Godzilla

I actually enjoy Emmerich's much-maligned "Zilla." As a kid, I was obsessed with this film, and even though that obsession has waned, it's still a fun kaiju flick I like to revisit every now and then. Despite the long runtime, the movie moves along well, with an engaging plot, decent effects, and likable characters. It's the perfect movie for a laid-back Sunday afternoon. No brainpower required. (21/04/2018)

It's big, it's stupid, Roland Emmerich filmed it. No, I didn't pick that guy out, I didn't know who filmed it at first, but when I looked at this gentleman's filmography, everything was clear to me. What I don't know is how someone can spend that kind of money to promote a film in which "it's going to be big and it's going to stomp everything and sell like a plastic figurine on Uncle Donald's menu," was probably written in the script. Why Jean Reno plays in such a wretched role is a mystery to me, but then again, everyone needs to make a living... This Hollywood direction of "a lot of effects, not enough story" is an atrocity that I will avoid in the future. At least Peter Jackson and his King Kong will set a new standard. Roland, dear boy, you don’t have that much of a lack of talent to be funny like Ed Wood... You have a deficiency that bothers. (25/01/2004)

Roland Emmerich disregards the basic rule of kaiju films and immediately presents us with the monster in the first few minutes. He loses out on a strong weapon this way, which unfortunately falters over time, even with moments that are quite intense. This could still be overlooked if it weren't just nonsense with a big monster, where most scenes don't make much sense and are piled on top of each other just because of the writers. Godzilla from 2014 isn't brilliant, but it understands the genre much better and updates it for the modern era. (28/05/2014)

Godzilla is a B-movie brainchild to such an extent that the measure of its success is no longer the age-old sympathy directed towards the fascination with something monstrously powerful and seemingly invincible, but only Emmerich's traditional faith in a wide audience with a tolerance for a film that's silly and also disrespectful to its predecessors that looks so cool regardless that we'll go see it anyway, and the German demolition man knows how to do that like few others. His vision of a clash between a heroic (but surprisingly stupid) American army and a gloriously overgrown lizard, however endearingly illogical and ridiculously megalomaniacal, really does seem like a dream come true for most little boys, who at the word Godzilla imagine just as much destruction and trampled-down goons in uniform as Mr. Emmerich "sacrificed" for the film. Moreover, it's all terribly suited to the targeted humour and Jean Reno in particular, whose character eventually becomes a very iconic figure. Anyone who didn’t have fun with the superbly edited and choreographed car-Godzilla chase is not normal. In the past, enthusiasm, today, and taking into account Edwards’s epic remake, just a little harmless joy... 3 and 1/2* (26/05/2014)

Godzilla is a hit, but a slightly questionable one. It can never be taken seriously, even a little bit. Unfortunately, sometimes it seems that way (the music, the script), but if you consider the cast and the overall atmosphere, it is clear that they all had a great time on set. Technically, it is very variable, with almost perfect static shots of Godzilla in the city alternated with striking computer-generated scenes of fast chases between skyscrapers. Logically, the movie is very silly (Godzilla moving in underground tunnels?), but as an entertaining break and a showcase of all possible and impossible effects, why not? Is not that often that you see a devastated Manhattan. Roland Emmerich wanted to entertain, not frighten. (07/05/2005)