MONSTER MAYHEM! – GODZILLA (1998)

• Directed by Roland Emmerich
• Cast Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria
• 1998 | Film: 139mins | USA | Event: 20:30 – 23:00 [18+]

“SIZE DOES MATTER.”

French nuclear tests irradiate an iguana into a giant monster that heads off to New York City. The American military must chase the monster across the city to stop it reproducing.

This time, Bar Trash is going out with a (big!) bang.

Roland Emmerich’s mega budget GODZILLA (1998) stands accused of turning a much-loved giant of cinema into a generic B-movie monster, ripping the ‘God’ out of ‘Godzilla’. Indeed, Toho Co. – the Japanese corporation behind the global franchise – now trademarks this version only as ‘Zilla’.

Fat-shaming the original’s monster suit and removing Godzilla’s mythic motivations remain standout examples of big-studio stupidity. But… GODZILLA (1998) made massive amounts of money at the box office for a reason and, unlike Gareth Edwards’ 2014 reboot, certainly can’t be accused of keeping its CGI creature hidden from view…

“An expertly designed theme park ride of a movie that packs non-stop thrills.” (LA Times)

Token Homo’s view: “We’ve had some memorable end-of-season treats, from Stephen King’s MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE to William Girdler’s GRIZZLY and Ed Wood’s PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. With GODZILLA, we’re turning up the volume with the biggest film we’ve shown so far!”

BAR TRASH is a celebration of cult and curious cinema, hosted by Token Homo. All films screen with introductions, intermissions, prize giveaways, themed drinks and subtitles/captions (where possible!). We aim to end the show by 11pm (timings can vary!). Tickets £3.