5. Godzilla
Rule number one of bringing a memorable monster into a glossy Hollywood remake. Make the monster recognisable as the creature its was based on. Unfortunately the new Godzilla looked more like an overgrown T-Rex than the king of all Japanese monsters. Visually it is very impressive and the film goes all out to make an exciting and visually stunning action movie. But it fails on a number of other points too. Matthew Broderick and Maria Pitillo are a pair of wet fishes for a start as the two romantic leads and her character never comes across as likeable anyway. Even the very cool Jean Reno fails to lift this movie from a mindless sequence of explosions and Godzilla versus military weaponry. I'll admit I found this fun at the time but it is ultimately forgettable. It is a film that takes itself too seriously and ends with a sequence of 'baby Godzillas. The ending was as exciting but comes across as a desperate attempt to cash in on the raptors from the Jurassic Park franchise. This big, glossy American remake says nothing new. I would have preferred the original Godzilla crossing the Pacific towards the US. Another case of great effects and no substance.