In Defense of Godzilla 1998...

Roland Emmerich's Godzillais not THAT bad.

Yes… I can hear all the booing and see all the flying tomatoes already. However, before you chuck all your produce and scream yourselves hoarse, just hear me out.

If you ignore Ferris Bueller’s sub par performance (It’s hard. I know.), Emmerich’s movie is, in my opinion, a perfectly enjoyable giant monster movie. Granted, the plot is pretty standard fair. Military and scientists vs. giant unknown prehistoric creature. We’ve seen movies like this dozens of times. 20 Million Miles To Earthand The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms come to mind actually. In fact, the 1998 American Godzilla flick seems more like a movie along those lines than any attempt to recapture the glory of the Toho classics.

However, I’m not actually here to defend the movie entirely. After all, it’s only an okay movie, and really, all and all, isn’t anywhere close to the enjoyment levels of the Japanese classics.

The defending that I’m really here to do is not for the movie at all. I’d actually like to defend the monster, the FIRST American Godzilla.

The monster has been nicknamed “Fraudzilla” and “GINO” (Godzilla In Name Only). Everybody seems to have sour feelings about this enormous impostor. However, I believe everyone focuses on what this kaiju isn’t, as opposed to what it is.

The monster, officially adopted and renamed by Toho as “Zilla,” is actually not a bad monster at all. It’s a fast, sleek and, frankly, intimidating mutant iguana. In many ways, it’s a much more impressive monster than some of the Toho originals, such as Gorosaurus or Varan (I’m sure I’m gonna get heat for that comment.) Zilla may not have its original namesake’s signature Atomic Heat Ray breath weapon, but Zilla is a perfectly capable kaiju, having extraordinary agility and very impressive burrowing and swimming capabilities. Perhaps, Zilla does not stand out much, as far as Toho monsters go. It’s not an alien, bent on destroying mankind, like King Ghidorah or Gigan. Nor is it some kind of mystical god-like guardian, like King Seesar or Mothra. Much like Kamacuras or Kumonga, Zilla is just a giant animal, looking to get by in a world full of humanity and other monsters.

However, this monster MUST be worth something since Toho opted to include it in their Kaiju Canon. In the film, Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, the events of the ‘98 American movie are referenced but claiming that the monster was a victim of mistaken identity. Then again, in Godzilla: Final Wars, we finally got to see the showdown between the original King of the Monsters and the CGI impostor.

The fight lasts about 7 or 8 seconds.

However, just because Zilla doesn’t hold a candle to the true Godzilla, doesn’t make him a bad monster. Even the IDW Godzilla comic book series, Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, featured Zilla quite prominently.

All I’m saying is that all the hate on Zilla is misdirected. Zilla is merely a victim of circumstance. People despise this kaiju because of the bad movie that it was featured in. I think it’s time to realize that Roland Emmerich’s bad movie, and Matthew Broderick’s terrible acting aren’t Zilla’s fault. Agree or disagree with me if you’d like, but I say it’s time to realize that Zilla is a perfectly good monster and deserves as much respect as any of the kaiju on Toho’s roster.