Godzilla 2000 is a significant movie for several reasons. It was the first "real" Godzilla movie made after the 1998 Americanization of the franchise. In this flick Big G sports a brand-new monster suit, better effects and even a pretty darn good FX sequence of the big guy swimming underwater. This movie also does a much better job with Godzilla's nuclear fire, and gone were the ridiculous attempts at making something this big and ugly perform acts of athleticism. All in all, a much better movie than any of Toho's past efforts. This was also the first Godzilla to receive theatrical release in the U.S.A. since "Godzilla 1985".

The plot includes many of the staples of past releases: The selfless researcher (Naomi Nishida) attempting to "understand" Godzilla, the intrepid reporter (Takehiro Murata), the child prodigy (Mayu Suzuki), an evil warmonger/capitalist/rightwinger, and another character to somehow link them all together, in this case a scientist who works for the aforementioned bad guy but who USED TO BE a colleague of our hero the Selfless Researcher.

The movie opens with scientist Yuji Shinoda and his daughter, Io setting up equipment in the dark of night for monitoring the activities of Godzilla. These two are members of a volunteer network that keeps track of the Big Lizard. Along for the evening is reporter Yuki Ichinose who hopes to get a few photos of Godzilla if he actually shows up as the network has predicted.

Godzilla does indeed rise up from the depths of the Pacific Ocean and Yuki gets all she bargained for and more. The trio has a a very close call and only barely escape Godzilla, although it appears he's more curious than angry. This scene is pretty creepy, with Godzilla looming up out of the shadows and rumbling rather than roaring. Our heroes speed away into the gathering dawn, with Godzilla not far behind.

Here is the first instance in which I was reminded of a popular American movie, in this case "Twister." The three "Godzilla Chasers" are screaming along the highway while Godzilla plows through the countryside, having already forgetten their brief encounter. Just replace actor Naomi Nishida with Bill Paxton and substitute Godzilla with a tornado. This movie seems to treat Godzilla more as a force of nature than as a monster. This treatment has been evident in past releases but not to this degree. I liked it.

During this period of time, a state of emergency has been declared. Godzilla has returned to the ocean but is being tracked as he again makes his way toward the coastline. It is feared he will emerge at the nuclear power plant near the city of Tokai. The Japanese military is alerted and quickly moves into position. Unlike previous movies, Godzilla 2000 does not (thank God) use those cheesy miniature tanks. At least, if they did... they did it so well I couldn't tell the difference. It appeared that they instead used the real thing with Godzilla FX'ed into the background as he approached. However they did it it looked a heckuva lot better than in any previous release.

Both air and ground forces are brought to bear. This should rank among the best of all Godzilla fight scenes. It's fast-paced and the explosion effects no longer look like firecrackers. The sound is more realistic as well. Both helicopters and fighter jets were used and there was one scene involving the jets that was almost breathtaking... yes, I said breathtaking. In a Godzilla movie? Breathtaking?

The military's plan is to use the armor-piercing missiles to both injure and enrage Godzilla while luring him into a nearby river where powerful underwater mines have been placed. It is hoped that the mines will be sufficient to destroy Our Lizard. Yah... right. The mines explode dramatically, but Godzilla appears through the smoke and spray, grimly intent upon reaching the mainland.

After the battle, Yuji visits the beach and collects some samples of Godzilla's skin. At the lab he discovers that the cells are capable of repairing themselves with astonishing speed. He names these amazing cells "Regenerator G-1." This explains how Godzilla has withstood so many hits from artillery, ray guns, other monsters, and falling into a volcano. His cells repair themselves almost instantly. While this makes him a formidable enemy, it could also be a tremendous discovery for the good of mankind if the cellular process can ever be truly understood.

As the next day progresses, the alien craft shakes free of its moorings, breaks out of its rocky shell and heads for Tokyo. Not coincidentally, Godzilla is also headed for Tokyo. Let's keep in mind here that the "Americanized" Godzilla was created by the same people who gave us "Independence Day." One of the most famous scenes from ID4 was that of the huge alien craft coming in low over the New York City area. It seems that the good folks at Toho just couldn't resist! Not only do we get a good shot of the big alien meteorite-turned-spacecraft coming in low over downtown Tokyo, but the thing even settles in on top of a hi-rise.

The reporter, Yuki, notices that her laptop has been hacked and all of her files pertaining to Godzilla have been accessed. In the military command center, alarms sound as their massive supercomputer is compromised. A diagnostic reveals that the alien ship is downloading literally every file in Tokyo. Something must be done! The military decides to enter the building with high explosives and blow up the ship. The powerful explosion shears off the top few floors of the building but fails to even scratch the alien ship. Shades of ID4... remember how the nuclear missile failed to dent the invaders? Toho has always taken an anti-nuke stance in the Godzilla movies and so here we just see high explosives. But, the similarities cannot be ignored.

The ship has recorded Godzilla's cellular structure and now seeks to remake itself in Godzilla's image! Well, sort of. Giant spidery legs extend to the street below as the ship literally begins to develop facial features. The lower section finally separates and falls away and the ship returns to its original form. But what of that lower portion of gross anatomy? Boy oh boy... is it ever gross! As Godzilla frees himself from the wreckage, the new creature arises from the ruined buildings. It's huge, even a bit larger than Godzilla himself. It appears to be in a constant state of flux as though it were still remaking itself.

But now the still changing creature has a new trick. It lurches foward with its jaws opening impossibly wide and engulfs Godzilla. It again begins to change, this time growing scales and spikes like Godzilla as it continues its metamorphosis. Will Godzilla be consumed like some gigantic midnight snack? Not a chance. Just as it seems all is lost Godzilla begins to glow with the telltale signs of an impending blast of nuke-breath. Both Godzilla and the creature glow as if afire, lighting up the night. When Godzilla unleashes his blast, the alien is utterly destroyed. As smoking bits of alien rain back to the Earth, Godzilla bellows in triumph.

Another monster bites the dust. Once again we're left pondering whether Godzilla is good or evil, or perhaps beyond the judgement of man. I tend to believe that one cannot call Godzilla evil because he's not a monster. Godzilla is more like an earthquake or hurricane. You cannot judge him, you can only try to cope with him. In this case, he cut a path of destruction through Tokyo, but what of the alien? How much more harm would that alien have done us?

Once Godzilla's instincts guide him back to the depths of the sea, he may return in days, or it could be years. Like a hurricane or an earthquake, you don't know when he'll strike again. But you do know that sooner or later, he'll come back. And like the weather, there's nothing on Earth to stop him.