The story arc that began with "Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II" (1993) closes with the intrepid team at 'G-Force', including psychic new-ager Miki Saegusa (Megumi Odaka), dealing with two existential threats: a superheated Godzilla, who will soon meltdown, releasing sufficient energy to destroy the Earth, and Destoroyah, a daikaiju born in the unique 'micro-oxygen' environment created when the original Godzilla was destroyed 40 years earlier. Godzilla's offspring is back, looking more like his awesome father than would be expected giving his muppet-like look as a youth. Other than the oversize thighs, the burning Godzilla looks good as does "Junior", but Destoroyah is a mixed bag. In keeping with the morphing-monsters trend, he starts off as a group of man-size crablike creatures, who then inexplicably combine to form a giant crab-like variant, which ultimately becomes an immense flying monster. The crab-monster stages don't really work: the creatures 'walk' as though being towed on rollers and the 'legs', while moving, never seem to be bearing any weight or contributing to the creature's motion. The final morph is better, as the 'suit-mated' monster now walks in two legs (but still suffers from the human proportionality that limits design options). The monster also flies in the characteristic but unrealistic 'gliding style' common to the genre. The humans counter with the latest version of their flying tank the "Super-X 3", which looks slightly more aerodynamic than its predecessors. The movie borrows from the 'Aliens' franchise, with soldiers carrying big guns mounted on steady-cam braces stalking hidden monsters with 'motion detectors' then being surprised when their quarry drop through the ceiling, and most obviously, creatures with eversible inner jaws. Lifting images from films as good as Alien and Aliens is risky, as they highlight the lower budgets and/or weaker execution of the Godzilla versions. Akira Ifukube is back and, although his new music is (IMO) not as good as his original themes, the film's score is an improvement on the previous installments. I watched a dubbed version, so passing judgment on the acting is difficult but the actors seem fine at playing the standard tropes (tough guy soldiers, sentimental psychics, intrepid reporters, rogue-scientist-with-all-the-answers, etc). The dubbing was OK (although still marred by odd cadence, pauses, and word choice, especially in 'crowd scenes'). As usual, the pseudoscience explaining events is sketchy and convenient, but the frequent references to Serizawa's 'oxygen destroyer' is an interesting loop back to the series origin (buttressed by an appearance by Momoto Kochi as 'Emiko Yamane', Serizawa's fiancée who witnessed the power of the 'oxygen destroyer' first hand in 1953). Touted in the lead-up to the film's release as the movie where Godzilla finally dies, you can decide yourself how to interpret the ending. All in all, number 22 in the series is a pretty standard Heisei-era outing - a bit preachy at times but fast-paced, imaginative and watchable. Good, but not as entertaining as some of the earlier entries in the series.

This was the last Godzilla film in the Heisei series, and it certainly topped all the rest. All the stops were pulled out to make this one a fantastic and explosive film that made July 4th a real firecracker for me. First, they are trying to develop some new chemical to kill Godzilla and they create some really neat looking creatures that look somewhat like a crab or a lobster with a long neck and a head. I really don't think Godzilla will have any trouble with these things as one spent five minutes trying to get a girl out of a car and couldn't do it before he was destroyed. But, the creatures apparently form in to one Destroyer and this one kills Baby Godzilla. Godzilla arrives to do battle and what a battle it is. The fireworks were spectacular and the sound track was marvelous. Add to the mix a space shuttle-like super jet piloted by a cross between Tom Cruise and Will Smith and these babies don't stand a chance. Since this is the end of the series, you know Godzilla will die, but you can be sure that he will likely comeback in some form in the future. -

The epic finale of the second Godzilla series concludes with Big G himself facing his toughest challenge yet! This is my personal favorite of the entire Godzilla series after the original 1954 film, and in many ways, this film does it's best to tie back to that film as much as possible, even explicitly tying the origins of Godzilla's new foe to the fate of the original King of the Monsters. Godzilla is at his largest, most powerful, and by far the most furious that he's ever been in the entire franchise, but he will be matched up against the nightmarish Destoroyah, one of the strongest and most terrifying monsters to ever appear in any film! What follows is a fitting and powerful conclusion for the King Of The Monsters, the last dance so to speak. For Godzilla's days are numbered, as the same radioactive meltdown that is triggering his increased strength and fury is also draining him and will eventually kill him. With some of the best visual effects and creature designs of the entire franchise, and an appropriately epic score to match, G vs. D represents the best the series has to offer. If you must watch only one Godzilla movie, watch the original 1954 Japanese version. But if you watch two, then I urge you to consider Godzilla vs. Destoroyah with the original. With this film, the Heisei series decisively came to an end, and Godzilla would enjoy a well earned and fitting retirement ... that is, until an American impostor pretending to be the original King Of The Monsters would rear its ugly head in a certain 1998 Columbia/Tristar film that shall remain nameless ...

This film is one of the most action-packed yet touching Godzilla movies, a combination that makes for one of the best of the series to date. I'll admit I'm slightly biased, since this was the film that began my obsession with Godzilla, but I love this movie. The Big G himself is spectacular; not only does he look awesome, but he's arguably more powerful here than in any other film. What's more, his displays of emotion allow the audience to relate to him more strongly than ever. His death at the end of the film is not only truly haunting, but also brilliant film-making. The monster action is top-notch: brutal, exciting, and striking an almost perfect balance between Showa (Old series) physical fighting and Heisei (80s-90s)beam fighting. There's even spraying blood! What more could you want? The film cycles through these battles at a nice rate as well, never letting the pace slacken, but still giving the audience a breather now and then. To top it all off, Akira Ifukube's music is, as always, superb. Even I have to admit, some of the special effects and plotting are a bit corny, but since when has any real Godzilla fan let that put them off? This film is a treat for any G fan, and an awesome conclusion to the Heisei (1984-1995) series. Even non-G fans should check it out, if they want to know what Godzilla's really about.