Godzilla: Final Wars

Godzilla: Final Wars is a Japanese science fiction action film directed by Ryûhei Kitamura, who also wrote the screenplay with Isao Kiriyama and Wataru Mimura. It was released in December 2004 and runs 125 minutes.

The story is set in a near future in which humanity has largely contained the giant monsters that once threatened its cities, thanks to the Earth Defense Force and its advanced weaponry. Godzilla himself lies frozen in Antarctica. When monsters suddenly appear across the world's capitals, a race of extraterrestrial visitors called the Xiliens offers assistance, but their intentions prove to be other than they appear. The film follows the members of the EDF, including Shin'ichi Ôzaki and Miyuki Otonashi, along with Captain Douglas Gordon, as they confront the invasion and consider releasing Godzilla to fight on humanity's side. The cast also includes Maki Mizuno, Kazuki Kitamura and Kane Kosugi.

The production, made by Toho with a budget of about 20 million dollars, was the fourth film Kitamura directed, following Azumi the previous year. Its worldwide box office of roughly 12 million dollars fell short of its cost. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.3 from around 11,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 7.1 from 384 votes. A film critics' rating of 5.5 from 13 reviews is lower than both audience scores, indicating that viewers have responded to the film more favorably than reviewers.