DestinyAwaits19]

Lol I can smell the resentment in your tone. Fact is 1998 was an awesome movie, and better than any Godzilla movie before or since.

[@ThrackerZ0d]

@@DestinyAwaits19 hey, look...i dont agree with "godzilla 1998 is a horrible movie" i do like zilla design, i like the story and ambient, but no way, its the best godzilla movie...

[@gojirafan5437]

“And you know what, f**k you.” *UnGods your Zilla*

[@gokubruce24]

Please do a history of the animated show. That show was badass

[@RealBradMiller]

I remember being so enthralled as a four or five year old, that I stayed up all night watching them during a storm, lightning struck right outside our house and I thought Godzilla had attacked!

[@gokubruce24]

@@RealBradMiller the series was a perfect blend of interesting characters and awesome kaiju. Singular Point is dope this series is my favorite

[@burnoutvideosausofficial4886]

Was my favourite morning cartoon tbh

[@gokubruce24]

@@burnoutvideosausofficial4886 me too my friend. Imma watch it this Saturday morning for nostalgia haha

[@AdamWest1290]

Digimon, Godzilla, Yu-Gi-Oh, DBZ were my favorite at the time

[@thedarkwolf9423]

There was another reference to "Zilla" in the Millennium Era when two members of G-Force are in a briefing meeting "Didn't he also attack New York?" "No, that was another monster, the Americans just mistook it for Godzilla."

[@DMZZ_DZDM]

I believe the exact lines in GMK were "A similar attack happened in New York. American experts say it was Godzilla" "That's what they say, but our guys have our doubts"

[@DuhDeeze]

Dude Emmerich complains that “every Godzilla movie is the same” and then proceeds to have a career of making the same movie over and over again

[@plasticenemy]

Real

[@grendel8342]

while hypocritical hes not wrong

[@CoachRicardoFranco]

Yup, disaster movies. He said the Marvel movies are crap, he lost his touch after independence day, even the sequel sucked. He should retire....

[@grendel8342]

@@CoachRicardoFranco marvel films and old Godzilla films aren't that great though

[@CoachRicardoFranco]

@@grendel8342 no but for him to criticize Marvel movies but all his movies are the same, disaster movies, so he shouldn't criticize Godzilla movies either when he does the same thing over and over. Godzilla Minus One was a different type of Godzilla movie and it was awesome, that movie reminded me of Jaws.

[@TheJRP2010]

This was my introduction to Godzilla as a kid. I recognize the flaws now, but I still have a soft spot for it. Had so many toys from it and dressed up as Godzilla for Halloween that year. There’s a whole vibe around this film for me that I love. Anytime it’s overcast and rainy, I think of the film.

[@DarksideBallerina]

Same! I know it's flawed but on a rainy afternoon my mom picked us up from after school and drove us directly to the movie theater. When we went home it was still raining and we joked that Godzilla was probably in New York right now (at the time we didn't live far so it was fun to imagine). It's a bad movie, but it's got some good memories!

[@Dustpuma1]

kids liked heman which is also trash easy bar to please

[@ChaosRose1222]

SAME

[@m0istur]

Same. I loved the design and of course the only excuse I would have had as a kid was because I liked lizards, especially iguanas (which I ended up naming one of my iguanas "Godzilla"), but I have more reasons to why I love the design now

[@itsthebats]

Yea same here for some reason I think about the scene where the worms were electrocuted out from the ground every now and then during a rainy day .

[@Walmbat]

I still love the fact that the Final Wars scene is named "Pretender to the Throne".

[@freyjafirefly9201]

Is also a reason I really love "We're All To Blame."

[@blackirish6868]

Final Wars is my favorite.

[@MrSomaArikado]

Toho had an axe to grind. They really wanted to kill it and they did it in the most spectacular way with that scene.

[@chickennuggets9792]

Call me weird but, it would be cool if Toho made Godzilla 2 or Godzilla vs zilla in like 2006 or 2007.

[@28godzilla]

The fact that Roland Emmerich told Toho (the parent company of Godzilla) “guys, either it looks like this, or we don’t do it at all”. It really shows how much of a dick he can be… you’re telling the original company of the character that you want to use in an American film to agree with your design. When that silence was most likely in dismay.. they shouldn’t have a greed at all after he made that little comment…

[@LuqMaynehqm]

Western, am I right

[@HalfBoiIed]

So basically Americans right?

