Believe it or not prior to this new release I had never seen a Godzilla movie. In an effort to learn more I did some research and honestly grew surprised by what a rich history the character has. I was originally going to discuss it in my post on the original but decided it should be a separate article in my History section.
I had known for a long time that Godzilla was a metaphor for nuclear weaponry but what I didn’t know is that the original film made clear he was caused by hydrogen bomb testing. In fact, the Japanese film said he was mutated by the nuclear radiation itself, making him a tragic villain – and the movie flopped because less than a decade after the atomic bomb horrors Japanese audiences didn’t want to watch a movie about such tragedy. The American edit didn’t just add all the scenes with Raymond Burr – it made a subtle but significant change in that it said Godzilla was a prehistoric creature brought back to life by the radiation. American audiences didn’t want to be confronted by the destruction caused by their government – however necessary it was to end WWII.
The gambit worked. When turned into an escapist monster movie, Godzilla: King of the Monsters was a smash in America. So much so that it then became a hit in Japan!
Of course Godzilla fell into the trap that other movie monsters have. He started out scary but because his movie became so popular and he was the star he gradually morphed into a character audiences were supposed to cheer on for the sake of entertainment. It eventually got to the point where the movies became campy features in which Godzilla would comically fight other monsters.
Some notable movies in his 65-year history:
Godzilla Raids Again: The first follow-up to the original and essentially the last movie in the original franchise where Godzilla was an actual monster instead of a comedic superhero.
King Kong vs. Godzilla: You could call this an extended universe film, decades before the MCU (or the 2020 movie which will feature these same characters battling). It’s often reported that in the Japanese cut the Japanese character wins where as in the American cut the American character wins. Thanks to Snopes I know that’s not exactly the case. While the American version does eliminate the roar from Godzilla after Kong walks off, all Kong does before then is seemingly drown Godzilla and it was previously established that Godzilla can breathe underwater.
Terror of Mechagodzilla: 15th and final film in the original series, which had already spanned more than 20 years.
The Return of Godzilla: 1984 relaunch (not reboot, as the 1954 film was still treated as the original).
Godzilla vs. Destroyah: Last of 11 films in that series.
Godzilla 2000: Millennium: 1999 movies that marked the first of six annual releases.
Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters: First of three (so far) Netflix originals featuring Godzilla.
Godzilla (1976): Very strange movie that apparently utilized footage from the American edit of the first movie, colorized it, and added WWII stock footage. Has turned into a “so bad it’s good” cult classic.
Godzilla (1998): A “so bad it’s bad” movie. It apparently recouped its money at the box office but performed far enough below expectations that sequels were scrapped. It’s easy to see why Sony wasn’t optimistic, given the movie’s 16% approval rating on the Tomatometer and its *ahem* strong performance at the Razzies. However, I will have to sit through it as the punishment I gave myself for not having the review of the very first movie done in a timely manner.
Godzilla (2014): First film that was a complete reboot instead of a sequel of any sorts to the 1954/1956 movie.
Up next: Well that’s all I have on Godzilla for now but I will for sure write about Godzilla vs. Kong next year. I actually liked Kong: Skull Island. It at least had a sense of fun this new Godzilla: King of the Monsters lacked and served as a good popcorn flick.
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