Aliens | Kevin Barrett's Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Aliens’

Size Does Matter

Posted in Movie Review, Movies, Reviews, tagged Aliens, Audrey Timmonds, Colonel Hicks, Doug Savant, Dr. Niko "Nick" Tatopoulos, General Comments, Godzilla (1998) – movie review, Hank Azaria, Jean Reno, Jurassic Park, Kaiju, Kevin Dunn, Legendary, Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, Maria Pitillo, Matthew Broderick, Movie Reviews, MTV, New York City, Philippe Roaché, Reviews, Sergeant O’Neal, Toho Films, Victor “Animal” Palotti on October 10, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“Godzilla” (1998) – movie review
Today’s review is for the big-budget creature feature: “Godzilla” (1998), starring Matthew Broderick as Dr. Niko “Nick” Tatopoulos (a worm specialist / biologist turned monster tracker), Jean Reno as Philippe Roaché (a French intelligence agent with a taste for espresso and espionage), Maria Pitillo as Audrey Timmonds (an aspiring reporter and Niko’s ex-girlfriend), Hank Azaria as Victor “Animal” Palotti (a cameraman with guts and a Brooklyn accent), Kevin Dunn as Colonel Hicks (military brass with a skeptical eye), and Doug Savant as Sergeant O’Neal (a level-headed soldier who actually listens).

Background: I saw this film in theaters during its original release, drawn in by the marketing blitz — trailers teasing a monster that crushes a T-Rex skeleton. I hadn’t revisited it in over ten years, but curiosity (and a discount Blu-ray bin) brought it back into my queue. I’m using this as the jump off point to watching / reviewing the King Kong and Godzilla films from this millennia.

Plot: A mysterious creature attacks a Japanese fishing vessel and soon makes landfall in New York City, leaving a trail of destruction and confusion. Dr. Tatopoulos is brought in to study the beast, which turns out to be a mutated iguana born of nuclear testing. As the military scrambles to contain the threat, Niko discovers that Godzilla is nesting — laying eggs that could unleash a new generation of monsters. The film becomes a race against time to stop the creature and its offspring before Manhattan becomes a permanent reptilian habitat.

So, how’s the movie? The acting? The filming / FX? Any problems? And, did I enjoy the film? Short answers: okay to good; serviceable; flashy but dated; many; sort of.

Any good? Better than expected (or remembered), but not really the Godzilla I grew up with. “Godzilla” (1998) is a film that wants to be a “tent-pole” for a series, but ends up as more of a bigger T-Rex Jurassic Park. It borrows heavily from “Jurassic Park” and “Aliens” but lacks the insight or depth of either. The creature design is more T-Rex sized velociraptor than kaiju, and the tone veers between disaster flick and slapstick farce – mostly at the expense of the military. It’ll be a disappointing film if you’re a fan of the original Japanese franchise.

Acting: Broderick plays Niko with his usual affable awkwardness, but he’s miscast as a leading man in a monster movie. Reno adds some dry humor and gravitas, though his character feels parachuted in from a different film. Pitillo’s Audrey is underwritten and often reduced to a plot device. Azaria brings energy, but his comic relief sometimes undercuts the tension. Kevin Dunn’s Colonel Hicks is the standard military skeptic, while Doug Savant’s Sergeant O’Neal is one of the few characters who feels grounded — he’s competent, calm, and actually pays attention. The ensemble is fine, but no one really stands out. You’re here for the monster, not the humans — and unfortunately, even the monster feels underdeveloped.

Filming / FX: The visual effects were cutting-edge in 1998 and they’re still pretty serviceable. Godzilla’s design is sleek but generic, lacking the mythic presence of its Japanese counterpart. The destruction scenes are loud and chaotic, but rarely suspenseful. The nighttime rain-soaked aesthetic tries to mask the CGI seams, but the creature’s movements often feel weightless. The baby Godzillas in Madison Square Garden seem clearly inspired by raptors from “Jurassic Park“, but the sequence plays more like a campy take-off than a serious monster film.

Problems: Plenty. This version of Godzilla simply isn’t the correct size of the old days. The plot tries to make the film about people and forgets to keep the camera on the money. The film sidelines its own mythology, turning Godzilla into a misunderstood animal rather than a symbol of nuclear reckoning. The military is portrayed as both incompetent and trigger-happy, and the romantic subplot feels forced. Traditionally, Godzilla was never really interested in people – eating or chasing. He (it) was only a problem because it was so big and lumbering, it just laid waste to any city it entered. Worst of all, the film lacks tension when Godzilla is not on screen and those are big chunks of the film.

Did I enjoy the film? Yes! There’s a certain 90s charm to the excess — explosions, one-liners, and a soundtrack that screams “MTV era.” But as a “Godzilla” film, it misses the mark. It’s more disaster porn than monster movie, and it trades / loses “something” (depth?) by going for spectacle and people (relationships). Still, if you’re in the mood for something loud, silly, and vaguely nostalgic, it might scratch the itch. It scratched mine…

Final Recommendation: High moderate to low strong recommendation. “Godzilla” (1998) is a cautionary tale in franchise adaptation — how not to reimagine a cultural icon. If you’re a kaiju fan, stick with the original Toho films or the more recent Legendary reboot. If you’re just looking for a creature feature with explosions and quips, this might do the trick. It worked for me…

.
Click here (10 October) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

Read Full Post »

Trust No One (I)

