Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000) User Reviews

Godzilla vs Son of Legion...

[AwesomeWolf · 7/10 · 18 April 2005]

Version: Eastern Eye R4 DVD - Japanese, English subtitles

Godzilla is back to stomp all over Japan, but this time he has to fight a giant dragonfly... Sounds awesome, yes no?

In 1996, Japan has been running on clean, renewable energy for thirty years, and has not seen Godzilla since 1966. Clean energy can no longer provide enough power for Japan, the government begins research into neutron energy. Naturally, Godzilla takes the opportunity to announce his coming out of retirement and levels the neutron facility while decimating the anti-Godzilla force 'G-Grasper'. Obviously, military's plan was to confuse Godzilla with a funny name, and then fire a few missiles at him. Needless to say, it doesn't work.

Several years later, Kiriko Tsujimori (Misato Tanaka) - a survivor of G-Grasper's 1996 encounter with Godzilla - is now the G-Grasper commander and has a grudge against Godzilla. Obviously G-Grasper need a new weapon to take on Godzilla, and so they turn to Japan's crazy scientists. The result is a cannon called the 'Dimension Tide': a weapon designed to shoot black holes, which they intend to shoot at Godzilla, from space, to minimize the damage to Earth. Obviously no one thought of any possible negative consequences of shooting a black hole - from space, mind you - towards a moving target Earth. The mad scientists have really gone off the deep end here. Of course, they test it first, and open up a rift to another dimension, letting a swarm of Meganuron (over-sized dragonflies) through.

Essentially, 'Godzilla vs Megaguirus' is a lighter, happier version of both 'Godzilla vs Destroyer' and 'Gamera 2'. The Meganuron / Megaguirus greatly resembles the Legion from 'Gamera 2'. The shots of Godzilla being swarmed by the Meganuron, look much like the shots of Gamera being swarmed by the Legion. However, going one up on the other two movies, 'Godzilla vs Megaguirus' has better special effects. The 'Alien' style Meganuron look a lot better than the 'Alien' style Destroyer(s) from 'Godzilla vs Destroyer'. Also, it has mad scientists. A big bonus. They might not look like mad scientists, but they certainly think like them.

There is some nice monster action, even if it is heavily offset by the human characters running shooting black holes at things. The Tokyo showdown between Godzilla vs Megaguirus is fun. It may not come close to one of the best monster fight scenes, but its funny and entertaining. Smart use of CGI ensures the monsters and fights look good, but on the other hand, for a giant dragonfly, Megaguirus does not beat his wing that often.

'Godzilla vs Megaguirus' is a fun Godzilla movie, and should appeal to Godzilla fans. It does drag on a little though - 7/10

Godzilla, giant bugs, black holes, energy crisis. How can it go wrong? Well...

[kevinxirau · 5/10 · 21 August 2016]

After Tristar failed to impress with its infamous 1998 "remake", Toho wanted to redeem their beloved kaiju's honor by starting the Millennium films. This series started off pretty strong with "Godzilla 2000" but then went downhill with this next installment. How so?

Plot: Set in an alternate history where Godzilla was never killed by the Oxygen Destroyer, the King of the Monsters has Japan living in terror in his shadow for years. Fed up with his destructive antics, the military force known as G-Graspers recruits a few of the most brilliant minds to create the ultimate weapon Dimension Tide, a cannon that fires miniature black holes. During one of DT's tests, however, a wormhole is formed, causing giant prehistoric dragonflies to come forth, chief among them being their parasitic queen Megaguirus. When Godzilla suddenly reappears, it becomes a three-way struggle between man, reptile, and bug.

Positives: Godzilla retains his look from "Godzilla 2000", a radical but cool design, but this time he is actually green instead of charcoal grey/black. He's also given a bit of personality with simple but subtle movements giving the viewer an idea of what he is thinking. In an interesting move, Toho brought back the insects (Meganulons, based on an actual extinct species called Meganeura) from "Rodan" and gave them a modern update. They're legitimately creepy and Megaguirus is a nice foe for Godzilla, being not only brutal but pretty sadistic. I have to admit using a black hole gun against Godzilla is creative, proving once again that there is still room for imagination in a series about a giant city-smashing, monster-bashing dinosaur. The film's central theme is an interesting one to say the least, how man seeks newer and hopefully cleaner sources of power but somehow keeps failing with Godzilla and Megaguirus being dark parallels/antitheses of that concept. The music is also decent, the main theme of which gets carried on in future films, and the action is entertaining enough with a few unexpectedly funny moments.

