From: MRusso1949 Date: 02/01/1998 Newsgroups: alt.movies.monster

I'd just like to mention that it would be incredibly interesting to see a theater full of hardcore Godzilla fans booing that Tri-Star abomination off the screen because that's what's likely to happen Friday night during the CON.

Mike

From: Thomas Fitch Date: 02/02/1998 Newsgroups: alt.movies.monster

Bokman7757 wrote:

Naw. The best would be if the news people showed up afterwards to get the comments of the fans on the new Godzilla movie and we judge it so harshly and stated it so eloquently that we actually influence the rest of the world to not see this movie and therefore caused it to bomb, resulting in Devlin & Emmerich never getting another job in Hollywood again. Hey! It might happen.

>Unless, of course, the movie's like, GOOD, you know.

To quote a friend of mine who quotes this from someone else: "Theoretically, it is possible."

Posted by Ken Mercadante on 20 May 1998

I have not been this disappointed by a film in a long, long time.

Posted by David on 20 May 1998 (in response to Godzilla was HUGE... -ly disappointing posted by Ken Mercadante on 20 May 1998)

See the Internet Movie Data Base May 20 studio briefs -- it has the review of GODZILLA in it---majority: Thumbs down.

When I see it---IF I waste my money seeing it, I will likely see more stupid errors.

Posted by Gena on 20 May 1998 (in response to Godzilla was HUGE... -ly disappointing posted by Ken Mercadante on 20 May 1998)

Posted by JJansen on 20 May 1998 (in response to Re: Godzilla was HUGE... -ly disappointing posted by Gena on 20 May 1998)

Posted by Annie on 20 May 1998 (in response to Re: Godzilla was HUGE... -ly disappointing posted by David on 20 May 1998)

(snip) > Question: > If Godzilla is so big, how would he get into the subway tunnels??

"Radioactivity." :)

Posted by Ted on 20 May 1998 (in response to Re: Godzilla was HUGE... -ly disappointing posted by Annie on 20 May 1998)

See how easy that works?

Ted

Posted by Aaron Smith on Sat, 23 May 1998, at 11:56 p.m.

Heard from G-CON tonight. Many of the Japanese guests, including Japanese magazine & newspaper people, were upset with the new film. In fact, Ken Satsuma (Godzilla from '84-'95) walked out. I should have a full report on GODZILLA NEWS tomorrow sometime.

Aaron

From: GCON98 Date: Sunday, May 24, 1998 12:36 AM

With the advent of Tri-Star's (cough) "Godzilla", it appears ole Dean and Roland have ripped off another old classic - "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms", with a large dash of "Jurassic Park" thrown in just for the h--- of it. Should this come as some great shock to Sci-Fi fans? In the words of Stone Cold Steve Austin: "Oh, hell No!" Just look at "War of the Worlds"... oops, I mean "ID4". Same scientist hero, same atomic bomb attack and same virus defeats the xeno-critters at the end scenario. Question: Why spend some $10,000,000 A YEAR for the rights for Godzilla and produce a chicken-**** bastardization which dishonors the very legend of Godzilla? Why not go to the name bin for something cheaper and less offensive, say Varan, Barney, or just plain s***zilla? By the way: where was the plot, Godzilla's atomic breath and his invulnerability to modern weaponry? You know you've screwed up when Mr. Satsuma walks out in the middle of your Godzilla wannabe film.

Hey, Dean! We G-fans could've probably forgiven you if, instead of that totally predictable ending, you had the true Godzilla rising up out of New York harbor.

Congratulations, Roland and Dean. It is obvious to all Godzilla fans that the words of the late, great Frank Sinatra, "I did it my way", were definitely taken to the extreme by you two cinematic xerox bozos.

--Bob "Godzilla" Golm

From: Chrispy1 Date: Sunday, May 24, 1998 04:54 AM

I have the same thing to say to you that I said to the post that comes after yours: Go beyond your knee-jerk reaction and look at the heart of this movie. I think you'll change your mind a bit.

From: MOSUGOJI Date: Sunday, May 24, 1998 06:14 AM

Heart? What heart? A cowardly, overgrown refugee from a pet shop that flees every time the military arrives!! Any heart this movie could have had was ripped from it by Devlin and Emmerich like a couple of Aztec priests ripping the beating heart from a sacrificial victim's chest!!!! Like the way they ripped the heart from all that the TRUE Godzilla is!

--Scott

Posted by Steve Harris on Sun, 24 May 1998, at 8:11 a.m. (in response to G-CON '98 and the new film posted by Aaron Smith on Sat, 23 May 1998)

Thanks for the update, Aaron...I can't wait to see what the REAL Godzilla aficionados have to say...

From: Crow T. Robot Topic: Godzilla walks out on Godzilla (10 of 16) Date: Sunday, May 24, 1998 04:42 PM

I love the Real Godzilla and all his movies, even GvsMG. I have never thought of them as trash. I just want to state my feelings in a non-violent way about what I read. I'd like to take this time to thank you for the News Letter. You are doing a great job with it and your web site is looking good, too.

