Godzilla 2000: Millennium (ゴジラ2000 ミレニアム Gojira Nisen: Mireniamu) is a 1999 Japanese science fiction kaiju film directed by Takao Okawara and written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara and Wataru Mimura. It was the twenty-third film released in the Godzilla series, and is the only film to feature Orga. The film was released on December 11, 1999. Sony Pictures Entertainment's TriStar division, having the rights to the franchise at the time, released the film in the United States and Canada in August 2000 as Godzilla 2000; the last in the main Godzilla series to make a North American theatrical run until the Legendary Pictures remake. The film ignores continuity established by any previous films, aside from the original. The film was released on DVD by Sony Pictures on December 26, 2000, also under the title Godzilla 2000. Plot Godzilla is a literal force of nature to Japan (after the incident in 1954). After Y2K, the Godzilla Prediction Network (GPN) functions independently to study the mutant dinosaur and predict his landfalls. Meanwhile, the scientists of Crisis Control Intelligence (CCI) find a sixty million year old UFO deep in the Japan Trench. As CCI attempts to raise the UFO to study it, it takes off into the sky on its own. Godzilla arrives and battles the Japan Self Defense Forces, now equipped with powerful Full Metal Missiles, but the UFO appears, searching for genetic information that only Godzilla possesses. It fights Godzilla to a standstill, driving the monster underwater, and then lands to replenish its solar power. Yuji Shinoda, the founder of the GPN, discovers the secret to Godzilla's regenerative properties (named Organizer G1 in the Japanese version, but Regenerator G1 in the North American release), but so has the UFO. It frees itself from the JSDF's attempts to contain it, and heads for Shinjuku. After landing atop Tokyo Opera City Tower, it begins to drain all the files about Godzilla from Tokyo's master computers. CCI attempts to destroy the UFO using explosive charges, but Shinoda, attempting to find out more about the aliens, is nearly caught in the blast. He survives, and joins the rest of the cast on a nearby rooftop, watching the UFO. Almost in response, the UFO broadcasts its message of invasion and creating a new empire on earth, and Shinoda reveals that the aliens are after the regenerative properties contained inside Godzilla's DNA so that they may use it to re-form their bodies. Godzilla arrives and again battles the UFO. However, he is subdued by the UFO's assault, and it absorbs some of his DNA, which the aliens use to reform themselves outside the space ship as the gigantic Millennian. However, earth's atmosphere is different to the one the Millennian used to live in and so when it exposes itself to the atmosphere, it mutates into a horrible monster named Orga. Godzilla recovers and fights Orga, which calls on the UFO to aid it in battle, but Godzilla destroys it with a blast of his atomic ray. With the UFO decimated, Godzilla continues to strike the alien being, but the damage inflicted is quickly overcome by the creature's new healing factor, a trait the beast obtained from Godzilla's DNA. Eventually gaining the upper hand, Orga drains more of Godzilla's DNA, trying to convert itself into a Godzilla clone. Finally, Orga opens its mouth, intending to swallow Godzilla whole, but Godzilla tricks it by deliberately throwing his head into its throat. While Orga begins to transform, Godzilla unleashes his nuclear pulse, beheading Orga and blowing the alien to bits. Mitsuo Katagiri, head of CCI, dies when Godzilla partially destroys the roof of the building where he, Shinoda and the scientists were observing the battle. The remaining cast on the roof wonders why Godzilla protects them, even though he attacks them and they attack him. They eventually come up with, and agree on, the theory that perhaps "there is a piece of Godzilla in all of us" as Godzilla begins rampaging through Tokyo, but not end yet. Orga Orga (オルガ Oruga) is a Millenian that mutates after absorbing Godzilla's DNA. Orga is a hunch-backed monster with a thick, rubbery gray hide; most prominent are his massive three-clawed hands, which he uses to walk like a gorilla (though only in this movie; in all of his video game appearances, Orga walks normally). He has a short, thick tail and a short neck as well. His face has a square jaw with a prominent chin, lined with rows of serrated teeth. He can fire an energy wave from the hole in its left shoulder, and he is able to leap vast distances and heights. He also has an accelerated healing factor. Finally, Orga is able to absorb an opponent's DNA through his bite to gain their abilities and appearance; and can even detach his upper and lower jaws like a snake to unfold a hidden membrane in order to swallow an enemy whole and morph into it. Cast
Box Office (Japan) Godzilla 2000 was produced on a budget of approximately $8,300,000. It opened in Japan on December 11, 1999 and grossed roughly $15,000,000 during its box office run, with approximately 2,000,000 admissions. The film was a moderate box office success, and was Japan's highest-grossing domestic release of the 1999 holiday season, partially due to the Y2K hype of the late 1990s. English Versions There were two English dubbed versions of this film. As is standard practice for Toho, the film was originally dubbed in Hong Kong for use in Toho's international version. A few lines from the international dub can be heard in the theatrical trailer for Sony's theatrical release, although the film was entirely re-dubbed by Asian-American voice actors (Schlesinger deliberately made this choice because he did not want the characters to sound like they were "from Wisconsin."). Only one line from the international version ("As long as the beer's cold, who cares?") was used in the re-dubbed North American version. Toho apparently prefers the North American version so much that the international version has never been officially released anywhere in the world. Tristar Pictures licensed Godzilla 2000 for theatrical distribution in North America. It would be the first and only Japanese Godzilla movie since Godzilla 1985 to be released in North American theaters. Mike Schlesinger, who supervised the North American release and adapted the script, said, "It (Godzilla 2000) was such a spectacular success in Japan, we decided it was worth taking a shot, maybe the time was right for Godzilla to come back to theaters."[citation needed] Sony spent approximately $1,000,000 to re-edit and dub the movie in English, and an addition $10–12 million to market. Alterations The English dubbed version of the film runs 99 minutes - eight minutes shorter in comparison to the 107-minute Japanese version. Most of these were minor edits done to improve the pacing, and the sound design of the movie was completely re-worked. J. Peter Robinson composed some new music meant to supplement Takayuki Hattori's music. The dubbing has a somewhat humorous, tongue-in-cheek tone to it, apparently in homage to Godzilla dubs of the 60s and 70s, with lines such as "Great Caesar's Ghost!", "Bite me!" and "these missiles will go through Godzilla like crap through a goose!". Some fans have criticized the English dubbed version of Godzilla 2000 for camping up what they perceive as a "serious" movie;[4] however, Toho and Takao Okawara approved all the changes to the film in advance, and various amusing sequences throughout the story (such as people comically surviving Godzilla's rampage early in the film) establish a light-hearted tone and make it evident that it wasn't meant to be taken seriously. In an interview in Video Watchdog #71, Schlesinger noted that people in real life tend to speak humorously; he also felt that giving audiences some intentionally funny dialogue would make them less inclined to laugh at the monster scenes, which were supposed to be taken seriously. Originally, the film ended with the words "The End?" in cartoonish lettering, but Mike Schlesinger and Toho rejected that. "The End?" was removed from later home video and television releases. The ending was mistakenly retained for the out of print Spanish-subtitled VHS of the film. Box Office (US) Tristar Pictures released Godzilla 2000 in 2,111 North American theatres on August 18, 2000. It grossed $4,407,720 ($2,087 per screen) in its opening weekend, on its way to a $10,037,390 final gross. Future Millennium Godzilla films would be released direct-to-DVD in North America. Critical Reception The North American release of Godzilla 2000 met with mixed to positive critical reaction. It currently holds a rating of 57% at Rotten Tomatoes among all critics. Bruce Westbrook of the Houston Chronicle said the film "taps into a now-rare and innocent sense of wonder," and that "its action scenes are well-conceived." Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "B" grade, saying that Godzilla 2000 "lands on an imaginative fault line somewhere between tackiness and awe." Jay Carr of the Boston Globe called Godzilla 2000 "a ton of fun, and then some." Lou Lumenick of the New York Post said "it's great to have the big guy back." James Berardinelli of ReelViews said the film "uses the Godzilla formula effectively" and "represents solid, campy, escapist entertainment." Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide praised the film, saying that "fans won't want to miss this addition to the canon." Susan Wloszczyna of USA Today said Godzilla 2000 "may be dull, but the familiarity of it all makes it feel ceremonial, a reassuring ritual." David Edelstein of Slate said that he "periodically tranced out," but added that "it's fun to see" and "it still manages to dispel some of the lingering stink of Roland Emmerich's 1998 remake." Stephen Holden of the New York Times wasn't impressed, saying that "only a die-hard fan of the long-running Japanese Godzilla series could love Godzilla 2000." Similarly, Stephen Hunter of the Washington Post remarked, "Godzilla, go home." Among kaiju-related websites, Stomp Tokyo said "there are some pretty impressive special effects," and concluded that "Godzilla 2000 delivers fairly well, if not spectacularly." Toho Kingdom criticized the Japanese version, saying "it’s not hard to see why Godzilla 2000 was poorly received in Japan," but added that "the US version ... is infinitely better than its poorly paced Japanese counterpart. In all, the US version made numerous badly needed cuts from the film to tighten it up."