Where this film falls flat is ultimately the execution of every aspect of it. While some of the practical stuff looks fine, a majority of the effects are terribly outdated, especially when compared to other Godzilla films like "Godzilla 2000"; the predecessor manages to hide its flaws as most of the kaiju scenes happen at night while most of this film occurs during the day where the flaws are far more noticeable. The suits/puppets, despite having decent range of motion, tend to feel stiff and the CGI+green screen are far too obvious and not well-rendered. The movie really does seem cheap because of these shortcomings. While some effort was put in the human characters, most of them don't leave that big of an impression. Technician Kudo is at least amusing in that he's a bit egotistical in his talents but is still willing to help others, especially his crush Major Kiriko. As the female lead, an attempt was made in making Kiriko compelling but she fails to pull any heartstrings and almost comes off as a b****, plus her vendetta against Godzilla doesn't hold much weight when you really consider her choices within her backstory. Hell, some of the human characters make decisions that don't have any legit sense of logic. Finally, the film has many great ideas but doesn't go far enough with them, especially when you get down to the insects, which seem more of an inconvenience to the humans rather than a serious threat rivaling Godzilla, therefore there's this lack of presence to them from time to time.

This is by far the weakest of the Millennium films, a good concept hampered by an underwhelming execution. This may be worth a watch, but it would be best viewed with low expectations. Not the worst in the franchise (*cough* "Godzilla's Revenge"), but not the best either.

A throwback to the 50s/60s/70s ...

[Vic_max · 7/10 · 30 October 2008]

I rate this a 7 for fans of the very earliest Godzilla movies. For everyone else, it's going to rank 1 or 2 points lower depending on you're comfort level with tacky special effects and dubbing.

If you're a fan, forget timelines and developments from previous movies. This movie is basically Godzilla vs. both Japan and another monster. Sound familiar? It's basically a throwback to a 1970s look and feel (even though it takes place modern day). Toy buildings, dubbing and obvious "man in a monster suit" special effects all give it a special nostalgia charm.

But that's not all that's good. The fast paced plot keeps the viewer well engaged at all times. Something is always happening. The basic plot is simple: during a failed attempt to destroy Godzilla using exotic means (creating a mini black hole), another creature enters this realm. It is eventually learned that it is a winged creature. Naturally, it's only a matter of time before there's a showdown between the two.

If you liked early 70's Godzilla movies, you'll like this one. If not, you're probably better off looking for a different movie.

BIG G RETURNS TO KICK MUCH MONSTER BOOTY

[EL BUNCHO · 4 June 2002]

If any of you out there know me at all, you know that I simply love Godzilla and all of his rubber-suited brethren. That said, I am fully capable of giving a fair and impartial review of Big G's films; let's face it, the big guy's had his share of stinkers (GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND anyone? Peeee-yew!!!). Some of the Godzilla oeuvre (fancy film-snob word!) have been attempts at social commentary, with varying degrees of effectiveness, yet most are simply good, old-fashioned city-stompin' fun. I am pleased to inform you that the latest installment in the series is a fine return to the old-school fun monsterfests of yore, in fact GODZILLA VS. MEGAGUIRUS gets the El Buncho seal of approval as the best Godzilla flick in a decade!!!

SPOILER WARNING!!! As of now, since I basically just gave you all the "yea or nay" of all of this, you can skip this review if you don't care about Big G. All others, stick around! Also, since this film has yet to see US release, and most of you may not have my video resources, where else are you going to hear about this one?

In this installment, despite what Toho has set up in the previous entries of the current series, it is revealed that Godzilla (there is no longer a distinction between old and new) has shown up a couple of times since 1954 (when he was decisively killed by an "oxygen destroyer", but I won't go there…) in search of nuclear energy to feed off of. To curb the big critter's appetite (to say nothing of his periodic rampages all over the country), the Japanese government bans nuclear power and develops a plasma-based clean fuel system. For whatever reason, this does absolutely nothing to thwart Godzilla.

The government then implements a paramilitary group called the G-Graspers (Yes, I'm serious) who intend to put an end to the big guy once and for all using a focusable black hole generator called the Dimension Tide. The leader of the G-Graspers is a young woman named Tsujimori, a former ranger whose commanding officer was killed in an encounter with Godzilla five years previous, and she is obsessed with avenging her commander's death. She recruits a humble nano-technology (itty-bitty robots) genius named Kudo to help on the Dimension Tide project by using his skills to create the ultimate computer system to guide it. Why he creates a super-guidance system that can only be operated from his personal laptop computer is beyond me, but I'll let that one go…

The test of the Dimension Tide gun is a success, sucking an abandoned test building into oblivion, but there is evidence of residual dimensional distortion. Of course, no one thinks anything of it, and a little boy who accidentally witnesses the test finds a mysterious egg, which he promptly takes home. His family is then transferred to Tokyo, where he abandons the growing, oozing egg in the city sewer system. At the same time, a solar powered satellite is launched into orbit which houses the Dimension Tide gun and can be focused anywhere in the world. However, it has been untested from such a great distance… Meanwhile, the egg has begun to replicate in the stagnant sewer water, and soon there are thousands of the damned things…

In the meantime, Tsujimori and the G-Graspers find Godzilla on his way to the mainland, and Tsujimori plants a tracer on Godzilla (while hitching a ride on him, no less!!!), making it easier for the G-Graspers to track him with the orbiting black hole gun.

