GODZILLA

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: foul language, violence

Rated:

Take one mutant lizard, hurl him toward New York City at 120 miles per hour, and you have Godzilla, an action-packed, high-suspense, rather violent American upgrade of the ancient Japanese films. When Dr. Nick Tatopoulos is pulled rudely from his study of the effect of nuclear science on earthworms, he finds himself in the middle of the biggest, most dangerous assignment on earth. It seems that the nuclear droppings have resulted in something enormous... something that leaves a footprint the size of a Mac truck... a giant lizard that could snap up a T-Rex in one gulp. And it's making a beeline for Manhattan. 

Audrey Timmonds (Maria Pitillo) is a New York reporter waiting for her big break. Unfortunately, her boss seems more interested in her than her ideas, and her friends convince her that "this is a dog eat dog world." In short - she's too nice. Their pleasant little dinner is interrupted by the arrival of Godzilla, as he storms through the city, overturning buildings and snapping up fish trucks, apparently one huge lizard with an enormous appetite. Nick (Matthew Broderick) and his team of scientists are hot on its tail, and as Godzilla wrecks havoc, they contact the military, the mayor, and the navy, in an effort to destroy this thing before it can escape, ordering an all and out evacuation of New York. Seeing Nick on the news, Audrey recognizes him as an old collage boyfriend, and gets an idea for her big break... to get some exclusive information on the inside, and show her boss just who's controlling her life.

Unfortunately, just as she strikes up the old flame, Nick makes a horrifying discovery... Godzilla is a mother! And he (she, it?) has traveled to Manhattan to lay his eyes! Apparently the creature is asexual, and the city could be overrun with babies within mere days. Stealing a tape of confidential footage from Panama, Audrey goes public... but her superior steals her story, resulting in not only no high points for her, but Nick's job as well, as they send him packing for opening his mouth. However, he's intervened by a member of the French Secret Service, who's determined to nuke this creature once and for all. It's a matter of hours as an all-out lizard-hunt ensues to bring an end to Godzilla, and find the nest. But the city is a virtual jungle, and the beast could be anywhere... just waiting to leap out and chomp you.

If one contrasts this with the earlier release of Jurassic Park II: The Lost World, one finds many similarities, from the house-stomping big-toothed dino mutant to the Raptor babies at the end. However, one huge step forward, at least for family viewing, Godzilla is surprisingly limited to its blood and gore. Oh, there's plenty of violence -- and I mean, plenty. Men are drowned, stomped, thrown out of cars, and wiped out by Raptors in a grueling fashion, while taxi cabs and other vehicles go flying through the air, or are dismembered by fireballs. The air patrol spends about an hour shooting at the creature, torpedoes, guns, etc. The suspense is thick, keeping you riveted in your seat through the entire two hours, especially within the last half hour, as Nick, Audrey, and various side characters find themselves outrunning the beast in a battered Taxi, and constantly being outsmarted and outpaced by the lizard. 

There's an abundance of language, the most cringe-worthy being numerous abuses of deity. Parents of younger children might also be concerned with several uses of "suck," and one of "pissed off." Audrey's boss makes a subtle sexual proposition that will go over most kids' heads, and her best friend says that the man sees her as "a pair of breasts that talk." Godzilla is one of those films that you alternate between hating and liking. The characters are funny and engaging, the dialog witty (when it's not filled with bad language, that is) and the special effects are pretty cool. But it seems almost cruel to enjoy the destruction of an animal, no matter how big or bad it is. Godzilla was merely a lizard; he didn't know what he was doing that was wrong. And I actually felt sorry for him in the end, when they brutally killed him when he was helpless. Oh, sure, he chewed down on several prominent citizens, and destroyed just about every building in New York but come on... did we really need to watch him gunned down? I think the film was too long and overblown... they thought they killed him once, then blew up the little ones, and then... dad's back?

Violence, language, and a subtle line of cruelty run throughout this film, and I can guarantee, it's not for everyone, particularly animal lovers. Godzilla's big. Godzilla's bad. But he also felt pain. And while I didn't particularly want him eating our heroes, my heart sank when he discovered his children had been destroyed. I think Hollywood could have done better than that. Hey, if there's the far-out notion of a thousand-foot lizard, couldn't we go one step farther and figure out a way to transpose him to normal size?