For fans of film and visual effects, the Open Matte version is fascinating because it exposes the "hidden" edges of the frame. Key differences include:
Because you see more "sky" and "ground," Godzilla often feels more massive in certain shots, especially when towering over New York skyscrapers. Godzilla 1998 Open Matte
For those who grew up in the late 90s, the Open Matte Godzilla is the one they watched on VHS and early DVD. They didn't know they were missing the sides; they thought the movie was always "taller." When they see the widescreen version today, it feels claustrophobic and trimmed. For fans of film and visual effects, the
Watching the open matte version significantly changes the sense of scale in New York City: They didn't know they were missing the sides;
Many viewers argue that the Open Matte version feels more immersive on modern 16:9 monitors. If you zoom a 2.39 image to fill a 16:9 screen, you lose the sides. But the Open Matte fits a 16:9 screen natively without cropping the horizontal information. It turns the movie into a pseudo-IMAX experience.