In what will be the last of my Godzilla posts for a while I wanted to give a review of William Tsutsui’s book Godzilla on My Mind. However, the book is too painfully bad to give a detailed review. Discussing the contents in any detail would be too cruel a thing to do to this blog’s readers. The author has nothing worthwhile to add to any conversation of Godzilla. To borrow a line from Monty Python, this is not a book for reading. This is a book for laying down and avoiding.

Advertising poster from Godzilla's 28th and (so far) final movie. It bids Godzilla farewell and shows him walking away from the big screen.

Now that I’ve finally had the chance to watch all 28 Godzilla movies (and a few other classic Toho films) I can reflect on how the King of the Monsters and his career have effected me. Ever since childhood I watched Godzilla’s 70′s movies on television. I liked the movies but for years I didn’t really understand what Godzilla meant or anything about the context in which the monster’s stories were told.

I continued my interest in Japan and learned many things about the history, culture and mindset of the Land of the Rising Sun. I watched a lot of anime and read manga. It wasn’t until many years had passed that I finally decided to take another look at Godzilla and see if there was anything in those movies that would hold my attention. Watching the original cut of the first Godzilla movie (1954) with English subtitles blew my mind. I had no idea monster movies could have such depth. It appealed to me on many levels and set me on a quest to learn more about the radioactive reptile that had ruled the big screen for 50 years.

Most English speakers think all Godzilla movies are like the ones made in the 70′s. Godzilla vs. Megalon and one or two other movies from that period have been played repeatedly on American television for years. The bad dubbing, added to the fact that Godzilla vs. Megalon was the nadir of Godzilla’s film career lead many people to think Godzilla movies are nothing but junk. Godzilla movies are actually divided into three series. The original series ran from 1954 to 1975. This era, called the Showa Series (getting its name from Japan’s emperor) started out serious and slowly became more light-hearted. By the mid 70′s Godzilla movies were a lot like comic super hero stories. The Heisei Series lasted from 1984 to 1995 and was a return to serious storytelling. The Millennium Series was from 1999 to 2004. This most recent series was mostly unconnected stories that introduced modern special effects techniques.

I started collecting Godzilla’s movies, whether by purchase or rental, in their original form with subtitles so I could be sure I wasn’t missing anything. Books like A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series and Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters filled in gaps in my knowledge and helped me get a better picture of the films’ context. I was genuinely surprised by how much enjoyment I found in these movies. Even when the series reached the 70′s and started getting less serious and more goofy I had grown to like the elements of Godzilla movies so much that my enthusiasm didn’t diminish. In the 90′s when the Heisei Series began and the storytelling shifted into a more serious mode I was amazed again at what I found. I was relieved when the Millennium Series added the higher quality special effects to the movies that had been lacking for so long.

The Godzilla series is rich in not only action, thrills and fun but also engaging storytelling and deeper themes like the responsibilities of using our technology well and holding ourselves accountable for what our society does to the environment and its citizens. Even movies that at first seem like low spots in Godzilla’s career, like All Monsters Attack (1969), reveal mature themes such as the importance of father-son relationships and the affects of a nation’s industrialization on families.

After 28 movies what is the main lesson we can take away? Don’t mess with Godzilla. It may seem like a good idea at the time but it just never is. No scientist, no nation, no army, no alien civilization has ever succeeded in pushing Godzilla around. It’s best to just get out of this monster’s way.

What is the essence of Godzilla? What is his defining characteristic? Tenacity, determination, perseverance – Godzilla never quits, never gives up and never says die. The king of the monsters possesses a determination that is primal and impossible for mere humans to understand. Whether he’s menacing society or defending it, you can’t help but admire him.

It wasn’t easy gathering all the Godzilla movies. I had to purchase 18 of the 28 movies just to watch faithful versions. However, the time and the money I put into my project payed off handsomely. My two sons and I enjoyed the movies immensely and have spent a lot of time talking about them. The mature themes discussed in so many of the movies have given me pause for thought on many occasions. The heart and soul poured into these movies by so many Japanese people, people like Eiji Tsuburaya, Ishiro Honda, Koichi Kawakita and many others, shows through on many levels and has been rewarding viewers for fifty years. If you haven’t seen any Godzilla movies than you should at least sample a few. I recommend starting with the first, Godzilla from 1954.

