Godzilla (1998)

A giant, reptilian monster surfaces, leaving destruction in its wake. To stop the monster (and its babies), an earthworm scientist, his reporter ex-girlfriend, and other unlikely heroes team up to save their city.

Director:

Roland Emmerich

Writers:

Dean Devlin (screenplay), Roland Emmerich (screenplay)

Stars:

Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo

10 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Broderick	...	Dr. Niko Tatopoulos
Jean Reno	...	Philippe Roaché
Maria Pitillo	...	Audrey Timmonds
Hank Azaria	...	Victor 'Animal' Palotti
Kevin Dunn	...	Colonel Hicks
Michael Lerner	...	Mayor Ebert
Harry Shearer	...	Charles Caiman
Arabella Field	...	Lucy Palotti
Vicki Lewis	...	Dr. Elsie Chapman
Doug Savant	...	Sergeant O'Neal
Malcolm Danare	...	Dr. Mendel Craven
Lorry Goldman	...	Gene - Mayor's Aide
Christian Aubert	...	Jean-Luc
Philippe Bergeron	...	Jean-Claude
Frank Bruynbroek	...	Jean-Pierre

Storyline

Following the French atomic bomb tests in the South Pacific, an unknown creature is spotted passing eastward through the Panama Canal. Scientist Niko Tatopolous is called in to investigate the matter, and he quickly arrives at the conclusion that a giant, irradiated lizard has been created by the explosions. Godzilla then makes its way north, landing at Manhattan to begin wreaking havoc in the big city. Even with the combined forces of the U.S. military to fight the monster, will it be enough to save the people of New York?

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Plot Keywords:

battle tank | bipedal monster | set up for unmade sequel | monster | scientist | 

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Taglines:

From the creators of Independence Day

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi monster action/violence

Details

Country:

USA Japan

Language:

English French Japanese Russian Spanish

Release Date:

20 May 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Godzila

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$130,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$55,726,951, 25 May 1998, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$136,314,294

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$242,700,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Centropolis Film Productions, Fried Films, Independent Pictures (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

139 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS (8 channels)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the list of cab drivers is shown, one of the names is Len Wiseman, the future director who handled props in this film.

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Goofs

Troughout the movie cars are scattered everywhere. But at the end where they leave in a car there is hardly any debris on the roads.

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Quotes

Dr. Niko Tatopoulus: The radiation isn't an anomaly, it's the clue.

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Crazy Credits

Various effects that appeared as green film scratches (but were not, in fact, scratches) showed up periodically over the credits.

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Connections

References Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

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Soundtracks

A320
Written, Produced and Performed by Foo Fighters
Courtesy of Roswell Records/Capitol Records

User Reviews

I thought this was fun. I don't know why people whine about it so much.

Well, being a longtime fan of the GODZILLA/GOJIRA films as a youngster, I remember seeing this with great anticipation. I, unlike a lot of people, was not at all disappointed. This film was exactly what I was hoping it would be at the time. Sure, it certainly wasn't as charming or as funny as the films I loved as a kid, but it was a lot of fun. I loved the action scenes, the look of the monster was crazy to me, and the plot was simple enough for a first time viewer to get right into. Seeing it again 10 years later, I had the same reaction. My opinion of this film hasn't changed one bit. I guess everybody's complaints stem from how this has no charm or any kind of attempt at being cute or original. I guess that's understandable, but I still don't see what everybody's problem is. This was supposed to be a fun, exciting, and action packed thrill ride. That's all it is, no more, no less. I personally think that it succeeds at what it achieved to be perfectly. Matthew Broderick may not exactly be an action hero, but his character sure was quirky and funny. Jean Reno was as good as usual.