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[tab title="Movie Review"]

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While not the massively misaligned train wreck that was TriStar’s Godzilla (circa 1998), Godzilla 2000: Millennium is admittedly a letdown. It is successful in that it returns the series to Japan and gets it back on track but, with huge gaps in logic and a pacing that simply kills forward momentum, this is not quite a return to form. Toho can (and will) do better.

Perhaps the powers that be over at Toho were hoping to ride a wave of popularity that never happened in America due to the failure of TriStar. Perhaps they weren’t ready to resurrect the King of the Monsters. Whatever the reason, Godzilla 2000: Millennium simply lacks in the story department and they were fortunate to get the property back from America.

There really is no organization in the Godzilla canon. While there is some continuity early on in the series, there have simply been standalone flicks since reintroducing the monster with this movie. They claim that these modern flicks are set in an alternate universe. I don’t think that’s the best move Toho could have made but – because I am powerless to change that – we’ll ignore the lack of continuity and be diplomatic about it.

For no clear reason, Godzilla returns to the shores of Japan to create havoc and destroy nuclear energy wherever he can find it. The story has our creature hero taking down a UFO that has parked its behind atop the Tokyo Opera City Tower. The mysterious craft, after stealing DNA from Godzilla, transformers into a fierce and unruly Millennial named Orga. Destined to be Godzilla fodder, Orga fights tooth and nail for his life. Of course, it is a battle to the near death as Godzilla is flung far and wide and the city is reduced to rubble.

Directed by Takao Okawara and written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara and Wataru Mimura, this reboot redesigns the established Godzilla look a bit with a brand new suit. He’s a bit more realistic and snarly but, don’t worry, those fins still wobble every bit as much as they used to. Close-ups from the camera reveal a bit more detail than we are used to from Toho and there is clearly more anger in those eyes. Of course, it is still a man in a rubber suit so model trucks, tanks, and cities are used for those wide shots.  

Unfortunately, getting to battle royale moment of creature vs. creature is a bit long-winded. Borrowing from Jurassic Park and other well-known Spielberg efforts, Okawara throws mimicry at the screen and leaves out the suspense. It’s all handed to us in familiar scenes as characters are (un)developed; mere cotton candy to the main course.

Suffering a bit from its American handling, Godzilla 2000: Millennium is what happens when Godzilla – with a little more thighs and a visible double chin – won’t lay off the Big Macs.

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[tab title="Film Details"]

MPAA Rating: PG for monster violence and mild language.
Runtime: 99 mins
Director: Takao Okawara
Writer: Hiroshi Kashiwabara, Wataru Mimura
Cast: Hiroshi Abe, Naomi Nishida, Takehiro Murata
Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi
Tagline: Get ready to crumble.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Did you see that flying rock? It was unbelievable!"
Distributor: TriStar Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: August 18, 2000
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: September 9, 2014
Synopsis: Godzilla saves Tokyo from a flying saucer that transforms into the beast Orga.

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - September 9, 2014
Screen Formats: 2.40:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD); UV digital copy; Digital copy
Region Encoding: A

Godzilla 2000: Millennium is presented in 1080p High definition. The film does look better than its DVD counterpart and when it focuses on the actual characters, the picture quality is pretty good. When it tries to go into the visual effects, you will notice scenes with more artifacts more, especially with the scene shot inside a viewing room. Of course, the graphics were early CG, so the UFO is not the greatest in quality and is a bit outdated.   But fortunately, the majority of the film does look much better than the original DVD. The film is presented in Japanese and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Subtitles are in English, English SDH and French.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• Located on the English Version of the film (which trims some of the content), there is a commentary track from Producer/Writer Michael Schlesinger.

Special Features:

The disc includes both the original Japanese version of the film and the shorter English version. Supplemental materials are a bit light but there is behind the scenes look at the making of certain scenes in the movie and the original trailer. Nothing of quality, though.

• Behind The Scenes (3 min)
• Trailer (2 min)

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[tab title="Trailer"]

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