Tuesday, December 21, 2021

#2,680. Godzilla 2000 (1999) - Godzilla / Kong Mini-Marathon

 





The 24th film in the Godzilla franchise and the second attempt by Toho to reboot the series (the first being Godzilla 1984), Godzilla 2000 stars Takehiro Murata as Yuji, the mastermind behind the GPN (or Godzilla Prediction Network).

Along with his young daughter Io (Mayu Suzuki), Yuji dedicates his life to studying Godzilla, and hopes to protect the giant monster from a rival organization known as the CCI (Crisis Control Intelligence). Under the leadership of Mitsuo Katagiri (Hiroshi Abe), the more powerful CCI wants to save Tokyo by destroying Godzilla.

But the recent discovery of an alien spaceship, which had been resting on the ocean floor for millions of years, has everyone wondering if Godzilla is, indeed, a threat to Tokyo, or its potential savior.

Godzilla 2000 gets off to a rollicking start; the GPN, joined by reporter Yuki Ichinose (Naomi Nishida), tracks Godzilla to a nearby power plant, only to be attacked by the monster while driving there. As with most of the previous entries in the series, this opening (and several other scenes) relies on practical effects to bring Godzilla to life (this time out it’s actor Tsutomu Kitagawa wearing the suit).

Unfortunately, Godzilla 2000 also features moments of shoddy CGI (a scene where Godzilla is swimming underwater is feeble enough, but the graphics used late in the film to bring his adversary, a monster known as Orga, to life are worse). Still, even with its weak CGI and an overly-sentimental ending, Godzilla 2000 has its charms.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10









No comments: