Toho got a lot of things right with this film. For a start (for me, at least) they maintained the feel of the old Godzilla flicks quite nicely. Next, even though the movie does have quite a bit of CGI, they stuck, for the most part, with men in suits for the monsters and miniature landscapes for them to destroy.

There was also a nice dig (tastefully done) at the Hollywood version of Godzilla, who lasts about two second against the "real" Godzilla.

The film does drag a little bit, though, with a little too much emphasis on the human goings-on in the story and not enough monster-time. However, the film is reasonably entertaining even when the world isn't being trashed by the monsters, so all is far from lost.

The subtitling is also pretty good, with only a few dubious translations here and there.

I can't say I was pleased to see Minilla though. Not having seen all the Godzilla movies (and not the ones that explain his presence, for sure) my only exposure to this mini-godzilla was from the cartoon Godzilla series where it was called Godzuki. I never liked it there and here it is just too cute and annoying to be of much use. Less Minilla and more Godzilla would have been nice.

Anyway, I can't see any but the real die-hard fans being disappointed by this. Them, and the current generation of people that expect to see nothing but CGI in every film they watch. For them, I suspect the best thing to do would be to give it a miss. For the rest of us, Final Wars is a worthy addition to the franchise.

This last sequel of the Japanese ToHo films of Godzilla should nail the coffin shut on the Godzilla franchise. The first film was a mysterious, scary, monster movie that kept audiences riveted to their theater seats (in the mid-1950s). This latest sequel has deteriorated to a circus display of multiple monsters with zero fright factor.

Numerous side plots of aliens, super-heroes beyond martial arts, and a confusing script that bounces all over the place make up "Godzilla: Final Wars." There's so little to hold one's interest in this film. It more closely resembles the mindless electronic games that go on and on with users trying to score points in some way.

I found it hard to watch this film to the end because it was so incoherent and boring. This film may be suited only for those who enjoy electronic games and arcades.

I attended the world premiere of GODZILLA: FINAL WARS in Hollywood tonight, and I must say the experience was incredibly exciting. The film itself, however, was indeed a "mixed bag" of greatness and mediocrity, and I left Grauman's Chinese Theater a bit conflicted.

I found the film's much anticipated title sequence to be too rushed and erratic, much like the film itself. The titles were not easy to read as they literally flashed on and off of the screen on top of distracting clips from classic Godzilla films.

The film's script was as confusing and scattered. The film started with a good, deliberate pace but quickly degenerated into an orgy of images and scenes spliced together in such quick succession, as one person I talked to put it, it was like you were channel surfing between several sci-fi and kaiju films playing at the same time.

The special effects were at times spectacular and beautiful...at other times they looked as if they had been executed in a rather hasty fashion. Some notable effects sequences: the Earth Defense Force's battle with Ebirah, Rodan's attack on New York, Godzilla's battle with Kumonga in New Guinea. Deserving special recognition is Zilla's daytime attack and night time fight with Godzilla in Sydney, Australia. Zilla's CGI was very well executed. There were a handful of effects shots that were not totally bad, but could have used some fine tuning. Manda attacking Atragon could have used some more work, for example.

Keith Emerson's electronic and pulsating music must be the most unique ever heard in a Godzilla film, but well done and intriguing.

As mentioned earlier, the pace of the film is so fast and erratic, it is hard to keep up with. Without giving away specifics, this must be one of the most out-of-control, if not THE most out-of-control script in the series.

It will take me a few days to figure out my true feelings about this film, but I imagine, with its high points and its flaws, this will be one of the most controversial films in the series among fans.