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Yonggary (Hangul: 용가리; RR: Yonggari) is a 1999 South Korean science fiction monster film directed by Shim Hyung-rae and is a reimagining of the character Yonggary, originating from the 1967 film Yongary: Monster from the Deep. Despite being a South Korean production, the film's principal cast consists of Western actors such as Harrison Young, Donna Phillipson, Richard B. Livingston, Briant Wells, Brad Sergi, Dan Cashman, and Bruce Cornwell. Yonggary was released in South Korea on July 17, 1999 and was later re-released with an altered plot and updated special effects on January 20, 2001 as Yonggary: 2001 Upgrade Edition. The 2001 version was distributed in North America as Reptilian. The film was considered the most expensive South Korean film produced at the time of its release.
Holly confronts Campbell about the mysterious deaths and quits after Campbell refuses to launch an investigation. Dr. Hughes manages to find Holly and reveals to her about the legend of Yonggary, the alien fossil, additional hieroglyphics, and that he has been held by the US government as a "guest" for the last two years. She dismisses his claims at first but comes around after he shows her classified data concerning the alien fossil. They return to the dig site to stop Campbell but arrive too late when the alien ship sends one final beam that fully resurrects Yonggary, killing Campbell in the process. The alien ship dematerializes Yonggary and Holly and Dr. Hughes are taken into custody by Parker. Yonggary is then teleported right before them and manage to escape before a helicopter squadron engage Yonggary in battle, only to be defeated. The National Space Investigation Agency (NSIA) sends Stanley Mills to share information regarding the aliens with General Murdock and General Howell. Mills explains that a paleontologist provided the NSIA with scientific evidence that an alien civilization visited the Earth 200 million years ago and that vital information in defeated the aliens was stolen. Mills vouches in capturing the aliens alive but General Howell wishes to destroy the aliens instead. Yonggary is then teleported to a city and proceeds to go on a rampage. Dr. Hughes and Holly arrive at the UNDA base, only to be confronted by Mills, who reveals that Dr. Hughes was the paleontologist who shared his discoveries with the NSIA and later stole information from their lab. Dr. Hughes counters that he told the NSIA that the hieroglyphics were a warning and they chose to ignore them. Mills attempts to take the stolen data disc back from Dr. Hughes but fails and attempts to leave but is forced to stay by General Murdock. As the UNDA continues fighting Yonggary, the President tells General Murdock that he will give them five hours to destroy Yonggary or a nuclear bomb will be dropped on the monster. Looking at all their limited options, General Murdock orders General Thomas to dispatch his experimental Project T Forces to attack Yonggary. Dr. Hughes and Holly then decode the additional hieroglyphics and discover that the aliens are controlling Yonggary through a diamond shaped receptor on his forehead and that "another great light will be sent to do battle". As Parker and the T-Forces battle Yonggary, General Murdock is then told by the President that he has sent the bombers to nuke Yonggary, to the delight of Mills. The T-Forces then manage to break the aliens’ control over Yonggary. Mills tries to convince General Murdock to destroy him but is ignored, which forces Mills to jam the UNDA's radars unless they let him leave, however, Mills fails and is then arrested. The aliens send a new monster, Cyker, to battle Yonggary. Cyker initially gets the upper hand but Yonggary emerges victorious in the end, forcing the aliens to flee. The Generals manage to successfully stop the bomber from dropping the nuke at the last minute and the following morning, the UNDA transports Yonggary from the city to a deserted island. Cast
Production Suits were produced and used during filming but were replaced with CGI during post-production.In addition to receiving financial support from the Hyundai Capital Corp. and Korean Technology Finance Corp., the film received financial and technical support from the Korean federal government by allowing the filmmakers access to military bases, hardware, and locations such as the Historic War Museum in Seoul, a location where filming has never been permitted before. The film utilized 124 miniatures and the designers spent 6 months designing Yonggary. Sculptures of the monsters were made in 6 months which were then scanned to digital screens for 3D work. Suits were produced for the monsters but were replaced with Computer-generated imagery during post-production. The film was in production for 18 months and resulted in 45 minutes of computer graphics. 2001 Upgrade Edition After the film's successful opening, the filmmakers decided to expand the film with additional CG effects, new sets, an expanded story and additional characters, and began reshooting in December 1999. This version would later be released in early 2001 as Yonggary: 2001 Upgrade Edition and as Reptilian for its North American home video release. Marketing In 1998, a 2-minute preview titled "Yonggary 1998" was produced and shown at the Cannes Film Festival for potential international distributors, which generated interest from Warner Bros. and United International Pictures. Before entering production, the film already had prior sales of $2.72 million after signing nine contracts of copyrights with Germany, Poland, Thailand, Turkey, and others. Yonggary was given attention in magazines that were published during the festival. Release
Theatrical release Yonggary was released in South Korea on July 17, 1999. The film opened at the Korean Culture Center in Seoul, the first time a film premiered at the center, and sold 120,000 admissions on its opening day and one million admissions during its opening weekend. The film was released in 85 theaters in South Korea, the highest number for any movie released in South Korea at the time. The film was considered the most expensive South Korean film produced at the time of its release. The film was later re-released on January 20, 2001 with updated special effects and an altered story as Yonggary: 2001 Upgrade Edition, however, the re-release was a critical and commercial flop. Home media The 2001 version was released on DVD by Columbia Tristar on August 21, 2001 as Reptilian, marking the film's only home video release to date. Colombia TriStar later released the film on VHS on March 5, 2002. Reception Chuck Arrington from DVD Talk gave the film a mixed review, criticizing the film's acting and dialogue, calling it "painful". But also wrote that the film was funny enough to merit renting it. StompTokyo.com gave the film a negative review, criticizing the film's poor quality special effects, calling it "cartoonish". Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris (ガメラ3 邪神〈イリス〉覚醒 Gamera Surī Jyashin Irisu Kakusei) is a 1999 Japanese kaiju film directed and co-written by Shusuke Kaneko. The film is a sequel to Gamera 2: Attack of Legion and the eleventh feature film in the Gamera series, and the third film in the 1990s trilogy of Gamera films. The film stars Ayana Hirasaka (Ai Maeda), an emotionally troubled young girl who forms a psychic bond with a highly aggressive parasitic creature known as Iris that feeds upon her rage and hate for the giant fire-breathing turtle Gamera, who had unwittingly killed Hirsaka's parents. Gamera later defends Japan from a swarm of monsters called Gyaos after he is confronted by and battles Iris. Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris was shown at the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival and received the Mainichi Film Concours award for Best Sound Recording in Japan. The film received positive reviews from film critics who praised its special effects with many praising it as one of the best in the Gamera film series.
