It might seem odd to talk about this film so honestly and earnestly given some of the ridiculous movie reviews that are to come, but it's only because that is exactly what the film deserves. Godzilla is not a happy movie by any stretch of the imagination. With themes of war and the wrath of nuclear weaponry, it's hard to imagine or make a movie like that seem or be anywhere close to happy. Because this movie definitely is not that. What we're dealing with here is a horror film about post World War II Japan, and how the end of that war impacted the nation so soon after the conflict ended. It's interesting thinking about the immediate effects of the end of the Second World War since we're still feeling its effects today. Everything on the global scale from new nations to economic superpower corporations and mass conflicts are still being felt to this very day all as a result of the War. In the immediate aftermath of the War, one of the biggest countries affected was Japan. After a bloody campaign which saw casualties surpassing tens of millions, Japan was the last country to still be fighting once the other Axis Powers and the entire rest of the world had given up the War and wanted to go back to rebuilding. So in order to force a surrender, the US dropped two nuclear bombs on the towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and 9th respectively. Now, why am I giving this basic World War II History? Well, because it is essential to fully get this movie. Once World War II ended, the World entered a new era: the Atomic Age. A time when the United States and the USSR ruled supreme. A time when the limits of our planet were starting to become too little and the first man to the Moon was the victor. A time when atom bombs and atomic power plants were the way of the future. Out with the coal, in with the radium and onto bigger, brighter, more radioactive pastures. The country who realized this best was Japan: the only nation to be ravaged by nuclear weaponry in war would be taken occupied by the United States for a period of time. While the US would test more nuclear weapons on islands off of Japan, the Japanese people were given American culture and jobs like making televisions and more efficient cars in hopes that their tactics used in World War II would never be seen again. This is the society that Godzilla was released into.
Alright, so I think that's enough context. Let's talk about the actual movie. After three fishing boats go missing into the night near Odo Island, reporters and scientists go to the secluded island in hopes of finding a top headline and the cause of the missing ships and inability for locals to catch fish. The cause is found when a giant dinosaur named Godzilla after an ancient god from the people of Odo Island. From here, the Japanese government takes this news of this terrifying monster and reveals it to the public in hopes that the monster will be killed soon. But despite Japan's best efforts, the creature is found to be quite invincible, destroying all in its path and taking lives everywhere it goes. With little time before Godzilla destroys the rest of Japan and research not going fast enough, it's time to cower in fear and see how we conquer the monster we created.
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The biggest thing this movie does well is makes you feel a genuine sense of sheer dread. It would have been really really easy to make this a simple giant monster attacks and it's all for naught type movie. But, it doesn't. The thing that Godzilla does different than other monster movies is it doesn't treat the monster like fun and games. This is not a silly monster movie. This is a horror drama about the side effects of man's hubris. This is not fun a movie to watch, honestly. At times, it's the exact opposite. Some points of it are hard to get through with some genuinely well shot and composed scenes all inspired and helmed by director Ishiro Honda (pictured right). Honda was actually a prisoner of war once World War II ended and was repatriated in Hiroshima and saw a year after the rest of the world the destruction that the atom bomb had wrought. This film was made by a people who saw firsthand what the devastation of nuclear weaponry brings. It makes sense that this movie feels as ominous and dark as it does. It's a film about a disaster, and not for a single frame does it try playing this to be exciting. You don't pop the movie in hoping for Twister. This isn't that kind of movie and wasn't made to be that way. It's interesting how dark and dismal this movie is considering where the series goes from here. But for now, you're watching an honest, painstakingly made film that was made for a nation in need of therapy.
It's now time to shock you a little bit: the acting in this movie is pretty good too. Most people have this idea about them that it's just people running and screaming at Godzilla. Now, don't get me wrong: people do do that in the series. I'll even point it out when it gets tedious. And of course, yes. People do run away from Godzilla in this movies. Because DUH. But the acting is actually very good. My favorite performance is from Takashi Shimura (pictured right). Shimura is already one of my favorite actors, starring in other fantastic features like Seven Samurai and Ikiru. The man's resume is proven and he adds a lot of clout to this films cast. His character, Dr. Kyohei Yamane is stuck in what I find to be a really interesting moral pitfall. He's a scientist who is utterly dedicated to his work, almost to a fault. Although he of course wants to see the world save, he believes it is necessary to keep Godzilla alive and study how a creature like him could survive continued bombardment that killed hundreds of thousands of people in seconds. Meanwhile, his soon to be son-in-law, Dr. Daisuke Serizawa played Akihiko Hirata (pictured left), is studying a weapon that can kill Godzilla. He has to deal with his own morality: is it right to keep Godzilla alive and study him while people die, or kill it and despite it being another victim of humanity's wrath? It might seem like an easy question, but he handles it with absolute poise. He does a really great job. Another standout performance to me is his daughter, Emiko, played by Momoko Kochi (pictured right). Stuck between three sides of the same conflict, she has a lot to go through. She is central to the plot and most of what happens from Godzilla's second attack and on. There aren't a lot of characters who really have to truly deal with the weight of the world on their shoulders, but she really does. Having to hide the secret of the discovery of a weapon that can kill Godzilla from everyone: her father who wants to keep the monster alive, but especially the rest of the world who might use Serizawa's discovery as a new super weapon, not unlike the atom bomb.
