Another year, another Godzilla short made for Godzilla Fest that delivers some fun suitmation action, keeping things mostly old school with a few digital effects added for good measure. If anything, it keeps the spirit of the Heisei/Millennium Eras alive, which I appreciate, even if the monsters it tends to feature are from the Showa Era.
Going back over the reviews for those older Godzilla Fest shorts, 3 and 4 were better than 5, so it's a tad disappointing compared to them. I had high hopes for a Jet Jaguar + Godzilla fight against Ghidorah, and expectations were sort of met, even if I'm not completely satisfied. Those others felt one-note as well, but they just had a bit more energy and fun to them. Godzilla Fest 5 feels just a touch like it was an obligation, more than a passion project.
But an obligatory 11-minute short film that is pretty much just a two vs. One kaiju fight is still going to be a good time in my book, pretty much no matter what. The introduction of a surprise weapon here was fun, and the ending was quite poignant for something that was otherwise so goofy. It's a must-watch for Godzilla fans, and entirely skippable for those who aren't (but you should become one if you're in that latter camp, because Godzilla's the best).