A young couple walk into a back alley and are devoured (very graphically for one of these movies!) by what appears to be a giant dragonfly larva. Then, for absolutely no reason, Tokyo is flooded (???), creating a perfect environment for these giant dragonflies to mature in. Presently, there is a swarm of them flying about in search of radioactive sustenance (I know they ate people, but what the hey?), and by swarm I mean thousands. And what better radioactive snack than a 400-foot tall guy in a rubber suit?

Megaguirus proceeds to hand Godzilla the granddaddy of all ass-kickings in a scene which is truly painful to watch. This is without question the fight of Godzilla's career, with a climax that made me feel like I haven't felt since that day back in 1977 when I first saw Luke Skywalker blow the Death Star out of the sky. For once Godzilla really earns his victory. Trust me, Godzilla fans, this is the stuff.

Once Megaguirus is dry-roasted, Godzilla falls victim to the Dimension Tide's black hole. Or does he? (Watch all the way through the credits for the answer to that question.)

As is apparent from my synopsis, this movie doesn't make a whole lot of sense, even by the somewhat dubious standards of the Godzilla series. To that I say, "who cares?" This is one of the few times where I'm utterly willing to overlook such things, because this is the rare Godzilla flick where the story with the humans is actually interesting and lively. If you like this kind of stuff, definitely check it out! FINAL EL BUNCHO GRADE: A SOLID 9 OUT OF A POSSIBLE 10.

Action woman kicks ass big time, but this is still Gojira's movie

[whatdoes1know · 7/10 · 6 December 2001]

An action heroine in this one surprisingly gets as much screen time as the big G, and her character surprisingly has as much depth as the G's wrinkles when he smiles. Of course, he never smiles. But the plot of the humans has received more attention than the big G's carnage for this one. It's basically the plot of the heroine of Gamera 3, but with more development. And, unlike the Gamera teenager, the heroine of Gojira vs Megagirasu does not wait for a monster egg to fall on her laps to go after the big G. She kicks ass big time! Don't worry Gojira fans, the movie's title is not Tom Boy kicks Gojira's ass, so you know who's the boss. And this one's got a trick up its sleeve too! I'm sure you'll all fall for it. This movie has nothing to do with Gojira 2000, if you couldn't stand that little brat and the journalist, or worse, the guy who's last wishes were GOJIRAAAAAAA. I won't say action girl in here does better than Jean Reno in the infamous Godzilla, but the monster she's fighting is more lovingly menacing. No raptor look-alikes running around here. Just the big G and her. The music also changed. Each movie in the new Gojira trilogy must have been made for different audiences. This one is for the wide movie-going female audience between the kids for whom they made Gojira 2000, and the otakus and die-hard fans for whom they've made Daikaiju Soukougeki.

Interesting ideas for a decent result

[MlleSedTortue · 6/10 · 30 March 2021]

Megaguirus often gets the short end of the Millienium Films as it is typically seen as a porotype for the story seen Masaaki Tezuka's later film, Godzilla against Mechagodzilla. The latter film certainly proves superior as the story in this film feels aimless at times. Perhaps a symptom of franchise fatigue that this entry comes of as rather dull and unremarkable though there are things to appreciate. Megaguirus is an interesting opponent for Godzilla and the original soundtrack is fantastic.

Very good monster movie

[eldergod-1 · 7/10 · 26 March 2005]

"Godzilla vs Megaguirus" is another breathtaking scifi action, which includes the popular monster Godzilla. This time he fights with a very large and malicious insect and it's hideous spawn, while humans are creating a new dangerous weapon, with which they hope to get rid of this big ugly beasts. While no masterpiece, "Godzilla vs Megaguirus" is a very entertaining scifi action with great battle sequences, decent plot and likable characters. Megaguirus, the new evil monster is one of the toughest - if not the toughest rival of the Big G I have seen and his abilities are extremely cool - especially when he cut buildings with his razor-sharped wings or created supersonic waves. Godzilla himself is also very impressive with his great fire breath and cunning methods. Overall, very enjoyable movie for fans young and old.

It's a beastly beast.

[DustinRahksi · 7/10 · 29 July 2013]

I judged this film in the past, but after just watching it again, I must say it is awesome. There are very little complaints to be had, in a matter of fact, there is nothing I find bad about it. Even with all the comedic effects in the final fight, it just adds to the enjoyment factor, because you can laugh at the goofy-ness.

I really like the time line this film has, it's great to see recreated footage of the first film. I don't know why, but I really like how Godzilla was portrayed in this. He wasn't random, like he was every other film. He only came up to destroy stuff when he sensed radiation or plasma. If anything, the humans are more aggressive than Godzilla. He's just chilling out in the middle of the ocean, and uh-oh, there's the humans. Out of all the films, this one you could make a commentary out of what he was thinking. It's funny how humans release a meganula because of their dimension tide machine. I want to know what's on the other side of the black hole, there's a lot of possibilities. Anyway, some dumb ass kid picks up it's egg, and brings it with him to Tokyo. And he just ends up dumping it into the sewers, because he had super human strength to lift up the man hole. So it hatches, it eats some people, and now there is about a thousand of them. When they swarm Godzilla, it reminds me of mosquito's swarming me when ever I go out side. The final set looks great, the fight is pretty good, their was a lot of funny moments. So Godzilla saves humanity from being over run by a Mega-whatever you call it-guirus threat. And how do they repay him, well trying to suck him up into a black hole. And there's also the plot about stupid humans being the only reason Godzilla keeps entering Japanese soil, instead of just chilling out in the ocean. But luckily for Godzilla, the dimension tide failed, and he still walks free. The ending was very well done, it puts a big smile on your face that Godzilla is truly unstoppable. And I should mention that the music is very good.