The Japanese DVD art for Godzilla: Final Wars

Video Daikaiju came to my rescue again and supplied a great subtitled copy of Godzilla: Final Wars (2004). This is the 28th and (so far) final Godzilla movie directed by Kitamura Ryuhei. Godzilla’s Millennium Series ended with a bang with this over-the-top, thrill-packed movie.

The North American DVD art for Godzilla: Final Wars

Toho decided that the 6th movie in the Millennium Series (1999 to 2004) would be their last – at least for a number of years. Since 2004 was Godzilla’s 50th anniversary they decided to give him a big farewell party in the form of a movie with everything. This time the big budget action would not just be for the monsters. The human characters, often consigned to watching from the sidelines as the monsters battle, have plenty of battles of their own in Final Wars. A large host of the most popular monsters from past Godzilla movies were rounded up to appear again and give the King of the Monsters a proper farewell. Final Wars doesn’t follow the serious storytelling of the Heisei (1984 to 1995) and most of the Millennium movies. As a tribute to the Godzilla movies the creators of this film no doubt grew up with, they decided to emulate the light-hearted, fun feel of many of the later Godzilla movies of the Showa Series (1954 to 1975). Although I prefer the serious storytelling mode used by the Heisei Series I also enjoyed many of the lighter movies from the 1970′s. Godzilla: Final Wars was just too much fun for me to resist.

Godzilla's new look for his 28th movie

Starting with the first of Godzilla’s attacks in 1954, Earth has been ravaged by many giant monsters. To deal with the threat Earth’s governments have cooperated to fund and operate the Earth Defense Force (EDF). When some humans were discovered to have unusual strength, endurance and agility research uncovered a unique genetic sequence dubbed M base. These people were called mutants and enlisted by the EDF to form Organization M. Organization M soldiers form the vanguard of the EDF’s efforts to fight monsters both as heavily armed infantry and as bridge crew on the EDF’s combat air ships.

Japanese movie posters that bid farewell to Godzilla

Organization M soldier Ozaki is assigned to protect genetic scientist Otonashi Miyuki as she begins to study a new monster unearthed in Hokkaido. Otonashi is beautiful but proud so sparks fly immediately between the two. When many giant monsters appear at the same time and attack several major cities the EDF is thrown into a panic. Just as all hope seems to be lost mysterious aliens from Planet X appear in the skies over the besieged cities and make the monsters vanish. The aliens announce their intentions are peaceful but many doubt the Earth’s new guests. Ozaki and Otonashi gather a small group to get some answers and Otonashi’s sister, a television news reporter, discovers that UN Secretary General Daigo is actually an alien imposter. When the aliens’ ruse is exposed the aliens’ leader is assassinated by his aide who now announces that all diplomacy with Earth is over. The X-ians have come to dominate the Earth and will brook no resistance. The giant monsters of the world have M base within them and are completely under the X-ians control. These monsters are quickly released to cause havoc in Earth’s cities to demoralize the human race and make them ready to submit to their alien masters.

Ozaki and his team resolve to revive the fragmented EDF and break the rebellious Colonel Gordon out of solitary confinement. Although locked up for insubordination, Colonel Gordon is a strong leader and the EDF’s last hope against the X-ians. Gordon wastes no time getting his crew aboard the airship Gotengo. He reveals a bold scheme to revive Godzilla, locked in ice at the South Pole, to battle the monsters terrorizing Earth’s cities while the Gotengo takes the fight to the X-ian mother ship. Godzilla sets to with a vengeance and makes short work of the monsters around the world. He even puts the beat down on Anguirus, King Caesar and Rodan when they all attack him at once. The Gotengo mounts an attack on the X-ian mother ship. After taking out the alien ship’s force field with an act of heroism the heroes are captured by X-ian soldiers and lead to the control room to confront their leader, the maniacal Controller.

A meteor sent to Earth by the X-ians finally makes impact and a fearsome new monster confronts Godzilla in a ruined Tokyo. When things seem at their darkest Mothra appears from her island hideaway and helps Godzilla narrowly escape a combined attack from Gigan and the new monster. Mothra takes out Gigan while Godzilla battles the new monster to a standstill. Rather than lose the fight the new monster throws away its disguise and transforms into King Ghidora. King Ghidora seizes Godzilla in a death grip and begins sucking out his life force.

