Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
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| Godzilla vs. Destoroyah | |
 Official Japanese poster |
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| Directed by | Takao Okawara |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Tomoyuki Tanaka Shogo Tomiyama |
| Written by | Kazuki Omori |
| Starring | Takuro Tatsumi Yōko Ishino Yasufumi Hayashi Megumi Odaka Momoko Kochi |
| Music by | Akira Ifukube |
| Editing by | Chizuko Osada |
| Distributed by | Toho |
| Release date(s) | December 9, 1995 |
| Running time | 103 min. |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Budget | US $10,000,000 |
| Preceded by | Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla |
| Followed by | Godzilla 2000 |
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (ゴジラVSデストロイア Gojira tai Desutoroia) is a 1995 film directed by Takao Okawara and written by Kazuki Omori. It was released in Japan on December 9, 1995. It is the 22nd installment in the Godzilla series of films and the seventh in the Heisei series of films.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
In 1996, after the death of SpaceGodzilla, Birth Island is found destroyed. Godzilla's adopted son, Little Godzilla, is presumed dead at first but later reveals himself as a larger and more powerful sub-adult due to the excess radiation and is re-named Godzilla Junior. Godzilla, covered in glowing lava-like rashes, enters Hong Kong and destroys most of the city. G-Force representatives hire college student Kenichi Yamane, the grandson of Dr. Kyohei Yamane, to come work at the center in an attempt to unravel the mystery of Godzilla's condition.
Yamane suspects that Godzilla has absorbed too much atomic energy and is having a nuclear heart attack. His death would result in triggering an atmospheric chain reaction which will take Japan, and the entire Earth with him. G-Force deploys a flying combat vehicle outfitted with anti-nuclear cold weapons to forestall this; the Super X III. Strange life forms appear where the original Godzilla died, and a host of deadly creatures called Destoroyah begin wreaking havoc. Soil samples reveal that Destoroyah is connected to the Oxygen Destroyer used against the first Godzilla in 1954, which mutated Precambrian era life forms. After several deadly skirmishes with the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the Destoroyah evolve beyond the J.S.D.F.'s containment abilities and psychic Miki Saegusa must use her failing powers to lure Junior to the area in an attempt to combat Destoroyah in Tokyo. Godzilla, who is searching for his son, follows Junior, but complications arise. Due to his encounter with the Super X III, Godzilla will meltdown once his body reaches 1,200 degrees Celsius and the Earth will be destroyed.
During Junior's first battle, he is wounded but destroys Destroyah. Godzilla and Junior meet in Narita, but Destoroyah returns in his final form. Destoroyah knocks down Godzilla and kidnaps Junior. Godzilla attacks Destoroyah and a battle ensues that destroys Tokyo. Born from the only weapon to ever kill a Godzilla, Destoroyah shows an advantage, but Godzilla's radioactivity has increased his own power. Destoroyah's body decomposes into many smaller Destoroyah which attempt to swarm Godzilla from all sides, but Godzilla uses his nuclear pulse to incinerate the miniature Destoroyahs.
Alone at last, Godzilla attempts to revive his falling son. Godzilla's heart continues to fail. Suddenly, Destoroyah returns for one last attack. Godzilla's demise begins, resulting in his power increasing once again significantly. In a fury of rage, Godzilla begins reiging Destroyah with his powerful atomic rays, severely burning and injuring the beast. Destoroyah then attempts to escape, but the military shoots and blows off his wings. Destroyah slams down to ground and the force of the impact causes him to be shattered apart. Robbed of his vengeance, Godzilla beckons into the air, a living mass of hatred and power. As Godzilla reaches meltdown, and begins to die, the military fire him with ice beams to stop him from the destroying the planet and are successful. Godzilla's final moments of life are long, and strenuous as he is overcome with immense pain, with his flesh and body slowly melting away. The King of the Monsters gives one last faint roar before he becomes nothing more than a pile of melted flesh and ashes.
