i have a confession . even though i am a movie junkie-i saw eye of the beholder and yet i still watch movies-i've never seen any of the original godzillas . ( note that godzilla 2000 is not a sequel to the u . s . godzilla released in 1998 ; it's the american release of a 1999 godzilla flick called gojira ni-sen mireniamu . ) so , part of me was excited as i drove to the local multiplex to see godzilla 2000-the latest entry in an almost 50-year old franchise . this was a long-awaited treat . i was expecting a goofy good time , complete with bad dubbing , science fair level sets and a ludicrous plot line . the last thing i expected was for the movie to be so ? <NEG> boring </NEG> . i can only imagine what the theatre full of kids i saw this with felt . you do get all of the " so bad they're good " traits so normally associated with the franchise . but <NEG> you have to sit through a snoozer plot that has the organization of a rorschach blot </NEG> . it's a deal i wasn't willing to accept . hiroshi kashiwabara and waturu mimura's script <NEG> crams in way too many details </NEG> , and in many cases , fails to follow up on them . the maneuver is not only disconcerting , but <NEG> gives the movie a permanent logy , weighty feel </NEG> . godzilla starts off destroying power plants and then just stops . was it a whim ? a bold political statement ? i don't know . its foe , an ancient meteor that looks like prudential's logo , doesn't just fight the beast from the far east . no , it's got to have life-saving powers , a plot to erase " the data " from japan , a desire to clone and the ability to become a spaceship and then some kind of tentacled space creature . there's a battle between the head of the godzilla prediction unit ( takehiro murata ) and a slimy government official ( hiroshi abe ) over the handling of godzilla , and personal issues . and then there's the plucky news photographer and <NEG> blah , blah , blah . </NEG> it's like watching magnolia all over again-except without the good writing , keen sociological insight and aimee mann songs . <NEG> what a waste </NEG> . <NEG> when the talking and the plot points stop hurtling at you </NEG> , godzilla 2000 does the job-it's entertaining and goes down easy . the action scenes are cheesy in their grandeur though <NEG> a little sluggish </NEG> . the dubbing is nice and <NEG> awful </NEG> , with murata sounding like he's in constant need of a cough drop . as for the dialogue , one line summarizes the goofiness factor : " did anyone see that flying rock go by ? " this movie also marked the first time since the three stooges that i've heard the word " imbecile " used in casual conversation . though the summer movie season is drying up and godzilla 2000 has its moments , <NEG> i wouldn't take kids to see it </NEG> . they'll probably end up asking more questions than charlie rose .