So looking back, this film was one the most well done in the series, it just feels great to watch and it's a lot of fun.

Godzilla needed a giant can of bug-spray.

[OllieSuave-007 · 5/10 · 4 June 2007]

The Godzilla "Millennium" series is infamous for its lack of continuity. A majority of the six films in this series were each made as a direct sequel to the original "Godzilla" film, like this one, and almost none of the films connect, except for Godzilla X Mechagodzilla and Godzilla: Tokyo SOS.

This film is about a female Japanese soldier who is out to avenge the death of her colleague, who was killed by Godzilla. She is part of the project team that created the Gryphon, a high-tech ship, and the Dimension Tide, a device that creates artificial black holes. Once activated, this "black hole" will suck in everything in its path, and they hope they can vanquish Godzilla in this way. Unfortunately, their testing mutates insect eggs that hatch into dragonfly-like bugs called Meganurons. These creatures need water to grow and they feed on the energy of humans. After gathering enough energy, they transform in to giant dragonfly monsters called Meganuras, and eventually, they bring enough energy to awaken their queen, Megaguirus. When Megaguirus and Godzilla meet, it is the usual monster battle in the heart of the city.

The special effects were quite good. But, the storyline is serviceable at best because this movie mainly focuses on the female lead and her quest for revenge, rather than the monsters. Being a film that is supposed to be made as a direct sequel to the original 1954 Godzilla film, more emphasis should have been placed on Godzilla, his origins and his reason for returning to Japan after being killed off in the original Godzilla movie. Godzilla basically appears on cue in this film, with only slight references of his passed attacks on Tokyo in 1954 and in the 1960s and 1990s. As a direct sequel to the original Godzilla, the monster should have been given a more intriguing entrance, which would generate more suspense, like his entrance in the 1984 film "The Return of Godzilla" (Godzilla 1985). With this and other films in the Millennium series, too much attention was focused on the military and a character's personal vendetta against Godzilla.

One notable mention for this film is the return of actress Yuriko Hoshi, who played the photographer in "Mothra vs. Godzilla" (1964) and the reporter in "Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster" (1964).

One of the things I like about this film is that, unlike most of the other movies in the Millennium series, this one introduced a new monster. Megaguirus is one of the few monsters that were originally created for the Millennium series and I thought it was well-executed. The Meganurons attacking citizens, with Michiru Ohshima's moving and catchy music score in the background, is pretty intriguing.

Overall, there are plenty of monster and human action, but overshadowed by a pretty dull plot and climax, capping off what is a lackluster Godzilla film.

Grade D+

Eh, could've been better.

[Neochriszilla · 7/10 · 29 March 2004]

Godzilla X Megaguirus: G-Eradication Operation was Masaaki Tezuka's directorial debut, and honestly, it could've been better. The monster battle at the end between Godzilla and Megaguirus is cool, but way too short. It's only about eight minutes! This movie is 90-ish minutes long, Masaaki! Godzilla does look cool and is one of the selling points in this movie(Toho used the same suit from Godzilla 2000). Megaguirus is cool and is a great villian. The characters are pretty thin and the movie could've relaxed a little and add more plot. Although not a perfect Godzilla movie, it's still very watchable. But if you liked this movie, you'll love Godzilla X Mechagodzilla(like I did!).Godzilla X Megaguirus is a pretty good movie, overall.

New and Improved Dimension Tide. The Power of a Black Hole for your Laundry

[juliankennedy23 · 4/10 · 21 May 2005]

Godzilla vs. Megaguirus: 4/10: I know it is a popular pastime to bash "the American Godzilla" but in it's defense I would like to give you exhibit A: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (easier to type than pronounce needless to say.) Where do I begin?

Well let's start with the latest scheme by the Japanese to rid them of Godzilla once and for all. Shoot him with a black hole from outer space. Yup that is practically mishap proof. Now I know that dumping Oxy- Clean into Tokyo harbor killed the first Godzilla, and since then some fairly dubious scientific methods have been used to battle our green friend but a satellite that shoots black holes has to win some sort of award. I love the scene when the scientist asks the military man "after we destroy Godzilla we destroy the satellite right?" (You can practically see visions of Pearl Harbor 2 in the general's head).

To make matters even worse they already have a team battling Godzilla embarrassingly called G-Grasper (not to be confused with our satellite scheme "Project Dimension Tide" that sounds like a really bad futuristic laundry detergent.) The G-Graspers are lead by the all too cute Misato Tanaka who looks like Amelie joined the French Foreign Legion. G-Graspers fight Godzilla by shooting RPGs at his ankles while dressed as Fed-Ex deliverymen. Surprisingly this isn't effective.

