Godzilla 2000
Encyclopedia
is a 1999 Japanese science fiction
kaiju
film directed by Takao Okawara
and written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara and Wataru Mimura. It was the twenty-third film released in the Godzilla
series. It is the only film to feature Orga
. The film was released on December 11, 1999. Sony Pictures Entertainment's TriStar division released the film in the United States
in 2000 as Godzilla 2000, the last in the Godzilla series to make a North American theatrical run. This film effectively begins and sets the tone for the Millennium series
: It ignores continuity established by any previous films, instead preserving only the original Godzilla
and working other appearances into the intervening years.
is a literal force of nature to Japan
(after the incident in 1954). The Godzilla Prediction Network (GPN) functions independently to study the mutant dinosaur and predict his landfalls. Meanwhile, the scientists of Crisis Control Intelligence (CCI) find a sixty million year old UFO deep in the Japan Trench
. As CCI attempts to raise the UFO to study it, it takes off into the sky on its own. Godzilla arrives and battles the Japan Self Defense Forces, now equipped with powerful Full Metal Missiles, but the UFO appears, searching for genetic information that only Godzilla possesses. It fights Godzilla to a standstill, driving the monster underwater, and then lands to replenish its solar power.
Yuji Shinoda, the founder of the GPN, discovers the secret to Godzilla's regenerative properties (named Organizer G1 in the Japanese version, but Regenerator G1 in the American release), but so has the UFO. It frees itself from the JSDF's attempts to contain it, and heads for Shinjuku. After landing atop City Tower
, it begins to drain all the files about Godzilla from Tokyo's master computers. CCI attempts to destroy the UFO using explosive charges, but Shinoda, attempting to find out more about the aliens, is nearly caught in the blast. He survives, and joins the rest of the cast on a rooftop, watching the UFO. Almost in response, the UFO broadcasts its message of invasion and a new empire on earth, and Shinoda reveals that the aliens are after Godzilla's DNA so that they may re-form their bodies.
Godzilla arrives and again battles the UFO. However, he is subdued by the UFO's assault, and it absorbs some of his Organizer G1, growing into a squid-like creature called the Millennian. However, the Millennian is unable to control Godzilla's DNA and further mutates into a horrible monster named Orga
. Godzilla recovers and fights Orga, but it eventually gains the upper hand, and drains more of Godzilla's DNA, trying to convert itself into a Godzilla clone. Finally, Orga opens its mouth, intending to swallow Godzilla whole, but Godzilla tricks it by deliberately throwing his head into its throat. While Orga begins to transform, Godzilla unleashes his nuclear pulse, beheading Orga and blowing the alien to bits. Godzilla then kills Mitsuo Katagiri, head of CCI, before beginning a rampage through Tokyo.
, a division of Sony Pictures and the studio behind Godzilla (1998), picked up Godzilla 2000 for theatrical distribution in North America. It would be the first and only Japanese Godzilla movie since Godzilla 1985
to be released in North American theaters. Mike Schlesinger, who supervised the North American release, said, "It (Godzilla 2000) was such a spectacular success in Japan, we decided it was worth taking a shot, maybe the time was right for Godzilla to come back to theaters." Sony spent approximately $300,000 to re-edit and dub the movie, and an addition $10–12 million to market.
As is standard practice for Toho, the film was originally dubbed in Hong Kong for use in Toho's international version. A few lines from the international dub can be heard in the theatrical trailer for Sony's theatrical release, although the film was entirely re-dubbed by Asian-American voice actors (Schlesinger deliberately made this choice because he didn't want the characters to sound like they were "from Wisconsin."). Toho apparently prefers the US version so much that the international version has never been officially released anywhere in the world.
#71, Schlesinger noted that people in real life tend to speak humorously; he also felt that giving audiences some intentionally funny dialogue would make them less inclined to laugh at the monster scenes, which were supposed to be taken seriously.
