Godzilla 1998 Reviewed

Godzilla 1998 is an interesting movie for various reasons. it had all the bells and whistles, and for the time, it delivered decent special effects and CGI.
from a technical standpoint, it was well made.
The use of miniatures, puppets, animatronics, and CGI were blended together very well (for the time). the camera and sound work were decent, but then the wheels fall off.
the writing was bad, in fact the animated sequel series, Godzilla the Series, is considered to be significantly better written. That should tell you everything right there.
The acting was mediocre to bad, and most of the actors were miscast. Harry Shearer, Frank Azaria, Kevin Dunn, and Mathew Broderick are decent actors, just not the best for an action blockbuster. This movie was never going to win an oscar, but the acting should have been better. It is a shame since the crew did try, but it just didn't gel, which falls on the director and writing team.

The Godzilla monster was polarizing for many fans, who expected it to resemble the Toho Godzilla. Instead we got a mutated Iguana. However we have to admit that it is a solid Kaiju design, and if it weren't a Godzilla movie, it would be better received.
Studio interference and the director's personal lack of interest doomed what could have been a possible movie franchise (separate from the TOHO version).
The current Legendary Pictures run of Godzilla films proves it can be done.

While the effort was there, Godzilla 1998 failed to live up to expectations. Which is astonishing since it was the 3rd highest grossing movie of 1998. The movie was profitable, but the poor reviews and stalled box office sealed it's fate.

This would motivate Toho studios to bring back godzilla for the Godzilla 2000 movie.

Another example of an American studio butchering a Japanese media franchise is the Dragon Ball Evolution Movie. The movie was so terrible that Toei greenlit what would become DBZ battle of gods. Akira Toriyama also became heavily involved for much of the same reason.

While Godzilla 1998 did some things well, it just couldn't stick the landing. however, it is far from the worst Godzilla movie of all time. We would still recommend it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet. especially if you are a fan of monster movies. otherwise, you can skip it.