Now I can take miscast actors and silly story lines in a Godzilla film, but at least the special effects are good right? Nope. Megaguirus is clearly on strings in one scene. The fights have groan inducing wrestling moves. Building destruction is surprisingly light. There is way too much bad CGI. In addition there a lot of underwater scenes, which lets face it has never been a Godzilla strong suit.

This is not excusable for new millennium Godzilla. On the plus side nice there is some nice Mimic action with bugs killing young lovers. But when you start feeling like apologizing to Matthew Broderick it's a sign of a bad Godzilla movie.

Toho cleans up their act after GODZILLA 2000: MILLENNIUM!

[Ryuusei · 10/10 · 28 May 2002]

Although I enjoyed GODZILLA 2000: MILLENNIUM (released in the US as, simply, GODZILLA 2000), I thought that this in-Godzilla-only follow-up, GODZILLA X MEGAGUIRUS: THE G ANNIHILATION STRATEGY, was a vast improvement over its predecessor, and I can see why!

Although G2000 was an initial box office success in Japan, it was a critical failure, especially with the fans. Although it had FX that improved over the films from 1989-1995 (but didn't match up to the more successful Heisei Gamera Trilogy), the story wasn't very well put together, and audiences (in both Japan and the US) had a hard time figuring out what was going on (unless you read the manga adaptation or the movie compendiums they had for every new Godzilla film). Godzilla's reappearance (remember, the film was supposed to follow the first film from 1954) was not explained. And keep in mind that G2000's director Takao Ookawara was not into Godzilla at all, and just "did his job."

But at long last, Toho hired Masaaki Tezuka (who was assistant director for 1999's MOTHRA 3), who not only made his directorial debut with this film, but is a big Godzilla fan! He, IMHO, is the best director of a Godzilla film after Ishiro Honda (along with Heisei Gamera Trilogy director Shusuke Kaneko, who next directed the more successful GODZILLA, MOTHRA, KING GHIDORAH: THE GIANT MONSTERS' GENERAL OFFENSIVE). The story does not follow G2000 (but Godzilla is exactly the same from that film) because executive producer Shogo Tomiyama had planned to do a trilogy of stand-alone Godzilla films. But in this entry, Godzilla was not only much better explained, but more delightfully protrayed, as both the villain and antihero! A good compromise of the Godzillas from the decades! Godzilla's titular adversary Megaguirus, the three-phase hyper-dragonfly monster (the first stage is a remake of Meganuron, the giant insect from the original 1956 RODAN) looks like a cross between the final stage Battra (from 1992's GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA) and Scyther (from POKEMON), but made a very interesting foe, giving Godzilla the trial of speed! Kenji Suzuki's FX work is a vast improvement over his work in G2000, producing some of his best, most breathtaking visuals (such as the flood in Shibuya, and the Meganeura dragonflies that flock through said city to buzz around on Godzilla like mosquitoes), and the climactic battle between the two title monsters is one of the most vigorous monster fights I've seen! There are nods to spaghetti westerns, samurai flicks and Toei's Sentai Series, as Godzilla suitmation actor Tsutomu Kitagawa does a tribute to his Sentai work by having Godzilla jump into the air on Megaguirus (though it also recalls the 70s Godzilla, but with the friends I saw it with, this scene got as many laughs as it did cheers)! Screenwriters Hiroshi Kashiwabara and Wataru Mimura have outdone themselves this time, more than making up for their mixed work in G2000. Their story does a better job in conveying emotion, action and suspense, and manages to stay away from the many plotholes that plagued the previous film (with only one hilarious major plothole: In one scene, after the first Dimension Tide test, the little boy Jun sneaks past the heavily secured site with the greatest of ease! Tom Cruise has nothing on this tyke)! The music score by Michiru Ooshima (the first female Godzilla composer) is excellent, and the best non-Akira Ifukube composer for a Godzilla film to date! Very dark, cataclysmic and suspenseful, and her brooding theme for Godzilla fits him perfectly! I also noticed that the theme music for the Gryphon (the G-Graspers' super-jet vehicle) recalls Barry Gray's famous THUNDERBIRDS theme! But of course, Toho tacks on two stock Ifukube tracks in the score to tell us that this is a Godzilla film. And last but not least, the human characters were much better done, have more direction and better motivation! I actually felt for and liked the human characters here, and that hasn't been done after 1975's TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA! Misato Tanaka as the brooding heroine, Kiriko Tsujimori, is tough, intense and sympathetic, sort of reminding me of Carrie Anne Moss' "Trinity" character from THE MATRIX; Shousuke Tanihara (who was just in Shusuke Kaneko's CROSSFIRE) portrays the hip inventor Hajime Kudo so perfectly and carefree as any hip Gen-X type should be; Veteran actress Yuriko Hoshi (from MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA and GHIDRAH THE THREE HEADED MONSTER) is very wise and intelligent as Yoshino Yoshizawa; For a kid actor, Hiroyuki Suzuki did a very good job at playing the little boy Jun Hayakawa; Desipte his limited screen time, Toshiyuki Nagashima plays the key role of Tsujimori's late commander Takuji Miyagawa very flawlessly; And actor/anime voice performer Masato Ibu is likeable as the shady Motohiko Sugiura, who organizes G-Graspers. Oh, I noticed that this film emphasizes less on copying the latest Hollywood hit, as the films since 1984 have done so blatantly!

