Cheap Godzilla 2000 (Video) (Takehiro Murata, Hiroshi Abe, Naomi Nishida) (Takao Okawara) Price

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Customer Reviews of Godzilla 2000

The classic Godzilla is back!
Now this is the Godzilla that I have been waiting to see, not the horrendous digital joke that the people behind ID4 created. The man in the rubber suit look is back with a few slight changes but nothing drastic or terrible I thought. I can always count on the ridiculous overdubbing to crack me up. The acting is hokey I will admit and the plot kinda over the top but only the Japanese can do that and make it actually entertaining. Unlike the past movies, here in Godzilla 2000 digital effects is brought into the movie. The monster that Godzilla battles begins looking like a streamlined UFO, but it isn't til towards the end does the viewer sees what the monster really looks like and what its purpose on earth is. Unlike the atrocious American version of Godzilla, I found "Godzilla 2000" thoroughly entertaining and extremely cheesy and I mean that as a compliment. Only the Japanese could make science fiction films so hilarious to watch.

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Better than average Godzilla movie
I haven't seen all the Godzilla movies, so I can't say if "Godzilla 2000" is the best, but it certainly has to rank near the top. The acting is good, Godzilla looks more menacing than ever (especially when he's ready to unleash his flames), and the plot is actually quite enjoyable, considering it's centered around a 400 foot lizard. Unfortunately, this DVD does not have the original Japanese dialogue, but the dubbing is well done. The dubbing is certainly much better than the Godzilla movies of the 60's and 70's. The special effects are the standout of the movie, especially when F-15 jets attack Godzilla with missiles. This DVD also has a brief, but interesting behind-the-scenes video of the making of "Godzilla 2000". If nothing else, this movie is certainly far superior to the American version of Godzilla released in 1998, starring Matthew Broderick. I think it proves the Japanese understand the Godzilla phenomenon much better than anyone else.

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Sony's "Godzilla 2000"
VIDEO QUALITY:
The release presented the film in it's original 2.35:1, and featured anamorphic enhancement. Colours were consistently vivid, and the overall look of the film was much sharper and brighter than any other DVD release. The brightness appeared to have been boosted during the night scenes (in particular the final battle) which helped a lot - the original Japanese print was so dark you could barely make anything out. Sadly, these enhancements also bring about grain that covers every scene of the film, and on occasion some mild artifacting. Overall though, it looks much nicer than any other release of the film.

AUDIO QUALITY:
The disc features three dubbing tracks, English 2.0, English 5.1, and French 2.0. All the of the tracks sound great, and the English 5.1 is outstanding. Sadly, there is no trace of the original Japanese audio. The quality of what you do get is still great though.

EXTRA FEATURES:
First and foremost in my opinion is the audio commentary from writer/producer Mike Schlesinger, editor Michael Mahoney supervising sound editor Darren Paskal, who worked on this US version of the film. It's a great commentary, very fun to listen to, and very informative about the editing decisions that were made for the film's US release. You'll also find 2 minutes of special effects behind the scenes features. Other extras include talent files for director Takao Okawara and Godzilla himself, as well as theatrical trailers for "Godzilla 2000", "Godzilla" (1998) and "Anaconda". It may not be chocker blocked with features, but what's there is excellent.

OVERALL:
Virtually the best video quality you'll find for this film, and the 5.1 audio sounds lovely. It's a shame that the disc lacks the original Japanese cut with Japanese audio, as was promised, though that boils down to Sony, Toho and release schedules. Basically Toho took so long to get off their asses and release it on DVD in Japan (over a year since the film's initial release) that they were reluctant to give Sony the uncut version with Japanese audio in fear that many Japanese would buy the much cheaper American alternative, and at the same time Sony understandably didn't want to miss out on a Christmas release for their disc. In any case you can still enjoy the film for what it is, and packed with the guys audio commentary it's not a disc you want to be passing up any time soon.