Godzilla 1998 New York

[Marybelle Bailey]

TheGodzilla movie franchise has been roaring since the 1950s, with the titular giant dinosaur starring in numerous films. These have been separated by various Godzilla eras, with each version having its own prevailing characterization for the monster. In Hollywood, Godzilla is currently represented through Legendary Pictures' MonsterVerse, but this isn't the first version of him to grace the big screen via American filmmaking.

The 1998 Godzilla movie was highly controversial among fans, and that's especially the case with the changes made to the monster. Now known as "Zilla," this altered take on Godzilla is perhaps the most hated giant monster of them all. Despite this poor reputation, the current MonsterVerse actually provides a path to redeem the disliked lizard.

Debuting in the 1998 Godzilla movie by director Roland Emmerich, the creature now known as Zilla was a lot different from what fans expected. The classic and modern versions of Godzilla stood upright, resembling now outdated depictions of dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus Rex. This matched the creature's nature, with most movies depicting the Big G as an irradiated prehistoric creature that survived into the modern day. With Zilla, however, it was merely an iguana that was mutated by atomic testing.

To this end, it developed a strange taste for fish and rose in New York City, where it made a major impression on the local scenery. It also walked with a more hunched appearance, with the creature's design being a radical departure. Zilla acted merely like a giant animal, lacking the truly monstrous and almost godlike characterization of the typical Godzilla. Likewise, it didn't have the true Godzilla's strength and durability, with the military's weaponry ultimately being enough to fell the beast. Also missing was the iconic "Atomic breath" ability, with this power only briefly hinted at when Godzilla blew back a raging fire with its breath. Interestingly enough, the first version of Zilla was actually female and laid eggs during the movie's duration.

Amid this less than impressive title creature, Emmerich's Godzilla was a disappointment across the board. The action was repetitive and lackluster, despite how much the movie was hyped up for its special effects. Conversely, the story was poorly written, and the same was the case for the stock, clich characters. It pulled from much better movies such as Jurassic Park, namely a scene involving juvenile Godzilla spawn. The result was a movie that let down both fans and general moviegoers, with a planned sequel ultimately scrapped. Elements were reworked into a follow-up series, however, with said cartoon proving that even Zilla had potential.

Airing from 1998 to 2000, Godzilla: The Series was the animated sequel to the live-action blockbuster movie. It picked up from that movie's final moments, showing that one of the spawn of Godzilla survived the film. Developing a child-like relationship with protagonist Niko "Nick" Tatopoulos (also from the movie), Godzilla/Zilla goes on to work alongside his scientific team and fight other giant monsters. None of these were based on any of Toho's iconic kaiju, though the remains of the first Zilla were turned into a cyborg that resembled Mechagodzilla.

The main Zilla in the series had traits more like its classic Toho counterpart, namely the iconic roar and the ability to emit Atomic Breath. Likewise, its relationship with the H.E.A.T. team mirrored the premise of the 1978 American Godzilla cartoon. While it only lasted two seasons, Godzilla: The Series was well-received by fans, with many finding it to be vastly superior to the movie that spawned it. Thankfully, it wasn't the last time that Hollywood created its own take on the kaiju franchise.

The MonsterVerse began in 2014 with the release of Godzilla, putting the character on the big screen in a new Hollywood production. This movie resulted in a sprawling shared universe that's been fleshed out by sequels, comic books, cartoons and live-action streaming TV shows. Godzilla hasn't been the only giant monster to show up in these projects, however, with new versions of Toho monsters also appearing in various movies. Likewise, new foes such as the MUTOs were also introduced, giving the King of the Monsters his toughest foes yet. One of his opponents also gives the reptile a run for his irradiated money.

Debuting in Kong: Skull Island, the Legendary Pictures take on King Kong is the secondary protagonist of the MonsterVerse. He's notably larger than he is in most depictions, and just like in the classic movie King Kong vs. Godzilla, he's big and tough enough to take on Godzilla in direct combat. It's easily the most impressive take on the character yet, as it's Kong who ultimately defeats Mechagodzilla in Godzilla vs. Kong. Even Mothra and Rodan are fairly powerful in the MonsterVerse, with their modernized incarnations also being durable and dangerous. This kind of upgrade made a giant moth one of Godzilla's best allies against the alien King Ghidorah, and a similar treatment could finally redeem another monster on the big screen.

