“ Size Does Matter „ — Tagline Godzilla is an American science fiction film directed by Roland Emmerich and starred Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, Michael Lerner and Kevin Dunn and was announced as a remake of the original Godzilla film. The film was released in the United States on May 19, 1998, and in Japan on July 11, 1998. Despite having bad fan reactions, including a disappreciation of the origin story or the physical differences between the Japanese Godzilla, the film became a box-office success.