[@556deltawolf]

Roland Emmerich is German@@HalfBoiIed

[@gavinsiville9969]

Yeah. Clearly no respect towards the source material.

[@randallrona9618]

8:38 The way Dean Devlin say this quote-unquote words is really insulting towards the 3 actors who risked their bodies and almost died while playing inside the Godzilla suit. Also, R.I.P. to Haruo Nakajima(Showa Goji) & Kenpachiro Satsuma(Heisei Goji). ♥️♥️

[@ultra6671]

I find it hilarious that the only reason Toho was willing to put up with all of Roland Emmerich, a man who couldn't care less about the Godzilla franchise, was because they basically had no other options.

[@arthurgodwin6571]

I honestly think this movie was ahead of its time. Not because I think it's especially good, but it is one of the first examples of a movie actively treating the material it's based on with derision and then chiding the audience for criticising it for doing the exact opposite of what its basis did. It would fit right in today.

[@maestrotitano]

Fax... sigh

[@Scudboy17]

Modern Hollywood looks at everything with a cynical eye and they assume everyone else does too. They go out of their way to make adaptations of popular stories and characters because they are popular, but they go out of their way to change the franchise into something they feel meets their idea of what the series should be or to meet what ever agenda they have. They use a franchise like a vehicle to deliver stories that have nothing to do with the history of the franchise, alienating the very fans that made it popular in the first place. If you want to have a successful adaption of a franchise, get the people who are actual fans to make your fricken movie!

[@velociraptor4you3291]

@@Scudboy17 I hear what you're saying loud & clear (😉). The drama that happened recently with "The Witcher" and its prequel miniseries "Blood Origin," plus "Ghostbusters 2016" are examples that come to my mind.

[@creategreatness8823]

Indeed...and honestly, the absolute implosion of this film(if it went totally right instead of totally wrong it could have been one of the biggest films of the 90s) luckily pretty much ensured Godzilla would never be "subverted" or disrespected like this ever again. We get the Monsterverse and no matter what, it is a very true and honest portrayal of the character and I think modern audiences really appreciate that about it. The GvK sequel comes out for the 70th anniversary and is set up to be the biggest global hit in the history of the franchise. 70 years later and Godzilla might FINALLY be getting that massive global success he deserves.

[@arthurgodwin6571]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the movie shouldn't have fans or not be enjoyed or anything like that. I know a lot of people have fond memories of this movie. I actually have good memories from the merchandising and adverts. I was three years old when this movie came out, and I wasn't off put by the design or anything. To my perspective, it was just a different look for Godzilla. But, I was looking at the toys, which gave him aspects like the atomic breath and made him look just as indestructible. I didn't actually see the movie until years later and wasn't exactly impressed. I do think it actually did have potential and some neat ideas, but anybody who says they don't like monsters fighting each other is proooobably not the right fit for directing a Godzilla movie. And while the movie is a good example of what not to do for a reboot, it's not the worst film and at least is not something that's treated as some sort of example for movies that's now become the standard crap that's pumped out like it's just off the assembly line of disgraces.... That dishonor goes to "Ghostbusters 2016".

[@sportshero3092]

PLOT DOES MATTER -The Phantom Menace

[@reteledman]

ironic

[@jamessmall6499]

It's still one of the most hilariously petty yet cathartic moments in film history for Toho to not only buy the rights to 98 Godzilla, rebrand him as Zilla for taking the God out of the name, but to then have him face up against who I'd argue is Godzilla's most dangerous incarnation. It was all hype with the sum 41 and rock and roll LETS GO professional boxer PPV main event, Godzilla vs Godzilla LETS GO!!!! And then he just gets absolutely *annihilated.*

[@feathero3]

Godzilla annihilates every single monster in that movie though. Like non of them stand even the slightest chance against him until Monster X, and all of them get defeated in a matter of seconds. Zilla wasn't an exception. Probably because they had dozens of monsters to go through and limited movie run time.

[@DasNordlicht91]

given it's New Year's Eve, I just want to mention that the New Years Eve 1997 commercial for this movie with Godzilla destroying the silver NYE ball at Times Square as we get a declaration tha 1998 will be "The Year of Godzilla" is probably one of the most memorable ads of the big campaign they did for this movie.

[@velociraptor4you3291]

Agreed (😉).