The girl's classmate manages to free her from Iris' cocoon, but it leaves its lair and kills half of the village's populace, later growing into its adult form. The military attempts to destroy it, but fails. Iris flies toward the city of Kyoto, where Ayana has been taken by Asakura and Kurata, with Asakura deliberately trying to use the girl to summon Iris. Iris is intercepted in mid-flight by Gamera, and the two engage in an aerial battle, but the Japanese army intervenes and knocks Gamera out of the sky with a tactical missile strike. Nagamine and Asagi, the girl once psychically linked with Gamera, retrieve Ayana and attempt unsuccessfully to get her out of Kyoto. Kurata expresses a belief that Iris had been deliberately created to defeat Gamera so that the Gyaos could wipe out modern humanity. The two monsters meet and continue their fight, but Iris easily gains the upper hand, impaling Gamera and leaving it for dead. Iris then makes its way to the train station and absorbs Ayana, killing Asakura and Kurata in the process. From within Iris' body, Ayana experiences the creature's memories and realises that her hatred and bitterness motivated it. Just as she has her epiphany, Gamera plunges its hand deep into Iris' chest and wrenches the girl free, robbing Iris of its human merge. Miss Nagamine and Asagi, trapped within the train station's wreckage, watch helplessly as Iris impales Gamera's hand and begins to syphon its blood, creating fireballs with its tentacles. Gamera blasts off its injured hand, and absorbs Iris's fireballs, forming a fiery plasma fist, which it drives into Iris' wounded chest. Iris explodes, blowing the roof off the crumbling train station. The comatose Ayana still clutched in its fist, Gamera sets the girl down where Nagamine and Asagi are hiding. The women are unable to revive her, but Gamera lets out a roar and Ayana awakens. Gamera leaves the girl wondering why it would save her life after all she had done. A swarm of Gyaos, thousands strong, begins to descend on Japan intent on destroying their greatest foe once and for all, while Gamera lets out a final roar of defiance as it stands its ground in the center of a blazing city. Cast
Production Many members of the crew who worked on Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris had previous work in the Gamera film series. Director Shusuke Kaneko directed both Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995) and Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996). Gamera 3 marks the first Gamera film that Kaneko had screenwriting credits on as he co-wrote the film with Kazunori Ito who had previously written the previous two 1990s Gamera films. The music composer Kow Otani and special effects director Shinji Higuchi was also a regular with the series, previously working on both films. Release Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris was released in Japan on March 3, 1999. The film grossed over $15 million on its release. The film had its North American premiere at G-Fest in 1999 and was also shown at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. The film did not have a wide release in North America, and was released direct-to-video on DVD on June 10, 2003 by A.D.V. Films. The film was released on Blu-ray by Mill Creek Entertainment on September 27, 2011. Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris was followed up by Gamera the Brave directed by Ryuta Tasaki in 2006. The film's plot ignores the events of the three films directed by Kaneko. Reception
In Japan, Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris won the award for Best Sound Recording at the 54th Mainichi Film Concours ceremony. Western reviewers praised the film as one of the best in the Gamera series commenting on the special effects in the film. Variety stated the film was "somewhat more elaborate" and "grittier and hipper" than Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995) and Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996) as well stating that the monster Gamera appeared "more threatening". Variety also described the special effects in the film as "good by model/miniature/animated standards" but felt that were not up to the standards of American special effects. The San Francisco Chronicle felt the film's plot was similar to an episode of The X-Files and praised the special effects in the film opining that "The special effects are terrific, although the monsters still look like guys in rubber suits. Fans of the genre wouldn't have it any other way." Film critic Tom Mes referred to the film as the best Gamera film to date, opining that the film "delivers everything a movie about huge, fighting, city-stomping monsters should have: excitement, slam-bang action sequences, beautifully designed creatures, and yes, even stunning special effects" Time felt that the film was stronger than Gamera 2: Attack of Legion, stating the film is stronger "because it has much less Gamera; there's only so much character richness, let alone fun, to be found in shell, teeth, eyes, claws, scales, etc. But the movie has thrills for those who need 'em. Toward the end, a young scientist faces Iris and his doom and, a moment before he dies, screams like a cheerleader at his own immolation: "Oh boy, is this scary? Yes!" I second that notion." Mighty Joe Young is a 1998 American adventure film based on the 1949 film of the same name. It was directed by Ron Underwood and stars Bill Paxton and Charlize Theron. In the newer film's version, the ape is much larger than in the original. The film grossed $50.6 million in the United States against a production budget of $90 million.
During a gala, Strasser's henchman, Garth, uses a poacher's noisemaker to scare Joe into a frenzy. Joe trashes the gala, with the intention of attacking Strasser, but is captured, and imprisoned in a concrete bunker. When Jill discovers that Joe may be euthanized, she accepts Strasser's offer. She and the refuge staff smuggle Joe out in a truck. Before their departure, Gregg has fallen in love with Jill and kisses her goodbye. On the way to the airport, Jill notices the half-glove covering Strasser's missing fingers and recognizes him. She fights Strasser and Garth, then jumps from the truck onto Hollywood Boulevard, leading to several automobile accidents. Joe sees her and tilts the truck over onto its side and flees. Gregg discovers that Strasser is a poacher and goes after Jill and Joe. He finds Jill, who reveals to Gregg that Strasser killed her mother and now plans to kill Joe. They track Joe to a carnival where he is playfully wreaking havoc. Strasser arrives as well and attempts to shoot Jill, but Garth, appalled at Strasser's ruthlessness, turns against him and saves Jill, causing Strasser to misfire at a spotlight, starting a fire and causing the Ferris wheel to break down. After knocking Garth unconscious, Strasser attempts to kill Jill in person, but Joe sneaks up behind them and throws Strasser onto a power line over a transformer. Short two fingers on the hand holding the wire, Strasser loses his grip and falls onto the transformer, where he is electrocuted to death. Later, at the Santa Monica Pier, Joe attempts to save a child from atop the burning wheel, but the fire burns it down and Joe and the child fall to the ground, where Joe jumps off of the burning wheel, protecting the boy and knocking himself unconscious. Joe survives the fall and awakens and Jill mentions that they need to raise money to open a preserve for him. The young boy named Jason donates some change to Jill after hearing this, prompting the rest of the crowd to contribute. Joe is returned to Uganda where Jill and Gregg open the "Joe Young Preserve." Finally free, Joe runs off into the jungle. Cast
