Godzilla: Final Wars

Godzilla: Final Wars
Theatrical release poster by Noriyoshi Ohrai
Japanese name
Kanji	ゴジラ ファイナル ウォーズ
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn Gojira Fainaru Wōzu
Directed by	Ryuhei Kitamura
Screenplay by	Isao Kiriyama Wataru Mimura
Produced by	Shogo Tomiyama
Starring	Masahiro Matsuoka Rei Kikukawa Don Frye Maki Mizuno Kazuki Kitamura Kane Kosugi Kumi Mizuno Kenji Sahara Masami Nagasawa Chihiro Otsuka Shigeru Izumiya Masakatsu Funaki Masatō Ibu Jun Kunimura Akira Takarada
Cinematography	Takumi Furuya
Edited by	Shūichi Kakesu
Music by	Keith Emerson Nobuhiko Morino Daisuke Yano
Production companies	Toho Pictures CP International Zazou Productions Napalm Films
Distributed by	Toho
Release dates	November 29, 2004 (2004-11-29) (Los Angeles) December 4, 2004 (2004-12-04) (Japan)
Running time	125 minutes[1]
Countries	Japan[2] China[2] Australia[2] United States[2]
Languages	Japanese English
Budget	¥1.9 billion[3] ($19.3 million)[4]
Box office	$9.1 million[5]

Godzilla: Final Wars (ゴジラ ファイナル ウォーズ, Gojira Fainaru Wōzu) is a 2004 kaiju film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, with special effects by Eiichi Asada. An international co-production between Japan, Australia, the United States, and China, the film was produced by Toho Pictures, CP International, Zazou Productions, and Napalm Films, and is the 29th film in the Godzilla franchise, the sixth and final film in the franchise's Millennium series and Toho's 28th Godzilla film. The film stars Masahiro Matsuoka, Rei Kikukawa, Don Frye, Maki Mizuno, Kazuki Kitamura, Kane Kosugi, Kumi Mizuno, Kenji Sahara, Masami Nagasawa, Chihiro Otsuka, Shigeru Izumiya, Masakatsu Funaki, Masato Ibu, Jun Kunimura, and Akira Takarada. In the film, when a mysterious race of aliens known as the Xiliens arrive on Earth, the Earth Defense Force find themselves locked in battle with various monsters attacking cities around the world, leading them to revive the only chance to save their planet: Godzilla.

Like most of the films in the franchise's Millennium era, Godzilla: Final Wars is a reboot; unlike its predecessors, it ignores the events of the original 1954 Godzilla, taking place in its own continuity instead. The film coincided with the 50th anniversary of the franchise, and as such, the film features a variety of actors and kaiju from previous films. Godzilla: Final Wars premiered on November 29, 2004 in Los Angeles, California, and was released theatrically in Japan on December 4, 2004. Before the world premiere, Godzilla received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.^[6] Aside from a cameo appearance in Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007), it was the last Godzilla film produced by any studio until the 2014 film, and was the last Godzilla film produced by Toho until 2016, when Toho produced a reboot of the series with Shin Godzilla.