In 2004, Toho Studios released their final entry in the Millennium Series of Godzilla movies that took place in the early 2000s. At the time, this was the last Godzilla movie released theatrically in Japan and the US. For their final installment, Toho wanted the film to be a celebratory ending for the Big G’s 50th anniversary. What they produced is a Godzilla film featuring many of the classic Showa era monsters from the 1960s to 1970s, a large-scale alien invasion, superhuman soldiers who knew martial arts, and Godzilla being the king that he is. In short, this was one of the most action-packed and insane Godzilla movies ever seen. Director Ryuhei Kitamura’s Godzilla: Final Wars entertains viewers with a crazy story involving Godzilla and his amazing enemies (or friends) causing havoc, a memorable human cast, and celebrates 50 years of Godzilla with a big bang.
Our film begins in Antarctica where the King of the Monsters is seen battling the battle airship Gotengo. Godzilla downs the ship in an instant before an earthquake strikes and takes him under the ice. The Gotengo then fires its missiles to cause an avalanche that traps Godzilla under the ice sheet. Thus, humanity has finally defeated Godzilla once and for all. Next, we learn that not only do Kaiju appear over the years, but a new breed of human beings called Mutants (no relation to the Mutants from Marvel Comics) are found and recruited for the Earth Defense Force (EDF). Many years later, we are introduced to the new captain of the Gotengo, Captain Douglas Gordon, played by MMA Fighter Don Frye, the Mutant pilot Katsunori Kazama played by Kane Kosugi, and the Mutant protagonist Shinichi Ozaki played by Masahiro Matsuoka who deal with Manda, the sea dragon Kaiju. Afterwards, Ozaki is tasked with being the bodyguard for the UN biologist Miyuki Otonashi played by Rei Kikukawa. Miyuki is tasked with studying a mummified Kaiju which later turns out to be Gigan the space cyborg Kaiju.
Suddenly, many Kaiju appear in various locations across the globe. These include Rodan, Anguirus, King Ceaser, and even the 1998 Godzilla now dubbed as Zilla. Thankfully, they are all captured by an alien race known as the Xiliens who have come to assist humanity. Soon enough, the Earth has a new ally from space ready to help humanity in its darkest hour. However, Ozaki and his compatriots do not buy the Xiliens’ intentions and discover the villainous ruse. Once their cover is blown, the Xiliens shift gears and send out the monsters they captured to destroy human civilization. With civilization on the brink, Captain Gordon devises a plan so crazy it might just spell doom for everyone: wake up and unleash Godzilla. When Godzilla finally reawakens, he follows the voyage of the Gotengo and fights every Kaiju the Xiliens throw at him while our main characters race to save the Earth from extraterrestrial domination.
The film’s reception has been quite divisive since its premiere in 2004. Popular cult classic YouTuber, Brandon Tenold, commented that the film was a “either you love it or don’t” type of movie. Godzilla fans often disagree with each other about the movie. Some, such as myself, find it a peak pinnacle in cinema history. Others think that Kitamura’s movie had a lot to be desired. For Toho, Final Wars didn’t seem to succeed as much as they hoped. Per David Kalaat’s A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla series, the budget was ¥1.9 billion ($19 million at the time), and yet it only received ¥1.2 billion (around $11.5 million). Aside from mixed reactions, this film was also competing with Howl’s Moving Castle and The Incredibles during the time of its release. Despite these setbacks, the movie is still loved by fans and it seems to be regaining some recognition over the years.
One of the defining aspects of any Godzilla movie is the story. The film’s story is relatively straightforward. First, Humanity defeats Godzilla. Then, aliens come and release monsters onto the world. In response, the heroes bring Godzilla back to deal with the Kaiju and the aliens. On paper, it is a simple set up. Even Godzilla movies from the past like Destroy All Monsters use a similar alien plot. While the movie’s duration is 2 hours and 5 minutes, it still keeps viewers entertained with its action-based choreography.
Funny enough, Godzilla fighting his friends and enemies isn’t what makes this movie unique. There are also scenes of human and alien characters fighting. Every other scene in the film seems to have an action sequence, each one outdoing the other. An example of this is when Ozaki and Kazama team up to fire their lasers at Ebirah the giant shrimp Kaiju. Fun fact, that scene is Kitamura’s favorite out of the scenes he directed per Big Action Bill’s History of Godzilla: Final Wars. Having a Godzilla movie where the King of the Monsters, Kaiju, humans, and aliens fight each other at the same time makes it very unique among other entries in the franchise. Even James Rolfe of Cinemassacre praised this amount of action in his Godzilla-thon video series. It should be noted that Ryuhei Kitamura also directed Versus, an action-heavy horror film from 2000 involving the Yakuza and zombies. Kitamura’s direction for the action in Final Wars definitely came from this previous film.