Production Cinematographer Donald Peterman suffered head injuries, a broken leg and broken ribs in a crane accident on the film set in 1997. His camera platform plummeted 18 feet (5.5 m) to the ground when the crane snapped. A cameraman was also injured in the accident. In most of the film, Joe was portrayed by creature-suit performer John Alexander, who wore a radio-controlled animatronic gorilla mask and full body suit created by special makeup effects artist Rick Baker and his crew at Cinovation Studios. To achieve those scenes, Alexander often acted on miniature sets surrounded by blue screen; visual-effects house DreamQuest Images then composited him into footage shot earlier. Joe as an infant was performed by Verne Troyer. For certain scenes, the filmmakers used three full-sized animatronics (one in quadruped, one sitting down, and one in a dead position) also created by Baker's crew. For the digital Joe, visual-effects houses DreamQuest Images and Industrial Light & Magic worked on different scenes, using the same model provided by Baker. Many of these performances were achieved by key-frame animation, but to portray the digital Joe running and jumping, motion-capture data from an infant chimpanzee were used. Reception The film grossed $50.6 million against a production budget of $90 million. and holds a rating of 52% from Rotten Tomatoes based on 46 reviews. The site's critical consensus is: "Beguiling effects transcend a predictable plot." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 stars out of 4, saying, "Mighty Joe Young is an energetic, robust adventure tale: not too cynical, violent or fragmented for kids, not too tame for adults. After all the calculation behind "Godzilla" or "Armageddon," it has a kind of innocence. It's not about a monster but about a very big, well-meaning gorilla that just wants to be left in peace." Despite giving the film positive reviews, he also pointed out that the romance scenes and villains were only average and by no means exceptional. Common Sense Media gave the film 4 stars and said, "The 1949 RKO version of Mighty Joe Young is a tired monster film of the ape-runs-amuck variety that tried (unsuccessfully) to cash in on the popularity of King Kong. This Disney version has plenty more to offer a young audience. As Jill follows in her mom's footsteps, this environmentally-friendly story provides serious food for thought. It also provides plenty of comic relief. Joe is a feat of technical wizardry; he's so life-like that it's hard to believe he's a composite of animatronic and digital effects. Children will warm to him, especially since Joe is particularly sweet to kids. They will also enjoy Theron's and Paxton's engaging performances, and applaud (as an 8 year-old viewer did) when this couple inevitably gets together. If the climactic sequence is too intense for small children, it certainly ends happily. Mighty Joe Young turns out to be a heart-warming experience with an environmental message." Reelviews Movie Reviews gave the film 3 stars out of 4, and generally positive reviews: "Although Joe's size makes him a monster, his disposition makes him cuddly. Despite not being daring in style or story, Mighty Joe Young is nevertheless a charming and enjoyable adventure, and a rare remake that's better than the original. It may not have the box office punch to exceed the $100 million mark, but it's good enough to entertain an audience." Colin Fraser of eFilm Critic gave it 3 stars, saying, "Strictly for ten-year-olds, Mighty Joe Young has its ample heart in exactly the right place. After an opening sequence that will have kiddies reaching for Kleenex, the action soon picks up with many a thrill on the way. This is not Jurassic Park however and doesn't really deserve its Academy nomination for effects." Among those who criticized the film included Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide, who gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4 and said, "This is technology-driven spectacle: It's too shallow to really work for adults, but so slow and relentlessly serious that kids are bound to get restless. Joe himself is an amazing creation, less personable, to be sure, than the original lovelorn King Kong, but a far more fully realized character than any of the flesh and blood humans by whom he's surrounded." Paul Clinton of CNN gave it negative reviews, saying, "Great scenery, cartoonish villains, huges leaps of suspended belief, and mouthwatering shots of Charlize Theron are in plentiful supply in "Mighty Joe Young." And baby, can this boy travel. He goes from Africa to L.A. in just one dissolve. Then when he escapes he goes from Hollywood Boulevard, to the Los Angeles river, to the Pacific Palisades in seconds. If you're not familiar with L.A ... trust me ... couldn't happen." and "The gorilla is pretty impressive and expressive, but overall it's much ado about -- not much. I have a feeling this film will be fairly low on the food chain of "must see" holiday films." Stephen Holden of The New York Times gave the film generally unfavorable reviews, saying, "Mighty Joe Young, directed by Ron Underwood from a screenplay by Mark Rosenthal and Lawrence Konner, is saddled with dialogue so wooden that Mr. Paxton and Ms. Theron almost seem animatronic themselves. Little children won't notice. In Joe, they can identify with the biggest, cuddliest simian toy a 6-year-old could ever hope to own." Dustin Putman gave it 2 stars out of 4 and negative reviews, saying, "Mighty Joe Young is an agreeable time-waster for older kids (it's much too violent for the youngest viewers) and perhaps some adults, but in a season when children could also choose to see the marvelous "The Prince of Egypt," and adults could pick any number of far superior films, "Mighty Joe Young" simply pales in comparison. Although you could certainly do much worse, there is only one really distinctive quality about the film, and that is Charlize Theron's charismatic performance."
Mighty Joe Young also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects, losing to What Dreams May Come. Rebirth of Mothra 3 (モスラ 3 キングギドラ来襲 Mosura Surī Kingu Gidora Raishū, released in Japan as Mothra 3: Invasion of King Ghidorah) is a 1998 Japanese tokusatsu kaiju film featuring Mothra, produced and distributed by Toho. The film is directed by Okihiro Yoneda and is the third and final film in the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy. The film was released in Japan on December 12, 1998.
Thankfully, at Moll and Lora's calling, Rainbow Mothra arrives and begins to battle King Ghidorah, but the three headed demon's ancient powers render all of Mothra's attacks useless and the King of Terror proceeds to easily dominate Rainbow Mothra, who only just escapes. Later, Moll and Lora encounter Ghidorah, who infects Lora with its evil by staring into Lora's eyes. Under Ghidorah's spell, Lora attacks Moll and attempts to drag them both into the dome. However, Fairy Mothra flies down towards the dome and saves Moll before she falls into it. Belvera, intrigued by Ghidorah's arrival, gets too close to the dome and is dragged inside with her pet henchmen, Garu-Garu, by little serpent beings. The monster then wreaks havoc in the city. Meanwhile, Moll and Fairy Mothra encounter Shota, who discovered that his brother Shuehei and sister Tamako are among the many children trapped inside the dome. Moll tells Shota about Ghidorah's plan to use the children's life force to feed upon. She convinces him to accompany her and meet their only hope, the recovering Rainbow Mothra. Moll and Rainbow Mothra communicate telepathically, discussing their options. It is agreed that Rainbow Mothra cannot defeat Ghidorah in its current form and so it is decided that he must travel to a time when the dinosaurs still walked the Earth, and when the three-headed dragon had visited from space for the first time, then less powerful, to feed upon the Earth's life-force. Rainbow Mothra turns into AquaMothra and, with Moll giving the creature all of her powers, the massive insect turns into Light Speed Mothra and breaks through the boundaries of time and travel to confront Ghidorah, some 65 million years in the past. Moll gives Shota her sword and asks him to go inside the dome to find Lora, and to convince her to use her powers to help Mothra. After Shota reluctantly agrees, Moll languishes and, with her powers totally depleted from helping Mothra time-travel, falls into a state of suspended animation, her body taking on the appearance of frosted glass. Shota allows Ghidorah to capture him so he can find Lora in the dome. There, Lora encounters a worried Belvera, who tells her that Ghidorah plans to destroy the Earth. Lora takes the triangular unit that Belvera had and uses it to transform her sword. Still under Ghidorah's spell, the two fairies engage in a sword fight, with Belvera begging Lora to see reason and to work with her, but to no avail. Shota finds Lora, but she attacks him and attempts to stab him with her sword. Belvera warns Lora not to do it as Shota reminds her that she loves children deeply. Soon, Ghidorah's spell breaks and Lora falls into Shota's hands, her sword then combining with Moll's. Belvera finally realizes that the Alias triangle represents the three of them, uses the last remaining triangular unit to transform her sword, and then combines her sword with both Lora's and Moll's. Using the new superpower sword, she attempts to break open the dome as Lora recovers. Light Speed Mothra appears in the age of the dinosaurs and turns back into Rainbow Mothra. Another fight between her and Ghidorah takes place. After originally holding the advantage, Rainbow Mothra is badly wounded. The dome shakes violently and realizing that Rainbow Mothra is losing the battle, Shota asks Lora to use her powers to help the creature. As Lora sings, Rainbow Mothra energizes and manages to immobilize Ghidorah long enough to pick it up and drop it into a nearby volcano, but not before a severed piece of Ghidorah's tail burrows itself into the ground. The volcano erupts with Ghidorah in it, destroying the monster. Rainbow Mothra is hurled out of the exploding volcano, crashes to the ground and dies. Back in the present time, Ghidorah and the dome disappear, freeing the children and the fairies. Shota reunites with Shuehei