Godzilla 2000 [Blu-ray]

This review is for the Blu-Ray edition of 'Godzilla 2000'TIMELINE: This is the 23rd of 29 live action Godzilla movies made by Toho. It is the 24th of 31 live action Godzilla movies overall. It is also the 1st and film in the 'Millennium' series of Godzilla movies. As of the time of this review, the 32nd live action movie Godzilla movie, 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' is due out shortly. This movie exists in it's own universe with only the 1954 original movie in the same universe.BLU-RAY & EXTRA'S: The Blu-ray pictures is decent but not extraordinary. This movie is shown in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio for the Japanese version and a 2.40:1 aspect ratio for the U.S. version.For extra's, you get a behind the scenes featurette, a trailer, and a filmmaker and crew commentary.*****WARNING - LOTS OF SPOILERS BELOW*****WHAT MONSTERS APPEAR IN THIS MOVIE?Orga/UFO: Orga starts out as a UFO. Supposedly it came to earth at about the time when the dinosaur's went extinct. It remained in hibernation due to the fact that it needs sunlight and it wasn't getting any at the bottom of the ocean. Once it turns into it's Orga form, it has the ability to regenerate it's body parts. It has a cannon on it's left side which fires a 'wave motion beam'. Orga evolves, so it has no real form. It can absorb DNA from other creatures and change.PLOT/SUMMARY: Shinoda and his daughter, Io, work on their own for the (GPNMU) Godzilla Prediction Network Mobile Unit. They are out with a reporter, Yuki. Nearby, Godzilla destroys a shipping vessel near a lighthouse. Godzilla makes landfall and nearly ends up killing the small group in their vehicle.Out in the ocean, a submarine goes hunting for a mysterious, very large, meteorite. The meteorite is brought to the surface by the Crisis Control Agency, headed by a man named Katagiri. Godzilla heads for a nuclear reactor and Katagiri heads there along with Miyasaka, who used to work with Shinoda. GPNMU heads out also. Shinoda and Katagiri don't get along because Shinoda wants to study Godzilla and Katagiri wants to kill Godzilla. The meteorite mysteriously rises out of the ocean and into the air. It floats as if gravity doesn't exist. The military attacks Godzilla and fails as usual. The meteorite suddenly starts to fly around. It heads toward Godzilla. A cannon appears on the meteorite and fires at Godzilla and knocks him into a building. Godzilla fires back and the meteorite meets fire with fire. Godzilla gets sent tumbling and the meteorite sheds it's rocky surface. It now has a shiny smooth metallic surface. Both Godzilla and the UFO have been temporarily put out of action. The military raps cables around the UFO.Katagiri and Miyasaki come to the conclusion that it the meteorite must be a UFO that is powered by sunlight. While beneath the ocean it couldn't get any sunlight, that's why it lay dormant. Miyasaki lets Shinoda use the Crisis Control Agency equipment to examine a piece of Godzilla's skin. After analyzing the Skin, Shinoda concludes Godzilla has a healing factor.The UFO breaks free from it's cables and heads for CIty Tower, which it goes on top of. The UFO begins hacking every computer in the city. Shinoda and Io head into the tower to get Yuki. Katagiri has decided to blow up the building. Io and Yuki get out but Shinoda continues to work at the computer terminal. The building is destroyed buy Shinoda manages to get to safety just in time. Shinoda concludes that the UFO wants to take Godzilla's form. Godzilla shows up and the UFO fires tentacles at Godzilla and pulls him toward it. Godzilla fires at the UFO and breaks free. The UFO puts Godzilla down. The UFO now changes into Orga! Orga is some sort of UFO/Godzilla hybrid that doesn't look anything like Godzilla. Godzilla fires on Orga but Orga regrows the chunk that is blown off of it. Orga grows a huge mouth and starts swallowing Godzilla! Godzilla unleashes a blast and that's the end of Orga. Instead of running away, Katagiri decides to let Godzilla kill him. Everyone else gets away in time. Godzilla lights up the city.PRODUCTION: This movie was released by Toho in 1999.-The uncut Japanese version is 107 minutes long. The trimmed U.S. version is 99 minutes.-This was the first movie theatrically released by Toho in the United States since 'Godzilla 1985' ('The Return of Godzilla') obviously released in 1985. 'Godzilla vs. Biollante' received a straight to video release in 1989. None of the subsequent releases from the 'Hesei' era were released on video until later.-This movie was made in response to the Tri-Star Godzilla movie in 1998. After that movie's backlash, Toho decided to go back to making Godzilla films. Tri-Star still had the rights, so they ended up releasing this movie. Unfortunately, the movie did not do well in the box office and that was the last Godzilla would see of theatrical releases until Legendary Entertainment's 2014 movie.-A CGI version of Godzilla is used, briefly, for the first time in a Toho movie.COMMENTS:THE END: This is my favorite ending to a Godzilla movie. I love that Godzilla is laying waste to Japan at the end. This is his revenge for attacking him. This ending is unique among Godzilla films.ABOUT THE END TO THE FIGHT: The end to the fight between Godzilla and Orga has been justifiably criticized. Budgetary constraints probably made it look worse than what it was supposed to look like. Godzilla was supposed to be pulled into Orga by it's tentacles. Instead, Godzilla looks like he is trying to get swallowed by Orga. This is very reminiscent of old 1950's Sci-Fi films in which you would often see a person trying to get swallowed by a man-eating plant or some other immobile monstrosity. So for argument's sake, you are just going to have suspend disbelief and use your imagination.IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN: Even though Godzilla had never been 'green' in color, the perception had always been that he was green. In reality, he was always more of a dark gray. This movie actually made Godzilla 'green' in color.OTHER COMMENTS:-I really don't have a lot of critical things to say about this movie like I normally do for Godzilla films. Sure, there is plenty of the usual crazy stuff, but somehow it just doesn't seem as 'dumb' as it normally does. So what I'm saying is, I just don't feel like criticizing it.-I love the Godzilla suit in this movie. The 'Millennium' series as a whole had excellent Godzilla suits.