Blackmoor Vituperative

I am watching the American Godzilla movie, arguably the most widely reviled monster movie ever made. It has some serious problems. For example, they continue calling Godzilla “he” after they discover that it is pregnant. That’s just stupid. Additionally, the female romantic lead, played by Maria Pitillo, is both monumentally dim-witted and morally reprehensible, yet we are supposed to sympathize with her. I think not. The pacing is sluggish — the entire middle third of the movie should have been left on the cutting room floor, in my opinion. I also did not like the way they killed Godzilla at the end. The real Godzilla would not have gone down that way (it reminded me of the pathetic way that Mace Windu died — “like a punk”, in the words of Sam Jackson). And, most damning of all, the design of the monster’s head is just ludicrous.

However, it does have a lot going for it. The early scenes in which ships are destroyed without actually showing Godzilla are really effective. Even the design of the monster itself, aside from the head, is pretty nifty, and the shots of it moving — running, swimming, and so on — are really well done. The cast also has its strong points. Jean Reno is brilliant, and Hank Azaria, Vicki Lewis, and Doug Savant give solid supporting performances.

So, is American Godzilla a great movie? No. It’s not even a great Godzilla movie. But it’s not as bad as people say.