Among the other alterations:
In the North American theatrical version, the film ended with the words "The End?" in cartoonish lettering. On the DVD commentary, writer Mike Schlesinger and Toho
expressed disapproval of the idea. "The End?" was removed from later home video and television releases. The out of print Spanish-subtitled VHS of the film still contains it.
among all critics. Among the top critics on the site, it holds a "Certified Fresh" rating of 71%.
Bruce Westbrook of the Houston Chronicle
said the film "taps into a now-rare and innocent sense of wonder," and that "its action scenes are well-conceived." Owen Gleiberman
of Entertainment Weekly
gave the film a "B" grade, saying that Godzilla 2000 "lands on an imaginative fault line somewhere between tackiness and awe." Jay Carr of the Boston Globe called Godzilla 2000 "a ton of fun, and then some." Lou Lumenick of the New York Post
said "it's great to have the big guy back."
James Berardinelli
of ReelViews said the film "uses the Godzilla formula effectively" and "represents solid, campy, escapist entertainment." Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide
praised the film, saying that "fans won't want to miss this addition to the canon."
Susan Wloszczyna of USA Today
said Godzilla 2000 "may be dull, but the familiarity of it all makes it feel ceremonial, a reassuring ritual." David Edelstein
of Slate
said that he "periodically tranced out," but added that "it's fun to see" and "it still manages to dispel some of the lingering stink of Roland Emmerich's 1998 remake
." Stephen Holden of the New York Times wasn't impressed, saying that "only a die-hard fan of the long-running Japanese Godzilla series could love Godzilla 2000." Similarly, Stephen Hunter of the Washington Post remarked, "Godzilla, go home."
Among kaiju
-related websites, Stomp Tokyo said "there are some pretty impressive special effects," and concluded that "Godzilla 2000 delivers fairly well, if not spectacularly." Toho Kingdom criticized the Japanese version, saying "it’s not hard to see why Godzilla 2000 was poorly received in Japan," but added that "the US version ... is infinitely better than its poorly paced Japanese counterpart. In all, the US version make numerous badly needed cuts from the film to tighten it up."
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
kaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
film directed by Takao Okawara
Takao Okawara
Takao Okawara is a Japanese film director, writer and producer.-Biography:Most famous for directing three Heisei Godzilla films, Okawara joined Akira Kurosawa and Ishirō Honda on the film Kagemusha . Four years later, Okawara became the assistant director for the first Heisei Godzilla film: The...
and written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara and Wataru Mimura. It was the twenty-third film released in the Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
series. It is the only film to feature Orga
Orga
is the main antagonist in Godzilla 2000.Before becoming Orga, the Millennian dwelt within its spaceship, awakened from its slumber at the bottom of the ocean by searchlights...
. The film was released on December 11, 1999. Sony Pictures Entertainment's TriStar division released the film in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 2000 as Godzilla 2000, the last in the Godzilla series to make a North American theatrical run. This film effectively begins and sets the tone for the Millennium series
Mireniamu era (daikaiju eiga)
In the terminology of daikaiju eiga the Millennium Era refers not to the third millennium but to all daikaiju eiga made since 1999, beginning with Toho's Godzilla 2000, which was jump-started in response to the America Godzilla film. The most recent film of the era is Daiei's Gamera the Brave...
: It ignores continuity established by any previous films, instead preserving only the original Godzilla
Godzilla (1954 film)
is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura. The film tells the story of Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, who ravages Japan, bringing back the...
and working other appearances into the intervening years.
Plot
GodzillaGodzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
is a literal force of nature to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(after the incident in 1954). The Godzilla Prediction Network (GPN) functions independently to study the mutant dinosaur and predict his landfalls. Meanwhile, the scientists of Crisis Control Intelligence (CCI) find a sixty million year old UFO deep in the Japan Trench
Japan Trench
__notoc__The Japan Trench is an oceanic trench, a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, in the floor of the northern Pacific Ocean off northeast Japan. It extends from the Kuril Islands to the Bonin Islands and is at its deepest. It is an extension of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench to the north and the...
