Throughout the last few films Godzilla's power has grown. His atomic breath changed from blue to red, increasing in power exponentially. The movie opens with Godzilla being blasted in the face by a nuclear explosion. He absorbs the energy which sets into motion an overload. Nuclear energy literally glows through his skin. In a matter of days Godzilla's body will overflow with nuclear energy setting off an explosion unlike any the Earth has ever seen, setting the atmosphere ablaze vaporizing every living creature on the planet.
The only hope for humanity lies in an enemy more frightening than any Godzilla has ever faced... or has he. The original Godzilla was defeated by a weapon known as the Oxygen Destroyer, a weapon more dangerous than any before it. Not only did it kill Godzilla but it awoke something as well. Forty years later the creatures have multiplied, grown, and merged, exhibiting the very same power as the Oxygen Destroyer. They combine to create an evil, terrible, malevolent kaiju named DESTOROYAH.
The other problem is, once one destroys the other, the other will destroy us. One way or the other this will be the final chapter for Godzilla. Still hope yet exists in the tiny form of Godzilla Junior. The little kaiju goes off on his own to face the demonic Destoroyah and pays for it with his life. Godzilla arrives shortly thereafter, seeing his son dying. He knows he's going to die. But he doesn't care anymore as long as he takes Destoroyah with him!
Once again the series goes where it has never gone before, tying everything back to the original film. Actress Momoko Kochi reprises her role as Emiko Yamane, a character we haven't seen since the 1954 original film. There are also pictures of actors Takashi Shimura and Akihiko Hirata as their characters from the original film too. This movie brings Godzilla's course over the last forty years back full circle in an epic way like no other has done before. This movie is another high watermark in the franchise and one of my favorites.
Destoroyah is one helluva kaiju to send the King of the monsters off with. Early rumors before the film was released years prior had another title for this character: Godzilla vs the Devil. Just looking at Destoroyah you can tell the creature designers kept the devil in mind when sculpting him. He is one of the most frightening kaiju to ever grace the screen. He also had some inspiration drawn from the Alien film franchise, most notably with the inner retractable snapping jaws. Seeing Destoroyah for the first time is awe inspiring.
Let's talk about Godzilla's redesign too. Already in the Heisei series of films the big G has established an iconic look and update staying closer to the 1954 bulky scary looking incarnation. His look and feel in these films is powerful and terrifying, as he should be. I dare say his look was perfected in this second series of films and has never looked better. However, in this film Godzilla goes nuclear! Literally! Godzilla was redesigned with an image that has been known as Burning Godzilla! The amount of radiation building within his body has created glowing lesions on his skin. His spines now smoke and radiate a red glow. Even the irises of his eyes are glowing red. If Godzilla ever had a super form this is it and it is perhaps the coolest update he has ever received.
Godzilla Vs Destoroyah is one of my favorites in the whole franchise and it plays on one of the highest levels of any of them. If this was the last film Godzilla were to ever appear in it would be a worthy send off. Godzilla has never been more badass. And yes, he does in fact die at the end. A flood of radiation covers Tokyo. But suddenly the radiation levels vanish, absorbed by something or someone one. A silhouette of Godzilla Junior, suddenly full grown can be seen through the smoke... to carry on the legacy into the next series of films.
Category: Transcendence
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