The victory is a costly one however, for the radiation has made Tokyo an uninhabitable city. Suddenly, radiation levels begin to drop, and from within the thinning smoke, is a revived and full grown Godzilla Junior, the new King of the Monsters.
[edit] Cast
- Yasufumi Hayashi as Kenichi Yamane
- Yoko Ishino as Yukari Yamane
- Megumi Odaka as Miki Saegusa
- Takuro Tatsumi as Kensaku Ijuin
- Akira Nakao as General Aso
- Momoko Kochi as Emiko Yamane
- Kenpachiro Satsuma as Godzilla
- Ryo Hariya and Eiichi Yanagida as Destoroyah
- Hurricane Ryu as Godzilla Junior
[edit] Production
- This film's original idea was to feature Godzilla fighting the ghost of the original 1954 Godzilla. Godzilla would be killed by it then be revived and manage to destroy it. Another idea which had been tossed around featured Bagan, who was the final boss in the Super Nintendo video game Super Godzilla.
- An alternate ending was filmed. Destoroyah attempted to escape once Godzilla gained the upper hand, but the J.S.D.F. shot him down. Godzilla, despite suffering from his meltdown, continued to battle the vicious monster. Godzilla quickly overpowered Destoroyah, grabbing him by his horn and pummeling him repeatedly. As Godzilla melts away, the J.S.D.F. rain their ice beams upon him, as well as Destoroyah. Unable to stand against the immense heat of Godzilla's meltdown and the freezing coldness of the beams, Destoroyah falls and evaporates. However, the scene was removed because it was thought to be inappropriate, since Godzilla's foreseen death was to be the climax of the film. So the scene was re-edited to have Destoroyah die after the JSDF intervenes and helps Godzilla finish off Destoroyah, allowing Godzilla to have center stage as he dies and Godzilla Junior takes his place as the new Godzilla.
- This film was origanally to be the last Godzilla film in the franchise but fan disappointment at the American Godzilla remake made Toho begin the new era, the Millennium era.
[edit] Box office
The film sold approximately 4 million tickets in Japan, and grossed around $22,000,000.
[edit] Reception
Critical reaction to the film has been mostly positive. Toho Kingdom said, "With an elegant style, a powerful plot, brilliant effects, and believable acting, this entry is definitely a notch above favorites from all three timelines, and its impact on the series is challenged by only a handful of competitors. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is without a doubt a paradigm all its own."[1] Michael Hubert of Monster Zero praised the "spectacular monster battles," calling Godzilla vs. Destoroyah "a great movie" and "one to add to your collection," adding: "Even for non-Godzilla fans, this movie might help dispel some of the preconceptions you have about Godzilla's 'cheese factor'."[2] Popcorn Pictures called Godzilla vs. Destoroyah "arguably the best Godzilla film ever made" and "a rousing mix of excellent special effects, great make-up, giant monsters battling it out and a decent music score, as well as a very emotional ending."[3]
Japan Hero called the film "a work of art" and "a must see for anyone who loves Godzilla" that features "something for everyone" [4] Mike Bogue of American Kaiju felt the film suffered from "several visual weaknesses" and "disappointing editing," but that "the positive aspects of the visuals outweigh the negatives" and praised the film for "treating Godzilla with the same awe, majesty, and terror as [the original 1954 Godzilla]."[5]
[edit] DVD release
Columbia TriStar (Sony)
- Released: February 1, 2000
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (1.85:1) animorphic
- Sound: English (2.0)
- Region 1
- Note: A double feature with Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla. There were no other special features present, except for subtitles.
[edit] Awards
In Japan, the film won
- 1996 Best Grossing Films Award - Golden Award
- 1996 Japan Academy Award - Special Effects
and in the same year in the U.S., Godzilla won the MTV Movie Awards - Lifetime Achievement
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Godzilla vs. Destoroyah at the Internet Movie Database
- Godzilla vs. Destoroyah at Allmovie
- Godzilla vs. Destoroyah at Rotten Tomatoes
- "ゴジラvsデストロイア (Gojira tai Desutoroia)" (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1995/ds003160.htm. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