. As CCI attempts to raise the UFO to study it, it takes off into the sky on its own. Godzilla arrives and battles the Japan Self Defense Forces, now equipped with powerful Full Metal Missiles, but the UFO appears, searching for genetic information that only Godzilla possesses. It fights Godzilla to a standstill, driving the monster underwater, and then lands to replenish its solar power.
Yuji Shinoda, the founder of the GPN, discovers the secret to Godzilla's regenerative properties (named Organizer G1 in the Japanese version, but Regenerator G1 in the American release), but so has the UFO. It frees itself from the JSDF's attempts to contain it, and heads for Shinjuku. After landing atop City Tower
City Tower
City Tower may refer to:* City Tower, Manchester* City Tower, Liverpool* City Tower, Offenbach am Main* City Tower * City Tower * Sheraton City Tower, a skyscraper in Ramat Gan, Israel...
, it begins to drain all the files about Godzilla from Tokyo's master computers. CCI attempts to destroy the UFO using explosive charges, but Shinoda, attempting to find out more about the aliens, is nearly caught in the blast. He survives, and joins the rest of the cast on a rooftop, watching the UFO. Almost in response, the UFO broadcasts its message of invasion and a new empire on earth, and Shinoda reveals that the aliens are after Godzilla's DNA so that they may re-form their bodies.
Godzilla arrives and again battles the UFO. However, he is subdued by the UFO's assault, and it absorbs some of his Organizer G1, growing into a squid-like creature called the Millennian. However, the Millennian is unable to control Godzilla's DNA and further mutates into a horrible monster named Orga
Orga
is the main antagonist in Godzilla 2000.Before becoming Orga, the Millennian dwelt within its spaceship, awakened from its slumber at the bottom of the ocean by searchlights...
. Godzilla recovers and fights Orga, but it eventually gains the upper hand, and drains more of Godzilla's DNA, trying to convert itself into a Godzilla clone. Finally, Orga opens its mouth, intending to swallow Godzilla whole, but Godzilla tricks it by deliberately throwing his head into its throat. While Orga begins to transform, Godzilla unleashes his nuclear pulse, beheading Orga and blowing the alien to bits. Godzilla then kills Mitsuo Katagiri, head of CCI, before beginning a rampage through Tokyo.
Cast
- Takehiro Murata (Francois ChauFrançois ChauFrançois Chau is a Cambodian-American actor. He is known for his role as Dr. Pierre Chang in ABC's Lost, and as The Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze....
in the English dubbed version) as Yuji Shinoda - Naomi NishidaNaomi Nishidais an actress. She won the Best Supporting Actress award at the 2001 Yokohama Film Festival and at the 25th Hochi Film Award for her performance in Nabbie's Love.She married a Japanese shoe designer in 2005, and gave birth a girl on April 7, 2008...
(Denise Iketani in the English dubbed version) as Yuki Ichinose - Shiro Sano (Jack Ong in the English dubbed version) as Shiro Miyasaka
- Hiroshi AbeHiroshi Abe (actor)is a Japanese model and actor.He began his career as a model, but he successfully made the transition to acting, becoming one of the most regularly visible presences in Japanese media. He is a 1988 graduate of Chuo University.-Career:...
(Ron YuanRon YuanRonald Winston "Ron" Yuan is an American actor, martial artist and stunt choreographer.Yuan was born in New York City, New York, the son of Theresa and Joseph Yuan, and the brother of actor Roger Yuan.-Filmography:...
in the English dubbed version) as Mitsuo Katagiri - Hinako SaekiHinako Saekiis a Japanese actress who was born on February 16, 1977 in Nara, Japan. Probably her best known role was as Sadako Yamamura in Rasen, the 1998 sequel to the horror film Ring....
- Mayu Suzuki (Rachel Crane in the English dubbed version) as Io Shinoda
- Tsutomu KitagawaTsutomu Kitagawais a Japanese actor and Stuntman.He is mostly known for playing Godzilla for the Millennium series.He also played King Ghidorah for Rebirth of Mothra III...
as GodzillaGodzilla Junior, also known as Baby Godzilla and Little Godzilla, is the biological son of Godzilla featured in the last three films of the Heisei series of Godzilla films.-Character biography:...