Posted in General Comments, Movie Review, Movies, Reviews, tagged Aliens, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Assistant Director Walter Skinner, Blythe Danner, Conrad Strughold, David Duchovny, FBI, FBI Special Agent Dana Scully, Federal Bureau Of Investigation, General Comments, Gillian Anderson, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Martin Landau, Mitch Pileggi, Moderate Movie Recommendation, Movie Reviews, Reviews, Special Agent Cassidy, Special Agent Fox Mulder, The X-Files: Fight the Future (1998) – movie review on September 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“The X-Files: Fight the Future” (1998) – movie review
Today’s review is for the sci-fi / conspiracy thriller: “The X-Files: Fight the Future” (1998), starring David Duchovny as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder (a believer in the paranormal and government cover-ups), Gillian Anderson as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully (a medical doctor and skeptic assigned to keep Mulder grounded), Martin Landau as Kurtzweil (a paranoid informant with ties to a shadowy syndicate), Armin Mueller-Stahl as Conrad Strughold (a high-ranking member of the global conspiracy), Mitch Pileggi as Assistant Director Walter Skinner (Mulder and Scully’s boss, often caught between loyalty and bureaucracy), and Blythe Danner as Special Agent Cassidy (an internal affairs investigator with a sharp eye and sharper tongue).

Background: I picked this one up during a nostalgic re-watch of other 90s sci-fi TV shows. I was a casual viewer of the original series — not a full-on “X-Phile,” but I knew the basics: aliens and or monsters, conspiracies, and the eternal tug-of-war between belief and skepticism. I had never seen this film (or the sequel), and I was curious how it held up after all these years. Would it feel dated? Would it still be compelling? Would Mulder still be brooding and Scully still be rolling her eyes? Short answers: Yes; mostly; and absolutely.

Plot Summary: The film opens with a prehistoric alien encounter in Texas, then jumps to present-day Dallas, where a mysterious explosion kills several people — including a young boy and a team of firefighters. Mulder and Scully are pulled into the investigation, which quickly spirals into a web of government secrecy, alien viruses, and a global syndicate bent on colonization. As they dig deeper, they uncover evidence of an extraterrestrial virus (the “black oil”) and a plan to use bees as biological weapons. The trail leads them from cornfields to Antarctica, where Scully is infected and Mulder must risk everything to save her. The film ends with a partial victory — Scully survives, the truth remains buried, and the conspiracy continues.

So, is this movie any good? How’s the acting? How about the filming / FX? Are there any problems? And, did I like the film? Short answers: So-so; solid; slick and moody; multiple; yes (mostly).

Any good? So-so. It’s a solid entry in the X-Files universe, character-wise. I’ve read it was designed to bridge seasons five and six of the TV series. I only watched the some episodes during the first few season, so I can’t say if that’s accurate or not. It’s X-Files atmospheric – tense, and surprisingly cinematic for a show-based film. It expands the mythology without overwhelming newcomers to the series — though I imagine it’s still fans who will get the most out of it. Not being a great fan of the TV series, my feeling was this movie was a cross between “Aliens“, the Borg, and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull“. With none of it being particularly new or different.

Acting: Duchovny is “same old” Mulder — dry, obsessive, and quietly heroic. Anderson’s Scully is sharp, skeptical, and emotionally grounded – again, “same old”. Their chemistry is the heart of the film, and it’s as strong here as in the series (or at least what I saw of it). Landau adds gravitas as the twitchy informant / conspiracy book author, and Mueller-Stahl is suitably ominous as the puppet master (the part which was least believable). Pileggi’s Skinner gets a few good moments, and Danner’s Cassidy is a interesting addition, though she comes across as a simple organization “tool” in the on-going government cover-up.

Filming / FX: The cinematography is typical X-Files, moody and atmospheric, with lots of shadows, flashlights, and ominous corridors. The FX are solid for the time: the alien virus, the bee swarm, and the Antarctic set piece are all well executed. The tone is consistent with the series but elevated for the big screen.

Problems: Multiple. The plot is convoluted — if you’re not familiar with the series, you might feel lost. I wasn’t “lost”, but other than the characters, I didn’t feel the show tracked back to the series very well. The bee subplot is underdeveloped, and the final act leans heavily on an audience’s willingness accept a premise which doesn’t make sense – not only did the aliens just not conquer humanity when they first got here thousands of years ago, but also, that nobody noticed a giant flying saucer leave Earth for parts unknown at the end of the film. There are also several continuity issues in the film: Scully MUST be saved immediately; Mulder is suddenly driving a “snow-cat” in Antarctica to save her. Finally, the film doesn’t resolve anything — it’s more of a deepening than a conclusion.

Did I like / enjoy the film? Yes (surprise!). It’s a moody, paranoid thriller with just enough action and emotion to keep a viewer (me) engaged. It’s not perfect (by far), but it’s a worthy extension of the series and a reminder of how compelling the Mulder-Scully dynamic used to be.

Final Recommendation: Moderate. “The X-Files: Fight the Future” is fine for fans of the series, and it’s accessible enough for curious newcomers. If you like government conspiracies, alien viruses, and two FBI agents who trust each other more than anyone else, this film delivers. Just remember: the truth is still out there. (But I’m not sure Mulder-Scully will ever find it…)

.
Click here (18 September) to see the posts of prior years. I started this blog in late 2009. Daily posting began in late January 2011. Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.