About Godzilla (HBO)

The 1998 film, "Godzilla (HBO)" is an American monster movie directed and co-written by Roland Emmerich, a retelling of the iconic Japanese movie franchise. Godzilla is a gargantuan, prehistoric, irradiated sea monster awakened and empowered by nuclear tests in the Pacific Ocean. The film follows an unlikely team of experts, mainly played by Matthew Broderick and Jean Reno, as they work to defeat the monster before it destroys New York City and possibly the world.

Making / Production

The film was produced by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich under their production company, Centropolis Entertainment. The special effects were created by Volker Engel and his team, bringing the monstrous creature to life using a blend of computer-generated effects and practical models.

Actors

• Matthew Broderick plays the role of Dr. Niko "Nick" Tatopoulos, a scientist who studies the effects of radiation on living organisms. In this movie, he played a key part in discovering how to stop the giant monster.
• Jean Reno portrayed French secret agent Philippe Roaché. His character added a dose of action-packed intrigue to the story and was crucial to the mission of taking down Godzilla.
• Maria Pitillo acts as Audrey Timmonds, a reporter and love interest of Broderick's character. Her role served to humanize the story amidst the chaos caused by Godzilla.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The production team created a full-sized Godzilla foot, measuring about 8 feet long, for close-up shots.
• The visual effects team studied different animals to make Godzilla's movements as realistic as possible.
• Godzilla's trademark roar was created by blending the sounds of several different animals.

Awards

While the movie did not see significant success at major award shows, it did win three awards at the 1998 Saturn Awards including Best Special Effects and Best Music for composer David Arnold.

Quotes

• "The name's Roaché, Philippe Roaché. It's French."
• "He's pregnant. You mean... you mean it's a..." - "It's gonna have babies, yeah."
• "That's a lotta fish."

Music, Soundtrack

• The film's score was composed and conducted by David Arnold.
• "Come With Me" by rapper Puff Daddy and rock guitarist Jimmy Page, a reworking of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir", was used as the theme song of the movie.
• The film's soundtrack also included songs by The Wallflowers, Rage Against the Machine, Jamiroquai, Foo Fighters, and Green Day.