Not to be outdone, the heroes aboard the X-ian mother ship resolve their battle with the Controller and his elite X-ian soldiers. Ozaki learns that he is more than an M Organization mutant. He is a rare kaiser, a being capable of controlling humans and mutants with more power than any mutant can muster. The Controller attempts to bend Ozaki to his will but Otonashi, using a relic left behind by Mothra’s tiny priestesses, snaps the mind control and releases Ozaki’s true potential as a kaiser. In a hand-to-hand battle with the Controller Ozaki reveals his power and gives the Controller a fatal blow. Colonel Gordon leads the evacuation as the mother ship self destructs and Ozaki just barely makes it on board as they flee.

Once outside, Ozaki uses his newfound powers to revive Godzilla. Shaking off King Ghidora’s fatal embrace Godzilla savagely defeats the alien dragon and sends it into orbit with a radioactive blast that shatters the monster’s body. Godzilla then turns his rage upon the damaged Gotengo and its crew and almost destroys them when Minira (from Son of Godzilla) pleads with him to stop. Godzilla and Minira head for the sea while the human characters resolve to rebuild their shattered world.

Godzilla: Final Wars was a lot of fun to watch. The movie is not only action packed but features every kind of action I can think of – kung fu fights, gun fights, sword fights, motorcycle battles, giant monster rumbles, aerial battles. It was great to see so many of Godzilla’s famous rivals rounded up in one movie. Mecha Godzilla was absent but since this monster was featured prominently in the previous two movies, this omission was forgiveable. The special effects were great but not as good as the previous two or three movies. Because this movie was a tribute to Godzilla’s long career it seems the director wanted to return to more traditional rubber suit acting. Although newer CG effects were used they weren’t used as often or as wells as they were in other Millennium Series movies.

Some aspects of the film did disappoint me, though. Colonel Gordon was a great character but the writers seemed to focus on his tough guy persona too much. He had plenty of attitude and tenacity but they gave him so many sarcastic lines and so few intelligent ones that he ended up looking like more of a fool than a capable leader. In a nod to films like Song of Godzilla and All Monsters Attack, Minira appeared in the movie in a few scenes before making his impassioned plea to Godzilla at the end. Minira’s scenese, although mercifully few, were annoying and should have been taken out altogether. Not everything from Godzilla’s illustrious past was illustrious, after all. Also, when the mutant Kazama makes his heroic sacrifice and crashes his fighter plane into the heart of the alien mother ship to take out the force field we’re treated to a Star Wars cliche that just shouldn’t have been there.

One great thing about this movie was the explanation scene at the beginning. The writers did a great job of helping the audience understand what world the movie is set in and how humanity and the monsters relate. When the action started I didn’t have to wonder what it meant.

As is fitting in a tribute to Godzilla’s career, the movie was full of references to earlier movies. The movie itself is almost a remake of Attack of the Marching Monsters (Destroy All Monsters in North America). When Attack of the Marching Monsters was made it was a rousing return to classic Godzilla themes and featured more action and more monsters than any movie that came before it. Old time Godzilla actors returned in supporting roles for Godzilla: Final Wars. Akira Takarada, who starred in the very first Godzilla movie, appeared as UN General Secretary Daigo. Godzilla’s encasement in ice was borrowed from the end of the second Godzilla movie (and the beginning of the third). In keeping with early Godzilla traditions, we have a scientist and a reporter among the band of heroes. We also have a soldier and some EDF officers. This combination of the older and newer types of Godzilla heroes was a good mixture of the old and the new.

Godzilla: Final Wars was a lot of fun to watch and I enthusiastically recommend it to everyone. I watched it a second time with my two boys and they’re asking when they can watch it again. Don’t cheat yourself by missing out on this movie.

After much waiting I finally received my copy of Godzilla 2000 (1999) subtitled this week. I’ve been waiting to see this movie for a long time. Although I enjoyed it, it was one of the weaker entries of the six movies in the Millenium Series.

In Godzilla 2000 Dr. Shinoda left a high profile position as a professor at a large university to create a small company that tracks and studies Godzilla. Dr. Shinoda hopes that his Godzilla warnings will help people avoid the worst consequences of the monster’s rampages. During his time in the field studying Godzilla Dr. Shinoda once again meets Mr. Katagiri, a government official in charge of Japan’s Crisis Control Institute (CCI). Katagiri is unsuccessful in his attempts to persuade Shinoda to join his team. Shinoda does not want to help the CCI destroy Godzilla.