-Godzilla looks smaller in this movie than he appeared in the 'Hesei' series. That's because he is smaller. The production team deliberately made him smaller because they wanted Godzilla to be able to interact, at least minimally, with humans.CONCLUSIONS: This is one of my favorite Godzilla movies. I think it is the best of the 'Millennium' series of films, although, I think of 'Godzilla: Final Wars' as it's equal. I give the nod to 'Godzilla 2000' only because it feels like a regular Godzilla movie. 'Godzilla: Final Wars' is just 'out there'. It's probably one of the most entertaining Godzilla movies to watch for pure excitement.RATINGS:The Godzilla suit: 9/10 - One of the best.The Plot: 8/10 - I think the plot was pretty good for a Godzilla movie. Definitely well above average.The SFX: 6/10 - The CGI was borderline terrible. The miniatures were excellent and the other effect were inconsistent.The Battles: 6/10 - Just OK. I'm giving it 3 stars because even though the battle wasn't great, I'venever been a fan of the wrestling matches from yesteryear. I'm fine with Godzilla blasting away.The Ending (This rating for this movie only): 10/10 - I'm adding this category because this is my favorite ending to a Godzilla movie.Overall: 8.5/10 or 4 stars which I'm boosting to 5 stars because this movie is one of my all-time Godzilla favorites.WHAT'S NEXT FOR GODZILLA: Godzilla returns the following year in 'Godzilla vs. Megaguirus'. This movie will take place in an alternate universe much the same as 'Godzilla 2000'. That movie also uses the original 1954 movie as the only other movie in it's timeline.

Given I'm from the "Raymond Burr" generation of Godzilla Fans, I must say, this remake is a fire breathing blast!!! My brother and I grew up on the old Godzilla films as boys. I was not that impressed with the one that starred Mathew Broderick, even though the effects were well done: I suppose my view is prejudiced by my love for the old Godzilla we all grew up on. I love Mathew's work, for the most part, especially his appearance in the movie "WarGames", as well as his role in "Inpector Gadget"; but lets face it, there is nothing that beats the old Godzilla formula I grew up with or the look of our dear old, handsome looking dragon.As I think back to my own boyhood, my brother and I would often spend an afternoon building whole cities in our bedroom, using erector sets, lincoln logs, and other building type kits, while orchestrating our own play scripts and while having our stuffed animals destroy the make believe city we built in our bedroom. Loads of fun and it kept us out of our parents hair. What inspired us; well, Godzilla, of course! (chuckling)Watching this first, of the new millenium remakes, was a delight. All was very well done, for the most part, along the lines of the old Godzilla film formula. Some scenes are a little hokey, effects wise; but it still only adds to the charm of the filming. I had hoped someday, someone would follow the old Godzilla formula, using today's special effects, and bring back our old handsome dragon to stomp all over the world again. I didn't know these films were available, until I saw them offered in the "Preview" section of the 2004 Astro Boy anime series. Guess I'm a little behind trying to catch up on the International film making scene these days. This film looks really great for the most part and is awesome in surround sound.The script is nothing complex. Man has found a huge, underwater rock that floats to the surface, is really an alien ship in disguise and gives birth to a horrible looking alien creature, as big as Godzilla, that wants to take over the world. Comes Godzilla to save the day and banish this evil creature, while wiping out part of Tokyo to do the job. I have nothing against the Japanese people, but they sure do have a thing against their own city; wanting to wipe it out all the time with a fire breathing dragon like Godzilla. (chuckling) In the end, Godzilla makes it clear no one messes with him, not even the head administrative official, who launches his attacks to try and destroy Godzilla throughout the film. It's clear the message with these films is that Godzilla serves a purpose: To keep mankind from averting greater dangers the Universe might throw at him, by having a mighty advocate on his side. Problem is, if you live in Tokyo, you better make sure your property insurance is paid up when this large lizard shows up!Like the old Godzilla films, you really don't see anyone directly killed in this particular remake, except at the end; when the head official gets his by the "don't mess with me" lizard he tries to destroy throughout the film. Death is always near misses in this film, so it should be great for kids to watch. It's scary, but fun. This is a nice change from all the films that show so much of death's gore and horror only all to graphically these days.The original Japanese comes with the audio, with English subtitles, which is great and the minuture work looks even better than the old movie series. Very real looking for the most part, more crisp; but still lots of fun, as Godzilla fights to protect and beat up Tokoyo in one fire breathing breath.There is a short behind the scenes feature added to the DVD. It's not very long and frankly a disappointment. Even though its in Japanese, I would have liked to have had the main people interviewed, with english translations, to hear more about why this remake was finally being pursued and why this particular script was written to start off the remake series of films; since their inception starting the year 2000. It would have also been helpful to give some folklore behind the whole Godzilla mythology in Japanese tradition for Americans to understand better. I think the Japanese have an interesting civilization which embrace Western method and views these days, in mix with that of Chinese traditions. Such behind the scenes interviews would have been a chance for the film makers to better bridge the generation and civilization gap for young viewers eager to learn about their culture and way of thinking I should think. The commentary section of the movie is very, very good I might add. Do take time to play the movie with the commentary on. Allot of information is given.Otherwise, the packaging is just fine. Delivery was fast! The product arrived ahead of time. No problems with the DVD disk. In short, no complaints.Looking forward to more romping, chomping and burning from our friend Godzilla!