Godzilla

Dieser Film ist eine fade Mischung aus vielen älteren Filmen über verschiedene Echsen, der eine Popcorn-Unterhaltung bietet. Matthew Broderick ist für die Hauptrolle uninteressant, Maria Pitillo ist eine kreischende hysterische Frau und die Nuklear-Echse, die so groß wie ein kleinerer Wolkenkratzer ist, bewegt sich ohne Erschütterungen und Lärm durch die engen Tunnel der U-Bahn in New York. Warum gebe ich Godzilla drei Sterne? Weil es der Durchschnitt von einem und fünf Sternen ist. Einen Stern bekommen Roland Emmerich / Dean Devlin und fünf Sterne die Meister der visuellen Effekte. Und auch Jean Reno, der hier nicht so ernst wirkt. Sein Mitwirken an diesem schlechten Film begründet er mit dem Gefühl der Verantwortung für die Nukleartestexplosionen, die sein Heimatland in der Region Französisch-Polynesien gemacht hat. (11.04.2002)

Es ist groß, es ist dumm und es wurde von Roland Emmerich gemacht. Nein, ich bin nicht auf diesen Kerl angesprungen, zuerst wusste ich nicht, wer ihn gemacht hat, aber als ich mir die Filmografie dieses Kerls ansah, wurde mir alles klar. Was ich nicht verstehe, ist, wie man so viel Geld ausgeben kann, um einen Film zu promoten, für den es offenbar nur ein Drehbuch gab, in dem stand, dass er groß rauskommen und sich wie eine Plastikfigur auf Onkel Donalds Speisekarte verkaufen wird. Warum Jean Reno in einem so erbärmlichen Film mitspielt, ist mir ein Rätsel, aber hey, jeder muss von etwas leben... Diese Hollywood-Richtung "viel Glitzer, wenig Story" ist ein Laster, das ich in Zukunft vermeiden werde. Es bleibt zu hoffen, dass zumindest Peter Jackson mit seinem King Kong einen neuen Standard setzt. Rolandi, du Schelm, gib es zu, du hast nicht so einen grausamen Mangel an Talent, um so lustig zu sein wie Woods Ed... Du hast einen Mangel, der belästigt. (25.01.2004)

Spectacularly served pathos, full of awkwardness, traditionally Emmerich overwrought running time and embodied mediocrity. The latex Gojira in the cardboard sets has much more charm than this nicely rendered sterility. ♫ Song OST rating: 2/5 (14.03.2023)

Emmerich is a megalomaniac and I must admit that I rather enjoy watching his destruction of our Mother Earth. Because this usually concerns the USA (very satisfying), and this time round more precisely it was New York where he let that famous lizard reap havoc. But what is the point of all that destruction and breathtaking special effects if the picture doesn’t come out with anything new? Nick Tatopoulos is the spitting image of Daniel Jackson from Emmerich’s previous work, Stargate, and we even come across O'Neill here, now demoted to sergeant, but I think you know what I’m getting at. And it’s the same with the entire story which, despite being nice to look at, continues in the same old rut that we have seen a million times before. So, thanks to the excellent special effects and Jean Reno, Godzilla is a relaxing movie where you can see another of Emmerich’s many ways of “How to Destroy America". Nothing more, nothing less. And what about the end? I’m sincerely intrigued to see if anybody lets themselves be talked into filming Godzilla 2. They should jump at the opportunity. Or rather not? ;) (07.08.2006)

Godzilla is a hit, but a slightly questionable one. It can never be taken seriously, even a little bit. Unfortunately, sometimes it seems that way (the music, the script), but if you consider the cast and the overall atmosphere, it is clear that they all had a great time on set. Technically, it is very variable, with almost perfect static shots of Godzilla in the city alternated with striking computer-generated scenes of fast chases between skyscrapers. Logically, the movie is very silly (Godzilla moving in underground tunnels?), but as an entertaining break and a showcase of all possible and impossible effects, why not? Is not that often that you see a devastated Manhattan. Roland Emmerich wanted to entertain, not frighten. (07.05.2005)

I don't know if the film has matured, or if I have, either way, whatever qualms I had with Emmerich's Godzilla are gone. It's an excellent disaster comedy with consistently impressive visual effects that can be compared to Independence Day without exaggeration, thanks in part to Arnold's excellent score. (23.10.2009)

Godzilla is a B-movie brainchild to such an extent that the measure of its success is no longer the age-old sympathy directed towards the fascination with something monstrously powerful and seemingly invincible, but only Emmerich's traditional faith in a wide audience with a tolerance for a film that's silly and also disrespectful to its predecessors that looks so cool regardless that we'll go see it anyway, and the German demolition man knows how to do that like few others. His vision of a clash between a heroic (but surprisingly stupid) American army and a gloriously overgrown lizard, however endearingly illogical and ridiculously megalomaniacal, really does seem like a dream come true for most little boys, who at the word Godzilla imagine just as much destruction and trampled-down goons in uniform as Mr. Emmerich "sacrificed" for the film. Moreover, it's all terribly suited to the targeted humour and Jean Reno in particular, whose character eventually becomes a very iconic figure. Anyone who didn’t have fun with the superbly edited and choreographed car-Godzilla chase is not normal. In the past, enthusiasm, today, and taking into account Edwards’s epic remake, just a little harmless joy... 3 and 1/2* (26.05.2014)

Roland Emmerich disregarded the basic rule of kaiju films and immediately presents us with a monster in the first few minutes. He prepares a strong weapon, which unfortunately also fails at times, including the characters that are often quite bad. This could still be overlooked if it wasn't just a nonsense with a giant monster, where most scenes don't make much sense and are only piled up thanks to the screenwriters. "Godzilla" from 2014 is not brilliant, but it understands the genre much better and translates it into a modern form. (28.05.2014)