Godzilla (film, 1998)

The first talk about the American film about Godzilla began in the early 1980s, when director Steve Meiner received special permission from the Japanese film company Toho to shoot a film called Godzilla: The King of Monsters in 3-D format. Miner tried to find a studio to finance the project, presenting concept art and storyboards made by artist William Stout, as well as a finished script written by Fred Dekker. Despite some interest in Hollywood, the studios did not want to make a film with a proposed $ 30 million budget, and the rights to the film version expired in 1983.

In 1992, TriStar Pictures acquired the rights to three Godzilla films with the promise "to remain true to the original series - to show the power and horror of nuclear weapons and technology." Screenwriters Ted Elliot and Terri Rossio were hired to write the script and submitted their final version in late 1994. Earlier this year, Jan de Bont was appointed director of the film, it was also announced that the film will be released in 1996. In this version, Godzilla was an artificial creature created by the Atlanteans to protect humanity from a monster called the Griffin, which would lead to the final battle in New York. Stan Winston's company was hired to make effects for the film. Winston also created a sculpture of Godzilla in the spirit of the classic series and Griffin. De Bont later left the project after TriStar refused to approve its budget of $ 100–120 million.

Before the release of Independence Day, director Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin received rights to Godzilla, but on condition that they adhere to their own vision of the project. Emmerich and Devlin gave the task to Elliot and Rossio to completely rewrite the script.

Patrick Tatopoulos had previously worked with Emmerich and was hired to develop a new design for Godzilla. Emmerich did not limit Tatopoulos, only pointing out that the monster must run incredibly fast. Godzilla was originally conceived as a large, lanky, freezing sea monster, but was turned into a thin, finger-like two-legged iguana. The color of the monster has also been changed to fit well with the urban environment. It was planned to use the motion capture costume to create the movements of a computer Godzilla, but were limited to only a person in a usual monster costume.

Shooting started in 1997 and ended in 1998. The final budget of the film, taking into account the marketing campaign, turned out to be about $ 130 million. Fans of the Japanese image of the monster were not happy ^[2] , but the film received audience recognition and was quite successful at the box office ( $ 379 million).

The film begins with a newsreel about nuclear testing in French Polynesia and iguana lizards on the background of nuclear explosions exposed to radioactive fallout.

The action is then transferred to 1998 and tells how several Japanese fishing vessels in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean, near the islands of French Polynesia, were attacked by a mysterious predator. These events attract the attention of the governments of the USA and France. In order to understand what kind of monster they are, the investigator was attracted by Dr. Nik Tatopulos, a member of the nuclear control committee, who had been researching giant mutant earthworms in the vicinity of Chernobyl for 3 years.

Tatopoulos investigates the traces of the mysterious monster in Panama and other places, after which it becomes clear that it is gradually approaching the United States of America.

The monster emerges from the water in the area of ​​the New York Fulton fish market and it turns out that it is a giant lizard - an iguana several tens of meters in height, with three rows of spikes on its back and capable of moving on its two hind limbs. Lizard attacks Manhattan , sowing destruction and death. The population of Manhattan is urgently evacuated, and attempts are being made to neutralize Godzilla by American forces .

Nick Tatopoulos becomes the main expert on Godzilla and offers to lure him with the help of several trucks with fish. The trick worked, and Godzilla comes out of hiding. However, the military underestimated this monster. Godzilla escaped from the environment, destroyed one tank, two jeeps and three helicopters, then, deftly dodging bullets and shells, disappeared. Tatopoulos managed to find a sample of Godzilla’s blood, after studying which he finds out that Godzilla is a hermaphrodite, which means it can reproduce at any time. He was unable to protect this sensational news from the ubiquitous journalists and reporters, and Nick is barred from studying Godzilla. In the meantime, another battle is taking place between Godzilla and the military, in which Godzilla receives a contusion. The military decide that he died and stop the attack.

But then the agent of French intelligence Philippe Roche, who had been spinning around Nick and the research team all along, began to be active. He needs to eliminate Godzilla and his nest. Philip and Nick unite and go with a team of French agents in search of the nest of Godzilla in the New York subway . They are followed by journalist Audrey Timmons (ex-girlfriend Nick) and cameraman Victor Palotti, who want to prepare sensational material for the WIDF channel.

Exploring the subway, the team finds a tunnel through which it enters Madison Square Garden , where it finds Godzilla's laying of more than 200 eggs. Soon the cubs 3 meters long begin to hatch. Nick, Philip, Victor and Audrey contact the US Air Force and inform them about the whereabouts of Godzilla's nest. Soon, F / A-18 fighters fly in and destroy the nest.

