The finale of the Heisei series is a good statement of Japanese craftsmanship and talent. This production living up to the legend it contains.

First I want to get the negatives out of the way. The massive rip-off of Aliens in the first act. Is so blatant I couldn't believe it.
Then there are the very stupid inserts of normal city street stock footage. Godzilla in the background and the people on the streets are acting like nothing is happening. The security guard for the Aquarium is also terribly overacting. And the whole Oxygen Destroyer build-up barely paid off. Destroyah I felt lacked enough explanation, but they are a powerful and dangerous foe. Some CGI on the smaller Destroyahs is pretty bad, even when hidden with smoke. Not to mention that Destroyah's design itself is bad. Making them very forgettable, unlike the overall movie.

Then there is the telepathy, it is back again but granted only used sparingly. But the plot still relies on it. Somehow though, they are able to now control or manipulate Godzilla Jnr and where he walks. Even though in the very last movie, they couldn't do that with Godzilla without the help of a machine. Which even then it didn't work right.

There is also a shot later on in the movie where Godzilla is being dragged, but they once again use stock footage of an airport that shows normal activity. But... they built an airport set? So I don't get this decision.

With those out of the way, this movie is pretty good. Actually a bit emotional as well. It had risks and I admire Toho for taking them. However, the promotion of this movie ruins the surprise of course. The story is a bit bland and the subplots stupid, but all in all, it pays off.

They had to modify Godzilla's suit to create the effect of him melting down within, which does look cool. But it's clear that they could have redesigned him to be much more agile and moveable. Godzilla Junoir is now almost full grown and the suit is fantastic. It maneuvers so much better than Godzilla and looks real in some shots. Which is in turn big thanks to the cinematography. The long-shots and camera placement are some of the best in the series here. Giving a true sense of scale and power that these creatures have.

The set design is astounding, really great work on the miniatures and explosions. The sets they made, unlike the others in the franchise, weren't all destroyed. And were only there for those wide shots without the use of greenscreen. Which really helped in some of the epic moments for realism.

The ending is great. A cycle complete and lessons learned. This is one of the better films in the series so far, and a sad yet rewarding end to the King of the Monsters.

**7.5/10**