This 1995 addition to the "Godzilla" legacy was actually a rather entertaining movie, and a movie that did manage to elevate itself up from the mediocrity of many of the "Godzilla" movies.Story-wise then you know what you are getting here, as you know with each and every single of the "Godzilla" movies. A massive threat to Tokyo rises in the shape of a grotesque monstrous creature and Godzilla arrives to fight it, leaving destruction and mayhem in their wake as they fight it out in the metropolitan heart of Tokyo.The acting in "Godzilla vs Destroyah" (aka "Gojira vs. Desutoroiâ") was adequate as it has usually been in the previous many movies. And I am glad that I was fortunate enough to watch it in the original Japanese language, as the English dubbed versions are just enjoyment-killers.The creatures in "Godzilla vs Destroyah" were good, although the thing going on with the rising heat at the core of Godzilla was just ludicrous. But hey, it made for a new take on the grandfather of all monsters. And the Destroyah creature was actually interesting, in each of its many forms, and the creature was nicely made.There is a lot of destruction and explosions in "Godzilla vs Destroyah", which in itself is more than enough to actually make it an entertaining movie.All in all an enjoyable movie, especially if you like "Godzilla". I was genuinely entertained by this 1995 movie.

GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH is the final in the 1990s series of GODZILLA films that started with GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE back in 1989. This is rather a sombre effort with a heartbreaking climax that will upset many Godzilla fans; it's an effective piece but not really one of the best in the series. It's a watchable and entertaining film all right, but just one of those films that seems to be going through the motions rather than offering much new.Godzilla himself is in trouble this time around: he's suffering a nuclear meltdown from the inside, which is causing him to go completely crazy. Godzilla Junior is still hanging around, and boy has he grown up; this means that Megumi Odaka is back in the film as the woman with a psychic connection to the not-so-little-anymore critter. And the villain of the piece is Destoroyah, a kind of prehistoric sea bug which grows to super-scale to fight our scaly heroes.For much of the running time, DESTOROYAH seems to have been inspired by other movies, not least the preceding Godzilla outings. There are plenty of moments which reference JURASSIC PARK, which must have been a big hit in Japan; the car attack is the most obvious. Other moments are reminiscent of ALIENS with motion detectors and the like. The special effects look cheap and cheerful here, and the climax is appropriately large scale and dramatic with plenty of destructive mayhem. It's just a shame that this is a rather maudlin movie as I would have preferred an all-out party atmosphere to celebrate the big guy's (temporary) demise.

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. -

Deciding on what they should do for Godzilla's closing movie, Toho had several ideas. Borrowed from the original proposed Mothra vs Bagan (1990) movie, Godzilla vs Bagan was thrown around for a while before Toho decided to explore other options, wanting something that paid homage to the original 1954 film. One of the better known story lines was Godzilla vs Ghost Godzilla, wherein the dead 1954 original Godzilla would come back and fight the Heisei Godzilla, eventually killing it. This was pleasing in the sense that Godzilla wouldn't be defeated by another monster, as Godzilla vs Godzilla leaves the victor as none other than Godzilla. But the super-fantasy theme was ultimately deemed to be overkill (how much worse could the time travel and androids from King Ghidorah in 1991 be?), and it was deemed to be one too many consecutive Godzilla-like title opponents (1993's Mechagodzilla, 1994's Spacegodzilla, and what would've been 1995's Ghost Godzilla). As such, they set their sights on creating something around the one thing to kill Godzilla in a film: the oxygen destroyer. Godzilla vs Destroyah (1995) was born.First off, the music is simply a knockout. It's just great, particularly the opening theme (you can YouTube it if you're interested in that). The plot is not especially realistic. Oxygen destroyer? Freezer weapons to combat nuclear disasters? However, the movie handles itself well without major qualms, unlike some of the Heiseis that came before it. In terms of characters and acting, the characters still are nothing to write home about, but the action and important content in the movie is fluid and manages to keep you from caring too much (because yet again we have a lame couple of lovebirds baked in here). Emotions run much higher and the mood is much darker than what we've seen since Godzilla vs Biollante (1989). Pacing throughout the movie is far better than last year's Spacegodzilla and has no real problems.The effects and monsters are a bit questionable at times, but end on a positive note. Burning Godzilla looks dazzling and awesome, and his now-constant spiral atomic ray's power is daunting. Destroyah's crab-like human sized forms look good, but their movements give away their fake-ness. His slightly altered giant form (called Aggregate Form) improves a bit. His flying form LOOKS good, but his wings never flap, which again take some of the life out of him. Speaking of his flying form, why do things just randomly explode as he flies over the city at speeds that don't appear to be all that high? Destroyah is best characterized by his final form, and this form has the beastly look you'd expect. Godzilla Junior is much improved over last year's attempts at making him look cute.With the great looking Burning Godzilla and Destroyah in final form, I was hoping for an awesome battle. I think Godzilla Junior got more action. The close combat between Godzilla and Destroyah was fairly limited, although better than last year's Spacegodzilla (again). It was an improvement, but I was hoping for a little more.Despite its faults of still not making the viewer care much about the characters or the iffy effects, this has proved to be a great improvement over a Heisei series that was quickly declining in quality. It was a great way to nod towards the 1954 original and end the Heisei series on a good note. It's a good 7/10 for me.