Today's review is "Godzilla VS Destoroyah", the last Godzilla Heisei movie. Released originally to Japanese theatres in 1995, and to DVD in 2000 in the US.
So we start off with the knowledge that Infant Island has been destroyed. Then it cuts to Toky- Okinaw- Hiroshim- Nagoy- Hong Kong? Really? I bet the Chinese people's minds are blown. But yeah, Godzilla destroys Hong Kong but something is different. He's glowing red in some places and his atomic breath is orange. Some college kid did a thesis on Godzilla nobody believes in...besides the scientific community and the Japanese military (y'know, the people you'd least like to trust in a situation like this) and is hired to the G-Force (no, not the stupid guinea pig organization from that crappy film, but rather the branch of the military that's been fighting Godzilla throughout the second series) to do research. He meets up with our ol' psychic pal Miki (who is, unfortunately, losing her powers) who has been looking for Godzilla Jr. but can't find him. College Kid suggests he's dead, leading to awkwardness. Anyway, he does his research and finds that Godzilla is a nuclear (which he pronounces as "nucular" like a fucking retard) reactor and is close to blowing up. If he does (by reaching 1200 degrees Celcius), the Earth is destroyed. Holy shit.
Instead of firing at him, which would make his and the Earth's demise all that much quicker, they decide to freeze him to get the minimum result of his nuclear reaction. How, you ask? The SUPER. X. III!!! ...Yeah, I don't think I covered the Super X line of ships in this series. Basically, the Super X planes are pretty much the only thing the military has made (excluding Mechagodzilla from the 1993 and 2002 films, of course) that could stand a chance against Godzilla. They've all failed up to this point but have come pretty damn close to defeating him. Anyway, the SX3 fires freezey lasers at Godzilla and fire some "stay cold" pills in his mouth for good measure. You'd think this would be enough, right?
...Not even fucking close. Godzilla's temperature was put down but it's still rising, at an alarming rate. Meanwhile another attempt to stop all of this is being made by the scientists, who are re-creating the oxygen destroyer. The military doesn't like it, noting that there's a huge risk to Japan by activating such a device. Late at night, an aquarium worker sees his fish being reduced to bones as a result of an organism that was mutated by this new oxygen destroyer. They soon evolve and eventually are fighting against the police and the military (sporting vehicles which have really cool sounding sirens). Their weapons aren't enough though as the Destoroyah (as they're called) get stronger.
Godzilla Jr. (who is now almost fully grown, looking very similar to a healthy version of his father) then causes a bit of panic at a beach and makes his way to the destroyed island. Godzilla, who is looking for him (presumably to recommend him to go to a community college instead of a university as it's more affordable), follows along but there's a problem. Due to his freezing, Godzilla instead will melt down when he dies, causing his remains to melt through the Earth's layers, all the way to the core, once again putting the planet at risk. As a last-attempt measurement, Miki and another psychic girl are hired to direct Godzilla Jr. to Tokyo so that Godzilla and Destoroyah (who is currently in the area) can have a battle. Destoroyah, being made from the oxygen destroyer, would defeat and then destroy Godzilla, preventing a meltdown. Miki doesn't like the idea, but knows it's for the good of the planet and does so.
The plan is a success and Godzilla Jr. does a pretty good job fighting Destoroyah, knocking him into an electrical plant. The father and son reunite to discuss college plans, but Destoroyah (who has now evolved into it's final form) attacks. He grabs Junior and drops him from a high distance, seemingly killing him. Godzilla is pissed and does battle with the creature. The two cause each other extreme physical injuries and Godzilla causes Destoroyah to retreat. Godzilla gives his son some energy but all seems lost. Destoroyah then attacks again but Godzilla doesn't give up, blowing chunks off of him as he flies away. The SX3 is sent in to freeze Godzilla exactly when he reaches 1200 degrees, but destroys Destoroyah with a thermal shock from using the same weapons on him. Wow...the military actually won...in a Godzilla movie. Or hell, a kaiju movie in general. ...Surely this is the greatest day in Japanese history. They freeze Godzilla, preventing the end of the world. However, the radiation caused by Godzilla's meltdown renders Tokyo uninhabitable. The radiation and the energy given to him earlier makes Junior a fully-grown Godzilla, who roars as the movie closes to continue the legacy of his father.
Next time, ...shit gets real. Bad, that is.
This was a good film. No, not just good, great. This movie seems to have the biggest risk of any Godzilla film I've seen and it was a wonderful send-off to the King of the Monsters. However, some shots of the Super X III are re-used, forcing me to give the film a score of 0.5/5.0 ...Just kidding. Good storytelling, wonderful action, if you're a fan of Godzilla, this is a must-see.
Score: 4.5/5.0
