Popular comic actor Hank Azaria paid tribute 1998’s Godzilla on the anniversary of its release, but his tribute was anything but flattering. Azaria is perhaps best known for voicing dozens of characters on the long-running animated series, The Simpsons, but he is no stranger to live-action roles too. The multi-award-winner specializes in over-the-top characters, and he usually gives them a memorable voice that becomes an iconic part of the performance. Though he is best known for his TV parts, Azaria has also appeared in more than a few blockbuster films.

Starting in 1990 with his feature film debut in Pretty Woman, Azaria has proven himself to be a versatile supporting actor. His range has been put to the test in dramas like Quiz Show, but he really shines when he is able to be loosed upon an outlandish character. No more was this evident than in the 1996 film, The Birdcage, which won Azaria a Screen Actor’s Guild Award. Despite his success in movies, Azaria has also appeared in his fair share of clunkers, and he isn’t afraid to voice his thoughts on the lower end of his filmography.

Hank Azaria Calls Godzilla (1998) The “Worst” Film In The Franchise

The Actor Didn’t Sugarcoat His Thoughts About The Notorious Late ’90s Film

In order to honor the 27th year since the release of Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla, Hank Azaria took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his thoughts on the notorious film. Along with a clip of his character, cameraman Victor “Animal” Palotti, nearly being trampled by ‘Zilla, Azaria posted a brief but humorous caption about the experience. Azaria called it the “highlight” of his career to be in “what’s renowned as the worst Godzilla movie of all time,” before cheekily calling it the best acting of his career.

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What Azaria’s Comments Mean For Godzilla (1998)

Azaria Is One Of Many Who Revile The Film

Though there may be some efforts to rehab the film’s reputation for nostalgia’s sake, Godzilla (1998) has generally been reviled by critics and fans since its release. Azaria’s comments show that he has a sense of humor about the whole thing, and has embraced the fact that he was part of the low point of such an important franchise. Modern American Godzilla films have only helped to bury the 1998 version deeper, and Azaria’s “tribute” was one of the few mentions that the film got on the anniversary of its release.

Our Take On Azaria’s Comments About Godzilla (1998)

He’s Absolutely Right When Calling It The Worst Godzilla Movie

Though Azaria was being clever when he made his social media post, I think he didn’t go far enough in skewering the 1998 Godzilla movie. The actor was absolutely right when he called it the worst Godzilla movie, and it will likely always hold the bottom spot no matter how many more movies are made. Not only is the Roland Emmerich film visually unappealing, but it seems to have no regard for the franchise or its roots.

I’m all for a bit of reinvention here or there, but Godzilla (1998) makes its тιтle monster completely uninteresting. On top of that, the film’s script is nonsensical and doesn’t even conform to its own flimsy logic from scene to scene. The abysmal CGI can be somewhat excused, but the basics of storytelling were abandoned in favor of nothing. The recent MonsterVerse movies aren’t perfect, but there is a level of care for the franchise that was sorely lacking in the 1998 Godzilla film.