- Makoto Ito as : Orga is a Millenian that mutates after absorbing Godzilla's Organizer G-1, and the main antagonist of the film. Orga is a hunch-backed monster with thick, rubbery gray hide. He is an imperfect clone of GodzillaGodzillais a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
. Most prominent are Orga's massive three-clawed hands, which he uses to walk like a gorillaGorillaGorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
(though only in this movie; in all of his video game appearances, Orga walks normally). He has a short, thick tail and a short neck as well. His face has a square jaw with a prominent chin, lined with rows of serrated teeth. He can fire an energy wave from the hole in its left shoulder, and he is able to leap vast distances and heights. Finally, Orga is able to absorb an opponent's DNA through his bite to gain their abilities and appearance; and can even detach his upper and lower jaws like a snake to unfold a hidden membrane in order to swallow an enemy whole and morph in to it.
Box office
Godzilla 2000 was produced on a budget of approximately $8,300,000. It opened in Japan on December 11, 1999 and grossed roughly $15,000,000 during its box office run, with approximately 2,000,000 admissions. The film was a moderate box office success, and was Japan's highest-grossing domestic release of the 1999 holiday season, partially due to the Y2K hype of the late 1990s.US version
TriStarTriStar Pictures
TriStar Pictures, Inc. is an American film production/distribution studio and subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, itself a subdivision of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, which is owned by Sony Pictures...
, a division of Sony Pictures and the studio behind Godzilla (1998), picked up Godzilla 2000 for theatrical distribution in North America. It would be the first and only Japanese Godzilla movie since Godzilla 1985
The Return of Godzilla
The Return of Godzilla The Return of Godzilla The Return of Godzilla (released as in Japan and as Godzilla 1985 in North America, is a 1984 Science Fiction Kaiju film. The sixteenth film in Toho's Godzilla series, it was produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and directed by Koji Hashimoto with special...
to be released in North American theaters. Mike Schlesinger, who supervised the North American release, said, "It (Godzilla 2000) was such a spectacular success in Japan, we decided it was worth taking a shot, maybe the time was right for Godzilla to come back to theaters." Sony spent approximately $300,000 to re-edit and dub the movie, and an addition $10–12 million to market.
As is standard practice for Toho, the film was originally dubbed in Hong Kong for use in Toho's international version. A few lines from the international dub can be heard in the theatrical trailer for Sony's theatrical release, although the film was entirely re-dubbed by Asian-American voice actors (Schlesinger deliberately made this choice because he didn't want the characters to sound like they were "from Wisconsin."). Toho apparently prefers the US version so much that the international version has never been officially released anywhere in the world.
Box office
Tristar Pictures released Godzilla 2000 in 2,111 North American theatres on August 18, 2000. It grossed $4,407,720 ($2,087 per screen) in its opening weekend, on its way to a $10,037,390 final gross. Future Millennium Godzilla films would be released direct-to-DVD in North America.Alterations
Godzilla 2000 was edited in the process of Americanisation. The U.S. version of the film runs 99 minutes - 8 minutes shorter in comparison to the 107-minute Japanese version. Most of these were minor edits done to improve the pacing, and the sound effects and music were also improved and enhanced. The dubbing has a somewhat humorous, tongue-in-cheek tone to it, apparently in homage to Godzilla dubs of the 60s and 70s, with lines such as "Great Caesar's Ghost!", "Bite me!" and "these missiles will go through Godzilla like crap through a goose!". Some fans have criticised the American version of Godzilla 2000 for camping up what they perceive as a "serious" movie; however, Toho and Takao Okawara approved all the changes to the film in advance, and various amusing sequences throughout the story (such as people comically surviving Godzilla's rampage early in the film) establish a light-hearted tone and make it evident that it wasn't meant to be taken seriously. In an interview in Video WatchdogVideo Watchdog
Video Watchdog is a bimonthly, digest size film magazine started in 1990 by publisher/editor Tim Lucas and his wife, art director and co-publisher Donna Lucas....