[@itsthebats]

One year later to the day . I’m watching this same you tube video . Have a happy new year ‘24

[@legionbeast]

I fully agree; they made a remake of "The Beast from 20,000 fathoms" basically. Also yes, while it's certainly a stinker of an end product, it was indeed the original exposure of the concept of Godzilla to many people who went on to get to know who this legendary character really was. I won't fault anyone who likes the design of the creature and I feel it fits in well with it's own skillset as a unique monster.

[@lancethefilmguy9392]

Yes. The only nice thing about this film was it got the kids of the 90s to look into Godzilla movies.

[@nobleskywalker4639]

I watched this like 3 days ago and honestly it's a perfectly adequate kaiju movie just not Godzilla.

[@kaijukid_films]

It like the beast from 20,000 fathoms, but with the godzilla name slaped on it.

[@deathmetal271]

Guess they couldn’t just call it “The Beast” like most film remakes with shortened titles

[@gavinsiville9969]

“The last half was like two creatures going at it, I simply don’t like that.” Welcome to a Godzilla movie, Mr. Emmerich.

[@SG-jq5vt]

I totally remember this teaser trailer. We were in the theatre seeing MIB, and the second that commercial started up I started whispering to my mom, ‘It’s Godzilla, I KNOW it’s Godzilla!’. Needless to say, I too had the singular VHS collection in my whole town. I was so excited to see this movie that I didn’t sleep the night before… and when it we finally went I fell asleep in the theatre.

[@legogeneralgrievous4218]

Bruh💀

[@t99155]

😂😂

[@jonnielson8716]

😆

[@charlesman8722]

We were so robbed with this movie. The plot for Godzilla Vs the Griffin sounds amazing… also the fact we never got that SHmonster arts figure.

[@tenaciouspoetry]

If only they did....

[@KaijuSlayer54]

An S.H.Monsterarts Zilla would be pretty cool tbh

[@bernarddoherty2303]

I audibly groaned when i heard the quote about the first script havinga momster fight for the last half being a bad thing... Good Lord

[@GreatLummoxFilms]

It's interesting that Peter Jackson was turned off from doing King Kong because of this film, similar to how Tanaka waited on a sequel to Return of Godzilla, because of Kong Lives in the 80s.

[@seanmckelvey6618]

Always happy to re-watch these when you do re-uploads, I hope you know your hard work on these videos are appreciated by many of us Godzilla fans. Godzilla 1998 is kind of a tough one for me, because while it's objectively not a great movie, and a pretty lousy Godzilla movie it's also more or less my introduction to the character, and I think it was for a good amount of western fans of my generation. So it's hard for me to hold the same disdain for the movie that a lot of fans did (and many still do) for purely nostalgic purposes. I like the design of Godzilla, & honestly I think the first act of the movie, before he actually arrives in New York is pretty solid, especially the attack on the Japanese fishing boat. All the military investigation and the scene of him pulling the two fishing boats down is pretty good as well.

[@lancethefilmguy9392]

That's what I said. On the bright side, it did got us into Godzilla movies. Not to mention it isn't awful by itself. Just not a good Godzilla movie

[@Henotlegend]

Zilla is a seriously a badass kaiju. If he had his own movie that wasn't supposed to be a Godzilla film, I feel it would do amazing.

[@tomasleyva8336]

This would've been a pretty kickass reimagining of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.

[@sethcole2333]

I like the concept of the movie. the idea of it being an animal and how we as people are directly responsible for it being what it is, really interest me. I remember being a kid and hating this movie because it just wasn't Godzilla to me, but as I've gotten older I appreciate the idea they were going for but not so much the execution.

[@deetzyboywonder9312]

Yeah kinda like shin Godzilla did

[@sethcole2333]

@@deetzyboywonder9312 exactly! I love shin Godzilla it's my favorite Godzilla movie

[@iambuhlockay8007]

Like James Rolfe said: “The biggest problem with this movie is they called it Godzilla.”