Following the release of Roland Emmerich's Godzilla, Zilla wasn't treated with the most respect among the series fandom or even the Japanese entries in the property. For instance, the Japanese Toho production Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack had a scene which could be seen as an outright rebuke of the creature. In the movie, Godzilla sightings throughout the decades are recorded, with one person mentioning that Godzilla supposedly surfaced in New York in 1998. He's then corrected and informed that this was simply a monster that the Americans thought was Godzilla, though it really wasn't. Conversely, 2005's Godzilla: Final Wars had the Toho Godzilla finally fight Zilla, with said battle lasting a few mere seconds as the true King of the Monsters quickly fried its tuna-eating counterpart with his Atomic Breath.

Still, now that the original American Godzilla movie is several decades removed from its original release, time might finally be kinder to Zilla. If nothing else, it can appear in the MonsterVerse as an adversary of the true Godzilla, though perhaps this time, the battle will rage for a lot longer. One idea might be that an American group based out of New York attempts to use biology where the technological Mechagodzilla failed. Creating its own kaiju/Titan based loosely on traces of Godzilla's own DNA. This results in a vastly different monster that looks visibly distinct from its genetic source, though it quickly rampages beyond its creators' control. From there, it picks a fight with the real Godzilla, with the genuine article eventually destroying his doppelgnger.

Such an adaptation would still need to put Zilla in a somewhat villainous light, as fans will likely want to see it defeated by the main Godzilla. Nevertheless, such an appearance in the MonsterVerse might finally put the creature in the limelight through a well-received movie. Likewise, viewers might even find Zilla to be a tragic character as a genetic smoothie that was always fated to pale in comparison to the Titan it was based on. It would be an ironic development for such a despised character, but doing this with Zilla can prove that there's monstrous potential in even the worst kaiju.

Toho wasn't a fan of the 1998 Godzilla movie, and it showed in the Godzilla films that followed. Directed by Roland Emmerich, Sony and TriStar's Godzilla provided a whole new take on the King of the Monsters. Upon its release, the movie performed fairly well, with a box office haul of $379 million against a $125 million budget.

Starring Matthew Broderick, Godzilla reimagined the fan-favorite kaiju as a giant, iguana-like creature who was only a fraction of the size of the traditional Godzilla. As an American adaptation, the story took place in New York rather than Tokyo. The movie dealt with the American government and military mounting an effort to put a stop to the monster's rampage. At the end of the film, Godzilla is killed by torpedoes, and then it's revealed that one of his offspring survived, which served as setup for a potential sequel. There were originally plans for a Godzilla trilogy following the release of the 1998 movie, but those plans never materialized.

As the first Hollywood adaptation of the Japanese pop culture sensation, there was a lot of interest surrounding how an American Godzilla movie would turn out. Though it wasn't a box office failure, reception to the movie was overwhelmingly negative, with the Godzilla fanbase being particularly critical of the film's interpretation of the titular monster. Godzilla fans were far from pleased with the changes made to the character, and how different it looked from what was expected. But what did Toho, the studio that gave birth to Godzilla, think about the movie and how did they react to it?

Toho allowed Sony Pictures to make a Godzilla movie, but weren't happy with the result. Since Toho were distributors of the film in Japan, the company expressed some degree of support for the film while it was being marketed, but their position on the movie seems to have changed over time. Studio representatives have since expressed their strong disapproval of the 1998 Godzilla movie and what it did to Godzilla's image (via SciFi Japan). Toho publicist Yosuke Ogura acknowledged that Sony's Godzilla design was a "disaster".

Actors, directors, and producers associated with Toho's Godzilla movies have made their opinions about the 1998 version quite clear. Shogo Tomiyama, who has produced over a dozen movies for Toho (many of which being in the Godzilla franchise), claimed that the film "took the 'God' out of Godzilla". Godzilla suit actor Kenpachiro Satsuma, who has been making movies with Toho since 1971, famously stormed out of the 1998 Godzilla's Tokyo premiere and said that the new monster didn't have Godzilla's spirit. Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: All Out Monsters Attack director Shusuke Kaneko criticized the creature's iguana-inspired design and ridiculed the ease and lack of creativity that went into Godzilla's defeat.

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