The Most Hated ’90s Sci-Fi Remake Is Better Than Its Awful Reputation, Stream Without Netflix
Godzilla fans may love monster movies, but there are two words they find scarier than any kaiju: “Matthew Broderick.” He headlines the Roland Emmerich Godzilla film that came out in 1998, one that is generally panned by everyone who has ever rooted for a giant lizard to destroy Tokyo. However, this throwback film is now streaming on Tubi, and after rewatching it, I was surprised to discover that it was a flawed but enjoyable time capsule of late ‘90s genre entertainment.
Godzilla 1998
What is Godzilla (1998) actually about? The title creature comes to New York City, but he’s more interested in stomping his way into the record books than taking in a Broadway play.
The government and military do their best to stop the rampaging monster, but their best weapon may actually be a nebbish scientist who will soon hold the fate of an entire city in his hands.
The Cast
One of the first things you’ll notice about Godzilla (1998) is that it has a wonderfully eclectic cast. Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller himself) is our main star, and he is joined by Mission: Impossible veteran Jean Reno.
The movie also features legendary Simpsons voice actor Hank Azaria and future Transformers star Glenn Morshowerr. Speaking of Transformers, original Megatron voice actor Frank Welker provides animal sound effects, which is always a sure sign that you’re watching a vintage creature feature.
No One Liked It
When Godzilla came out in 1998, it was a mild box office success, earning $379 million against a budget of $130-$150 million. Still, factor in the cost of marketing and this was a relatively puny profit.
That’s especially true when you consider that Emmerich’s previous film Independence Day earned $817.4 million against a budget of only $75 million.
Upon its release, Godzilla (1998) was savaged by critics so fiercely that you might imagine the title creature personally stepped on their cities. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has a critical rating of 20 percent, which is even more embarrassing than Godzooky.
In general, critics complained that the movie doesn’t have “compelling characters” and pales in comparison to earlier Godzilla movies.
Why You Should Watch
That brings us to the big question: why the heck am I recommending you watch Godzilla (1998), a movie that disappointed at the box office and was absolutely savaged by critics?
For one thing, it’s fun to see Matthew Broderick act against type in an action movie, and he is perfectly cast as a dorky researcher who is deeply out of his depth.
That helps him contrast nicely against Jean Reno, whose gruff French Secret Service agent contrasts nicely (and sometimes hilariously) with Broderick’s American scientist.
Additionally, if you’re as nostalgic for this era as I am, it’s fun to revisit the 90s time capsule despite its flaws. This pre-9/11 world has a certain raggedy charm, one that allows us to view the idea of a large-scale attack on New York as nothing more than a monster movie fantasy.
And the film is so wonderfully weird in execution that one can easily imagine the Tristar Pictures executives asking themselves a heady question back in the day: “what if we let the Independence Day guy do Godzilla?”
Stream It Now
GFR SCORE
The result is most certainly flawed—Godzilla (1998) isn’t as good as many previous entries, and it most certainly pales in comparison to the minimalist brilliance of Minus One.
However, this movie has some genuine novelty because it does things the franchise had never done before, all while introducing an entire generation to this killer kaiju. Finally, this is what I call a good “vibes movie,” the kind that is fun to turn on and just virtually hang out with this quirky little cast.
Will you find Godzilla (1998) much better than its awful reputation, or will you want to feed this American monster mash to Mothra? You won’t know until you stream it for free on Tubi. Plus, let’s be real—what else are fans going to do while waiting for the next rematch with Kong?