C'ya

Crow T. Robot

From: Aaron Smith Topic: Godzilla walks out on Godzilla (13 of 16) Date: Sunday, May 24, 1998 07:32 PM

Thanks, I appreciate it. Whether or not I liked the film, I was glad to provide people with info on it. I'm sure Devlin hated it because of all the pics and stuff, but that was news. If there is a sequel, I hope it has a foe. Gives me new designs to score. :-)

Aaron

From: Chrispy1 Topic: Godzilla walks out on Godzilla (14 of 16) Date: May 25, 1998 05:05 AM

If I like the American Godzilla, does this automatically qualify me as hating the Japanese Godzilla? I don't think so. I grew up with Godzilla. Godzilla has remained with me through my life and will probably be with me until I die. The American movie is different. I found a post I made a long time ago where I stated that the American public would have a very hard time accepting the Japanese Godzilla's origins because they are unique to Japanese culture. It seemed likely that they would take an American view of his origins and make him a mutated animal. I was right then, though I was pooh-poohed. We have character here unique to monster movies - it's not King Kong, Japanese Godzilla or Beast From 20K Fathoms. It's a chimerical combination. And I, for one, think it works.

From: Brian L. Topic: GODZILLA IS ALIVE! (9 of 15) Date: May 28, 1998

I don't think anyone should argue over whether or not they liked this movie. Whether or not it is an enjoyable movie is a matter of opinion and, as Aaron pointed out, everyone has his/her own opinion.

We can, however, debate on whether or not Godzilla appears in the film. In my opinion, Godzilla appears only on the title screen. The creature that appears later bears no resemblance, physical or otherwise, to Godzilla. As Haruo Nakajima said at last weekend's G-CON, this creature is Godzilla in name alone. I always saw Godzilla as similar to an injured animal. He's in pain and is on the rampage, destroying everything in his path - a force of nature to be reckoned with. The Tri-Star Godzilla is just a big animal looking for a place to lay its eggs. When confronted with man's arsenal, it runs away. This just isn't Godzilla.

I heard that a kid at Friday's screening of the movie for G-CON turned to his mother after the creature appeared an said, "When is Godzilla going to show up to fight the monster?" To say that those of us who prefer Toho's Godzilla are deluded and can't move on is ridiculous. I think that most of us were prepared to accept the new physical design as long as it stayed true to Godzilla's spirit and character. It didn't. Having said that, I would like to hear from one of the new film's fans explaining why they feel this IS Godzilla.

The new Godzilla film has spawned an interesting and, unfortunately frightening, phenomenon: The new Gfan vs. the old Gfan.

I'm utterly confused by the wave of people stating that the Toho Godzilla is awful and the new Godzilla is THE Godzilla. I'm also confused by the recent posts expressing an ethnocentric view that OUR AMERICAN Godzilla is superior to the Japanese Godzilla.

Please.

For anyone to say that the creature that appears in the new movie is the definitive Godzilla is ridiculous. The new creature bears no resemblance, in appearance or character, to the Godzilla that has been around for 44 years and starred in 22 films. Now you're telling us that the Tri-Star Godzilla is THE Godzilla? No way. The argument that if we "like the Toho Godzilla better, then we must prefer the old Batman to the Tim Burton Batman" is absurd. Both the old TV series and the Burton movie were dealing with the same character. The character was just portrayed differently. Toho portrayed the character differently over the course of its 22-film career but it was always Godzilla. The Tri-Star Godzilla simply is not the same character as the Toho Godzilla. And THAT is where the argument lies.

If you like the new movie, fine. But it isn't a Godzilla movie. The fact that it's a big reptilian creature isn't enough to justify calling it Godzilla. Godzilla is a character that has specific, behavioral characteristics that make it Godzilla. The Tri-Star version has none of them. If a new director was helming the new Star Wars series and decided to change the histories of the characters and the characters themselves, would he/she be justified in calling the new films Star Wars films? I think a lot of people would be extremely upset. But, because the past Godzilla films didn't use "state-of-the-art" special effects (by the way, Gojira DID use state-of-the-art special effects) and the new film does, several people have said that the old films are terrible and the new film should be the new rule.

I simply can't understand why anyone who doesn't like the old films, or even someone who hasn't SEEN the old films, should feel it necessary to hop onto this board and start telling those of us who prefer the old films that we're idiots. WE'RE THE GODZILLA FANS! That's why we're here. Perhaps you should pay attention for a while and find out what it is that has instilled such fierce loyalty in us. I hope that whoever will be responsible for the inevitable sequels is paying attention to what we're saying and makes a good sequel. I, like several others, had reservations about the new film being a good Godzilla film but hoped for a good monster movie at the very least. Instead, we got what I feel was a thin, unenjoyable remake of The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms with some Jurassic Park thrown in.

If this is the best America has to offer to Godzilla fans, I'll stick with scouring the web and magazines for any little morsel from Japan to feed my hobby.

Brian L.

From: Big M Topic: Some thoughts ... (3 of 4) Date: May 28, 1998

I almost agree with you. The problem is, Toho G has a much longer history than the Tri-Star G. This has created a sort of 'generation gap' among G-fans. It's fine if someone prefers one G to another but to say that because someone likes the American G better and calls it 'the real G', it is unfair to persecute them. If you ask me, I would say that the Biogoji was the essential Toho G but I love the American G. However, since the Tri-Star G is (should be) still evolving, it is unfair to say which G is which. Tri-Star G is the real American G while (pick your favorite Toho G movie) is the real Japanese G. It's all in how you look at it. What we really have to remember is: Godzilla has taken on numerous appearances throughout his lifespan and some people will like certain designs better. If anything, I think Toho should be strongly criticized for constantly changing his appearance (when not related to an advance in technology).

From: tigerclaw Topic: Some thoughts ... (4 of 4) Date: May 28, 1998

I agree. Godzilla has had many different appearances, probably because of his mutation. Anyway, with the new Godzilla out, I believe that in the upcoming sequels for the new Godzilla, they may have the new Godzilla mutate even further and have a different appearance unlike the last one. You never know. Maybe that baby Godzilla at the end of the movie will mutate even further and possess other abilities.