and Tamako and they join Belvera and Lora as they sadly kneel by the body of Moll, unsure of how they can save her. Back in the past, three Primitive Mothra larvae arrive and wrap the body of Rainbow Mothra in a time-capsule cocoon. Back in the present, Belvera expresses concern to Lora, noting that if Ghidorah is really destroyed, the current course of events would have changed. Suddenly, Ghidorah appears in the sky amidst a massive fireball. This is the other Ghidorah which grew from the severed tail of the creature killed by Rainbow Mothra in the past. The new Ghidorah starts to capture children again. Meanwhile, Belvera convinces Lora to join her in battle, and the two distracts Ghidorah with Fairy Mothra. Suddenly, the time-capsule cocoon explodes from a mountain and Rainbow Mothra emerges, this time as Armor Mothra, a formidable version with armour plating all over it. Another battle takes place, and this time, Ghidorah is no match for his opponent, who slices Ghidorah's wing off and then disintegrates the monster. Armor Mothra then communicates with Belvera and Lora, telling them to join their powers and, using the sword, to bring Moll back to life. The fairies do as they are told and, as a result, the sword vanishes and Moll revives, as Lora and Belvera smile. The touching reunion between the three sisters is short-lived, as Belvera calls for Garugaru and flies off. All the children are released once again and reunited with their parents. Shota, Shuehei, Tamako and their parents watch as Moll and Lora ride away with Fairy Mothra, and Armor Mothra, now transformed as Eternal Mothra, flies into the sunset. Cast
Home media releases Blu-ray Sony (Toho Godzilla Collection)
Production
Godzilla is a 1998 American science fiction monster film directed and co-written by Roland Emmerich. It was a reimagining of the popular Japanese film monster of the same name. The screenplay was written by Emmerich and Dean Devlin. The plot of the film revolves around a giant reptilian monster, mutated by nuclear tests in the French Polynesia, who migrates to New York City to nest its young. The cast features Matthew Broderick, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, Kevin Dunn and Jean Reno. The film was a co-production between Centropolis Entertainment and TriStar Pictures, with TriStar distributing theatrically, and Sony Pictures Entertainment for home media. On May 19, 1998, the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released Epic Records. It features songs written by several recording artists including The Wallflowers, Rage Against the Machine, Silverchair, and Foo Fighters. The film score was composed and orchestrated by David Arnold. Godzilla premiered in theaters nationwide in the United States on May 20, 1998 grossing $136,314,294 in domestic ticket receipts. It earned an additional $242,700,000 through international release to top out at a combined $379,014,294 in gross revenue. The film was met with a negative reception from critics and fans alike. The negative reception highlighted by critics included the film's thin plot, acting, and directing while fans targeted the film's drastic reinvention of the titular character, which included its radical redesign and departure from the source material. Because of this, the film was nominated for and won multiple Raspberry Awards, including Worst Remake or Sequel, but received recognition in the field of computer-generated imagery by winning the Saturn Award for Best Special Effects. Planned sequels were abandoned, despite a well-received animated series airing September 12, 1998 on the Fox Kids network. In later years, Emmerich's "Godzilla" became recognized as a separate, stand-alone character (unrelated to Godzilla) and was officially renamed Zilla by Toho, the character's parent owners, and has been featured in the original Godzilla universe. Plot Following a nuclear incident in French Polynesia, a lizard's nest is irradiated by the fallout of subsequent radiation. Decades later, a Japanese fishing vessel is suddenly attacked by an enormous sea creature in the South Pacific ocean and only one seaman survives. Traumatized, he is questioned by a mysterious Frenchman in a hospital regarding what he saw, to which he replies, "Gojira". Dr. Niko "Nick" Tatopoulos (Broderick), an NRC scientist, is in the Chernobyl exclusion zone in Ukraine researching the effects of radiation on wildlife, but is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of an official from the U.S. State Department. He is sent to Tahiti and Jamaica, escorted by the military, to observe the wreckage of the recovered Japanese fishing trawler with massive claw marks on it. The Frenchman is also present, observing the scene, and introduces himself as Philippe Roché (Reno), an insurance agent. Aboard a military aircraft, Dr. Tatopoulos identifies skin samples he discovered in the shipwreck as belonging to an unknown species. He dismisses the military's theory that the creature is a living dinosaur, instead deducing that it is a mutant created by nuclear testing. The large reptilian creature dubbed as "Godzilla" by the media, travels to New York City leaving a path of destruction in its wake. The city is evacuated as the military attempts to kill it but fails in an initial attempt. Dr. Tatopoulos later collects a blood sample and assumes that Zilla reproduces asexually and is collecting food for its offspring. Aspiring journalist and ex-girlfriend of Dr. Tatopoulos, Audrey Timmonds (Pitillo), uncovers a classified tape in his provisional military tent which concerns the origins of the lizard. Her superior Charles Caiman (Shearer) however, declares the tape as his own media discovery. The tape is broadcast on television embarrassing the military on the sensitive nature of the situation. Dr. Tatopoulos' team is kidnapped by Roché, who reveals himself to be an agent of the DGSE, the French foreign intelligence agency. He and his colleagues have been keeping close watch on the events and are planning to cover up their country's role in the nuclear accident that spawned the creature. Suspecting a nest somewhere in the city, they cooperate with Dr. Tatopoulos to trace and destroy it. Following a chase with Zilla, the creature dives into the Hudson River where it is attacked by Navy submarines. After sustaining head-on collisions with torpedoes, the beast sinks after being rendered incapacitated. Believing it is finally dead, the authorities celebrate. Dr. Tatopoulos and Roché's special operations team, covertly followed by Timmonds and her cameraman Victor "Animal" Palotti (Azaria), make their way through underground subway tunnels to Madison Square Garden. There, they locate 200 eggs, having finally found the nest. As they attempt to destroy them by planting explosives, the eggs suddenly hatch. Sensing the human intruders as food, they begin attacking them. Dr. Tatopoulos, Palotti, Timmonds and Roché take refuge in the coliseum's broadcast booth and send a live news report to alert the military of what will happen if the lizards escape. A prompt response involving an airstrike is initiated as the four escape moments before the arena is bombed. Zilla however, survived the torpedo attack earlier underwater and emerges from the venue's ruins. Discovering all of its offspring dead, it roars in anger and chases Dr. Tatopoulos, Roché, Timmonds and Palotti through the streets of Manhattan. In pursuit of the quartet, Zilla eventually makes its way to the Brooklyn Bridge. The creature becomes trapped in its steel suspension cables, making it an easy target. After being successfully struck with missiles by military aircraft, it collapses (smashing the cab under its jaw) and slowly dies. Meanwhile, amidst the Garden's ruins, a lone egg has survived the aerial bombardment and begins to hatch. Cast
