did anyone like/love godzilla 1998?

I don't hate it. It was no Godzilla however, it was enjoyable. I still wished for a sequel or a character cross over into the legendary universe and team up with Dr. Serizawa.

As a giant monster running amok movie, it's really not that bad. The problem is slapping the name Godzilla on it then basically tossing out everything that is cool and unique about the character and expecting people to buy it. It was the name and the marketing campaign (which was quite effective), that got butts in the seats. The filmmakers had an arrogant attitude and really had no respect for the character or source material. They wanted their version to be a Godzilla for the new millennium and to basically replace the version most fans know and love. It ended up backfiring on them.

The shame is for many 20-somethings out there, this was their first intro to Godzilla and the version they know as Godzilla.

I also lay a large part of the blame on Toho. All they had to do was say "no", but they saw dollar signs, and sold out.

The 2014 version had its own share of problems, albeit completely different ones.

Just realized I didn't give a definitive answer to your question! As a fan who heard rumblings of an American-made Godzilla back in the 1980s, I was looking forward to this. It was a major disappointment when I finally saw it, so no, I did not like it.

I pretty much agree with what Godzillafan!!! and Koldwarkid62 said.  Do I hate the moive or Zilla?  No.  I had watched a few of the orginals (Return of Godzilla/ 1985, Son of Godzilla, Godzilla Vs. Gigan, Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster, and Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla) before seeing the 1998 film.  The '98 film just made me like Godzilla even more.  Its a good monster flick, but just not Godzilla.  Bad acting with a one or two funny scenes and thats it.  I also agree Toho is to blame for the 1998 film.  They green lit the project when Emmerich and Devlin proposed it.  Oh well, there is no such thing as perfect.

The supposeded planned sqeul was to take place in Austraila with Zilla Jr being the main star with his own brood of young.

http://godzilla.wikia.com/wiki/Godzilla_2_(Unmade_1998_film_sequel)

I happen to love the Zilla design, but I'm not a fan of the movie.

I like it as its own monster flick. The creature, when not compared to Godzilla in relation, is a cool Kaiju in of itself.

The characters and plot, however, are atrocious, but the overall film is honestly a "so bad, its good" situation. It's quite humorous to see how bad it is.

I do owe it though (I will admit); had it not been for Zilla, I would not be part of the fanbase today. It was the first Kaiju flick I saw as a kid and the very same that pulled me in. Soon after, I watched Final Wars, and I was hooked.

ELI LECKINGER - As a whole, I did not dislike Godzilla (98). Zilla, in my opinion, was a very neat monster! With that being said, it simply did not hold the same menace and atmosphere for me as many other Godzilla films. Of course, I would absolutely love to see Godzilla and Zilla team up to face some baddies! Godzilla's strength and durability matched with Zilla's agility and stealth skills would make for a nearly unstoppable duo - at least, as far as I can surmise! :)

Godzilla 1998, to me, works as a general giant monster movie, a kind of remake of The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms. Except, the latter was better.

Jeno Reno as Philippe was fun to watch.

Godzilla entangled on the bridge was quite a spectacle.

David Arnold's score over the opening credits was ominous.

The fishing boat attack was thrilling.

However, the monster was not Godzilla.

the movie was a good popcorn flick so enjoy it for what is as for the monster itself its really not that bad it just needed a different name

The first third of the movie is some pretty nice set-up. But as soon as the setting changes to New York the movie just crumbles under every 90s blockbuster cliche and over-used plot device it can muster.

This is why it still poor movie whether the "Godzilla" title is on it or not. Why is a movie that is a blueprint for everything you shouldn't do in a 1990s summer event movie remotely good?

There are plenty of cliched or formulaic movies that people can enjoy. Hell I've enjoyed  a few in my day. I've had my fair share of "guilty pleasures", both in film and music, and make no apologies for it. In fact, most Godzilla movies are a guilty pleasure for me, tbh!

As for this movie, is it a good movie? Not particulary. It's certainly not a good Godzilla movie, because Godzilla never shows up. Do I like it? No. But as a mindless summer popcorn movie about a giant monster running around a city, it's fine. It's not Citizen Kane, nor does it try to be. But then again, most giant monster movies aren't. My main problem with it was it was sold as Godzilla, and simply wasn't, in any way, shape or form. The movie lost me after that fact, so good, bad or indifferent, that was my main issue.

The 2014 movie? I think we all agree that was far closer to the character. On the surface, a much better movie, right? It had its fair share of cliches too, but also suffered from other issues that I think prevented it from being a great movie. Do I like it? I like it less each time I see it, but certainly more than the '98 version. But neither one did it for me.

i loved both the monster and the movie. i liked the cartoon too. my favorite episode is either S.C.A.L.E or a new family.i liked matthew broderick better than ian ziering.

Cliches and formula are one thing, but specific tropes and scenes that are direct representations of 1990s blockbuster filmmaking running its course is a different.

No it's, "not trying to be Citizen Kane," but I'm really sick of that line (or expression) used to defend any movie on any level. Many movies, in many genres, straight to the listing of Oscar bait aren't trying to be Citizen Kane or something like it. So that's really irrelvant. It's trying to be a fun blockbuster with working parts. But it's simply a lackluster blockbuster with redundant parts signaling the end of an era.

This movie didn't just kill Godzilla in America for a time. It helped put to bed the 1990s sci-fi/disaster movie boom-- emphasis on the disaster and psuedo-sci-fi as an excuse for it.

Well, to be fair, those disaster movies were starting to kill themselves anyhow. XD

If we want to talk about bad movies.....oy vey.

It may be "a lackluster blockbuster with redundant parts signaling the end of an era", but there are plenty of people out there who like or even love it. I'll respect that opinion as I'll respect yours. I was incredibly bitter over this movie when it came out, but I've tempered my feelings toward it. That doesn't mean I think it's any better than it is or was at the time. I also don't believe any shortcomings of the 2014 version have vindicated this one, as some fans have voiced. Yes, it was incredibly derivative. I think most of us who are critical of it know all of its shortcomings and what those were. My issue with it was we were sold a bill of goods that was not delivered, plain and simple. No, it was not a great movie even apart from that, but I could have forgiven some of those things if it had delivered on others. Quite honestly I feel the same for the 2014 version, albeit for different reasons.

I like how every month or so a thread pops up asking people's opinion of G98 and people say their opinions then a month or so later another thread pops up saying the same thing in a different way and people come and once again express the exact same opinion that was said on the last threa.

Oh, G98 opinion threads how you are the bane of this forum.

I think it's just GMan and I like pushing each other's buttons! ;)

We have differing opinions on some things and that's cool.

No like literally every few months this type of thread pops up, you can find every single regulars opinion of G98 stated multiple times depending how many pages back you want to go on the classic section I think the closest one is at page 3 there used to be a stickied thread for this but it got taken down probably due to the fact that it didn't deter these types of threads anyway.

Durp is right!  This makes like the 13th thread of this same question just reworded.

I'm not repeating myself again, many already know how I feel about this movie.