Some fans may go for this video-game style film, but to my mind it's an odd mix of old-style effects and new.
None of the plot seems terribly well thought-out, and as a result it's logic that gets squashed the flattest. The action, meanwhile, is reminiscent of video-game graphics, with a number of shots that place the viewer at the "controls" of the screen action. The computer graphics are just accomplished enough to make the quaint, traditional effects look bad, rather than hokey or fun. And the hokey old effects have the same effect on the computerized animation effects, making them look out-of-place and not nearly as accomplished as the sort of thing we're seeing in big-budget films.
The box makes this seem like a monster-lovers delight, and there are a few fun battle scenes—the best involving Anguirus. But you have to put up with way too many insipid scenes to get to those monsters.
Video: "Godzilla: Final Wars" is mastered in High Definition and presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen. The quality is quite good. You can see every wrinkle in the Minilla suit that a little person wears.
Audio: The soundtrack language options are English and Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1, with subtitles in English and French. I watched in both the original Japanese language with English subtitles and the dubbed version. As happens with Japanese-to-English dubbing, the mouth movement isn't even close, but at someone took the trouble to find voice talents that seem more compatible with the characters than usual.
Extras: In honor of the 50th anniversary of Godzilla there's a "Godzilla: B-Roll to Film" featurette which, as the "ette" implies, isn't terribly long or as substantial as fans would like it to be. At times, it feels more like an extended theatrical teaser or a television spot to promote the film.
Bottom Line: I have to say that I liked the old Godzilla films, though no one would ever confuse them with fine cinematic art. They were fun, they were funky, and they were great to watch on a day when you wish you could have summoned the old fellow to squash your boss or the commuters that stalled you in traffic for most of the morning. Even the violence was in the spirit of fun . . . and funny. There was nothing that would have earned a PG-13 rating, as this film does, for intense sequences of violence that include humans killing humans. "Godzilla: Final Wars" tries to be too many things, and succeeds at none of them. There's campy (which is so bad that it's good) and just plain bad. Some fans may go for this video-game style film, but to my mind it's an odd mix of old-style effects and new.
The box makes this seem like a monster-lovers delight, and there are a few fun battle scenes—the best involving Anguirus. But you have to put up with way too many insipid scenes to get to those monsters.
Video: "Godzilla: Final Wars" is mastered in High Definition and presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen. The quality is quite good. You can see every wrinkle in the Minilla suit that a little person wears.
Audio: The soundtrack language options are English and Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1, with subtitles in English and French. I watched in both the original Japanese language with English subtitles and the dubbed version. As happens with Japanese-to-English dubbing, the mouth movement isn't even close, but at someone took the trouble to find voice talents that seem more compatible with the characters than usual.
Extras: In honor of the 50th anniversary of Godzilla there's a "Godzilla: B-Roll to Film" featurette which, as the "ette" implies, isn't terribly long or as substantial as fans would like it to be. At times, it feels more like an extended theatrical teaser or a television spot to promote the film.
Bottom Line: I have to say that I liked the old Godzilla films, though no one would ever confuse them with fine cinematic art. They were fun, they were funky, and they were great to watch on a day when you wish you could have summoned the old fellow to squash your boss or the commuters that stalled you in traffic for most of the morning. Even the violence was in the spirit of fun . . . and funny. There was nothing that would have earned a PG-13 rating, as this film does, for intense sequences of violence that include humans killing humans. "Godzilla: Final Wars" tries to be too many things, and succeeds at none of them. There's campy (which is so bad that it's good) and just plain bad. Some fans may go for this video-game style film, but to my mind it's an odd mix of old-style effects and new.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]17111[/release]