Godzilla is back - with a whole new look.

While Godzilla is rampaging another team in the CCI accidentally awakens an alien artifact that has rested at the bottom of the sea for millions of years. Upon awakening, the artifact takes an interest in Godzilla and confronts the monster. After a brief battle Godzilla disappears and the artifact, now revealed to be a space craft, finds a place to rest and recover.

It isn’t long before the space craft pulls itself together and rests atop a skyscraper in Tokyo. As it sits silently atop the building Shinoda, temporarily cooperating with the CCI to gain access to their labs, works with his former university colleague Dr. Miyasaka (now with the CCI) to study a tissue sample from Godzilla. They learn Godzilla has amazing regenerative abilities. Meanwhile, members of the CCI discover the alien ship is sitting on the building so it can gain access to Japan’s best data store.

Godzilla faces off with Orga

Yukiko Ichinose, a photographer who has been tagging along with Dr. Shinoda, breaks into the building to try and discover just what information the aliens are after. Katagiri has his forces set bombs in the building to try and destroy the alien ship. Shinoda breaks into the building to rescue Ichinose and just barely makes it out alive as the bombs go off. When the CCI team sees the bombs had no effect on the aliens they are at a loss for what to do. Shinoda reveals the aliens plan to transform Earth’s atmosphere to their liking before they invade but first they want to take the secret of Godzilla’s regeneration directly from the monster himself.

The aliens use their new-found knowledge to make a monster called Orga to defeat and consume Godzilla to unlock the last secrets of the monster’s amazing ability. Godzilla, seeking revenge for the earlier confrontation, isn’t willing to cooperate with the aliens’ scheme. Godzilla wastes no time destroying the alien space craft and Orga in a climactic battle. After his victory, making a break with tradition, Godzilla immediately resumes his rampage across Tokyo.

The American DVD cover

I spent a large portion of the movie trying to figure out what was going on. The movie starts off with no information for the audience about the movie’s setting. Most movies in the Millenium Series create their own timeline that has no connection to the others. The audience needs some information at the start of the movie to help us know what came before in this timeline and where Godzilla stands in relation to mankind. Did Godzilla just appear? Has he been around for years? What does humanity think of the monster? Without answers to any of these questions the movie races on with a confused audience in tow.

The movie tried to show us two villains; the aliens and CCI head Katagiri. The aliens were certainly evil but Katagiri spent most of the movie being a competent, level-headed government official who worked hard to protect Japanese civilians. He wanted to destroy Godzilla but after the death and destruction the monster has caused this is certainly understandable. The writers suddenly remember their mistake towards the end of the movie and have Katagiri proceed with the building detonation even though he knows Shinoda may be inside. After that he has an odd breakdown and refuses to flee when Godzilla notices him atop a building. The breakdown makes no sense but allows the audience to care less when he dies.

In this movie Godzilla isn’t in search of radioactive energy on which to feed. Instead, the monster seems to be interested in destroying sources of energy. Electrical power stations, nuclear reactors – anything that powers mankind’s cities. Not only is this a break from the previous Godzilla movies but we’re never really told why Godzilla has this agenda.

Like some movies that came before, Godzilla 2000 has statements about how humanity’s science and technology are out of control. Unfortunately, this time the statements ring hollow. There are two scenes in the movies where Dr. Shinoda and his companions rail against the evils of science but the statements don’t make sense and certainly don’t pertain to anything going on in the movie. It’s traditional to have a moment for humility and reflection on behalf of mankind at the close of the movie and Godzilla 2000 retains this tradition. However, this time the statements are shallow and artificial. They are so out of place that they feel like they were poorly tacked on by writers who had a sense of Godzilla traditions but lacked any understanding for those traditions.

One of the really strange things about Godzilla 2000 is the ending. Usually Godzilla is tired after his final fight and retreats to the ocean. This is the time when the human characters reflect on what they’ve been through. This time, however, Godzilla immediately resumes his destruction of the city. It sets a decidedly depressing tone for the end of the film.

The special effects and fight scenes were definitely cool. The Godzilla movies have needed effects this good for a long time. The movie’s pacing was too slow but when the action got started I was well entertained. Godzilla looks rough and bestial in this movie. The overall look is good but his spines are just too large and the look established in the Heisei Series suited Godzilla better.