The next aspect of a good Godzilla film is the Monster King itself, the Kaiju, and the characters. Godzilla’s design in the film is unique among the various incarnations we’ve seen over the 70 years he’s been here. Instead of being bulky, he’s rather slim and flexible. This is due to Kitamura and suit actor Tsutomu Kitagawa wanting to have a Godzilla that could fight with more maneuverability. In addition, the Kaiju King is 100 meters (around 300 feet) tall compared to other Millennium Godzillas like Godzilla 2000, and he’s very powerful. In one instance, he can blow up Kaiju with ease, and in another, he can toss one across the globe! He is nearly unstoppable as he is able to down most foes with ease. Many Godzilla fans such as myself view this nuclear saurian as one of the strongest incarnations for the character.
The Kaiju that appear in this film are ones that were shown previously in the early years of Godzilla. Anguirus and Godzilla’s allies show up as enemies, and also get redesigns. Other Kaiju such as Kumonga and Hedorah also show up with new looks. My favorite of the bunch other than Godzilla is Gigan in this movie. First appearing in Godzilla vs Gigan, he shows up as the Xiliens’ loyal lackey and gets an edgy remodel that just screams early 2000’s fashion. Every time Gigan is on screen, he is ready to cut loose. There is one new Kaiju that appears in the movie, Monster X. He is basically the final boss for Godzilla to take down, and he isn’t easy to beat. Monster X’s design is highly regarded among fans mainly because of his demonic appearance. He does have a twist in the end, but I won’t spoil that here.
The human and alien cast are also a fun bunch. The most unique ones are without a doubt Captain Gordon and Kazama. Don Frye’s acting and appearance give strength and determination every time he’s there. Every line he says is a memorable quote for any Godzilla fan. Kazama, played by Kane Kosugi, is the Mutant that follows orders and will stop at nothing to achieve the power to become stronger or to show Ozaki who’s the better Mutant. His redemption arc in the middle of the story is often remembered, and the soundtrack accompanying it helps him shine. Side note: Kane Kosugi has a history with Tokusatsu. He was KakuBlack in Toei’s Ninja Sentai: Kakuranger series, and Kenichi Kai in Tsuburaya’s Ultraman Powered.
Out of all the characters, however, my personal favorite character is the main alien protagonist. The Controller of the Xiliens, played by Kazuki Kitamura, who did an amazing job portraying the edgy alien leader. The film also shows that he had a blast acting in this movie. His articulation in both voice and movements, the way he calls humans cattle as if we’re beneath him, it’s as if he was told to act however he wishes. The Controller is there to conquer the Earth and enslave humanity while being as extravagant as possible. The moment where I think he shined the most was when he shouted Gigan’s name at the top of his lungs to activate the cyborg. In my opinion, this is the best way to wake up a Kaiju. Truly, one of the best antagonists in the Godzilla franchise.
In addition to the main cast, we also have returning actors in the movie. The late Akira Takarada who was Ogata in the original Godzilla film stars as the United Nations Secretary General. Kumi Mizuno, Miss Namikawa from Invasion of Astro-Monster, is the EDF Commander, whom of which is also named Namikawa, a little nod to her first Godzilla debut. The late Akira Nakao, who played in various Heisei films and the Kiryu films, returns as the first captain of the Gotengo. Lastly, Koh Takasugi, the commander of the Kiryu Squadron, also makes a cameo as a lead officer in the film. Too bad his and Don Frye’s characters don’t get to interact.
For Final Wars to be such a banger, it needs a good soundtrack. Luckily, the late Keith Emerson was able to produce quite the memorable soundtrack. Most of the songs are great hits among fans. The best tracks are definitely Godzilla’s themes in the movie. Each time you hear his theme, you feel his presence before he comes in and beats the ever living daylights out of something. The whole soundtrack has a synth wave and early 2000’s video game feel to it. I usually have this soundtrack and Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla’s soundtrack playing when I’m focusing on either work, chores, working out, or when I’m driving.
To make Final Wars look like a great piece of cinema, the special effects need to look great. For a film from 2004, it may look a bit outdated. However, the CGI looked pretty standard at the time. It looks extravagant and excessive because this was the last Godzilla movie at the time. Toho wanted this film to be a huge celebration. The practical effects such as the miniatures and suit acting were also done well. As mentioned before, Kitagawa had fun moving flexibly as Godzilla. The sets for the monster action make the Kaiju look not just large, but also part of an action packed video game or TV show. Just another addition to the film’s charm.