Posted by gmarius on 29 May 1998 (in response to Re: Godzilla was HUGE... -ly disappointing posted by Gena on 20 May 1998)

Dear Gena,

I did read Terry Rossio's and Ted Elliott's Godzilla script and it was brilliant. It is a text book example of how writers can take a silly concept and polish it into gold. How the studio went with Devlin and Emmerich's rather than Terry and Ted's script is beyond rational explanation. The key being "rational."

Gmarius

Posted by Ken Mercadante on 29 May 1998 (in response to Re: Godzilla was HUGE... -ly disappointing posted by gmarius on 29 May 1998)

I think the point is: they didn't. The script had nothing to do with it. They went with Deviln and Emmerich, not their script. They assumed the draw of the guys who did ID4 would carry their film also. At the time they signed Dean and Roland, they hadn't written a script so the studio banked on a previous success instead of a finished script.

In hindsight, it wasn't such a good idea. But then again, all they're looking at is the box office. So far, it's been good (they called it "disappointing") but wait until next week. I suspect it'll tank pretty bad and when The Truman Show and Armageddon open, it'll disappear.

Ken

From: Barry's Temple of Godzilla Topic: A Message for 'Tigerclaw' and those like him.... (1 of 2) May 29, 1998

All right, people, this has got to stop. I'm gonna try and be real polite here but this is really starting to get on my nerves....

Godzilla has a long history. He's appeared in 22 films over a period of over 40 years. The original movie was made with what were then state-of-the-art special effects and is generally regarded as a true classic of the genre. It was a dark, somber movie with a deep message regarding nuclear war and the personal responsibility of those who design weapons of mass destruction. Many of the later films were aimed at a younger audience and were much more light-hearted. Some were well-done while others were made on a tight budget and schedule and it shows. Starting in 1989, the Godzilla series was started up again but this time with much improved special effects. Not every movie made after that point was perfect but some of them would truly knock your socks off.

My point? All of a sudden we have a new generation of ignorant children who have only seen a few of the older films and who think that special effects are the most important thing in a movie. I doubt they can appreciate how great some of the older movies were when they first came out and I doubt they've seen any of the newer ones. These children are completely unable to appreciate the value of a decent script or good acting and simply glorify special effects over all else. Thus, according to them, the new Godzilla is "the best movie ever made" and the old Godzilla movies are "crap".

Don't get me wrong. I actually like the new movie. The special effects really are pretty darn terrific [although I thought the effects in some of the later Godzilla movies were also great]. I also don't mind the fact that the new Godzilla has a different look. If you prefer that look to the old Godzilla, I can understand your opinion, even though I personally like the old look better.

But please realize that many of us fans are upset that other changes were made, other than to the big G's appearance. To us, it just isn't Godzilla without his atomic breath. It just isn't Godzilla without his invulnerability. You kids are probably too young to remember but there were a bunch of movies made years ago about giant lizards or dinosaurs attacking cities, such as "Beast from 20,000 Fathoms", "Gorgo", "Reptilicus" and "The Giant Behemoth". The main difference between Godzilla and all these other films was the fact that Godzilla had atomic breath and could not be harmed with normal weapons. If you take away these things, he's just another giant lizard. THIS is what gets us upset.

So, yes, the new movie had really great special effects. And these effects were better than most of the original Godzilla movies. The acting was generally bad and the plot was unoriginal but the special effects were really neat. No argument. But to those of us who have been fans of Godzilla for many, many years, that simply isn't enough and many of us feel insulted that they would make a "Godzilla" movie and not give the title monster all the things that would actually make him Godzilla. Like I've said before, that's like making a Superman movie where Superman can't fly, doesn't have heat vision, and doesn't wear a cape. It might have really great special effects, with tons of nifty explosions, but it just wouldn't be Superman.

So please try and have a little respect, O.K.? You're certainly entitled to your opinion that you like the new movie better than the old ones [although I really doubt you've actually seen them all] but please understand that to most of us this really wasn't a Godzilla film so you can't really compare them.

Sorry to ramble on so long....;^)

From: Crow T. Robot Topic: A Message for 'Tigerclaw' and those like him.... (2 of 2) Date: May 29, 1998

Darn it, Barry! I had my bags all packed and I was about to get my tickets to Japan. Then you had to go post a message that makes sense. :>.

From: Raptor Topic: Last Action 'Zilla (2 of 2) Date: May 29, 1998

Sorry. I have to agree with Ebert's critique of this film, which, for me, was an extremely anticipated event. A lot of folks have eagerly awaited this movie. Not delivering the goods is right up there with finding out Santa Claus got hijacked the night before Christmas.

>1998, The Year of Godzilla?

What arrogance! What a disappointment after the challenge of finding out what the creature looks like and all the advertising hype. It is indeed a shame the effects are not backed up with interesting scripting and characterizations. At least we have G-CON '98, the Taco Bell ads and some striking action figures to remember the occasion by on a happier note.

From: Big M Topic: (1 of 1) Date: Friday, May 29, 1998

Yes, this really is a true Godzilla film...

I know that this may piss a lot of people off, but I believe it has merit. The topic is "Why is Godzilla so Indefinably Appealing?" It is based on the Toho giant and addresses the more subtle, but ultimately more reverant reasons we like Godzilla. I am almost positive most of you will agree with me and, if you look carefully enough, you will see that Tri-Star's Godzilla meets just about all of those criteria. I implore you all to check it out and respond, either by email,  or right here on the G-board.

