23 years ago today, Roland Emmerich's Godzilla hit theaters. Have your opinions changed since then?

Chris

23 years ago today, on May 20th 1998 Roland Emmerich's Godzilla released in theaters. Sparking massive controversy amongst the Godzilla fan community, this film often gets a lot of hate simply for being called Godzilla. None of Godzilla's trademark characteristics were used and Tristar seemingly didn't care to honor the original source material and attempted to re-invent the iconic movie monster for a western audience.

Although it cleared about $370 million at the box office at the time, the film fell short on many levels. As an unrelated giant monster movie it was actually quite enjoyable, but as a Godzilla movie, it failed. The animated series which it spawned redeemed the Zilla marginally but ultimately didn't do the King of Monsters the justice he deserves.

After 23 years, have your opinions changed? Do you like the 1998 Godzilla more after all this time? Or do you still resent the title for its portrayal of Godzilla? Sound off below and let us know!

Personally, I'll watch the film and enjoy it for what it is - a Kaiju movie - but I still don't consider it a worthy or recognizable addition to the Godzilla cinematic legacy.

Djdndnejwnwn

I mean, I wasn’t alive....?
Well I used to like it, but now.... no

Djdndnejwnwn

Chris

Can indifferent be an option?

G. H. (Gman)

"Resent," is a bit strong. It's just a bad movie, Godzilla in its title or not.

The thing I resent is that an entire studio put the property in the hands of people that had aggressive contempt for the material and avidly tried to make something that was as least like the source material as possible. There was no love in this movie. Emmerich didn't even want to make it. It's summed perfectly by Co-Executive Producer Robert N. Fried:

“There was no understanding of the property and what it was all about. The Sony executive team that took over Godzilla was one of the worst cases of executive incompetence I have observed in my twenty year career. One of the golden assets of our time, which was hand-delivered to them, was managed as poorly and ineptly as anybody can manage an asset. They took a jewel and turned it into dust.”

Djdndnejwnwn

I mean, I don’t really have much of an opinion on it. I haven’t really bothered to watch it recently so it’s been a while

Djdndnejwnwn

G. H. (Gman)

And the obnoxious advertising. 

Kattozilla

TACO BELL

i've actually never resented it. i've always liked it since i first saw it sooo-

Chris

Added indifferent as an option!

@Gman, yeah I recall their attempt with Godzilla was the give the creature a completely new face and origin to be more modern. Unfortunately they missed the point of Godzilla's existence entirely. They went for flashy, sleek designs and convenient plot elements that a child could comprehend. They went for the money, that's why they hired Emmerich on to direct it. Shame they missed the mark so dramatically.

Djdndnejwnwn

Chris 

thanks

Kattozilla

yes but

TACO BELL

Djdndnejwnwn

i actually like taco bell, but i hate advertising that’s everywhere

Trash panda

It was the first Godzilla film I saw in 2011 when I was either 7 or 6. And I still don't like it.

Kattozilla

TACO BEEEEEEELL

but yeah i've never really hated it. i actually unironically like it

is that bad

Djdndnejwnwn

I say i’m indifferent because last time I saw it, didn’t hate it, didn’t live it, Just sort of Existed for two hours

Djdndnejwnwn

Kattozilla

I’ve seen that commercial

Djdndnejwnwn

IM GONNA NEED A BIGGER BALL.

Here lizard lizard. 

I mean, what where they thinking?

Die-hard Spino Fan

Can “love it” be an option? Because it’s amazing. I like it a lot. 4/5

Kattozilla

taco bell, that's what

chihuahua is the only one who can defeat godzilla

Monsterzero9

i personnoly just hate this film. even if i dont veiw it as a godzilla movie i still hate it. the acting is horendos and the jurassic park insparations are just to obvios. its just a downright bad movie in my book. 1/777456354237964653586

Die-hard Spino Fan

I never viewed this film as a Godzilla movie, not even once. I think that’s why I liked it. I watched it after I watched 2014 so I knew it was and never will be a Godzilla film. I treated it like any other big monster film. 

SasquaDash

Honestly, I always enjoyed the movie, mainly due to nostalgia (it played a big role in my childhood). It was the first giant monster movie I ever saw. I had quite a bit of toys from the movie, some of which I still have (a couple of the babies and a Taco bell figure) and some that sadly did not last (particularly a 3D eraser and a "Power Blast Godzilla" remote control figure). It was the movie that helped make me the Godzilla/Monster movie fan I am Today, so I could never dislike it.

Was it a faithful Godzilla movie? No.

Was it a good movie? Not particularly.

Is it an enjoyable movie. In a ways, Yes. 

I think the movie had some cool ideas. The idea of a giant monster laying hundreds of eggs and the fear that these creatures could continue to multiply to the point that they could become the dominant species, wiping out humanity and other creatures, is kind of a cool premise. The problem was that it didn't fit Godzilla.

To be honest, I actually think that the first 30 minutes of the movie is really good. It does a great job at building up the creature and setting a somewhat mysterious tone. However, the movie starts to fall apart after the creature itself is revealed and you realize that it's not the true Godzilla. Ironically the movie starts out really similar to the 1954 film, a group of fishing ships are attacked, one of the survivors links the disaster to an old legend of  a sea monster known as "Gojira", and there's even a scene where the creature comes ashore at a village with the military investigating the aftermath of the attack and finding giant radioactive footprints (which if you look on Google Earth/Maps those footprints are still there on Kualoa Ranch). 

Honestly, after 23 years, I don't think it deserves the hate anymore. it was a massive misfire, I get why fans were outraged at the time, but constantly throwing hatred at it now is kind of pointless. And I don't think it's fair to criticize it for being different especially now, considering how different and experimental some of the more recent Toho entries are (Seriously, I'd take a mutant iguana laying eggs over a metallic plant thing that barely does anything). And at least some of the people involved, have admitted to their mistakes, unlike the crew behind a certain anime trilogy who continue to show distain for the fandom, insulting them for not being "smart enough" to get it, and viewing themselves as above the franchise... but I'm not here to rant about that. 

Overall, while the fanbase can still dislike the film, I don't think that it still deserves the hate. It happened, it's been 23, it's time to get over it.

Kattozilla

wait they are?

wait a minute im going right to earth rn

...i cant find them ;-;

7amey

I didn't really hate it, after all it's the first Godzilla film I ever saw. However I do feel that it is disrespectful to Godzilla as an iconic character, and it tried to create its own monster and call it 'Godzilla'. If the film was a remake of 'The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms' I probably would have liked it.