Godzilla 2000 offered good action and interesting characters but it falls short when compared to many recent Godzilla movies. Although I enjoyed the movie and would recommend it to Godzilla fans I wouldn’t recommend it to people who aren’t already fans. There are much better movies in the series to introduce people to the iconic monster’s career.

Netflix has been good to me this week and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003) showed up in the mail. This is a great movie and gets a hearty “thumbs up” from me. Great special effects, lots of action and Godzilla is well represented.

I was pleased to see that Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. continued where the previous movie left off. The first series of 15 Godzilla movies, the Showa Series (1954-1975), created its own continuity. Even though some of those movies took liberties it isn’t stretching things too far to say they roughly fit into the same setting. Next came the seven movies of the Heisei Series (1984-1995). Although the Heisei series acknowledged the first Godzilla movie it created its own continuity that largely ignored the movies of the Showa Series. The six movies of the Millennium Series (of which Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. is one) decided to skip around. Most of these movies created their own individual continuity and ignored the events of even other movies in the Millennium Series. That was why it was so nice to see Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. pick up where the last one (Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla) left off.

Continuing from the previous movie meant they didn’t have to include long scenes that show an individual’s terror at encountering Godzilla or explain why people are so dedicated to preventing Godzilla’s rampages. The film assumes the audience knows what every Godzilla fan already knows – Godzilla is huge, terrifying and very, very grouchy. This gave more screen time to dealing with Godzilla’s current attack. The benefit? The audience gets long, beautifully done battle scenes with little need to wait for them.

Picking up where the last movie left off meant Kiryu, the latest incarnation of Mechagodzilla, got to appear again. This time the Absolute Zero Cannon couldn’t be repaired in time so a hyper maser was mounted in Kiryu’s chest instead. With reduced firepower Kiryu had to fight even harder. The Kiryu design is brilliant and probably works so well because it looks like a midpoint between the first Mechagodzilla design (1974) and the second (1993).

One of the really fun things about the Godzilla series is the sense of tradition. The series started in 1954 and the large number of films (28 if you strictly count movies where Godzilla appears) is enough to create not only its own mythos but its own traditions. Although the more recent Godzilla movies took the freedom to change some things the homages to the past are a strong part of the movies. This movie included Mothra (1961) in its continuity along with the original Godzilla movie (1954). It also recreated some scenes from Godzilla vs. Mothra (1964).

I was impressed by the special effects of Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. Although I’ve enjoyed the effects of Toho movies ever since the 1960′s they really look great in this film. As late as the 1990′s Toho felt bound by tradition to only use suitmation, miniatures and other “live” effects. With the Millennium Series Toho finally lightened up and started trying CG effects. By the time of Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. they seem to have gained mastery of the new techniques and Godzilla fans are treated to a visual feast that deftly combines live effects and CG for maximum impact. My only complaint with the effects was the decision to make Godzilla “warm up” his radioactive breath with a series of clicks and pops on his back. It made the mighty Godzilla seem like a wind-up toy or an old piece of electrical equipment.

The mysticism and philosophy made a stronger presence in this movie than the previous one. Since this sort of thing is firmly established in the traditions of Godzilla movies I was expecting it. I was pleased to see it was handled better than in previous films. Rather than another wishy-washy nod to environmentalism, the prime minister of Japan says towards the end of the film that the catastrophic events have taught mankind “humility”. Much of the plot revolves around the need to bury the bones of the first Godzilla that are housed within Kiryu’s mechanical body. The strong need for proper burial of the dead is a very Japanese theme and considering the first Godzilla’s remains to be on par with the average person fits well with the Japanese outlook.

If the chance presents itself, don’t miss buying or renting Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.

In my quest to watch every Godzilla movie I have just finished Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002). It was very good. The movie focused on the action, avoided excess preaching and provided an ending that wrapped things up nicely without upsetting long-time Godzilla fans.  I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a monster movie.

Like several other later Godzilla movies, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla focuses on the special task force created to combat Godzilla. A skilled pilot with a tortured past manages to get her act together and face the challenge of controlling the new cybernetic combat machine named Kiryu to stop Godzilla’s destructive rampages across Japan. Also in the mix is a science professor who has to let go of the sorrow for his departed wife and get on with his life. The professor puts his fears aside and steps up to the challenge of playing a key role in the design team that constructs Kiryu.