The Champion of Godzilla '98 (or one of them) BIG M

From: James Kilbane Date: 06/12/1998 Newsgroups: alt.tv.sentai

To answer Arthur's question, "Which Godzilla is the best?"....as far as I'm concerned, there is only ONE Godzilla, and it's Gojira. The Gojira actors at G-CON said something like this too. And most Gojira fans will agree. Of course, there will be some people out there saying the monster in Devlin's movie is Godzilla.

Just like Friday the Thirteenth 5, or 6 (?), Jason wasn't in it, just a wannabe. Pissed off Jason fans. A similar thing is happening with Godzilla '98 and Gojira fans.

So, if people picket outside Tri-Star's office, just like Jason fans did back in 1985 at Paramount, we could get the Gojira Godzilla.

James

David Windhorst wrote:

This is a little late, and maybe a little self-aggrandizing, but I just found this News Group, so I'll plead ignorance. It's a piece I did for "Creative Loafing," a weekly alternative paper in Greenville, SC that's part of the Atlanta-based chain. Feel free to comment or flame; I've got my Nomex boxers on.

August 8, 1956. A date which will live in inflammability. On Wade Hampton Blvd. -- then referred to as the The Super Highway -- The Greer Drive-In Theater offered a local premiere, three months after its release, of the Americanized version of the latest entry in the burgeoning Oversized Threat to Democracy genre, "Godzilla: King of the Monsters."

Advertised as “THE MIGHTIEST MONSTER...THE MIGHTIEST MELODRAMA of them ALL! It’s Alive! It crushes! It kills!...” and double-billed with "Born to the Saddle," it enjoyed an impressive run of -- two days. In the middle of the week. Greenville never has been kind to foreign movies. But the Cold War world at large was sufficiently enthralled by the spectacle of a 400-foot-tall, atomic-fueled, neutron-breathing, city-razing reptile to make "Godzilla" the first internationally successful Japanese film. Released domestically in 1954, the original language version, "Gojira," was, unlike the juvenile, laughably dubbed twenty-one sequels-worth of “Mystery Science Theater” fodder to follow, a serious, deliberate drama...that just happened to feature an outrageously big dinosaur. Though its makers obviously drew inspiration from, and felt compelled to top, the 1933 classic "King Kong" -- apparent in the Americanized version’s subtitle and the Japanese version’s tag line, “Makes King Kong Look Like a Midget!” -- they were more immediately inspired by 1953’s "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms."

The first widely successful '50s giant monster flick, costing $210,000 in period dollars, it grossed $5 million. To return a similar percentage, "Titanic" would have to gross $5 billion -- which is difficult to imagine happening before, maybe, say...Monday). It was based on a Ray Bradbury story about a prehistoric beast, wakened by nuclear testing, that surfaces to wreak havoc on the East Coast of North America. But the storyline to "Gojira" sought to do much more than chill and thrill. The filmmakers intended nothing less than an allegory about the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As in "Beast..., the towering monster is stirred to life by H-bomb tests; it first appears in a blinding flash at sea that leaves witnesses suffering from radiation burns.

Lumbering through Tokyo, it destroys everything in its path either with brute force or radioactive flames. Most tellingly, Gojira is finally destroyed using a device developed by a reluctant, Robert Oppenheimer-esque scientist who employs his discovery only after much agonizing, then takes its secrets to his death by committing suicide rather than risk loosing it on the world.

Though "Gojira" was a none-too-subtle indictment of America’s decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan’s civilian population, much of that subtext remarkably survived in the American version. "Godzilla" utilized additional footage featuring a pre-"Perry Mason" Raymond Burr, enjoying newfound star status after playing the villain in Hitchcock’s "Rear Window," as an American reporter who witnesses the carnage. (His character’s name, “Steve Martin,” does make for pleasant unintentional laughter when viewing the original, though.

And there’s a great camp moment in "Godzilla 1985," in which a decidedly grayer, heftier, more hirsute Burr reprised the role, where he introduces himself to film audiences now inured to wild-and-crazyisms with a deadpan, “My name is -- Mr. Martin.”) Unlike the markedly less-grave movies that followed, "Godzilla" made sparing use of English dubbing. Instead, scenes of Burr were inserted (coincidentally looking much like the real Steve Martin’s film, "Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid," in which the actor was inserted into scenes from several films noires with great comedic results), using fairly decent editing technique for the period, in which his character frequently asked an aide to translate the dialogue.

The result is an effective, pseudo-documentary pacing that gradually builds tension toward the inevitable Tokyo-stomping. And while the monster is obviously alternately a hand-puppet or a guy in a rubber suit, its scenes are mostly in slow-motion, diminishing the cartoonish appearance that make the sequels either so ludicrous or so enjoyable, depending on the individual’s threshold of silliness.

Segue to 1998, following two-generations of filmgoers who are mostly familiar with Big G as a saviour to be called when Japan is threatened by rancid-sushi-induced prosthetic nightmares with names such as Ghidra, Megalon, Gigan, Biollattus...well, you get the idea.

Now "Godzilla" is a film from Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, the creative team behind "Stargate" and 1996 summer blockbuster "Independence Day." Seeking to tap boxoffice gold by applying the multi-barreled mojos of macrobudgeting, almost-superstars, and computer-generated animation to a worldwide pop-culture idol, the latest chapter in this big scaly green saga faces a daunting challenge: can a genuine hit come out of something so...stupid? In a word: yeah. Because, unlike "Stargate" and "ID4," which attempted to make at least a cursory nod to the “sci-” that’s supposed to go along with the “-fi,” then asked us to accept aliens that can conquer time and space but can’t shoot straight or recognize Jeff Goldblum, "Godzilla" throws all concessions to even approximating reality right out the window with the opening credits.

