Godzilla 2000: Millennium

Director: Takao Okawara

Written by: Hiroshi Kashiwabara, Wataru Mimura

After the near-universal disapproval of Godzilla (1998), Toho was quick to wash the taste from audiences' mouths and a new Godzilla was born for a new Millennium.

The movie opens with Godzilla making landfall in a small fishing village and is eager to demonstrate the new design being far removed from Zilla. Smaller in stature but with a fierce, predatory appearance and a much thicker neck and shoulders than previous Showa and Heisei incarnations.

As Japan struggles to track and predict Godzilla’s movements to lessen the damage wrought by his attacks a mysterious meteor is raised from the bottom of the ocean, proving to be a long-dormant spacecraft.

This solar-powered behemoth begins hacking Japan's computer network to learn more about its new adversaries, especially Godzilla and his ability to regenerate from almost any wound. After besting the mighty Kaiju in their initial battle, Godzilla returns to Japan for a final showdown but the alien craft has a new trick up its sleeve. A regenerating monster of its own, crafted from Godzilla’s very own DNA.

Despite some poorly aged, 2000’s CGI this new take on Godzilla hits most of the right notes, making him smaller allows for far more intimate encounters, most noticeably in the final scene where Godzilla and the man responsible for his destruction face off eye to eye.

The new design feels different, yet familiar enough that Godzilla is instantly recognizable and this is probably the most fierce and brutal we’ve seen him. The new suit and scale offer a sense of malice to Godzilla’s actions that was hinted at during the Heisei era but never fully explored.

This is most obvious in the final scene when after defeating the Millennium Aliens and their engineered Kaiju ‘Orga’ Godzilla reduces Japan to ashes in a fit of rage. Godzilla’s atomic breath is far more reddish here and seems to produce far more heat in and around Godzilla’s mouth when he unleashes it.

The new Godzilla suit, known as the "MireGoji" derives from the Japanese title of the film, "Mireniamu," translating to "millennium," and "Goji," derived from the Japanese name for Godzilla, "Gojira.", crafted by Shinichi Wakasa specifically for the movie and donned by the new suit actor Tsutomu Kitagawa.

It presented a strikingly innovative appearance for Godzilla. Drawing subtle inspiration from the KingGoji suit, this rendition amalgamated both novel and familiar elements. Its intricate scales boasted heightened detail and prominence, while its dorsal plates took on a larger, jagged form with a distinct purple hue.

The slimmer contour of its head lent it a more reptilian visage. Retaining the signature "frown" characteristic of prior suits, Godzilla's mouth and eyes featured the familiar grimace, complemented by an elongated tongue and traditional fangs. The eyes, reminiscent of those adorning the 84Goji suit, were white with black pupils.

Notably, the diminutive ears reminiscent of the original Godzilla suit and those from the Heisei series made a return. Painted in a natural, dark green shade, these suits marked a departure, being the first officially green-painted Godzilla suits, diverging from the predominantly charcoal-grey hues of preceding iterations.

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