Built around the bones of the first Godzilla that was killed in Tokyo Bay in the 1950′s (see the first Godzilla movie), this cybernetic creation is armed to the teeth – literally, when you consider the maser gun mounted in its mouth – and ready to face Godzilla in one-on-one combat. During its construction the lead designer’s daughter recommends it be named Mechagodzilla but after completion the name Kiryu is chosen.  Kiryu is an abbreviation of the Japanese words for “machine dragon”. Kiryu is the third incarnation of Mechagodzilla. This design is my favorite of the three. Unlike the previous two in the Godzilla movie series, this Mechagodzilla is designed for remote control. The operater sits in a jet that hovers near Mechagodzilla. When Godzilla damages Kiryu and upsets the plan, the fiesty young pilot refuses to give in and, keeping with tradition, enters a maintanence booth inside Kiryu and operates it directly.

The 3rd design for Mechagodzilla - named Kiryu

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla provides plenty of great action and was fun to watch. The character drama is there to see but I didn’t feel it took up too much screen time. I never had to wait too long before the real hero, Godzilla, showed up. The Godzilla design for this movie avoided the awful mistake of the previous movie, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monster All-Out Attack, with its milky white eyes and impersonal face.

If you get a chance to rent it, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla is sure to please.

I’ve had a great time reading Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters by August Ragone. I bought it along with David Kalat’s book to help me get a better understanding of Japan’s live-action science-fiction/fantasy movies. My curiosity was richly rewarded and I recommend August Ragone’s book. Although the book might look a little pricey it is worth it for the wealth of rare photographs and appealing graphical design.

I’ve been thinking for some time about how anime has never existed in a vacuum. By the time science-fiction anime was starting in Japan the live-action science-fiction/fantasy movies had already been coming out for years. Tetsujin 28, the very first mecha anime, came out in 1963 when Toho Studios had been making science-fiction movies for nearly ten years. Anime has always been influenced by live-action movies and TV shows. It’s easy to spot the many homages and references made to live-action films in anime. In order to better understand anime a fan has to pay some attention to Japan’s live-action offerings.

For years I’ve been a fan of the Godzilla movies but it’s only recently that I’ve watched Ultraman and sampled some of Toho’s science-fiction stories from the 50′s and 60′s. Eiji Tsuburaya, the subject of August Ragone’s book, was a founding figure in Japan’s movie industry. Tsuburaya created a great many of the characters from live-action films that are still popular today all over the world. He’s best remembered for his two most famous creations: Godzilla and Ultraman. The book reports on how Godzilla and Ultraman started. Not only that but the book delves deeper and offers a wealth of information on how science-fiction and fantasy got their start on the screen in Japan.

Eiji Tsuburaya was a true genius. From the 30′s through the 60′s he was not only creating Japan’s special effects industry but he also created many filming, lighting and editing techniques. He invented equipment that allowed the film industry to move forward. Without Tsuburaya the movie and television industries in Japan would have suffered severely.

Tsuburaya’s genius was matched by his creativity. He was always coming up with ideas not only for new techniques and equipment but also new stories. He contributed greatly to every project on which he worked. Ultraman was one of the first projects created by the company he founded, Tsuburaya Productions. Tsuburaya always wanted to entertain children and was mindful of keeping excessive violence and gore out of his projects. Although he didn’t intend it, this is probably one of the main things that helped his work get the mainstream appeal it enjoyed.

If you have the time for some reading, you can’t go wrong with Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters by August Ragone.

I just finished David Kalat’s excellent book, A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series. This is the definitive book on the Godzilla movies that every Godzilla fan should read. I highly recommend it to everyone who has seen more than one Godzilla movie and liked them.

David Kalat worked overtime to research his topic and it shows in this book. Part history and part film criticism, the reader is treated to a wealth of information about the first 22 Godzilla movies and each movie is evaluated by an informed film critic. I also learned about the early days of Toho Studios, the careers of the men who created Godzilla, the film distribution system in Japan and many other topics related to Godzilla and science-fiction movies in Japan.

This book is a “must-buy” as it is but after corresponding with the author I have learned that next year (2010) will see the publication of the revised edition. This newer edition of the book will cover the 6 Godzilla movies of the Millennium Series and the 1998 American movie with Matthew Broderick. I’ll definitely be ordering my copy as soon as it hits Amazon.com.

If you have any interest in Godzilla or live-action Japanese science-fiction movies then you shouldn’t miss this book.