[@interviolet6675]

It is a very problematic movie but the effects are pretty solid in some parts but kinda really aged in others I almost wonder if Godzilla 2014 came out then just adjusted due to effects at the time would it be well received? I almost feel bad for America for this to be it's first crack at the King of the Monsters, I liked it as a kid The loud and epic visage of a giant trex iguana thing in a city was cool as hell the first time I think I even had a toy of Zilla when I was younger, Nowadays it's a really dumb movie haha I like the kaiju design and sounds, I can't wait for your videos on '14, 19' and 21'

[@TheSoundwaveprime]

Their comment about why they ditched Elliot and Rusos screenplay is so hair pullingly frustrating. If you don't like monsters fighting, why would you direct a Godzilla movie? It would be like if i am a director and offered and accept the chance to direct a Arnold Schwarzenegger movie or Friday the 13th film and then saying "well I simply don't like shoot out scenes in a movie" or "I really don't know why we have to have Jason kill people in this movie". If you don't like the core thing associated with a property you are being offered to direct, maybe you shouldn't take the job.

[@Keldroc]

Emmerich complaining that Godzilla movies are the same thing over and over again is maybe the least self-aware thing a director has ever said.

[@RojMofficial]

Back when the Godzilla VHS released in 1998, my local Best Buy did a promo where if you buy the 98 movie, you could also purchase a copy of another Godzilla movie for maybe .50 cents-$2 more! My just turning 6 self chose Godzilla Vs Mothra! The cardboard sleeve for the 98’ vhs had some cool texture to it as well.

[@BasementDweller_]

I feel like this film wouldn’t be hated on if it wasn’t called Godzilla. If the film was called Attack of the Mutant Iguana people would have enjoyed this film a lot.

[@chrisandrew9840]

Say what you will about the movie but the Size Does Matter campaign still remains iconic to me as one of the best, most memorable ones for any movie. I remember how much buildup it gave the idea of Godzilla, and it was the first time I could really fathom just how big a giant monster was.

[@phoenixmaximus1718]

Am I the only one who wants to know Roland’s reaction to his godzilla just getting absolutely DOG WALKED AND CURB STOMPED by the real godzilla? And hey. At least The cartoon godzilla actually deserves the name unlike his daddy 💀

[@darkside3744]

I was about 18 when I saw this with my Mom and we both hated it. I said “might as well call the movie Iguanadon because that’s not Godzilla”.

[@goodtimesupreme]

I love the parts of the video where you give a glimpse into yourself and your childhood. Watching the tapes while playing with godzilla toys, your pet bearded dragon named Burner. It just made me smile.

[@joeyteter9383]

Wait, did Ebert call the Toho Godzilla films “schlock”? He was wrong, they’re are all great. At least to me they are, I love them

[@williamglass2223]

Happy New Years to you Bill! Can’t wait for all the new videos next year, and that new Toho Godzilla in November.

[@foldabotZ]

Quite honestly, this movie was my introduction to Godzilla. We had(I think still have) a 2-disk VCD copy of the movie that I watched a lot and I also watched the Animated series. It was later when I was in Elementary school in the early 2000s that I came to know of the Japanese version and began to decry this one. Although I had not seen yet a Japanese Godzilla except for the 2 I have on DVD which were region-locked for America. My dad enjoyed this movie though as his favorite, even over the 2014 movie. He thought it was unrealistic for any kind of creature to survive and feed off on Nuclear energy.

[@Kaiju-bm4ts]

Very ironic your dad thinks it's unrealistic for any creature to survive feeding off nuclear power yet he accepts godzilla 1998 which was literally mutated BECAUSE of nuclear power which is something that would never happen. I feel like your dad needs to not apply real world logic to a kaiju movie of all things

[@foldabotZ]

@@Kaiju-bm4ts Eh, it’s fine.

[@Godzillakingofkaiju1]

Despite the fact Godzilla feeding off radiation has been a thing for a while.

[@foldabotZ]

@@Godzillakingofkaiju1 Well, yes, but my dad, to my knowledge, has never seen a Godzilla movie before 98's. Godzilla movies did not come out in the Philippines mainstream until then, except for a localized version of the 1954 film called Tokyo 1960(2 years before my dad was born) which is now lost media, so he likely never saw it.

[@SixArmedSweater]

Oooh, VCD! Lovable mutt of a format. 💕

[@retroentertainment1340]

This might not be everyone’s favorite Godzilla movie, but I enjoyed the movie as a standalone monster movie. I also owe it to Tristar’s Godzilla for introducing me to the Godzilla franchise. I still wish we got the original version by Jan De Bont before he left the project.

[@gaberoch9153]

I remember walking out of the theater feeling so disappointed. I loved Independence Day and Godzilla and couldn't understand how they fck up so much this movie. My hype was so high and so was my disappointment. To this day, I still could not forgive them for doing this to Goji.

