Gojira VS Desutoroia (1995)

Director:

Takao Okawara

Writer:

Kazuki Omori (writer)

Release Date:

9 December 1995 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Get Ready for a Three-Way Monster Melee!

Plot:

The aftermath of the Oxygen Destroyer brings forth Destoroyah, a beast intent on killing Godzilla, who is on the verge of a nuclear meltdown.

Plot Keywords:

Flamethrower | Skeleton | Radioactive | Giant Monster | Helicopter

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Takuro Tatsumi	...	Dr. Kensaku Ijuin
Yôko Ishino	...	Yukari Yamane
Yasufumi Hayashi	...	Kenichi Yamane
Megumi Odaka	...	Miki Saegusa
Sayaka Osawa	...	Meru Ozawa
Saburo Shinoda	...	Professor Fukazawa
Akira Nakao	...	Commander Takaki Aso
Masahiro Takashima	...	Major Sho Kuroki
Momoko Kôchi	...	Emiko Yamane
Shigeru Kôyama	...	Army General
Ronald Hoerr	...	Professor Marvin
Kôichi Ueda	...	Night Watchman at Aquarium
Takehiro Murata	...	Yukari's Editor
Shelley Sweeney	...	G-Force Technician
Akihiko Hirata	...	Dr. Daisuke Serizawa (archive footage)

Also Known As:

Godzilla vs. Destroyer

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | Germany:12 | USA:Unrated

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

An alternate ending was filmed with both Godzilla and Destroyah melting at the same time. The alternate ending can be seen on the Japanese Godzilla vs. Destroyah DVD.

Quotes:

Night Watchman at Aquarium: The water seems to be eating away at the fish!

Movie Connections:

Follows Gojira vs. Biorante (1989)

Requiem for a Heavyweight

When I first saw this movie, I hoped this would have more of a brooding, menacing feel to it than it did. I half expected them to return more to the tone of the 1954 GOJIRA, especially since they made so many other references to the original, like bringing back Momoko Kochi as Emiko.

Instead, G. vs. Desutoroia was shot in the usual nervous style of the Heisei series, which so irritated me at first that I found myself counting seconds, to see if ANY SHOT in the whole movie would make it to ten.

On repeated viewings, though, I felt the movie held together better than most of the others in the 'new' Godzilla series. As usual, the human characters seem simply to be along for the ride (the exception is G. vs. Mechagodzilla (II), where I found myself actually caring what went on between the humans). In this case, it's only natural that the Big G. takes center stage.

The final moments are absolutely amazing. Akira Ifukube's classic "the-army-mobilizes-against-Godzilla" theme is heard for probably the last time: not as the usual march, but in a slow choral arrangement that will tear the heart out of any Godzilla fan...

Godzilla may be back in the form of the new, improved Little Godzilla, but PLEASE someone reassure me that we've finally seen the last of that psychic Miki Saegusa. By the time the Heisei series was over, I knew more about Godzilla's inner life than I did about hers. IMHO the whole Psychic thing added nothing to the continuing story... give her a 900 number and an infomercial and keep her out of Godzilla Millennium!