Godzilla 1998

     France has conducted atomic bomb tests in the South Pacific.  A fishing vessel is passing eastward through the Panama Canal.  Only one man on the ship survives their encounter with a giant lizard that has grown to enormous proportions because of the radiation.  Godzilla makes his way northward to Manhattan.  He begins wreaking the city and causing many evacuations of people.  The US military is brought in to fight Godzilla but they are not having much success.  Dr. Niko Tatopoulos warns the military and city officials that he believes Godzilla will be laying eggs and they need to search for the nest.

     Maybe in 1998 this was very frightening??  Instead, there are a lot of times when this movie is very funny!!  Many of the characters are so clueless that they are funny!!  This Godzilla is more like a Tyrannosaurus Rex with small front arms, walking only on much larger back legs and a tail in line with the body.  Rating this film as a comedy, I give it 3 ½* (I liked this movie)

139 min, Action directed by Roland Emmerich with Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, Kevin Dunn, Michael Lerner, Harry Shearer, Arabella Field, Vicki Lewis, Doug Savant, Malcolm Danare, Lorry Goldman, Christian Aubert, Philippe Bergeron, Frank Bruynbroek.

Note:  Imdb 5.3 out of 10, 16% critic 28% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 1 ½*. 

Special Note:  A tornado disrupted the filming in Jersey City on May 6, 1997.  This may explain why most scenes have constant rain plus usually at night!!  The crew managed to get some footage filmed during the storm.  This film was shown at the Cannes Film Festival despite the requirements that films be intelligent, moving and grand.