[@mackenziecarver6807]

That’s the problem with having expectations. Sometimes they can set you up for disappointment.

[@spencersholden]

Gosh the marketing for this movie was amazing. To bad the film is bad.

[@cesarhernandez6861]

Godzilla 1998 is a dumb fun-ish movie. It is NOT however a good Godzilla movie.

[@Zketchart]

There's barely any good Godzilla movies💀

[@cesarhernandez6861]

@@Zketchart Ouch, that's a deep cut!

[@Godzilla-jr5gi]

Godzilla 1994 would've been the best American Godzilla movie change my mind

[@ThrackerZ0d]

THE BEST, we can't fully agree...but i can agree that it would be a pretty interesting movie...

[@Jakeeey92]

The clear reason to me as to why this movie failed on so many levels is because Roland Emmerich and his team had no respect or admiration for the original source material, and were intent on doing their own version, to hell with the original Japanese character and lore. To dismiss the actors who painstakingly portrayed Godzilla throughout the years, sometimes requiring great feats of physical endurance and strength, as "fat guys in rubber suits" is insulting and demonstrates how completely clueless they were about this beloved franchise.

[@adamcammack3534]

Emmerich is a hack and him complaining Godzilla movies are all the same obviously shows that he shouldn't throw stones in glass houses, if anything I'd rather had seen De bonts or Fred Dekkers version of Godzilla than this drab mess

[@doogerw2675]

To this day I still say this film is a fun monster movie. It's just not a Godzilla movie. I can disconnect the monster from its given name and see it as a fun creature feature. But I dont get why directors will still to this day take on projects they dont care about and make a mockery of the source material. If you dont like something, then dont adapt it. Give it to a director that actually cares

[@Kaiju-bm4ts]

Unfortunately money talks and directors that don't care will partake in a project they don't care for. They don't even pretend to care for the most part which makes it worst

[@HerooftheWild]

Funny how Dean Devlin said all of Godzilla's movies are the same yet the same can be said Roland Emmerich's movies which are the same, disaster movie after disaster movie

[@itcamefromtheradio]

As a fellow NY'er and Godzilla fan, I checked out when they had submarines and Godzilla swimming around the Hudson River. If Size Mattered, they surely wouldn't be able to maneuver as they did down there.

[@ARod3]

Love the zilla design and I’m glad he became his own kaiju

[@padawanmage71]

Emmerich really sounds like a jerk. “I hate Godzilla but I’ll just use Godzilla to make my movie…” Also noticed France getting crapped on in a few movies. In Armageddon, Paris gets destroyed by a meteor. Now they’re responsible for Godzilla? As a fan from before, when this movie ended, I looked at my friends, and we all just shook our heads.

[@Ninjaman176]

Burner is a lovely name

[@purpleepicicon]

I was 20 when this movie came out. Like you, I grew up watching the Godzilla movies and was the only one of my peers to do so. When I first saw it, I kept making excuses in my head as to why it all worked out the way it did. Eventually I admitted to myself it was bad. On the other hand, it is my wife's favorite Godzilla movie. Then again, she loves movies with cheesy dialogue.

[@edwardiii8409]

Your favorite movies have shitty cheesy dialogue too

[@darkwolf9253]

I always liked this movie, despite it's flaws. I may be in the minority on that... I did see it as a remake of The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms almost right away. Anyway, this film did get me back into the series at the time. I had been a huge fan growing up, but as a young adult I had kind of fallen out of the loop as it were. When this came out, and then two years later being able to see Godzilla 2000 in the theater, I got back into it and was able to catch up on all the movies I hadn't seen... Anyway this isn't a great movie by any stretch, but I still enjoy it to this day. I do think that it is Godzilla in name only, and understand all the criticism thrown at it.... It is very much it's own thing, and for me that's ok.

[@Kaiju-bm4ts]

You aren't in the minority lol, many and I mean MANY fans have the same interpretation this film acts more like a remake of beast from 20,000 fathoms and should of been made as one.

[@gokux75]

I really liked this movie too, but prior to this movie my Godzilla knowledge was not that great. I had seen a few films on TV or at a friends house, but I hardly knew about Godzilla lore. So when this film came out it I just saw it as a new Godzilla movie that took place in New York and looked like Jurassic Park.