The plot in a nutshell: Through the decades since 1954, Godzilla attacked Japan for its nuclear energy. Even though government scientists Motohiko Sugiura (Ibu) and Yoshino Yoshizawa (Hoshi) develop a "safe" plasma power plant free of nuclear energy, Godzilla attacks it anyway! Army rangers led by Takuji Miyagawa tried to stop him, but Godzilla killed them in his destructive wake, and the only survivor of the team was Kiriko Tsujimori (Tanaka), whose hatred for the big green terror grew more bitter. Five years later, now as the commander of G-Graspers (and anti-Godzilla task force), Tsujimori enlists both Yoshino Yoshizawa and young inventor Hajime Kudo (Shosuke Tanihara), who come up with a Dimension Tide satellite, which shoots an "Artificial Black Hole" on the sky of Earth to suck anything in its radius to oblivion. This would make a perfect weapon against Godzilla, and its test was successful, but some residue from the Artificial Black Hole leaves a bunch of prehistoric insect eggs, one of which is picked up by a little schoolboy named Jun Hayakawa (Hiroyuki Suzuki). When he is forced to dump it into a sewer, a new terror begins, as the egg hatches into a giant Meganuron insect that slaughters a teenage couple, and then sheds its skin to reveal a dragonfly-like insect stage called Meganeura. While Tsujimori and the G-Graspers are in pursuit of Godzilla (she even manages to ride on Godzilla's back), the Meganeuras reproduce heavily and swarm out of the Shibuya district to suck energy out of Godzilla, so that they can inject it into their queen cocoon, which hatches into a huge dragonfly monster called Megaguirus! Now, Megaguirus goes after Godzilla while the G-Graspers prepare the Dimension Tide for him. Which monster will win? Will the Dimension Tide finally get rid of Godzilla? And what IS Godzilla looking for in Shibuya . . .

Even though GODZILLA X MEGAGUIRUS was a commercial failure in Japan (the film had a weaker advertising campaign because of G2000's failure), it was a critical success, and the fans agreed! IMHO, this is the Godzilla film that should've been released to US theaters! A fun, fast-paced, action-packed and exciting film!

Now I've GOT to see the next Godzilla film (GODZILLA, MOTHRA, KING GHIDORAH: THE GIANT MONSTERS' GENERAL OFFENSIVE)! From what I've seen and read about, this looks to be the best Godzilla film yet!

A superior entry for the big green guy

[captnemo · 7/10 · 8 November 2001]

**Possible spoilers**

Since 1984, Toho Studios of Japan has produced a series of Godzilla films that truly put the ones from 1961-1975 to total shame. They have not just improved their SPFX, but their stories are well done, with characters to match. 2000 saw the release of Godzilla vs. Megaguirus. The story: In an effort to destroy the energy-hungry Godzilla, the G-Defense Bureau has developed a miniature black hole that they hope will swallow Godzilla for good. After they test the weapon, it opens a temporary tiny hole to the past. A young boy finds a large prehistoric egg at the test spot and brings it to his new home in Osaka. From there it winds up in their sewer system, where a small egg colony grows. These hatch into 10 foot killer dragonflies. They feed upon Godzilla's blood and in turn feed it to a huge version of themselves. Naturally it takes an instant dislike to Godzilla. There are some great effects on show here, both CGI-type and miniature. As usual in this new series, the people are well drawn and we care about them. It's a shame that this one hasn't come to America. I'm on the fence about releasing it here, considering how they cut up Godzilla 1984 and Godzilla 2000. They should just leave them as is. Well worth tracking down. Rating: 6 out of ten. Great for anyone over the age of 8, but with some adult concepts for those over 16 (a hint of romance, corruption in high places, etc.).

What Godzilla is this?

[cyntax2000 · 1/10 · 14 December 2012]

First of all I loved GODZILLA 2000. I was so excited when this came out because I thought it would pick up where G2000 left off. New younger good guy Godzilla, about time too. BUT NO! What we get is this b.s. bogus back story about times in history when Godzilla attacked that is in complete contradiction to the entire history of the series. And to make matters worse we have this stupid unsympathetic woman as the lead, who I just wanna slap so bad. The film had no point. It makes me so mad that every Godzilla movie up till 2000 was very obviously part of an ongoing series that at least adhered to a little bit of continuity. Now we have somebody saying let's just throw it all out the window. And the movie was stupid as well full of stupid unsympathetic characters and that stupid witch who we don't even have the satisfaction of seeing her get roasted by Godzilla in the end.

The rest of the Godzilla series have there problems with continuity but at least they are cool.

Skip this one.

The Best Rubber Monster Pic Since War of The Gargantuas!