But here Godzilla, who is still alive from the concussion, comes back (he is still alive) and begins the pursuit of Philip, Nick, Audrey and Victor, because he understands that they are involved in the death of his offspring. Resourceful daredevils are trying to lure Godzilla to the Brooklyn Bridge , where the military is waiting for him, but Godzilla comes there before them and sets up an ambush. When the car with Nick and his friends enters the bridge, Godzilla rushes to the attack and grabs the car with his huge jaws. In the course of intense struggle, Nick and his friends manage to escape from the mouth of Godzilla and continue their journey. Godzilla, pursuing them, accidentally gets entangled in metal cables, and this prevents him from moving normally. Military pilots, taking this opportunity, fly up to Godzilla on F / A-18 fighters and fire at her with rockets. Godzilla dies from his wounds. All New Yorkers celebrate their victory over Godzilla.

In the last frames of the film, it is clear that one egg of Godzilla is still intact and the events of the animated series Godzilla begin.

• Matthew Broderick - Nick Tatopoulos
• Jean Reno - Philippe Roche
• Maria Pitillo - Audrey Timmons
• Hank Azaria - Victor Palotti
• Kevin Dunn - Col. Hicks
• Michael Lerner - Mayor Ebert
• Doug Sevant - Sergeant O'Neill
• Harry Shearer - Charles Keiman
• Malcolm Denar - Dr. Mendel Craven

• 1998 - Saturn Prize of the Academy of Science Fiction and US Horror Films for special effects.
• 1998 - The Golden Reel Association of Sound Engineers of the USA award for best sound editing.
• 1999 - two anti-awards “ Golden Raspberry ” (the worst film remake, the worst actress of the second plan) and 3 more nominations for the “Golden Raspberry” for the worst direction, script and film.

A soundtrack was recorded for the film about Godzilla, which includes several dozen instrumental compositions and songs, in the creation of which the composer David Arnold , rapper Puff Daddy , Jamiroquai and others took part. It was released on audio cassettes and CD some time after the movie was released.

Godzilla: The album / 1998

1. "Heroes" - The Wallflowers
2. "Come with Me" - Puff Daddy featuring Jimmy Page
3. "Deeper Underground" - Jamiroquai
4. "No Shelter" - Rage Against the Machine
5. "Air" - Ben Folds Five
6. Running Knees - Days of the New
7. "Macy Day Parade" - Michael Penn
8. "Walk the Sky" - Fuel
9. "A320" - Foo Fighters
10. “Brain Stew” (The Godzilla Remix) - Green Day
11. "Untitled" - Silverchair
12. "Out There" - Fuzzbubble
13. Undercover - Joey DeLuxe
14. "Opening Titles" - David Arnold
15. Looking for Clues - David Arnold

David Arnold - Godzilla: Complete Original Score / 2007

Disc 1:

1. The beginning
2. Tanker gets it
3. Chernobyl
4. Footprint
5. Footprints / New York / Audrey
6. Chewing gum nose
7. Ship Reveal / Nick Discovers Fish / Flesh
8. The Boat Gets It *
9. Dawn of the species
10. Joe Gets a Bite / Godzilla Arrives
11. Mayor's Speech
12. Caiman's Office
13. Animal's Camera
14. Military Command Center / New Jersey
15. Audrey's Idea
16. Evacuation
17. French coffee
18. Subway Damage / Command Enters City
19. Fish
20. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
21. 1st Helicopter Chase / Godzilla Swats a Chopper
22. We Fed Him / Audrey Sees Nick
23. Nick and Audrey Takes the Tape / French Breakfast
24. He's Preparing to Feed
25. Nick Gets Fired / Nick Gets Abducted / Frenchie's Warehouse / Nick Joins the Foreign Legion

Disc 2:

1. Chewing gum
2. Rumble in the tunnel
3. Godzilla Takes / Dash / Godzilla Versus the Submarine / Egg Discovery
4. Baby 'Zillas Hatch *
5. Nick Phones for Help
6. Eat the french
7. Phillip shoots the lock
8. Nick's Big Speech / The Garden Gets It
9. He's Back! / Taxi Chase & Clue
10. Big G Goes to Monster Heaven
11. The end
12. The Beginning (no choir) (bonus)
13. Footprints / New York / Audrey (alt.) (Bonus)
14. The Boat Gets It (alt.) (Bonus)
15. Gojira (album version)

Despite the success, the film received many negative reviews from both fans of the Japanese original, and from others. At Rotten Tomatoes has 26% "freshness", which is already considered "rotten." IMDb was neutral, putting a rating of 5.3 out of 10.

• Godzilla on the Internet Movie Database
• Godzilla on the Rotten Tomatoes website
• Godzilla (English) on Metacritic website
• Godzilla on the Box Office Mojo website