Godzilla might be the one character on film with the longest history. It's just like James Bond: it never really dies or ends, it just keeps coming back decade after decade in some new hip style.
After twenty-plus Godzilla films, Final Wars presents the last foray in the classic series into the crazy world of rampaging monsters toppling cities (in the same fashion as Die Another Day was the last Bond film of the initial series that went crazy with the gadgets and evil megalomaniacs and such). If nothing else, Final Wars goes all-out in shoving in as much epic action, as many monsters, and as much glorious cheese as it can! And it does so with flash and style!
Really, the film is utterly stupid and laughable. The acting is very cheesy (especially when watching it with English dubbing), the action is very over-the-top, the monsters still look fake as hell, and the production overall is as cheap as they come. The film also has a ton of scenes where they tried their best to be modern and cool; you can expect to meet a squad of dudes who twirl around with guns, as if they came from Equilibrium. And, there are car chases and fight scenes galore. Of course, the main highlight is the mass carnage caused by the monsters, and the film doesn't disappoint on that level: in addition to Godzilla, there are also flying bugs, rampaging lizards, and aliens destroying practically every city in the world. A whole gang of monsters from the older films return, including Mothra, Gigan, Rodan, Ghidorah, Ebirah, and so many more! They've even thrown in Zilla, from the much-hated '98 US film in the mix! Godzilla's son appears in all his stupid glory! Oh yeah, it doesn't get much bigger than this!
The story's pretty silly, the characters are pretty flat, but what really matters it that it's basically the end-all-be-all war of monsters. The first half of the film sets things up fine and dandy, before all heck breaks lose in the last half. Nothing terribly deep, but it's cool all the same.
This film is quite cheesy. It does have fine and dandy photography. Editing can be pretty hectic and erratic (especially during the opening credits scene, which includes some cool clips from the last 20-something movies). Acting and writing are pretty bad. This production has some very cheap-looking sets, props, and costumes. Music is pretty cool.
This is the type of kaiju film I find myself enjoying more and more: it's the type that doesn't take itself seriously, and knows how to have a good time. The film moves fast, has loads of action, and has a pretty generous helping of cheese. If you don't mind that kind of thing, then this movie should be a must-see!
4/5 (Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Average | Film: Average)
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