Gojira ni-sen mireniamu (Godzilla 2000)

Today we present you with an example of indigenous Japanese cinema, formerly perverted by Western influences but here restored to all its native, shining glory: "Gojira ni-sen mireniamu," known less euphoniously to Western tongues as "Godzilla 2000." Many of you may have seen the United States version of Godzilla that came out in 1998, and just to clear up any possible confusion, what we have here ain't no pansy-ass, computer-generated, Matthew Broderick-starring, Roland Emmerich-directed, New York-destroying Godzilla. No, what we have here is the Original Godzilla (hereinafter known as O.G.), operated primarily by Tsutomu Kitagawa in a suit, lumbering over Japanese coastal cities and shooting flames out his mouth as he makes his way inland to lay waste to tall buildings and do battle with some other gigantic Japanese cinematic monster. We've got people with names like Takehiro Murata playing people with names like Yuji Shinoda. We've got army officers who, having failed to defeat Godzilla with conventional weaponry in countless previous films, decide that the best thing to do is fire some more missiles at the O.G. Ladies and gentlefolk, no matter what Sony Pictures claims for itself, what we have in "Gojira ni-sen mireniamu" is the Real Damn Deal, and it's all the more refreshing for it.

Not that the fact that a New Godzilla (hereinafter known as N.G.) exists has escaped this film. Toho Industries Ltd., which brought us all the previous Godzilla films, seems to think of this film as both a response to and a one-up on Emmerich's opus. Both films feature a scientist who must operate outside government authority; however, while Emmerich's film featured Broderick, atrociously miscast, "G2K" features the abovementioned Murata, growling and showing scientific acumen and showing bitter-loner credentials in a way Broderick never could. Murata, of course, is the non-reptile center of "G2K," and he holds it down with authority. Both films feature a comely but idiotic reporter, but Naomi Nishida as Yuki Ichinose is much comelier than Maria Pitillo, without achieving the admittedly near-impossible feat of being more idiotic. "G2K" even adds one of the less annoying spunky children in recent cinematic memory, Mayu Suzuki as Murata's daughter Eo.

And, yes, both films feature revolutionary special effects, with the slight exception that Emmerich's were revolutionary for 1998 and "G2K"'s would have been revolutionary in 1978, but not any later. They're still better than in previous Godzilla films, but this is damning by faint praise. Still, very little is chuckleworthy in the special effects department. Most unintentional chuckling will result from the dubbed dialogue, which features such howlers as "Godzilla's coming!" from people who are veritable specks in the frame compared to Godzilla's girth. Upon futher review, however, the dialogue in Emmerich's film wasn't any better, despite its advantage of having originally been in English, so that's a draw. The acting goes to "G2K" and the effects go to Emmerich.

However, as much as people discuss the human element in Godzilla films, it remains that credible characters, emotional justification, scientific plausibility, and even laughable effects and dialogue fall by the wayside as Godzilla sets urban renewal programs back decades. What we're really interested in is: How cool is O.G. in this film? And is he better than N.G.?

N.G., in his much-hyped makeover, had acquired speed and grace in addition to his already-formidable strength and mass. O.G., as operated by the estimable Kitagawa, lumbers and lunges and ponderously moves about. There are no kinetic thrills to be found in O.G.'s locomotion. Yet this is not necessarily a demerit in the right hands, and director Takao Okawara finds the poetry in long, slow, destructive movements. O.G.'s wrenching final showdown, against yet another monster bent on destroying the Earth and killing all humans, acquires a wholly unexpected quality of grandeur and power, as the sheer strength of the puppets involved is amplified by the stately, broad pace of their fighting. O.G. commands attention not with flashy turns and twists, but with sheer literal and figurative gravity; his fighting takes on an epic aspect; it overwhelms by accumulation of tension and destruction, rather than a constant assault on the senses.

Plus, "G2K" accurately emphasizes the irony of the fact that humanity constantly tries to kill Godzilla, which seems somewhat shortsighted in light of the fact that O.G. constantly tries to save humanity from monstrous menaces. O.G. is almost a tragic figure, whose sheer bulk and capacity for laying waste make him humanity's best hope as well as humanity's most feared enemy. N.G., by contrast, seems essentially ephemeral.

There's only one choice this summer if you want to watch a foreign film featuring a lot of explosions, and if you can get past the coupla less-than-special effects and dialogue flubs in "G2K," you'll find a compelling enormous reptile who, while shunning love, always commands respect. And who will never, ever visit New York City, which may be his best recommendation.

AT LEAST THESE PEOPLE WATCH MOVIES

I disagree with the comment in the local paper about the idiocy of having a "Godzilla Prediction Network." If, for example, an enormous reptile came out of the sea every so often and menaced New York, New Yorkers would demand a prediction network for that reptile. The "Godzilla Prediction Network" is a rational response to a constant threat. End transmission.

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