[yolt13 · 4 October 2002]

Masaaki Tezuka clearly understands the secret to making rubber monster movies - make 'em big, and make 'em fun! GXM returns the element of spectacle to the series that had been missing in the later 90s entries. The battles are epic, the monsters believably gigantic and menacing, and the destruction sweeping. When crowds of extras run away in GXM, they look genuinely terrified. The wonderful musical score and "old school" directorial style come as close to rivalling the best of Honda-Tsuburaya-Ifukube as anything Toho has done since their heyday. Perhaps most important, the monsters have personalities, without sacrificing menace. No more stiff, slow-moving suits lumbering in a straight line toward one another for a battle consisting primarily of optical effects. Both Godzilla and Megaguiras are intelligent, cunning combatants, and their climactic war is among the best of its kind ever filmed. On a whole, GXM is not as flashy or technically seamless as its followup, 2001's GMK(also an outstanding film), but I found it to be more fun. It reminded me of nothing so much as curling up on the floor on Saturday as a kid, watching an AIP rubber monster epic on Shock Theatre or Son of Svengoolie. GODZILLA VS MEGAGUIRUS is a genuine classic!

Simply Godzilla

[tmb-31995 · 7/10 · 15 September 2018]

Classic Godzilla, with good ol classic nemisis written in modern day time. If you like old school Godzilla,this will be a joy to watch

Gojira tai Megagirasu: Jî shômetsu sakusen (2000)

[SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain · 6/10 · 13 December 2011]

Working on miniature black holes is the newest weapon to tackle the Godzilla problem. The film follows the antics of G Grasper. Realizing Godzilla is attracted to nuclear and plasma power, all such power is now absent from Japan, but as he returns, a small egg comes through one of the test black holes. It soon hatches into a big assed flying mosquito. This has parallel universes, spaceships, alien bugs, human drama, and lots of destruction. There's even more obvious CGI for the swimming scenes, but it's nice to see the tradition of Godzilla is celebrated rather than parodied. A satisfactory entry in an extensive series.

Godzilla Fights Dragonflies. Joy.

[DavyDissonance · 6/10 · 6 June 2019]

I guess Tokyo is flooded. Meanwhile, G Force once again must deal with Godzilla by implementing a weapon that shoots a black hole that sends whatever organism it touches to another dimension but upon utilization instead unleashes a giant dragonfly that wants to do stuff. Oopsie doodles. The dragonfly is cool but I found its powers to be a bit weak. All it does is fly around fast and uses its tail to drain energy. Monster fights were a bit quirky and weird looking in terms of how it was shot but overall enjoyable and the acting and the story blows but of course that's predictable. And I hate that butch Japanese lesbian. I wish Godzilla fried her flat @$$ into oblivion. Not a bad entry but could've been better.

A very fine Godzilla movie and a considerable improvement over "2000"

[KnightLander · 6/10 · 18 March 2006]

The 'Millennium' series, the third Godzilla film series, began in 1999 with "Godzilla 2000: Millennium". It was followed by this film - "Godzilla vs. Megaguirus". The premise involves a seemingly crazy idea: launch a black hole on to Godzilla, absorbing and containing him so he can't stomp on Japan anymore. The idea turns out to be not so crazy after all, and so a test firing is done. Unfortunately, while the test seems successful, it creates a wormhole, mutating a dragonfly and creating a horde of vicious, large dragonflies.

"Godzilla 2000", while fun, was not a spectacular movie. "Megaguirus" is a considerable improvement. Although it has its share of hokey moments (not the least of which is Godzilla leaping four-hundred feet into the air), it features an interesting storyline and a good script, not to mention a terrific score (by Michiru Oshima). The highlight of the film is the opening sequence, in which the story of the original 1954 Godzilla film is re-created using the new suit.

While "Godzilla vs. Megaguirus" can't compare to some later entries in the 'Millennium' series - namely "Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah" - it's a fine Godzilla movie that should please fans. Be sure to stick around after the credits ...

I cannot believe how bad this is!

[pass105 · 1/10 · 26 December 2016]

I thought the original Godzilla was cheesy-bad but good grief.....it was Citizen Kane compared to this horrible mess. Special effects - worst I've ever seen! Acting - non existent! Story line - Ridiculous! It doesn't deserve a star but they won't allow me to give zero stars! There's one scene where you can see the strings holding up the winged-thing. I can't understand how anyone else has giving this movie more than 1 star. I'd be shocked if they spent more than $5000 and 2 weeks making this "film". I'll never say a bad word again about the 2014 Godzilla film because it's superior to this film in every imaginable way.

Godzilla vs a giant wasp.

