Godzilla: Final Wars

[Andrew]

Aliens attempt to take over the Earth with their monster army, but a single flying battleship manages to free Godzilla from his icy tomb.  The King of Monsters goes on a world tour, killing every rival that dares oppose him.

Click here to go to the Review

[BOB THE MUTANT CHICKEN]

Im going to just say this there was too much time spent on the mutants.The whole movie played like a bad saturday mourning cartoon.They didn't need the corny  Ebirah vs Mutant scenes or the borring Minya scenes what was needed was longer exciting Godzilla battles.I am disapointed that the last GODZILLA movie was directed by an idiot.  

[Jryu]

You know, with as many people poking at all the Easter Egg references, and at the 'Soccer Match' scene... I'm surprised no one's brought up this connection yet.

December of 1992, Banpresto released a game for the Super Famicon system called "Battle Soccer." This game let people play with teams made up of super deformed icons from multiple companies. There were teams for Kamen Rider, Ultraman, Mobile Suit Gundam, and yes, Toho Kaiju.

And what was Godzilla's team?

Godzilla, Rodan, King Caesar, and five Jet Jaguar clones.

Suddenly makes you groan at that scene in a whole new way, doesn't it?

[Avariel]

A couple of things I noted in your review, good all around and amusing, but you didn't understand a few things. Markzilla is right, that thing, Monster X2 isn't King Ghidorah at all. it has four legs, and though it bears a striking reselmblance, that could be due tot he influence of the Xillians. Recall that the original incarnation of King Ghidorah is monster zero, and that might have a connection with some far gone relic dealing with the Xillians. Also, you mentioned that he was frozen in ice in the 50's yes? No, the original godzilla was killed with the oxygen destroyer and godzilla himself has returned across Japan's history to plague it. He was only ever frozen in ice (to my knowledge) in this movie, and that intro takes place only years before the actual plotline, not decades.

[Philip Loth]

I love this movie! There's lots of parts that I like, like when Godzilla threw Kamacuras into that electric tower and when Ebirah's claw popped out Hedorah's eye. My most favorite part was the fight between Godzilla and Keizer Ghidorah. The ultimate battle! YEAH!

Too bad there wasn't much sex scenes, but lots of long-legged Japanese babes!

[Dave]

In the "sounds and speech" wave files you have there, you should have an example of the statement the young Xilian leader says about the "deanzilla" (your name for him and a good one too, by the way)
He says, "I didn't think that tuna head was up to much"

He, he, he, he

[Uluhead]

This movie is goofy, but still very enjoyable. I like the part when Gigan gets blown to pieces by Mothra, who has been set on fire. That's an original way to kill the bad guy, just blow him to bits with a gigantic flaming insect!

[Paul P.]

Wow, refrences to The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, Dragonball Z, Edward E. Smith, Warhammer 40K, and Final fantasy.
Good thing I am a nerd or I would have gotten lost. I have yet to be disappointed, please keep the reviews comming.

"If a prehensile furry tail had popped out the back of Ozaki's pants, then he had grown into King Kong... " was the best.

[Stan]

Final Wars is currently my favorite Kaiju film and my favorite Godzilla movie overall. I remember thinking, "What's this? They actually did that in a Kaiju movie?" A couple of times during the bike chase and some of the monster battles. The 'Godzilla plays soccer using Anguirus as a ball' is priceless, my favorite scene on the movie.

I'm glad to see a review for it on your site.

[Lapis lazuli]

Oh dear God.....those sound files totally display just why i hate dubbing so much!

[Goji Fan]

"He says, 'I didn't think that tuna head was up to much.'"

The real translation of that line is "I knew that tuna eating monster was worthless."

Funny how Tristar consistently dulls the biting sarcasm of the Japanese line translations when talking of GINO.

[Steve]

I saw this movie last year. It was okay. The monsters weren't that cool. It wasn't that good of a movie. I liked Anguirus though. The movie was also quite clunky. I'd probably give it a 6/10.

[jmalmsten]

Wow, all those other notes, but you totaly missed some of the greatest parts of it... with Gordon being played by a pro fighter and is dressed up as a Hussein with a Katana, or that he is the (almost) only english-speaking actor in the cast and yet there are no linguistical problems between them even though he never speaks a word japanese and vice versa...

this could be because you seem to have watched the dubbed version and where left out on all those nice quotes...

"Sorry I'm a vegitarian"

"Take this X-MAN!"

WHAT? No mention of the 30 second flat knockout of ZILLA? (as he's called by the director Kitamura, because the americans had taken the "God" from godzilla)...

What? no mention of the random acts of violence against the polar ice crew that gets blown away by big-G first thing he wakes?

this is probably my favorite kaiou movie and I was on the brink of writing my own review some weeks ago and submit it. I reguraly check in here to read your reviews... but I think you left out far too much fun stuff on this one...

[Steven Millan]

  The movie rules,for Toho really went all out with this film that features more monsters than "Destroy All Monsters",and is the serie's best film since "Godzilla,Mothra,King Ghidorah(GMK):All-Out Giant Monster Attack". And plus,it's got plenty of Matrix-esque martial arts showdown and stunts,and both ex-UFC fighter Don Frye and Kane Kosugi(Son of the Ninja[Sho Kosugi]!!!),as well as old school Godzilla beating down Tri-Star's CGI Godzilla to the tune of Sum 41 playing in the background:Yeah !!!!

[Happenstance]

Ugh. Way too much "Hollywooditude" and stuff we've seen before in both Godzilla movies and American films...and certainly not enough monster action for the overwhelming roster of kaiju. Ridiculously short rubber-suit squabbles nearly buried in plodding "Matrix Meets Destroy All Monsters" rehash make this considerably less fun than even miserable farts like "vs Gigan."

I do hope all the fanboys who endlessly b***hed about the Heisei series are happy now. The Millenium series has been (with the obvious outstanding exception) a bust; "Godzilla 2000" was embarassingly bad from start to finish; Tezuka's three entries were technically brilliant and beautifully scored, but sloppy in script and execution (...A swimming pool? Get bent, Tezuka); yet none of these achieved the mindbending suction of "Final Wars."

An entertainingly over-the-top baddie and VERY welcome appearances by the long-missed Angurius, King Caesar, Manda and Goten/Atragon are spoiled by "soccer goalie" Godzilla, Don Frye's sub-Hulk-Hogan acting, way too many "because it's in the script!" moments, kaiju fights over in seconds...and that MUSIC! God!

Oh, look, Mothra's on fire! AGAIN! And Gigan just...oh, come on, that's just humiliating.

Remember the fight between Godzilla and Kumonga in "Son Of Godzilla?" Compare it to the match in "Final Wars." Therein lies the very definitions of "suck" and "fail."

(And for his exploding/burning/electrocuting nearly-unreadable credits, one Mr. Cooper should be beaten with a cane.)