Production Development The first talk of an American-produced Godzilla film started in the early 1980s when director Steve Miner received special permission from Toho to produce an American Godzilla 3D feature film. Miner tried to find backers to finance the project, presenting concept art and storyboards from artist William Stout and a full screenplay written by Fred Dekker. Despite igniting some interest in Hollywood, studios were unwilling to gamble on Miner's proposed $30 million budget and the film rights died in 1983. In 1992, TriStar Pictures acquired the rights to Godzilla from Toho to produce a trilogy of American Godzilla films, with the promise of "remaining true to the original series—cautioning against nuclear weapons and runaway technology." Screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio were tapped to write the script and submitted their final draft in late 1994. Earlier that year, Jan de Bont became attached to direct and began pre-production on the film for a 1996 summer release. De Bont's Godzilla would have had the character's atomic origins discarded and replaced as an artificial creation constructed by Atlantians to fend humanity against a shape shifting extraterrestrial monster called "The Gryphon" and having the final showdown on Ellis Island. Stan Winston and his company were employed to do the effects for the film. Winston crafted sculptures of Godzilla, in vein of the original design, and the rival monster, The Gryphon. De Bont later left the project after TriStar refused to approve his budget of $100–120 million. Prior to the release of Independence Day, director Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin signed on to do Godzilla under the condition they would be able to handle the film "their way." Emmerich and Devlin discarded Elliott and Rossio's script and provided a new script where the Godzilla character in general was rewritten as a whole. Production began in May 1997, in New York City, and moved to Los Angeles in June. Scenes in New York were filmed in 13 days; tropical scenes were filmed in the Hawaiian Islands. Patrick Tatopoulos was contacted early on by Emmerich and asked to design the new Godzilla. According to Tatopoulos, the only specific instructions Emmerich gave him was that it should be able to run incredibly fast. Godzilla, originally conceived as a robust, erect-standing, plantigrade reptilian sea monster, was reimagined by Tatopoulos as a lean, digitigrade bipedal iguana-like creature that stood with its back and tail parallel to the ground. Godzilla's color scheme was designed to reflect and blend in with the urban environment. At one point, it was planned to use motion capture from a human to create the movements of the computer-generated Godzilla, but it ended up looking too much like a human in a suit. Soundtrack The soundtrack featuring alternative rock music was released on May 19, 1998 by Epic Records. It was a success on the music charts, peaking at number 2 on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum on June 22, 1998. The original score was composed by David Arnold. The film's score was not released on CD until 9 years later, when it went on sale as a complete original film score in 2007 by La La Land Records. Release Theatrical Run In interviews promoting The Day After Tomorrow, Emmerich admitted regretting the production of Godzilla, particularly due to the rushed shooting schedule that was required for a Memorial Day weekend release and the studio's insistence on not test-screening the film. However, he defended the film as better than critics gave it credit for, as it was financially successful, and out of all the films he directed, it was the one which parents told him their children enjoyed the most. At its release, the film was much criticized by Godzilla fans the world over. Kenpachiro Satsuma, the actor who portrayed Godzilla in the Heisei series (1984–1995) walked out of a Tokyo screening and told reporters that, "It's not Godzilla, it does not have the spirit". Home Media Following its cinematic release in theaters, the Region 1 widescreen edition of the film was released on DVD in the United States on November 3, 1998. Special features for the DVD include; photo galleries, visual effects and special FX supervisor commentaries, the music video of "Heroes" by The Wallflowers, Behind the Scenes of Godzilla with Charles Caiman, theatrical trailers, a featurette, director/producer and cast biographies, a photo gallery, music video, and Godzilla Takes New York (before and after shots). Additionally, a special edition DVD was also released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on March 28, 2006. The DVD contains all of the above features as well as the "All-Time Best of Godzilla Fight Scenes" featurette, 3 episodes from Godzilla: The Animated Series, and a "never-before-seen" production art gallery. The widescreen high-definition Blu-ray Disc version of the film was released on November 10, 2009. Special features include the visual effects commentary, the "Behind the Scenes of Godzilla with Charles Caiman" and "All Time Best of Godzilla Fight Scenes" featurettes, as well as the music video of "Heroes" by The Wallflowers. A supplemental viewing option for the film in the media format of video on demand is available as well. The film was re-released on Blu-ray 1080p "Mastered in 4K" format on July 16, 2013. Reception Box Office Godzilla premiered in cinemas on May 20, 1998 in wide release throughout the United States for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Godzilla was initially projected to break the four-day Memorial Day long weekend opening record of $90 million (set by The Lost World: Jurassic Park a year earlier). Instead, it grossed $55,726,951 in business showing at 3,310 locations over the four-day weekend. The film Deep Impact opened in second place during that weekend with $19,381,788 in revenue. The film's revenue dropped by 59% in its second week of release, earning $18,020,444. For that particular weekend, the film remained in first place as the romantic drama Hope Floats overtook Deep Impact for second place with $14,210,464 in box office business. During its final week in release, Godzilla opened in 19th place grossing $202,157. For that weekend, Lethal Weapon 4 starring Mel Gibson made its debut, opening in first place with $34,048,124 in revenue. Godzilla went on to top out domestically at $136,314,294 in total ticket sales through an eight-week theatrical run. Internationally, the film took in an additional $242,700,000 in business for a combined worldwide total of $379,014,294. For 1998 as a whole, the film was the ninth highest grossing film domestically and the third-highest grossing film worldwide. Critical Response Among mainstream critics in the U.S., the film received generally negative reviews. Rotten Tomatoes reported that only 25% of 63 sampled critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 4.7 out of 10. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average out of 100 to critics' reviews, the film received a score of 32 based on 23 reviews. In 1999, at the Huntley Hotel Garden Room in Santa Monica, California, the film won Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Supporting Actress for Pitillo and Worst Re-Make or Sequel. The film was also nominated for Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay. Barbara Shulgasser, writing in The San Francisco Examiner, said in a one star review, "OK. Maybe the special effects are slightly more sophisticated than they were in Jurassic Park, but the techno-stuff is all getting a bit boring. When a movie is nothing but relentless action, there's little chance for dramatic tension to develop." She wrote that the film was, "devoid of any discernible plot logic." Mick LaSalle in the San Francisco Chronicle, wrote that the film was "an overblown action monstrosity with no surprises, no exhilaration and no thrills... What passes for thrills is a succession of scenes lifted and extended from Jurassic Park and The Lost World. Godzilla, shot mostly from the waist down, steps on cars and strafes the sides of buildings with his tail." Rita Kempley of The Washington Post, said the film "neither draws upon our fears nor revels in the original's camp charms. The picture really isn't about anything unless it is the deep pockets and shallow minds of the honchos who begat this colossal bore." She wrote further, "Size vanquishes both substance and subtlety in the overhyped, half-cocked and humorless resurrection of dear old Godzilla. It might well be titled Iguana Get You Sucka The film however, was not without its supporters. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times, wrote that the film was an "An expertly designed theme park ride of a movie that packs nonstop thrills." In a slightly positive fashion, Gary Kamiya of Salon.com commented that "The plot is about as ridiculous as you'd expect, but for the most part its absurdities are tolerable." Joe Leydon of Variety, contributed mildly to the positive sentiment by saying "Throughout Godzilla, New York endures the most sustained rainfall in all of movie history. Most of the action takes place at night, but even the daytime scenes unfold under darkly overcast skies, which, of course, makes it all the easier for Emmerich to obscure Godzilla's features for the maximum amount of time to generate the maximum amount of suspense." Writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert gave the film one-and-a-half stars out of four, bluntly noting that "One must carefully repress intelligent thought while watching such a film. The movie makes no sense at all except as a careless pastiche of its betters (and, yes, the Japanese Godzilla movies are, in their way, better - if only because they embrace dreck instead of condescending to it). You have to absorb such a film, not consider it. But my brain rebelled, and insisted on applying logic where it was not welcome." In an entirely negative review, James Berardinelli writing for ReelViews, called the film "one of the most idiotic blockbuster movies of all time, it's like spitting into the wind. Emmerich and Devlin are master illusionists, waving their wands and mesmerizing audiences with their smoke and mirrors. It's probably too much to hope that some day, movie-goers will wake up and realize that they've been had." Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote that the film "is so clumsily structured it feels as if it's two different movies stuck together with an absurd stomping finale glued onto the end. The only question worth asking about this $120 million wad of popcorn is a commercial one. How much further will the dumbing down of the event movie have to go before the audience stops buying tickets?" Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post queried, "The question is this: Are the awe-inspiring creature effects and roaring battle scenes impressive enough to make you forget the stupid story, inaccurate science and basic implausibility?" Thoughtfully disillusioned, he wrote, "The cut-rate cast seems to have been plucked from the pages of TV Guide. There's Doug Savant from Melrose Place as O'Neal, a scaredy-cat military man who looks like Sgt. Rock and acts like Barney Fife. There's Maria Pitillo (House Rules) as Nick's soporific love interest, Audrey; The Simpsons‚ Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer as a wise-cracking news cameraman and superficial reporter; Vicki Lewis of NewsRadio as a lusty scientist. Shall I continue?" However, in a more upbeat tone, Owen Gleiberman writing for Entertainment Weekly thought "There's no resonance to the new Godzilla, and no built-in cheese value, either. For a while, the filmmakers honor the sentimental paradox that seeped into the later Godzilla films: that this primitive destroyer, like King Kong, doesn't actually mean any harm." He opined that the film contained "some clever and exciting sequences", but ultimately came to the conclusion that, "It says much about today's blockbuster filmmakers that they could spend so much money on Godzilla and still fail to do justice to something that was fairy-tale destructo schlock to begin with." Film critic Aladino Debert of Variety was consumed with the nature of the special effects exclaiming, "the title creature is wonderfully designed and the animation is excellent." Complimenting the technical aspects of the film, he summarized, "The integration of the lizard into its surroundings is for the most part very well accomplished, with rigged cars collapsing under the massive weight of Godzilla, and buildings either demolished or partially damaged. The compositing of the debris and pyrotechnics is generally good, especially when the monster runs or walks on the streets: The asphalt gives way convincingly every time the massive feet touch the ground, and a variety of CGI elements are seamlessly composited. Debris flies off buildings with every touch of the monster." Veteran Godzilla actors, Haruo Nakajima and Kenpachiro Satsuma were also critical of the film and its character. Nakajima stated "its face looks like an iguana and its body and limbs look like a frog." Satsuma walked out of the Japanese premiere of the film and commented, "it’s not Godzilla, it doesn’t have his spirit." The "Godzilla" on the film was considered so different from the original Godzilla that the term GINO, "Godzilla In Name Only", was coined by critic Richard Pusateri to distinguish the character apart from the original Godzilla. Toho (Godzilla's parent owners) later recognized the creature as a totally different monster and officially renamed it as Zilla for later appearances. In a 2012 interview with Entertainment Weekly, co-writer and producer Dean Devlin admitted to "screwing up" his version of Godzilla. He commented, "I know I screwed up my Godzilla. I'd be very happy if they pull it off and do a great one. I always wish I had another shot at it. But, listen, Godzilla is something that I grew up loving. We worked hard to go make one. We kind of blew it. I think everyone gets one." In an interview with Bloody Disgusting, Devlin blamed the script he and director Emmerich co-wrote, stating, "I think the problem with that movie was the script I wrote. I think Roland did an amazing job directing it, I think the actors are great, I think when people look back now on the Blu-ray and see the visual effects, it's a lot better than what people said at the time. The problem was the script! I made some big errors in that script. I wish I hadn't, I wish I had a chance to fix it." When asked about his thoughts on Gareth Edwards' upcoming Godzilla film, Devlin has expressed his support of the project, having said, "I'm happy. You know, to get another shot at getting that one right, I understand why they want to do it, and I really hope the best (for them). I hope they get it right." He also added, "I wish them nothing but the best. I would love it if the whole Godzilla franchise was revitalized for a new generation." Sequels Canceled Sequels TriStar planned to produce a trilogy of American Godzilla films upon acquiring the license for Godzilla in 1992. TriStar went as far as tapping Tab Murphy to write a treatment for a sequel. Not much is known about the third installment in the trilogy, but the second movie, 'Godzilla 2,' would involve the friendlier offspring that survived in the 1998 movie fighting a giant insect named 'Queen Bitch.' However, due to the overwhelming negative reception the first film received and a lack of enthusiasm from fans, audiences, theater owners, and licensees, the planned sequels were abandoned and the rights to Godzilla sat on TriStar's shelf until they expired in 2003. Animated Series An animated series was produced as a continuation of the storyline of the film. In the series, Dr. Tatopoulos accidentally discovers the egg that survived the aerial bombardment before it hatches, in a minor change from the ending in the 1998 film. The creature hatches after Nick Tatopoulos stumbles onto it as it assumes him as its parent. Subsequently, Dr. Tatopoulos and his associates form a research team, investigating strange occurrences and defending mankind from dangerous mutations. Actor Ian Ziering voiced the character of Dr. Tatopoulos throughout the series. Rebirth of Mothra II (モスラ2 海底の大決戦 Mosura Tsū Kaitei no Daikessen, released in Japan as Mothra 2: The Battle Under the Deep Sea) is a 1997 Japanese tokusatsu kaiju film featuring Mothra, produced and distributed by Toho. The film is directed by Kunio Miyoshi and is the second film in the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy. It was the last tokusatsu film in which Koichi Kawakita served as director of special effects. The film was released in Japan on December 13, 1997.
Moll and Lora calls Mothra Leo, who nearly succeeded in defeating Dagahra, until the sea monster took the battle underwater where it was in its element. Dagahra incapacitated Leo by covering him with Barem. Leo landed on the newly raised Ninai Kanai temple, but before Dagahra could give the killing blow, the structure activated and defended Leo. With Leo covered in Barem and powerless, Dagahra goes on a destructive rampage. Inside the temple, Moll, Lora and the three kids attempt to find the treasure, while Belvera and the two controlled fishermen try to thwart their mission. After stealing some jewels they've found, the fishermen inadvertently unlock a gateway and awaken the Princess of Ninai Kanai. The Princess tells the three Elias sisters that Earth must be protected and saved, that the children are the hope of future generations and reveals that Ghogo is the lost treasure. Moll and Lora then use Ghogo's energy to revive Mothra Leo and, as a result, turn the hero into Rainbow Mothra. Leo was then able to destroy the Barem covering his body. After taking a severe beating, Dagahra once again retreated into the water, where Rainbow Mothra turned into Aqua Mothra. This time Rainbow Mothra's new form allowed him to overpower the sea monster. He finally finishes his battle with Dagahra by splitting into thousands of miniature Aqua Mothras; entering Dagahra's body and destroying the Barem producing there, and without the Barem, Dagahra self-destructs. Meanwhile, the temple begins to collapse. With the building crumbling over them, Moll and Lora ride onto Fairy to safety, while Belvera releases control of the fishermen, who helps the children escape. The Princess raises Dagahra's body and drops it onto the temple, reducing everything into a wave of water. Aqua Mothra then returns to his single form, and then back into Rainbow Mothra; saving the world once again. Cast
Home media releases Blu-ray Sony (Toho Godzilla Collection)
Production
Rebirth of Mothra (モスラ Mosura, released in Japan simply as Mothra) is a 1996 Japanese tokusatsu kaiju film featuring Mothra, produced and distributed by Toho. The film is directed by Okihiro Yoneda and serves as a reboot of the Mothra film series and is the first installment in the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy. It is also the last kaiju film produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka, who produced various kaiju films featuring Mothra, Godzilla, and others. The film was released in Japan on December 14, 1996.