You know, when you see iguanas on a Pacific island beach looking up at the mushroom cloud from a French nuclear test, exactly what -- or who -- is coming. And coming fast. Mindful, as was Spielberg in filming its sequel, of eight-year-olds’ criticism that "Jurassic Park" took too long to get moving, Devlin and Emmerich waste no time getting the Behemoth to Broadway. After brief run-ins with fishing boats and the Isthmus of Panama while making its way from the South Pacific to Manhattan to build a nest (why NYC? nobody explains? who cares?), prompting the U.S. military to get wisely, uncharacteristically quickly, suspicious, before you can say “No tuna for you!” the Rhode Island-sized monster is tearing up Fifth Avenue, lunching the Met Life Building, and burrowing through the subways.

Matthew Broderick plays a nuclear biologist drafted to be the requisite “you-wanted-a-technoweenie-now-why-won’t-you-listen” type, Hank Azaria is a gonzo cameraman risking getting smashed into little gonzo-cameraman-pancakes for the ultimate highlight tape, Michael Lerner is Mayor-Ebert-who-looks-just-like-Roger-Ebert (the filmmakers didn’t appreciate his panning "ID4;" they show great restraint in not squashing him), and the incomparable Jean Reno plays a French secret service superhomme sent to clean up his government’s really big mistake (prompting the best line of the movie when Azaria asks Broderick, “Where did you get this guy?” “He’s from France.”)

Although, in a knockoff of "Jurassic Park’s" velociraptor scenes, proceedings seem to mis-step when taking us to a nest of hundreds of baby G’s hatching in Madison Square Garden, we ultimately are treated to the surprisingly satisfying sight of killer lizards getting the "Home Alone" treatment. And just when events appear to be played out, the best is yet to come. Suffice it to say, this Southerner admits to getting not-so-perverse pleasure in seeing famous New Yah-wuk landmarks used for dental floss. The computer animation is some of the best yet. The sound is spine-trembling. Practically nobody dies (as in "ID4," all the carnage is rather benign, with no mention of civilian casualties despite the wanton destruction). And the sight of this huuuuuuge thing running among skyscrapers at 80 m.p.h., with nary a slowdown for pedestrians in the crosswalk make the new "Godzilla" a hoot.

To quote again from the lyrics to Blue Oyster Cult’s dirge metal classic of the same title, “Oh, no, they say he’s got to go...Go, Go, Godzilla!”

B+

Posted by Gena on 21 May 1998.

Posted by Chris on 21 May 1998 in response to Godzilla - It wasn't meant for us! posted by Gena on 21 May 1998

Maybe the kid was radioactive...

-Chris

Posted by SG on 22 May 1998 in response to Godzilla - It wasn't meant for us! posted by Gena on 21 May 1998, at 12:05 p.m.

Posted by Deb on Saturday, 23 May 1998, at 10:48 a.m., in response to Godzilla - It wasn't meant for us! posted by Gena on 21 May 1998, at 12:05 p.m.

Hold on a minute. Sure, my niece and nephew (six and nine years old) thought the scary parts of GODZILLA were cool and liked the destruction and mayhem. But they also wanted to know:

I love to take the kids to the movies with me because they pick up on structural flaws and plots holes a lot faster than the adults. My niece's comment after LOST IN SPACE: "Why did they end the movie in the middle of the story?" To which she answered herself: "I guess they're going to make a sequel."

Forget about making movies that are smart enough for adults. If they would start making movies as smart as the kids, we'd all be way ahead of the game!

From: Christopher Paris Date: 06/04/1998 Newsgroups: alt.movies.monster

You know, the more I watch the public response to Tri-Star's G these days, I notice something: the biggest positive response has been with YOUNG viewers: 10 and under. I was just in a toy store here and the toy department was packed with kids about 5-8 or so going ga-ga over the toys, wearing the shirts, and (apparently) real familiar with the film. I was buying running shoes the other day, and a kid of about 6 came in looking for Godzilla sneakers.

Maybe I've been looking at G98 all wrong and its really a positive thing: not so much for the adult audience, but maybe for the under 10 crowd. Certainly nothing wrong with that. I've always felt there was room for GODZILLA'S REVENGE and the new MOTHRA flicks, even if they alienate the over-30 folks. We're not the only viewership out there.

Anyone agree?

CP

From: Dr. Derek Robb, Kaiju Hakase Date: 06/06/1998 Newsgroups: alt.movies.monster

Thomas exploded:

)Believe it or not, Chris, I can relate. Every time I mention Godzilla to my sixth and seventh grade classes, they all refer to the American Godzilla and seem to know little or nothing about the original. Like you, I try to set them straight and as we're currently learning about Japan with the sixth grade, I might slip some footage from the real films into the class.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. From what I can tell, some kids have a clue, some kids don't. Not much different from grownups, really.

After all, there *was* the kid (I forgot who first mentioned it) who liked the movie but wanted to know when Godzilla was going to show up and fight this monster.

I'd wager this film won't have the longevity of the other g-films anyway. So, in a few years, the kids that get into Godzilla are likely going to be getting into the Old G again... and this'll be at best a two or three year age spread of kids who consider GINO to be the "real" godzilla.

I'm doing my part. Some friends of mine had a daughter about two years ago. Freakysmart little kid she is, I'd wager. Got her a stuffed Godzilla from G-CON for her birthday and often, of her own accord, she'll lumber about and go "raaaar! gazilla!". It's horrifically adorable.
 

From: TwoZbar Date: 06/07/1998 Newsgroups: alt.movies.monster

> >Yes, I see it too. I went to the Cinerama Dome (again) with a group including a 12-year old. There were many other children in the audience and they continued to chatter excitedly about the monster scenes while the teenagers were falling asleep and the adults were going for popcorn.

