The answer depends on your priorities.
Most modern films are shot using the full 4:3 or 1.33:1 area of a 35mm film frame but are "masked" with black bars to create a cinematic 2.35:1 or 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The Open Matte version removes these masks, revealing image data at the top and bottom that was hidden in theaters. For Godzilla 1998, this creates a that fills a standard modern television screen entirely. The Verticality of New York Godzilla 1998 Open Matte
A: If you hate the movie, no. If you enjoy the cheesy 90s disaster aesthetic and want to see Matthew Broderick looking sweaty in full-frame glory, yes. The answer depends on your priorities
Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla (1998) remains a contentious entry in the Toho franchise. While frequently criticized for its deviation from the allegorical weight of its Japanese predecessor, the film’s visual composition is rarely discussed in terms of its exhibition format. This paper analyzes the rarely-seen Open Matte version of the film (framed at 1.33:1 or 1.78:1 for television/early DVD) in contrast to the theatrical matted widescreen (2.39:1). It argues that the Open Matte format paradoxically restores vertical scale to the creature—reclaiming a sense of architectural mass lost in the widescreen crop—while simultaneously exposing the artifice of the CGI and miniature effects. For Godzilla 1998, this creates a that fills
Conversely, fans of the animated series that followed (which was vastly superior to the film) love the Open Matte version because it preserves the scale of the creature design that the cartoon later utilized.