[@Takaichi666-]

I agree the movie isn’t terrible like some fans claim it to be it’s entertaining and I enjoy zilla’s look and his unique roar

[@chandrakant1479]

You're not in minority. This movie is amazing

[@ReluctantWarrior]

@@Takaichi666- And some of the roars he shares with Godzilla.

[@theDABTAB]

My opinion about this movie is that as a monster movie, it is pretty good... if it went under another name. The monster, to me, is not Godzilla and never will be. But if we called the monster something else, like just Zilla, then the movie is actually a good monster movie. And the animated series we got from it was awesome. It is closer to "God" however not entirely there. A "Demigod" or "Demizilla" with the awesome green atomic breath.

[@genyakozlov1316]

Godzilla was called so in America. The original name, Gojira, is a combination of "gorilla" and "whale".

[@theDABTAB]

@@genyakozlov1316 I know, but what does that have to do with anything?

[@redskull378]

​@@genyakozlov1316 Toho was actually the first to name him Godzilla.

[@tskmaster3837]

"Emerich didn't want his film to be seen as 'campy'." Now that is a big pile of fish and by fish, I don't mean fish. Even at their worst, I would describe the Fukuda films as being earnest which is an accomplishment because Fukuda wanted to make spy films instead. Godzilla 98 is not earnest in the slightest, it thinks it's too good to be what it is, a monster movie, and nowhere near good enough to be what it wants... and that's not a disaster movie but Jurassic Park.

[@xExotic]

This kinda problem happens a lot actually where the people making the film are using these characters while at the same time not actually caring for them. I believe that most people would have expected godzilla being different to its japanese original but this godzilla is so drastically different to the original that is basically a new creature. it also makes you think what was the point of using that property if it only resembles that property in name

[@chadgorosaurus4898]

I just realized that the Tristar Godzilla's hight being 54 meters was a reference to the original movie.

[@CommodoreFan64]

I was 17 when this movie came out, and like you I was one of the few in my school growing up who knew, and cared about Godzilla, but once I saw the design was different from the original, and that Matthew Broderick was in it, then I knew the movie was going to be pure shit!!!

[@LestatandBerial]

I remember seeing this movie with my dad. We came home and my mom asked how it was. My dad said: “Godzilla can outrun military helicopters but can’t catch a taxi”

[@BobHershey]

25 years ago we got this attempt at a Godzilla movie, and G-fans were disappointed. Now we get Godzilla: Minus One, and G-fans are over-the-moon happy.

[@Scallycowell]

The only sin of this film was being called Godzilla.

[@DuoDoUrden]

Had a couple of the 98 Godzilla toys and had a cake for my birthday when it came out.

[@HeadmasterAutobot]

Your feelings on the first 30 minutes basically sums up my family's feelings on it. A really engrossing first act and then all the air's let out at once.

[@dubuyajay9964]

"Now, you said that I said the large mutant Iguana, this 'Gino' fellow was Godzilla...I never said that."

[@Greenscout69]

A New Years gift! Happy New Years everyone

[@BardielBrinstar]

This is single-handedly the worst thing a German man has ever done to mankind.

[@harveylong5878]

Uwe Boll begs to differ

[@tengrisyesugei7995]

You've given me an insight. I think that the Sando aqua monster from the Phantom Menance might not have happened if not for Godzilla. They say there's always a bigger fish, implying size matters not. From a CG standpoint I think Lucasfilm tried to take a jab at rendering monster underwater with computer graphics and one up Godzilla.

[@elliotgandersen]

Aww Sir Patrick Stewart’s speech got me in tears.

[@thetheorizermoore7476]

I making a fanfic to expand upon the TV show and I’m going to add some stuff in it like the unused Monster designs of myths for other monsters and other fan fics sequel of the Godzilla 1998 movie

[@TheRopenNetwork]

We are here to say... this movie is absolute garbage.

[@CaleebTalib]

Still the most “realistic” depiction of Godzilla. It was basically just a big lizard and as a kid with no presumptions I thought it was dope!

[@Thechezbailey]

You're not wrong.

[@randomguy6679]

Who gives a shit about realism if it’s boring?

[@RySpirit]

i actually quite enjoyed this Godzilla movie. It was entertaining, had action, had jokes. It was a good movie ^^"

[@SyedTauhidul]

5:49 "The last half was like watching two creatures go at it....I simply don't like that." THAT HAS TO BE THE SINGLE MOST STUPIDEST THING ONE CAN SAY WHILE MAKING A GODZILLA FILM