I see it, three. At G-CON, my wife said that a little girl was looking at the Godzilla t-shirts, including both new and classic Godzilla designs. She picked up a shirt with the new Godzilla on it and said, "I like this one because it's the *real* Godzilla."

>Kiddie Kaiju?

The problem there is that there is no way Sony/TriStar/Centropolis planned it to be so. This was supposed to be a movie for the masses, like ID4, and not just for kids. Why else would they hype a new, "scarier" Godzilla, especially when Jurassic Park took some heat for being too scary for young kids? No, this film just turned out that way. Don't listen to Devlin if he starts to pick up on this now and claim, "Yes, this is the film that we intended all along. We did it for the kiddies."

- Red (from the Two-Z-Bar)

>Godzilla? Yet more glam science-fiction. Why doesn't Hollywood come up with something original? The original Japanese movie in black and white kicks butt. I hope it's not another ID4 God Bless America flic when Uncle Sam rocks up to blow the varmin ... "And that's for Pearl Harbour!"

The recent G-CON '98 in Chicago included a special screening of the new movie with actors from the original Japanese films. Before the movie was over, one of the actors, Kenpachiro Satsuma (the man inside the Godzilla suit from 1984-1995) got up and walked out. Pretty much all the Godzilla fans who have seen it feel the same way.

"This is the University Network! Don't let me find you asking any questions!"

- Dr. Gene Scott

From: Godzilla Fan Network Newsletter Date: Sat, 6 Jun 1998 22:16:43 -0700 (PDT) From: Centropolis Mailing List Admin Godzilla Production Report #16

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1. Godzilla '98 - Pro and Con

The verdict is out. People either like GODZILLA for its monster-sized city-smashing or they loathe the very ground it stomps on. Check out the special commentary in this week's issue of Eon Magazine where STEVEN FELTY and JEFF BOND offer up their very dissenting opinions about the movie and finally put the criticism about the big scaly beast to rest.

Date: 07 Jun 1998 From: Jay Badenhoop Organization: West Virginia Network To: [SF-NEWS] REVIEW

>From: Fordat1@aol.com

Ya knew it was going to happen: The nitpickers found Godzilla and they will continue. This is but the first battery of 'nitpicks' on the film. It won't be long 'til these people have this list well over 250. I have a theory now about making geek films. Personally, I would gather up a gaggle of geeks into a room with the script, a buncha candy bars and an endless supply of Dr Pepper and Jolt, listen to them nitpick the thing, talk with them about what they would love to get out of a Godzilla film and then lock them in the dungeon 'til the release of the film.

[Jay: Wouldn't a gaggle of nitpickers spontaneously combust long before that?]

1. Pregnancy tests take a little longer than two seconds.

2. Godzilla can outrun helicopters but he can't keep up to a taxicab.

3. You can't evacuate the entire island of Manhattan in a matter of hours.

4. Helicopters can fly higher than 30 feet.

5. Baby Godzillas would not be trapped in the entry way of the Garden by glass doors.

6. If they were trapped, how did they miss the big hole in the floor lined with a fish every three feet to lead them to safety?

7. That fish in the basketball hoop was still alive. He must've been out of the ocean for over a day at least.

8. If the tape was really Top Secret, why did they write it in big red letters on the tape and leave it out in the open in an unlocked tent?

9. Matthew Broderick is not strong enough to push back a 9-ft-tall Godzilla baby out of the elevator with one leg.

10. Lazy-Eye Larry was firing the Apache chain guns.

11. Sidewinders blow up on proximity fuses. They wouldn't have kept going.

12. Sidewinders have almost no explosive force. They're meant to pop aircraft, not cause major structural damage to the Chrysler Building.

13. When running for your life, do you keep looking back most of the time, thus slowing your running speed?

14. The devastation of Chernobyl caused earthworms to increase 17% in size. That's a LOT of nuclear testing to make Gojira that big. But if there was all that testing, why did only one Komodo dragon mutate?

15. Where did all 200+ eggs fit in Godzilla?

16. Why didn't the Apaches use those Hellfire missiles? A shaped charge would have blown halfway through Godzilla.

17. They could have shot Godzilla in the left eye with current military accuracy at a range of 10 or 20 miles. Why did they need him to get into Central Park?

18. The Brooklyn Bridge is strong! Not only can it hold up Godzilla, it can hold him up after it loses all its suspension. Maybe they should call it a non-suspension bridge.

19. How can that taxi still drive after being chomped six times in Godzilla's mouth?

20. Why did Godzilla wait so long to try breathing fire on the humans she viewed responsible for killing her kids?

21. How did that chain-link fence manage to hold Godzilla back for those few seconds?

22. Why didn't they fly in a seismograph to locate Godzilla?

23. Isn't it convenient how one little switch activates all those independent light systems in Madison Square Garden? Maybe they had left all the lights on and just threw the breaker.

24. Why would you fire a heat seeker at even a warm-blooded target?

25. Why was the Internet connection already set up at MSG?

26. How could the Mayor walk among military personnel all day without a single person noticing the mic on the back of his neck? (An iffy one, but the mic wasn't exactly well-hidden.)

27. How come people bounced a foot in the air when Godzilla first started walking around NYC but not at any other time?

28. How come the French secret service men lost all their guns while setting charges?

29. How did that four ton electrical cable say stuck in Godzilla's mouth when it was leisurely draped over a tooth without falling out?

30. How come the feet sank 3 feet into earth, 2 feet into concrete but didn't dent the bridge?

31. Why did the military suddenly refuse to believe their expert's theory that there wasn't a nest and to endanger citizens' lives by letting them back in the city?

