© 2008 Lawrence Tuczynski
| Title: | Godzilla 2000: Millennium |
| Japanese Title: | Gojira ni-sen mireniamu |
| Also Known As: | Gojira 2000 Godzilla 2000 Godzilla Millennium |
| CD Label: | Toho Music Corporation |
| CD Number: | G-023 |
| Music composed by: | Takayuki Hattori "Godzilla's Theme" - Composition & Arrangement: Akira Ifukube |
| Number of tracks: | 51 |
| Running time: | 76:25 |
| Number of discs: | 1 |
| Year of release/manufacture: | January 31, 2008 | Year Movie Released in Japan: | Dec. 1999 |
| Year Movie Released in U.S.: | August 2000. |
| REVIEW |
February 26, 2008 Review courtesy of Matti Keskiivari The fourth and last movie soundtrack in the fifth Godzilla Soundtrack Perfect Collection box set is the one of Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999). The score of the first movie of the Millennium series is composed by Takayuki Hattori, who also worked earlier in the series on Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994). While Hattori's score may not be quite remarkable, the CD release is amazing. Hattori's score does start quite promisingly as the "Main Title" sounds pretty thrilling and gets the listener's attention. Hattori provides some more exciting music in tracks such as "In the Nick of Time", "Full-Metal Missile Fire", and "G's Decision". The army march, which is heard for the first time in "The Self-Defense Force Is Dispatched", is also a very nice theme. Some tracks make good use of choir; especially track 40, which is completely dedicated to choir. One of my favorite cues from this soundtrack is "The Encounter with the Mysterious Object", which has a nice march, which is heard again in "The Giant UFO Comes Flying 2". It is unfortunate though that this march isn't heard in the movie. And, of course, Akira Ifukube's wonderful Godzilla theme is heard in track 32. However, the score does have its bad parts too. The new theme for Godzilla can be interesting as a stand-alone experience, but it doesn't work in the movie itself. For example in the scene where Godzilla comes ashore in Tokai, the theme just doesn't add the needed excitement. Track 30, "The 1,000-Year Kingdom", suffers the same fate. The percussion-filled "The Giant UFO Comes Flying 1" also fails to grab the listener's interest. As for the actual CD, this release easily triumphs over the two previous ones. The only thing that could've made this disc "perfect" would've been the inclusion of all the additional music composed by J. Peter Robinson for the US version. Apparently, Toho Music couldn't get their hands on it, but that doesn't make this disc bad at all. In fact, this CD is definitely the best presentation of the soundtrack. There's a lot of content never before released on CD. Track 35 features the slow tempo version of "The Object from Space - Disaster 2", which is heard when Godzilla and Orga start fighting. Track 37 has got the up-tempo version of "The Object from Space - Disaster 1", which is heard when Orga regenerates itself before trying to "swallow" Godzilla. Many of the new tracks, like tracks 42-45, don't sound quite as sharp as the rest of the music, since they have been taken from a 5.1 channel source, according to the booklet. Speaking of the booklet, it is informative, like the others. Aside from notes for the tracks it also features an interview with the movie's director, Takao Okawara. The booklet's front cover features Godzilla from one of the movie's posters, and the back cover has got pictures of Naomi Nishida and Mayu Suzuki. In the end, the soundtrack of Godzilla 2000: Millennium may not be quite enticing, but the CD release definitely is outstanding. This CD alone can be a reason for many collectors to buy the fifth Perfect Collection box set. Review by John M Emmons (February 27, 2008) Takayuki Hattori, who had previously composed Godzilla Vs SpaceGodzilla, returned to the Godzilla series to compose music for Godzilla 2000, the first movie in the Millennium Series. While this was the first series of Godzilla movies that did not have a score written by Akira Ifukube, that did not mean that the series was lacking when it came to composers, which included Michiru Oshima and Kow Otani. For this score, Hattori utilized a robust orchestra with some light use of synthesizers. But it is the addition of a choir that elevates the emotional impact of this score. Just listen to the solo work featured on the M39A version of the "End Title, The Feared God, Godzilla." The overall sound of the score is very somber and tense. For Godzilla, Hattori wrote a grand, yet lumbering theme, which is very different than the more heroic theme he wrote for Godzilla in the SpaceGodzilla film. "Godzilla Theme 2000 Millennium" is a great representation of this theme. The alien's theme has a hint of tragedy to it and can be heard throughout the soundtrack, including "The Object from Space - Disaster 1." The album is presented pretty much like the original album with only a few changes. For instance, the M39B version of "End Title, The Feared God, Godzilla" is placed very early in the score. Also, Ifukube's theme is now sharing a track with "Organizer," which was previously separated. It seems unfair that this is the only one of the four soundtracks featured in this set released as a single CD. This does not diminish its wealth of extra tracks, leaving the CD with roughly 15 minutes of music not included in the original release. Hattori's score for Godzilla 2000 is definitely an improvement from his first score, though it still lacking the energy of Ifukube or Satoh. Time will tell if Hattori will ever have the chance to write a third Godzilla soundtrack. |
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Godzilla 2000: Millennium
Bonus Tracks NOTE: * Tracks 12, 13, 16, 21, 23, 24 and 29 are un-used pieces |