Godzilla: Final Wars2004

95/100 This is objectively a bad movie, with a weak and nonsensical storyline which exists merely as an excuse for the action. Subjectively, however, this movie's awesome. This was planned to be the last Godzilla movie for a while, acting as an explosive sendoff before the long, dark years for which I was fortunately not present. Fans and critics alike were divided, and I personally am part of the camp that defends this movie as a fun time. The film doesn't slow down for a second, as you get a good spread of insane human action and fights involving the gigantic roster of monsters throughout. The action is all pretty good as well. Special mention to the scene where the protagonist Ozaki and his rival Kazama fight using bikes as both vehicles and weapons. The monster action here is taken up a notch, as although the huge cast means most of the fights are incredibly short, this also has the positive effect of making Godzilla seem stronger than ever, with insane acrobatic skills and a boxing-type fighting style reminiscent of his Showa-era counterpart. The human story itself, while not really all that grounded, also has a really fun cast of characters. An obvious favourite is American stereotype Captain Douglas Gordon, but I also liked the hot Controller of Planet X, who hams it up in every scene he's in. These two are easily the best part of the movie other than Godzilla, and two of the best non-Kaiju characters from any of these Kaiju movies. Other than them, the characters are serviceable but nothing special, aside from the fact that we have several returning actors such as the legendary Akira Takarada and Kumi Mizuno. The soundtrack is also great, with some fun techno by Keith Emerson and some old songs thrown in, which gel surprisingly well with the new stuff. This isn't a movie for those fans who like grounded stories, but its good campy fun, and if you want that, I'd definitely recommend it.