32. Could Godzilla teleport? Sometimes she'd be right behind them, then be gone, then be way in front of them.

33. Would those taxis' radios really work down underground in the subway?

34. Why the problem with finding non-heat-seeking technology? Most missiles are laser or radar guided.

35. Could Godzilla really bite a helicopter without needing plastic surgery afterwards?

36. Why was Godzilla "born pregnant" like a Tribble instead of developing eggs after it hit puberty?

37. (There is no #37)

38. Could you break through the mass of baby Godzillas by blasting the chandeliers? Not a chance.

39. When Godzilla dives into the ocean, wouldn't there be more than a mild splash?

40. Why did the AGMs that struck MSG explode more violently then when they hit Godzilla?

41. I can buy the incompetence of the military but you know the Mafia would have put a hit on Godzilla.

42. Why isn't the military now requisitioning cab cars for search and destroy missions?

43. How come the Frenchmen said some of the simplest, off the cuff phrases to one another in English? "It's good?", "Oui". Really, how many people would miss the meaning of "C'est bien?" "Oui"?

44. Why did the baby Godzillas sniff main stars 37 times but no-names just once?

45. Would Baby Godzillas be attracted to the smell of popcorn... in sealed plastic bags?

46. How did the military know they had destroyed the target (Godzilla) but then couldn't find the dead body?

47. So Godzilla never poops? (I know it's a big ocean but she spent the entire movie on the Island without relieving herself once.)

48. Why did the tires revving in Godzilla's mouth seem to give no problem but then when an electric cable poke hits her, she wants to spit the thing out at an angle where it can still drive?

49. Why didn't they wash the fish smell off?

50. How come the Godzillas just watched them through the glass of the Garden for so long?

51. Why didn't they use napalm? That can't be good for a cold-blooded creature!

52. What woman of the 1990's would let her married boss get away with saying, in so many words, she doesn't have a chance for the promotion unless she invites him to her place for dinner?

53. If the Earth cracked beneath you, between your legs, would you just stand there?

54. Why did Animal's possessive, protective wife only notice he was gone after she saw him on TV after all the devastation and destruction was over?

55. Why did the subs close to within 100 yards before firing?

56. Why didn't they detonate the torpedoes?

57. Why did Godzilla dodge the torpedos? Does he dodge dolphins?

58. How did Godzilla burrow through solid rock so quickly, anyway?

59. How did he burrow through rock without displacing any of it? The mass just vanished!

60. Why was he faster than a torpedo but slower than a sub?

61. How come no one in the movie ever asked what "Gojira" meant?

62. Why was a French secret service member so willing to tell some worm guy all about top secret experiments?

63. Why did Godzilla's eye keep changing size? When next to the soldier in the tunnel, her eye looked about five feet in diameter. When looking at her dead baby, her eye looked ten feet in diameter.

(c) 1998 by Harry Jay Knowles

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From: MKIRKALDY Date: 9 Jul 1998

In the line of "we told them it should have been a dinosaur," according to Bloomberg News:

> Hershey Foods Corp. shares fell for a second day as the biggest U.S. candy maker said second-quarter profit will be less than expected because of weak sales in Asia and disappointing results from promotions tied to the movie "Godzilla." <SNIP> The ``Godzilla'' promotion, which featured Hershey bars with the monster's footprints in them and bubble-gum balls made to appear like lizard eyes, had about $14 million less in sales than last year's tie-in with ``Lost World,'' the sequel to ``Jurassic Park,'' the company said.

> The shortfall accounts for 2 cents a share in lost earnings, the company said.

> "Godzilla'' has failed to live up to expectations at the box office as well, taking in $134 million in seven weeks, short of recouping the $170 million Sony Corp. spent to make and promote the special effects-laden film.

So, who wanted to see a film of an iguana laying eggs or eat a candy bar imprinted with said spoor?

Mary

Movie News & Reviews July 13, 1998

'Godzilla' Returns Home Something of a Stranger Movies: Japanese fans have mixed reactions to the Hollywood version. By VALERIE REITMAN, Times Staff Writer

TOKYO--Yoshiyuki Kasuya was in line at Tokyo's toniest theater in the Ginza district at dawn Saturday, awaiting Godzilla's return to his homeland. Kasuya emerged horrified from the 7:20 a.m. showing: Godzilla had been transformed into a character he no longer recognized. "That's not Godzilla," growled Kasuya, 38, who wore his favorite shirt for the occasion--a black short-sleeve silk number emblazoned with yellow and orange Godzilla scenes. "He got killed with four missiles, but the Japanese Godzilla is almost bulletproof. And the Japanese Godzilla is handsome, but the American Godzilla is not."

The long-awaited Hollywood version of "Godzilla" began rampaging through Japan this weekend, but it wasn't the plot or special effects that Godzilla's most ardent fans were bemoaning: It was his make-over into a giant, four-footed, lightning-fast, computer-generated reptile cum dinosaur with a long tail. That's a big change from the lumbering, upright man-in-a-monster-suit that Japanese Godzilla fans know and love.

It's also being widely discussed in the land where Godzilla was born 44 years ago and that has been eagerly awaiting the Hollywood revival. "We've been building up our expectations since rumors first surfaced of an American Godzilla in 1994," said a dejected Masato Mukohata, 16, who had camped outside the theater overnight. "My dreams were crushed."

