Film #070 - Godzilla 2000 (2000)
When Toho made the 1995 film Godzilla vs. Destroyah, they intended it to be the final Godzilla film for awhile. They had recently licensed the character for a big-time Hollywood film, so didn’t want to get in the way of that proposed new franchise. Well, the Hollywood version of Godzilla, though performing well at the box office, did not win many fans among the Godzilla faithful (although I admit to being one), so as a sort of apology, Toho went right back into the Godzilla business with Godzilla 2000.
I actually went to see Godzilla 2000 in a movie theater, as it was the first Japanese Godzilla film to be theatrically released since the 1960s. And I have to say that I loved it instantly. It seemed to have everything that made the classic Godzilla series fun, while updating the visuals, but not getting bogged down into the navel-gazing and soap operas that marked the 1990s series.
Godzilla marks the beginning of the “Millenium” series; films that (with one exception) all take the original 1954 films as their starting point and maintain no continuity to any other films. So in the world of 2000, Godzilla has appeared regularly since ‘54, butno mention is made of any other monsters (Mothra, Ghidorah, etc.). It is implied that Godzilla has acted as a sort-of protector of the Earth in the past, but no specifics are made.
We meet the leaders of two very different organizations created as a reaction to Godzilla’s appearance. First, there is the Godzilla Prediction Network, led by Professor Yuji Shinoda (Takehiro Murata) and his young daughter, Io (Mayu Suzuki), which works to gather information on Godzilla in order to better understand the monster. The other is the Crisis Control Intelligence Agency (CCI), led by Mitsuo Katagiri (Hiroshi Abe) and his chief scientist (and Yuji’s former partner), Professor Shiro Miyasaka (Shirô Sano), which is dedicated to the destruction of Godzilla. Prof. Shinoda has taken on an investigative photographer, Yuki Ichinose (Naomi Nishida), determined to get a photograph of Godzilla (she’s usually stymied by radiation). Things change when Miyasaka unearths a mysterious rock underwater that eventually reveals itself to be an alien spacecraft. The alien soon proves to be a bigger threat than Godzilla, who eventually must take it on for its own protection.
Godzilla 2000 has a decent story, not too far removed from the best of the classic series. But it is with the characters that it really shines. Each of them is motivated by their own personal histories and none of them are treated as cardboard cutouts. Even the single-minded Katagiri is shown to have the best interests of all in mind, even if his methods are shown to be wrong-headed. The interaction between Yuki and the Shinodas is truly entertaining and the affection that grows between them doesn’t seem forced or unrealistic.
The portrayal of Godzilla is one of the best in years. The suit looks better than the “pinhead” that was used throughout the 90s and is, in my opinion, the best one they ever used. Godzilla is shown to be intelligent to a degree, but not as expressive as previous versions. It is also made clear why he is considered “King of Monsters”, as he uses everything at his disposal to defeat the alien, including strategy and guile.
There is a certain segment of Godzilla fandom that really doesn’t like Godzilla 2000. I can’t understand that, as I think it hits all the right notes. I suppose they could have put in more monsters, or something, but I always preferred it when, as it is here, the main story is the humans and Godzilla is just this force that everyone is dealing with. With the sophisticated imagry available at the time, together with a more classic sense of fun and adventure, Godzilla 2000 is a fine example of the series.