#71, Schlesinger noted that people in real life tend to speak humorously; he also felt that giving audiences some intentionally funny dialogue would make them less inclined to laugh at the monster scenes, which were supposed to be taken seriously.
Among the other alterations:
- Some new music and more foley and sound effects were added.
- The opening scenes, which were intercut, were rearranged to play out uninterrupted.
- Shortened: the scene where Yuki hunts for the office of the Godzilla Prediction Unit.
- Added: A few more traditional Ifukube themes.
- Shortened: Godzilla's destruction of Tokaimura
- Orga was given more of a low-pitched screech, whereas in the original it was a higher stock roar.
- "Organizer G1" was changed to "Regenerator G1", on the basis that the word "Organizer" made no sense within the context it was being usedEngrishrefers to unusual forms of English language usage by native speakers of some East Asian languages. The term itself relates to Japanese speakers' tendency to inadvertently substitute the English phonemes "R" and "L" for one another, because the Japanese language has one alveolar consonant in place...
. - Shortened: the scene where a bewildered taxi driver sees the UFO.
- Deleted: before escaping the building where the UFO is draining the information (just before the building is detonated), Shinoda sees the word "Millennium" on all the computer screens.
- The scene where Shinoda goes down the elevator shaft while the building explodes was rearranged to make it look as though he were running just ahead of the explosions.
In the North American theatrical version, the film ended with the words "The End?" in cartoonish lettering. On the DVD commentary, writer Mike Schlesinger and Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
expressed disapproval of the idea. "The End?" was removed from later home video and television releases. The out of print Spanish-subtitled VHS of the film still contains it.
Critical reception
The North American release of Godzilla 2000 met with mixed to positive critical reaction. It currently holds a rating of 57% at Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
among all critics. Among the top critics on the site, it holds a "Certified Fresh" rating of 71%.
Bruce Westbrook of the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
said the film "taps into a now-rare and innocent sense of wonder," and that "its action scenes are well-conceived." Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman is an American film critic for Entertainment Weekly, a position he has held since the magazine's launch in 1990. From 1981–89, he worked at the Boston Phoenix....
of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the film a "B" grade, saying that Godzilla 2000 "lands on an imaginative fault line somewhere between tackiness and awe." Jay Carr of the Boston Globe called Godzilla 2000 "a ton of fun, and then some." Lou Lumenick of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
said "it's great to have the big guy back."
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...
of ReelViews said the film "uses the Godzilla formula effectively" and "represents solid, campy, escapist entertainment." Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
praised the film, saying that "fans won't want to miss this addition to the canon."
Susan Wloszczyna of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
said Godzilla 2000 "may be dull, but the familiarity of it all makes it feel ceremonial, a reassuring ritual." David Edelstein
David Edelstein
David Edelstein is the chief film critic for New York Magazine, as well as the film critic for NPR's Fresh Air and CBS Sunday Morning. He lives in Brooklyn, New York....
of Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
said that he "periodically tranced out," but added that "it's fun to see" and "it still manages to dispel some of the lingering stink of Roland Emmerich's 1998 remake
Godzilla (1998 film)
Godzilla is a 1998 science fiction monster disaster film film co-written and directed by Roland Emmerich. It is a loose remake of the 1954 giant monster classic Godzilla. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Emmerich and Dean Devlin. The film relates a tale of a nuclear incident...
." Stephen Holden of the New York Times wasn't impressed, saying that "only a die-hard fan of the long-running Japanese Godzilla series could love Godzilla 2000." Similarly, Stephen Hunter of the Washington Post remarked, "Godzilla, go home."
Among kaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
-related websites, Stomp Tokyo said "there are some pretty impressive special effects," and concluded that "Godzilla 2000 delivers fairly well, if not spectacularly." Toho Kingdom criticized the Japanese version, saying "it’s not hard to see why Godzilla 2000 was poorly received in Japan," but added that "the US version ... is infinitely better than its poorly paced Japanese counterpart. In all, the US version make numerous badly needed cuts from the film to tighten it up."