Indeed, for many Japanese, Godzilla isn't just a monster, as he is in the Sony Pictures film that opened in U.S. theaters in May. He's a beloved folk hero who's starred in 22 pictures made by Toho Studios in Tokyo over the past four decades. "Without exaggeration, he's the greatest star the Japanese movie industry has produced," said Kenji Sato, a social commentator and author of two books about Godzilla's cultural impact. Known in Japan as "Gojira"--an amalgam of the Japanese words for gorilla (gorira) and whale (kujira)--the original 1954 film was a runaway hit that more than 10 million Japanese attended, says Sato.

The film contained heavy political overtones, with Godzilla portrayed as a force created by the nuclear fallout from the atomic bombs dropped by the U.S. on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (The new version suggests that he is a result of French nuclear testing.) "Half a century ago, when Japan was a poor, small country, many felt powerless against the U.S., and Godzilla was the nuclear threat terrorizing Japanese people," Sato said. He attacked only at night, in a metaphor for the American air raids that had devastated Tokyo a decade earlier.

Two years later, an American adaptation of the movie was made that cut 20 minutes from the Japanese original and then spliced in scenes of Raymond Burr as a reporter investigating the strange Godzilla phenomenon. Godzilla lost his social relevance in many of the films that followed the original, Sato argues, becoming a creature geared more to children than adults. Still, Godzilla did regain his social consciousness, Sato says, attacking issues such as pollution, in "Godzilla Versus the Smog Monster." Just because Hollywood's "Godzilla" is different from Tokyo's doesn't necessarily mean the newest film won't be popular here, however. (Amid tepid reviews, attendance in the U.S. plunged after a strong initial turnout.)

The sheer number of Godzilla die-hards expected to attend out of curiosity, if nothing else, makes the movie a near-certain winner in Japan. After all, from 3 million to 4 million viewers flocked to each of the last few Godzilla movies, even though it's rather hard to sustain a monster plot for 22 versions. Toho Studios estimates the Hollywood version will gross more than $40 million in Japan. It was well on its way after Saturday's debut: About 500,000 moviegoers shelled out about $13 apiece for tickets, surpassing the 350,000 who saw "The Lost World" on opening day.

Hidekazu Takahashi, who waited about 15 hours to be first into the theater, stayed in his seat for a second show and then bought about $45 worth of Godzilla gear--including T-shirts, a cap and posters. But the film is so different from the original that you can't even compare them, he said, adding that he loved the new movie's "sense of speed."

The executives at Toho initially didn't find the new monster so easy to relate to. When the American team first brought pictures of their version of Godzilla to Japan for Toho's approval two years ago, the Japanese executives were shocked. "It was so different we realized we couldn't make small adjustments," said Shogo Tomiyama, executive producer of the past six Godzilla films. "That left the major question of whether to approve it or not."

The producer of the original, Tomoyuki Tanaka, was on his deathbed when his successor, Tomiyama, went to visit to explain the changes. Forbidden from taking any pictures outside the studio for fear of leaks, Tomiyama struggled to find the words to describe the new Godzilla. "I told him, 'It's similar to Carl Lewis, with long legs, and it runs fast,' " he recalled. And though the Japanese Godzilla's real charm is that he's mysterious and something you can never understand, the producer thinks Japanese Godzilla fans can still enjoy the American version--once they accept that Godzilla is entirely different.

But acceptance is impossible for Kasuya, the man who was so furious about Godzilla's transformation. To protest, Kasuya--a personnel manager at a real estate company--is planning not to add any big American Godzilla statues to the 200 Godzilla statues that already adorn every surface in his house. (Godzilla even attended his wedding as a special guest. ) Kasuya and his "Godzilla Support Group" have developed a questionnaire to be handed out at movie theaters with Toho's approval, polling viewers about the Hollywood Godzilla and how it compares with the Japanese.

They're hoping their efforts will revive interest in the original film. They're also hoping Toho will bring out another Godzilla movie, since Godzilla died in what was to have been his last Japanese film, 1995's "Godzilla Versus Destroyah." After all, what kind of role model will Japanese children get from the American movie? "When you see a child playing Godzilla, he destroys blocks or sand castles. But if you try to play American Godzilla, all you can do is run away from attacks. I don't want to play that kind of Godzilla," Kasuya said.

Chieko Tsuneoka in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Copyright Los Angeles Times

By Jeff Gordinier (E n t e r t a i n m e n t W e e k l y O n l i n e) July 23, 1998

It seems like every summer flick "borrows" something -- a line, an image -- from a Steven Spielberg movie, be it "Jaws" or "Jurassic Park." "Godzilla," for example, had more cribs than a maternity ward. (Watch how those baby Godzillas dent steel doors, raptor-style.) But just because "Godzilla" director Roland Emmerich saw "Jurassic Park," don't expect Spielberg to return the favor. "The only 'Godzilla' I saw was the one with Raymond Burr cut into the Japanese version," Spielberg says. "I purposely stayed away from seeing 'Godzilla,' because I didn't want to get anything between me and my memory of my favorite Godzilla movie of all time."

From: Jay Badenhoop Date: 25 Jul 1998 Subject: [SF-NEWS] Misc. TV & Film News #2 7/25

>From Sci-Fi Wire (http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/): 22-July-98

Despite drawing a record-setting 500,000 moviegoers on its opening day in Japan, the Dean Devlin/Roland Emmerich film GODZILLA isn't faring all that well in the Land of the Rising Sun, according to Variety. After just one week in theaters, Toho's infamous radioactive lizard relinquished the top box-office spot to POCKET MONSTERS, the feature film version of the popular Japanese animated TV series of the same name.

In fact, GODZILLA earned just $2.6 million during its second weekend in release, playing on 381 screens. Meanwhile, POCKET MONSTERS took in an estimated $3.4 million on only 250 screens. Toho probably isn't too worried about the monster battle, however, as the Japanese studio has a stake in both films.