After Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla II and Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla failing to bring in an audience, Tomiyama figured it was time to put Godzilla back into retirement. The original idea started with a lost concept titled Godzilla vs Ghost Godzilla, which is about Godzilla fighting the spirit of the 54 Godzilla that possessed Godzilla's son. The idea was scrapped because they already made two movies that had Godzilla fighting one of his doppelgangers. It was decided that it was time to reintroduce the oxygen destroyer, the device that killed the 54 Godzilla.
Review:
After a nuclear fallout on Godzilla's home island, Godzilla is on the brink of death and his death may result in a doomsday event if not contained. In the midst of the planet's doom, another threat is born from the device that killed the first Godzilla and plagues Japan. Will Godzilla be able to stop this menace?
Godzilla vs Destroyah is one of the saddest movies of the series. I remember when I sat down to watch this for the first time I was actually shedding tears because Godzilla was going to die. I know, that sounds kind of pathetic, but to a fan this was a big deal because we grew to have some connection with the monster. Godzilla grew into more than just a character or obstacle over the years and it was disheartening to see Godzilla fade away before my very eyes.
The action sequences are very violent and kind of gory. Destroyah is constantly getting beaten and at one part it even shows his chest bursting wide open with blood spraying all over the place. When Destroyah was first introduced, they were man sized and they were hidden away too. It was like watching the movie Aliens in that scene where the space marines were looking for the missing colonists on a desolate planet and they get ambushed by the xenomorphs. Then, you get Destroyah's final form and he looks like the devil incarnate, but he is so thick that he never walks at all. What is the point of being so bulky if he can't even walk? The only thing that is sort of disappointing is that Godzilla is not the one that defeats Destroyah. The army is the one that kills Destroyah in the end. That feels like I was sort of blue balled since Godzilla didn't really win the final fight. There is an alternate ending where both Godzilla and Destroyah go down together during Godzilla's meltdown. I guess it wouldn't have given much of an emotional impact, but it would end the fight in a draw.
Godzilla Junior finally grown up, it has really grown to looking more like his father. He is a lot smaller and much more passive than his father, but he isn't as weak as he was when he was Little Godzilla in Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla, yet he is capable of standing his own ground. For most of the movie, Godzilla and Junior have been looking for each other after being separated from the accident. It is sort of heartwarming when they finally meet at the airport, but it gets sad when their meet up was interrupted by Destroyah and kills Junior. It is Godzilla's display of anger and sadness through the loss of a child and the finale that makes the movie one of the most disheartening moments in the series.
Final Verdict:
If you have been watching every single film up to this point, then I definitely recommend giving this movie a watch. It is a great finale to the end the Heisei era that will send any fan on an emotional roller coaster.