Belvera prevailed and managed to release Desghidorah from its rocky tomb to exact her warped plans for destruction of the human race. Mothra was summoned to halt the detestable dragon, which was absorbing the life out of the environment. She fought a long and difficult battle to repel her ancient adversary, and in response to her declining strength, her young son, named Mothra Leo, hatched prematurely to assist his mother. Though his energized silk seemed to turn the tide of battle in the favor of the protectors, Desghidorah sank the teeth of two of his heads deep into Leo and Mothra became desperate. She quickly airlifted her son to safety, and to keep Desghidorah at bay, lured the beast to a dam. With Desghidorah distracted by a wall of raging water, Mothra carried her son to safety. Unfortunately, Mothra's wounds, age, and exhaustion were ultimately too much. Her strength failed, and she plummeted into the sea below. The crestfallen larva attempted to save his beloved mother, but she died in the ocean, to no avail. Angered, the young moth created a cocoon and began to change into his adult form. Desghidorah had to be defeated; his mother's death couldn't be in vain. Desghidorah then goes on a rampage, destroying everything in its path as the humans watch helplessly. Moll and Lora, who had befriended Taiki and Wakaba, encourage them to have hope that reminded them that Mothra will be reborn to save the Earth. Fortunately, Leo emerged into his adult form as a swarm of multi-colored butterflies. As the butterflies coalesced into one massive insect, Leo took to the air and headed back towards Desghidorah, righteous fury burning in his wake. Arriving in a hail of energy beams, Leo relentlessly blasted his mother's murderer, throwing wave upon wave of searing beams and energy blasts at Desghidorah, who could only feebly attempt to defend himself against this, the most powerful Mothra of all time. Drawing upon an ancient legacy, Leo relentlessly assaulted Desghidorah, eventually renewing the seal that bound the world destroyer beneath the soil of the earth; but his work was not done with the end of the fight. Drawing upon the power of life that filled his very being, Leo restored the balance to a blasted region that was deforested during the assault of Desghidorah. His work done for the time being, Leo went to his ancestral home and planet Earth was once again safe from Desghidorah. Moll and Lora thanked the children for helping them on their journey and returned home to Infant Island with their pet, Fairy, as Belvera, still vengeful, escaped into a hole in a tree. Cast
Release Rebirth of Mothra was released in Japan on December 14, 1996 where it was distributed by Toho. By January 1997, Rebirth of Mothra grossed 1.15 billion yen in Japan. It was followed up with a sequel the following year with Rebirth of Mothra II. Home media Rebirth of Mothra was released directly to video in the United States. It was released with an English dub by Columbia/Tri Star Home Video on August 3, 1999. It was released on DVD on February 1, 2000 as a double feature with Rebirth of Mothra II. Both films were only available with an English-dub. A triple feature of all three Rebirth of Mothra films was released on blu-ray by Sony on September 9, 2014 with both the Japanese and English voice tracks. Production
Gamera 2: Attack of Legion ( ガメラ2 レギオン襲来 / Gamera Tsū: Region Shūrai, also known as Gamera 2: Advent of Legion and Gamera 2: Assault of Legion) is a 1996 kaiju film directed by Shusuke Kaneko. It is a sequel to Gamera: Guardian of the Universe and the tenth entry in the Gamera film series. The film introduces Legion, a race of insectoid extraterrestrials that invade Earth, prompting Gamera to come to the planet's defense. It was followed by Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris.
Working together with the swift-minded Miss Honami, he realizes that the aliens are building a huge biological launchpad: the increased oxygen will aid the creatures in exploding the flower, catapulting its seed into space so that they can colonize yet another world. The military can only watch helplessly, as any attempt to destroy the plant would destroy all of Sapporo. Just as all hope is lost, Gamera emerges from the sea and heads toward the besieged city. He tears the flower out by its roots, but is ambushed by a swarm of the alien insect soldiers. As Gamera thrashes to rid himself of the attacking insects, a nearby soldier names them "Legion," in reference to something similar about a person possessed by many evil spirits called Legion mentioned in the Holy Bible. Gamera is forced to retreat, just as the monstrous Legion queen bursts out of the ground and flies off to start a second hive. Her wings are damaged by fighter jets but she survives. Again a Legion flower blooms, this time in Sendai, and again Gamera attempts to stop its explosion. He is intercepted, however, by Legion. Legion makes short work of Gamera, impaling him with her sharp legs and blasting him with her horn beam. Sensing the detonation of her pod approaching, Legion leaves Gamera for dead and burrows off. Gamera limps toward the plant, destroying it by knocking it down before it launches its seed into space. The flower explodes and completely annihilates Sendai, seemingly killing Gamera. Japan's military and scientists race to find Legion's weakness, but have so far found only one clue: the smaller symbiotic Legion are attracted to any electromagnetic source, such as a power line. While this may enable the army to distract them, it has the unfortunate side-effect of drawing them to Tokyo. Asagi visits the ruined city where Gamera lies comatose and as she tries to reach out to him, the orihalcum pendant that enables their bond shatters. Gamera awakens, but at the sacrifice of his human connection. Legion marches on to Tokyo with the intention of planting a third and final flower, but Gamera heads her off in the outskirts. She spawns a swarm of insect soldiers against him, but the military manages to draw them off and destroy them with an electric distraction. Gamera and Legion fight all over the suburbs, and the military lobs a few missiles at Legion in aid. Finally, Gamera manages to tear off Legion's horn, and she momentarily collapses in defeat. Suddenly, Legion rises up and fires laser whips from her stump into Gamera. On the verge of defeat, Gamera then looks into the sky and roars, and light begins to shine down upon him. As Legion closes in, Gamera's chest opens up and fires a powerful plasma beam. Legion is hit by the blast and is blown apart. Gamera glances toward the human onlookers, and then ascends into the morning sky. As they watch Gamera fades into the distance, mankind is unsettled by his power, and trembles lest he should ever view humanity as an enemy. Cast
Release
Gamera 2: Attack of Legion was released theatrically in Japan on July 13, 1996 where it was distributed by Toho. It was released directly to video in the United States in 2003 by ADV Films. Reception The film was the first daikaiju film to win the Nihon SF Taisho Award (the Japanese Nebula Award) in 1996. This decision sparked a fierce debate in the Japanese Science Fiction community, with many critics arguing that it signaled the death of Japanese SF literature. Zarkorr! The Invader is a 1996 direct-to-video monster film directed by Michael Deak and Aaron Osborne, and produced by Full Moon Entertainment.
It is believed to be unopenable, but it opens by itself for Tommy as he touches it. He uses the top of the capsule as a shield, reflecting Zarkorr's laser rays back at him, and the monster dissolves into a small glowing sphere flying into space. Tommy is taken to a hospital to recover; a TV reporter congratulates him for saving the world, and he jokes he might run for president. Cast
Production
The effects for Zarkorr were created using a man in a rubber suit, similar to that of the Godzilla series. The costume was designed by Jodi Zimelman. The sound effect used for Zarkorr's roar is the same as the roar of the Tyrannosaurus Rex from Jurassic Park. Critical reception Zarkorr! The Invader received negative reviews from critics, but has a cult following who tend to praise the monster Zarkorr, but not the movie as a whole. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 13% of critics have given the film a positive review based out of 1 review, with an average rating of 1.3/5. |
Release Dates
November 2023
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