Godzilla

A Roland Emmerich Movie

With Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno and others

Monika says:

Dr. Nico Tatopoulos (Matthew Broderick) who is doing research on outsized "Chernobyl-Worms" has no clue that something much bigger is in store for him when he is called to Polynesia to examine a strange biological "specimen". Nuclear tests in the area led to the emergence of a giant creature which is now on the way to New York to find a place for its nest.

And here's the first plothole: How does Godzilla travel so fast from Polynesia to the east coast of the US? By way of the Panama Canal, naturally. He paid attention in geography class and manages to find it right away. Quite a swim. That should qualify him for the next Olympic Games. Off New York City he rises from the ocean and spreads fear throughout town. Even if he cared where he put his foot down - which of course he doesn't - he would smash everything that was unfortunate enough to stand in his way. The streets of the big city are too narrow for this giant beast, so he leaves a trail of destruction looking for a place to build his nest.

"He came, saw and triumphed" - that's what Roland Emmerich had planned for his latest special effects racket. "He came, trampled and failed" is more like it. Size isn't all that matters after all. Emmerich isn't exactly known for scripts with brilliant dialogue but this time there just isn't enough of a story for a two hour movie. Maybe he should have made a silent movie without actors alltogether. They don't have anything to do anyway. It's amazing that he was able to persuade an actor like Jean Reno to be part of this. Perhaps the mystery-mongering about the script is an explanation. The characters in GODZILLA are just as thin as French crêpe. Nor does the monster show any sign of personality, even if he turns out to be rather unforgiving in the end.

So Godzilla stamps through New York. At least he doesn't touch the Statue of Liberty. He's after the skyscrapers and finally lays his eggs in Central Park. Or spawns, rather, since he is amphibian. That accounts for the number of eggs. They are also slightly larger than frog spawn and Godzilla needs not fear that they are eaten by natural enemies before they get the chance to hatch. Our heroes are somewhat surprised by the nursery, but the little ones' bad manners keep them from wanting to pet the babies. But why is Godzilla referred to as "he" instead of "she"? Well, actually, "he" is an "it" who doesn't need a partner for the propagation of the species. And for a very good reason. With beasts of this size the mating would inevitably result in broken bones and squashed inner organs. Mother Nature knows best.

A major logical flaw is that the monster supposedly is too "cold" to be detected by infrared sensors but still can run as fast as he does in the movie. An erect walk requires a fast metabolism. But who would expect logic in a trashy monster movie. The movie lived up to the expectations I had when Roland Emmerich announced that his next project after INDEPENDENCE DAY would be GODZILLA. Had he spent a little more time on the script and not focused completely on the computer animations the result might have been good entertainment. But that was wishful thinking.

Any comments?
Write us:
Monika Hübner