Godzilla
(1998):
Mastered in 4K High Definition Series Edition (TriStar/Sony Blu-ray)
Picture:
A+ Sound: A+ Extras: D Movie: B
In
the wake of the new American Godzilla
film directed by Gareth Edwards (who also directed the Australian
giant monster movie - Monsters
- which is excellent if you haven't seen it), comes an incredible
re-release of Roland Emmerich's highly panned 1998 adaptation on the
origin story of the King of Monsters. I remember seeing this film on
opening night back in the eighth grade when my exposure to Godzilla
was not really as polished as it is today and saw it then with a look
of wonder. Seeing the film now in my adult years and having seen a
huge majority of the Godzilla library, I can see the film with a more
critical eye, which I will address in this review.
Bottom
line is that this new upgraded Blu-ray is incredibly detailed and the
film has never looked better. If you are looking to showcase your
home entertainment system then this is the disc. As mentioned, Sony
has mastered the film in 4K definition and the details are so crisp,
it really pushes the format to the limit. Seeing this film on
various formats (VHS, DVD, first Blu-ray release) this looks even
better than it did in the theater in the nineties. Upon assignment
of this release, I was told that it was incredible but didn't believe
it until I saw it. I'm very curious to see Sony's other 4K releases,
especially the Spider-Man
films.
Right
after the dynamic duo of Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich gave us the
wam bam double punch of Stargate
and Independence
Day,
their short-lived partnership brought us this version of Godzilla.
A film that boasts a very excellent and underrated score by David
Arnold, and stars Matthew Broderick (Ferris
Bueller's Day Off)
and Jean Reno (Leon
the Professional
- who was perfectly cast) along with other stars like Hank Azaria
(voice of Homer in The Simpsons) and the incredibly beautiful and
hardly seen again actress Maria Pitillo as Broderick's love interest
Audry. The Godzilla monster was created by Hollywood Special Effects
Legend Patrick Tatopoulos - Underworld)
to resemble more of a mutated gigantic iguana than the traditional
design for the creature. Personally, I don't mind the redesign but
this version pales in comparison to the new re-imagining in the 2014
version, which I find more akin to the other conception of the
creature and cooler overall.
In
this version, we see Godzilla pretty early on, probably about twenty
or thirty minutes into the movie, attacking New York and making its
profound appearance. The CGI still holds up pretty well, which is
surprising on this expanded and more detailed release. There are
many references in the film, including the Mayor being named Ebert
(and resembling him) and his political partner Gene, many Jurassic
Park
and Jaws
references and of course the infamous death scene which is huge rip
off of the death of King
Kong.
The film has a lot more humor than the recent version and a fair bit
of heart to be fair including some really cool moments (Zilla's foot
stepping down and barely missing Hank Azaria), the breathtaking
helicopter chase scene with the Monster, and the climax where
Godzilla chases the taxi cab and chews on the car like a twix bar.
I'm actually more a fan of the opening title sequence in this film
than I am in the new one, which pretty much ripped off the same idea.
The film is slightly dated (you can see the Twin Towers in many
scenes, Josta Cola and Blockbuster logos, and VHS is used as a
broadcast format) but I find the films still fun to watch.
Now
I will address a few of the main issues with the film that people
love to bash about it. The first point is that obviously Godzilla
doesn't fight any giant monsters in the movie. Personally, I don't
have a huge problem with it as this was supposed to be the first film
in a planned trilogy that never happened, and was meant more as an
origin story. Second, is the whole Godzilla producing asexually and
the baby Godzillas in the third act - which I admit, was kind of a
bad move. They resemble the velociraptors in Jurassic
Park
and Yoshi in Super
Mario Brothers
a little too much and most importantly - the monster's trademark
atomic fire breathing was halted to a mere one sequence. Matthew
Broderick as the lead was also a glaring issue for people but I find
this personally suitable for this less than serious take on the Toho
Franchise. It pretty much deviates from the classic Godzilla film
structure in every way when you think about it. If I would have been
in Roland Emmerich's shoes, I would have cast James Spader in the
lead role and put Mothra in the film, but that's just me and that's
just a different film.
To
his credit though, Emmerich was trying something different here and
many of the digital and practical effects shots still stand up. The
film has incredible production value. The destruction that the
Monster does to the city looks pretty realistic and he did a good job
of making him a sympathetic monster. The scene where Broderick is
face to face with Godzilla when he goes to the trap set by the
Military with the giant stack of fish, you can see the innocence in
his eyes which is a great moment in the film that I really
appreciate.
Unlike
the new film, which made Godzilla into a hero of sorts, this film
gives him more of a natural and innocent approach. This giant
radioactive lizard accidentally just wanders into downtown New York
and the American bad guys just start firing at him. Poor guy! In
the new version, Godzilla is fired upon and not even affected in the
least. If anything, it stings him enough to get even more prone to
destruction causing. At least they kept his roar the same.
The
transfer and sound as I said really push the bar and are top notch
for the Blu-ray format. Created from the highest quality 4k
resolution picture source, the new expanded color brings out the
textures like never before and it should be noted that the film was
actually issued in select theaters with three-strip, dye-transfer
Technicolor 35mm prints. That color is evident in some scenes here.
For best viewing experience you should have a xvYCC- compatible TV
and compatible Blu-ray player. The high digital transfer in 1080p
preserves the original 2:40.1 aspect ratio. The audio is mastered in
DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless with English and French audio tracks
available. Subtitles on the disc are English, English SDH, Chinese
(Mandarin Simplified), Chinese (Mandarin traditional), French,
Korean, Spanish, and Thai).
Since
so much of the disc's capacity was used for the transfer, there are
unfortunately no extras on the disc. The main feature I would be
longing for ironically are the marketing for the film, which I
remember they had a great one that took place in a museum, where
Godzilla’s foot came down on a dinosaur skeleton.
In
short, I admit that I am partial to this film due mainly to my
childhood and for my love of basically any giant monster fair. While
the film isn't the best in the genre, it still holds up surprisingly
well and has even fun moments to have re-watch ability. If you are a
fan of the film then this release is DEFINITELY worth a look because
you simply won't believe how great this new transfer looks and
sounds!
“You
call this coffee?!”
“I
call this America.”
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.vimeo.com/jamielockhart