A hard to define nuclear event has caused Godzilla’s internal nuclear “heart” to overheat, and the giant monster will soon explode, destroying Earth’s atmosphere. At the same time, creatures created by the oxygen destroyer that killed the original Godzilla forty years ago have appeared and threaten to lay waste to Japan. The scientific/military organization known as G-Force must eliminate the new creatures, find Godzilla Jr., and stop the explosion before the world is destroyed.
Toho studio, either because they were out of ideas or because they figured there was more money to be made letting Hollywood take over, announced that Godzilla vs. Destroyah would contain the radioactive dinosaur’s death. So, they threw caution, and anything remotely connected to science, to the wind, and made an enjoyable wrap-up for the Heisei series (’84-’95).
The human plots to most Godzilla flicks are weak, and for the Heisei films, almost always a detriment. Godzilla vs. Destroyah remedies that by not having the humans do much of anything. They sit and watch computer screens or they sit and watch monsters battle. They sit a lot. And it really is an improvement over recent entries like Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla. All the people need to do is not detract from the monsters, and except for some whining from Miki, the psychic from the previous five films, that’s pretty much what happens. They are commentators on the giants.
More than any of the others in the long line of sequels, this one takes us back to the 1954 original. There’s a cameo by the lead actress of Gojira/Godzilla, King of the Monsters, and several characters are related to those in the earlier movie. There’s even a photo of Professor Serizawa on a shelf, and the monster Destroyer (“Destroyah” is only used in the title for copyright reasons) is a result of the use of his oxygen destroyer forty years ago. None of this makes a bit of difference to the story, but it’s a nice homage for fans of the first film.
The heart of the movie is the monsters. That’s why the movie exists. And it delivers with a fantastic, ferocious Godzilla, glowing red from his impending meltdown. Godzilla Jr. has been repaired; no longer is he the Pokemon figure from Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla. Destroyer is a disappointment. In his smaller form(s), he looks like a puppet being pulled across a set. It’s obvious that his legs aren’t supporting him. When he’s the giant, his movement is far too limited, particularly his wings, which aren’t up to the level of ones you could find at a good Halloween shop. Destroyer would have been a nicely designed foe for Godzilla in 1972, but here he suffers from comparison with the starring creature.
The city-smashing and military battles should satisfy any fan. The new secret weapon (The Super X3), is less powerful than its earlier incarnations in previous films, but also looks a lot more reasonable. I can almost believe in this craft (well, in a universe that includes hundred meter tall dinosaurs, I can believe in it). All of the many beam weapons are as colorful and dramatic as anyone could wish for. Add in a score by Akira Ifukube, that makes everything seem more important than it is, and you end up with one of the better of the all-eye-candy Godzilla films.
But it is only eye candy. There’s lip service given to environmentalism, but like the human relationships, it goes nowhere and means nothing. This is a movie that asks you not to think, and to care only about a couple of oversized lizards. Works for me.
For fans of the Godzilla franchise: Godzilla vs. Destroyah revises and clarifies the canon. Godzilla Jr. is not a member of a vegetarian species similar to Godzilla; he’s of the same species. The time twisting events of Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, including Godzilla not existing in 1954 and being created instead years later, did not happen. It is also not the case, as implied in Godzilla 1985, that Godzilla survived the oxygen destroyer in ’54. He died, as Gojira/Godzilla, King of the Monsters makes clear.