Toho wanted Godzilla: Final Wars to be the biggest celebration for the franchise. 2004 was Godzilla’s 50th anniversary after all. But did they succeed? I think they did. Not just because of all the listed aspects, but because they made it memorable. For me, what made Final Wars memorable to me was Godzilla’s march of destruction. As a kid, I used to rewatch this movie so many times because I wanted to see Godzilla blow up Gigan’s head, fight against Monster X, and most of all, see him battering Zilla into the Sydney Opera House and then incinerating him into nothing. Showing off Godzilla’s feats is what made this movie memorable.
Despite all these positives and the amount of fans that love this film, there is an equal amount of issues that cannot be ignored. It starts with the story and the lore of the film. Many criticized the story’s overall length and how long it takes for Godzilla to show up. He appears in the first 5 minutes or so, and reappears midway. Plus, most of the Kaiju do not have significant roles in the story other than just being foes for Godzilla and the heroes to fight. In fact, most of the Kaiju are killed too quickly by Godzilla. Other critics have noted that some key points in the plot rip off other movies such as Star Wars, Independence Day, and even The Matrix. The story to some fans and critics seems to be something akin to a typical anime or superhero film.
Some Godzilla fans bash on the King’s design in this film for being too skinny, and having cat-like ears. For the rest of the Kaiju cast, most don’t seem to be critiqued as much. However, a majority of fans were not pleased with seeing Godzilla’s son, Minilla (Minya in Japanese), reappear as a subplot in the film. Godzilla Battle Royale director Billy Dubose recalls the American fans’ negative reaction to Minilla’s appearance back in 2005. In the Godzilla: Final Wars 20th Anniversary panel at G-FEST 2024, Dubose claimed that when Godzilla’s son arrived, the theater supposedly went still before one fan shouted “No! Shoot him!”
One critique points out how the film is similar to Destroy All Monsters in terms of direction. Both films have a large cast of Kaiju, have aliens take control of them and unleash them onto the Earth, and the humans have to stop them in each film. In fact, several critiques that Final Wars received are similar to what Destroy All Monsters and even Invasion of Astro-Monster had. Another aspect that some Godzilla fans call out on is the soundtrack. Online critics like Big Action Bill and Kaiju no Kami say that the soundtrack’s video game and synthwave qualities weren’t that enjoyable; some tracks to them were too generic.
Others think that there were just too many action sequences and not enough development for the story or characters. Fun fact: Kitamura did have a bunch of scenes involving more attention for Kaiju and even background characters, but they were cut to trim the movie to just 2 hours. One last critique is that fans wanted more Kaiju. Not just Showa Godzilla Kaiju, but from different eras too. Most of the Kaiju cast are from the Showa era. The exceptions being Monster X and Zilla. Again, Kitamura wanted to include more such as Mechagodzilla and Jet Jaguar, but he ultimately cut them either because of budget, the fact that Mechagodzilla was used already, or they might’ve rendered the mutant humans obsolete in the story.
Some of these critiques I don’t agree with, especially the ones about the soundtrack, Godzilla’s design, or the displeasure against Minya. Though, I do have my own gripes. First off, why didn’t the Xiliens just unleash all of the monsters they control and their forces to conquer the Earth? From a tactical standpoint, it would make sense to overwhelm humanity with advanced technology and monsters under their control. Second, Mothra and the Shobijin should’ve intervened right before the Xiliens showed up. They originally warned the main characters about Gigan and a great evil, so why not help them out? Mothra doesn’t even show up until close to the end right after the aliens were conquering.
Now there’s more gripes I have with the film, but I don’t want to spoil it for those that want to give this movie a try. Godzilla: Final Wars is an action-packed, entertaining, and Kaiju-filled movie for everyone to enjoy. The story, cast, Kaiju, soundtrack, and everything about this film makes it an explosive 50th anniversary for Godzilla. I would recommend showing new Godzilla fans and even some regular movie fans this film. I’ve shown it to friends who didn’t know about Godzilla and they genuinely enjoyed it.
However, I just wish that we had official celebratory screenings for Godzilla Final Wars. The closest we got was a screening at G-Fest 2024 for its 20th Anniversary. I had the honor to watch it at the Pickwick Theatre along with many other Godzilla fans. But if Toho decides to re-release it in American theaters, I highly recommend watching it on the big screen. And if you really want to watch it soon, I encourage you to do so because Final Wars is an experience worth watching, especially for G-Fans and early 2000s film fans.