[Aaron1375 · 7/10 · 19 January 2004]

This one is okay, but it could have been better. People say it has better fight scenes than Godzilla 2000, but I actually liked the fights in that one better. This one doesn't pick up where the last one left off; instead it once again reinvents Godzilla. Though it is the same cool looking rubber suit they used in 2000. In the next movie they would once again reinvent Godzilla and the suit looks totally different. I wish they used the formula of the 90's movies and made them be one continuous movie rather than starting a different Godzilla movie every time. It just works better for me. Here the Japanese are once again trying to destroy Godzilla this time by using a machine that creates a type of black hole. They enlist the aid of a man who makes miniature stuff which brings up a scene I found totally funny. He does this trick where he puts these ingredients under a hat, he lifts the hat and it is mixed into a cooked spoonful of food. The kids think it is magic, but then a woman reveals it is just a hat that microwaves and little robots are mixing the food, and the kids go away disappointed. To me those tiny robots were kind of impressive. Well inevitably the black hole machine opens up another dimension or something and that is how the wasp first enters. Okay movie, but nothing quite as good as the 90's movies.

Acceptable, but can't hold a candle to at least three of its Millennium series successors

[FilmExpertWannabe · 5/10 · 24 April 2011]

I was pleased that Toho was continuing to explorer new monsters with this film. In fact, I really liked Megaguirus' origins. I also like that they tried for a slightly scarier experience, particularly the alley scene.

And yet, I rate the film only 6/10. Outside of the monster action, much of the rest of the movie is fairly dull, as is the female lead. I also find the Dimension Tide piece of the plot almost too silly. A man-made mini black hole fired at Godzilla from a satellite in space? Oh come on! That's gotta be more outlandish than aliens. The special effects were only okay, but with three notable bad points. The SGS looks like a small toy, the Meganula on Godzilla's hide looked iffy, and when Megaguirus first appears, the wires are visible. But on the whole the effects were otherwise pretty good.

This was the second installment of Godzilla's Millennium series, and after watching these two you might not be inspired to watch the next four movies unless you're a major Japanese monster movie or Godzilla fan, which I am. But rest assured, the rest of the series picks up (even Final Wars). As a final word, if you don't really care how loony some of the plot is, then you'll probably enjoy this movie more than a 6/10, no problem. If you want to give the Godzilla franchise a try though, I'd check out GMK or Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and Godzilla: Tokyo SOS before this one.

crazy fun with The Big G

[dr_foreman · 8/10 · 1 March 2005]

I avoided this movie for months; most online reviews I read were negative, and it just had a bad stench about it. But then my ever-wise brother recommended it, and I'm glad he did.

It's fun - damn fun. Where else can you see Godzilla besieged by giant dragonflies, or cool visuals like a half-submerged city and a woman riding on Godzilla's purple-tinged spines? Many of the special effects shots are a touch sloppy in execution (obvious CGI is rampant), but they're tremendously imaginative in concept. So, improbably enough, they work.

Megaguirus is a cool opponent for Godzilla, and their climatic battle is practically high comedy. Both monsters get great reaction shots and some particularly nasty moves. In one infamous - but quite amusing - shot, Godzilla wallops Megaguirus with a leaping tackle that evokes the wrestling maneuvers of his 1960s-70s movies. Fans who complain that too many of the Big G's more recent battles have been decided by "beam contests" should delight in the wacky grappling on display here.

The human characters have interesting motivations, and are even allowed to be selfish, which is a nice change of pace from the preachy and saintly types you usually get in these movies. There's even a cute kid who manages not to be annoying. In short, it's all good - I like the silly monsters AND the incredibly earnest humans AND the totally insane visual effects. All these ingredients add up to a rare Godzilla feast.

Now I'm more jazzed than ever to see "Final Wars"!

Female -Led Goji Film That Is Underrated

[coconutkungfu-30704 · 7/10 · 17 February 2020]

Here is a bit of a hidden Gem in the Goji Canon that features cool effects, an female lead that is well presented and a worthy opponent in Megagurius.

What keep Megagurius from being one of the truly great Millenium series films is that sadly the film drags in spots and isn't very well-paced. The plot is engaging throughout and it delivers the goods for fans of the series.

7 Black holes out of 10!

Far too long, but the brainless plot makes for playful, hilarious viewing

[eminkl · 3/10 · 17 April 2020]

A deliciously stupid modern-era Godzilla rumble, in which soldiers and scientists who have been personally wronged by the monster (having lost friends and family to collateral destruction) attempt to remove him from the Earth by way of an orbiting black hole cannon. Even the early Godzilla plots would be ashamed by the utter inanity of a weapon that fires an uncontrollable matter-eating vortex, and that's saying something considering their nonchalant use of microscopic tribal princesses and scheming alien cockroaches. This complete disregard for the slightest hint of reality actually makes the pedestrian scenes more inadvertently entertaining than the stereotypical monster mayhem they introduce, a reverse of the typical formula. What scientific nonsense will they flaunt next? The King of Monsters himself appears sleek and mean in his beefy, manga-influenced Godzilla 2000 suit. The physical effects - building-stomping and plane-swatting - look no more convincing than in the past, and the CG elements are somehow even worse. One exception to that is the big guy's infamous fire breath, a surprisingly impressive visual that plays very well in the climactic battle. The fight scenes are drawn-out and slow, foreshadowing an enemy weakness for far too long, but the brainless plot makes for playful, hilarious viewing. Even if that's just a happy accident.