fantastically over hyped , godzila finally lumbers onto the big screen .
the film opens with footage of nuclear testing on the french polynesian islands , then an attack on a boat from some beast , and finally we join dr .
nick tatopoulos ( broderick looking about 17 years old ) doing some research in chernobyl .
some shady u .
s
government guys appear , and ask him to come to an island where they have massive footprints , from what looks like a giant lizard .
and what 's more , this beast is heading for new york .
gulp !
although godzilla should be a non stop roller coaster ride , and at some points it is , there is something curiously uninvolving and unexciting about this movie .
the main faults lie with the acting and writing , common problems with ' summer blockbuster ' movies .
broderick is pretty useless as the hero , with no humour or a ' tough guy ' image .
while emmerich 's previous summer flick , independence day ( 1996 ) had wisecracks and action from jeff goldblum and will smith , this has neither .
also , maria pitillo , as broderick 's former girlfriend , is just as useless , with a chronic disability in acting .
she 's incapable of showing emotion , speaks every line in the same way , and
basically she 's total crap .
it 's up to french actor jean reno to save the day , and indeed he does , turning in a campy performance as a french secret agent .
shame he has such little screen time in such a overlong film
.
hank azaria also turns up as a crazy cameraman named ' animal ' , and he adds a little life to the picture . also making an appearance is harry shearer ( probably best know for doing voices in the simpsons ) as a slimy news reporter .
o .
k , so the acting is not up to par , but it never is in these movies .
but what about the script ?
well , that 's not up to par either .
emmerich and screenwriting pal dean devlin seem
so caught in the destruction of new york city that they forgot to write a script .
the dialogue is banal
( broderick looks at a lot of fish and utters ' that 's a lot of fish . ' ) , and the character development is non existent
( reno plays the typical frenchman ( ' no croissant ? ' ) , broderick forever remains a geeky scientist . )
also , the film is seriously lacking a sense of humour .
the jokes that are uttered are pathetic , and there 's an ' hilarious ' running gag about siskel and ebert .
( the mayor is mayor ebert , and is assistant is called gene !
ha ha ha ha ! .
) the plot is dire , and in the end just rips off jurassic park ( 1993 ) by having lots of baby godzilla 's
( i .
e . velicorapters ) running around new york .
right , so the script and acting suck .
but what about the special effects ?
thankfully , they 're are quite good .
godzilla is an impressive piece of cgi , although we do n't see much of him because the movie is so dark .
the destruction of new york is pretty well done aswell .
but although they are impressive , they ca n't save godzilla from being an hugely disappointing and boring movie .
the movie goes on for far too long aswell , and it ca n't seem to decide on a ending .
and of course , the ending itself leaves possibility for a sequel .
let 's just hope one never arrives .
Output: N