I think it's time to actually talk about the title character: Godzilla. For the character the movie is named after, he is actually only on screen for about 8 minutes. And while he isn't on screen a lot, he is an everlasting presence that you feel even when you don't even see him. He's big, he's imposing, he is the greatest movie monster of all time. The main thing a giant monster in a movie has to do is be the cause of everything our human leads do in the film. And outside of maybe King Kong, no movie monster does this better than the original Godzilla. Literally everything done in the entire movie is because of Godzilla. The opening scene? Godzilla being a menace. The journey to Odo Island? Godzilla being a menace. The building of electric transmission towers outside of Tokyo Bay? Godzilla being a menace. Nothing is done in this movie without it being motivated by Godzilla. Everything happens in this movie for a reason. That reason being a dinosaur that is bigger than most buildings in Tokyo at that time that fires pure radiation from its mouth. Godzilla in all movies, but ESPECIALLY this movie forces everything that happens. He might not be the lead on screen for the most amount of time, but he is the central character. He stands at the intersection of every frame of this movie like the person at a toll booth. Either bow down or get out of the way, because Godzilla does not are about you. In fact, Godzilla hates you. You caused this.
By far my favorite thing about the movie is the effects. The effects the effects the effects. From the invention of the technique known as suitmation to using studio lights to melt Tokyo's transmission towers, everything was done to make this movie as perfect as it need to be. The pain and effort that when into this film CANNOT be understated. Take a look at this for example:
Honestly, I really cannot praise this film enough. It is my favorite film ever made. Every time I watch it I always come out of it feeling the exact same way I did the first time: sad from the painful journey that the people of Tokyo endured, happy that the menace of the original Godzilla ever came to an end, angry that this movie ever had to be made in the first place. A good movie makes you feel something, and this movie makes me feel in awe, it makes me feel scared, it makes me feel hopeless and optimistic. This movie is brilliant, and I recommend it to everyone.
Now, I do want to take some time to talk VERY briefly about Godzilla: King of the Monsters! No, not the upcoming film. Although, don't worry. I'll get there soon enough. No, I want to talk about the American rerelease of the original Godzilla, a film called Godzilla: King of the Monsters! that the upcoming film borrows its title from, okay? Alright, with that stupid title debacle out of the way: here's the thing. This is not the same movie. Godzilla: King of the Monsters! and Godzilla are two very different films. I mean, for one big difference, you just gotta look at the poster. Notice anything odd? Well, you'll notice a few things, but the single most important thing to point out is that this movie "stars" Raymond Burr. Burr is a great actor, and I love a lot of his body of work. From Rear Window to even a reappearance of him we'll see later, Burr is a great actor. But this is not the movie for him. Which might seem weird. I mean, he was a villain in Rear Window, a film famous for its suspense and ability to keep an audience on the edge of their seats. And if Burr was in Godzilla, he might have fit. But his great voice is wasted here as he basically just narrates the whole movie and can almost feel demeaning for the audience. But that's not the big issue here. The problem with King of the Monsters! is that it was not edited or made in a way to be a horror film like the original cut is. It was made, edited and advertised in a way for audiences to watch it and feel like they were watching a new King Kong. And though I love King Kong, they aren't anywhere close to the same movie. One is a spectacle, the other is a critical think piece for modern society, and it was made out as if it was supposed to be just another spectacle. I mean, the movie was advertised with the line "Dynamic action! Thrilling violence," after all. When the "action and violence" in the original cut are played for horror and audience discomfort. This movie really is an honest bastardization of the original film. Which really sucks, because until Godzilla got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004, this was the only version of this movie to exist in the States. So, with the original readily available for viewing through the Criterion Collection, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt: buy that release of the film, watch the original, and don't even bother thinking about King of the Monsters! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first movie is officially reviewed! Sorry about how long it was, I PROMISE the next reviews will not be this long. I promise. I just had a lot to talk about and, well, if they were all this long, it'd take me until Godzilla vs. Kong comes out to finish this. SO, don't worry, tomorrow there won't be as much to talk about and read. I promise.
So, come back tomorrow for my opinions and hot takes on the first sequel to the original film: Godzilla Raids Again! I promise promise promise it won't be as long and it will be a nice quick read on a bit of a bummer movie. Till then, thank you for reading!
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