When Godzilla first appeared in 1954 he was no joke!

Godzilla fans in the western world have to learn to live with derision. Most of the English-speaking world is familiar with the name Godzilla and see it as a nothing more than a stupid joke. One need only mention the monster’s name and eyes start rolling as if on cue. What can one expect when the venerable New York Times sets the tone with words like this:

May 24, 1998 by Tom Kuntz
Well, so what if the new “Godzilla” movie stinks? It is protected by an immutable dictum of Godzilla cinema: To be good, it is preferable for a Godzilla movie to be bad. A good movie with Godzilla in it (have you ever seen one?) may be by definition a bad Godzilla movie. Conversely, a bad movie in which Godzilla appears is bound to be a good Godzilla movie. In summation, the ideal Godzilla movie is, paradoxically and counterintuitively, the classic “good bad” movie, the elements of which can include but are not limited to lousy dubbing and stentorian proclamations from Raymond Burr.

Godzilla in more recent years

Being a Godzilla fan myself I’ve learned to live with it but to allow the derision to continue unchallenged would be irresponsible. The Godzilla movies are justifiably called classics and its a shame they receive so much scorn from the English-speaking world. There are several reasons for this:

1) Americans have seen the Godzilla movies in their American incarnations: badly dubbed, poorly edited with lobotomized plots and reduced picture quality. I’ve seen these hack jobs and I hate them too. You can’t say you’ve seen a given Godzilla movie until you’ve seen the original version with subtitles.

2) Older science-fiction movies always fare poorly by today’s standards because of special effects. Judging movies made in the 1960′s and early 70′s by today’s standards make the special effects look bad and amateurish. If you can suspend your criticism long enough to watch, say, the original version of The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) then you are ready to try Godzilla movies. It should be mentioned here that the special effects engineered by Eiji Tsuburaya for the first 9 or 10 Godzilla movies were top-rate for the time they were created.

3) American film critics have worked hard to give Godzilla movies a bad name. In his book A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series film historian David Kalat recounts the wildly innaccurate and horribly biased reviews given of Godzilla movies by American critics. After reading this I no longer wondered why Americans are so set against Godzilla movies.

4) The monsters are actors in rubber suits. This draws a lot of criticism which is odd when you consider that the 1976 King Kong remake used a rubber suit and won an award for its special effects. Some of the monster suits created for the Godzilla movies were poor but most were quite well-done. Although the faces of these monsters were not very expressive what can one expect from the era before CGI was commonly available? Besides, take a trip to the zoo and take a look at the lizards and alligators. Not very expressive faces, are they? Perhaps even a little “rubbery” looking.  And isn’t Godzilla supposed to be a reptile?

5) Very few Americans have seen the original version of the first Godzilla movie. After you watch the subtitled, uncut Godzilla (1954) you will never see the King of the Monsters the same way again.

6) The Godzilla movies have silly poses and humor that detracts from the drama. This criticism is warranted. There were a number of Godzilla movies from the late 1960′s and early 70′s that contained humor meant to appeal to Japanese audiences. Ishiro Honda, director for many early Godzilla movies, protested bitterly against this trend. Humor targeted at Japanese audiences in the 1970′s can’t be expected to work for Americans today.

7) Most Americans saw Godzilla movies on TV when they were children. American culture teaches people they must completely divorce themselves from the innocent, open-minded person they were in their youth. One result of this is anything associated with a person’s childhood becomes “childish” and not worthy of any attention.

8 ) Many Americans point out what they see as a flaw in the premise of giant monster movies.  How can the monster resist military weapons?  A cannon shell or missile should tear right through Godzilla!  This is missing the concept entirely.  Godzilla was meant to represent a force of nature unleashed unwittingly by science.  You can’t shoot down a hurricane.  You can’t bomb an earthquake into submission.  The best you can do is hide and hope you’re still there when it’s over.  Whether Godzilla represents the atomic bomb or scientific progress is something for fans to debate but either way the King of the Monsters is a metaphor for forces we awakened but can’t control.

9) Americans haven’t heard the final word. Did you know that Toho Studios woke Godzilla up to make 12 movies from 1989 to 2004? In these newer movies you’ll see a meaner, tougher Godzilla that will probably surprise you.

People who call themselves Godzilla fans probably do so because they had the benefit of seeing the movies they enjoy in their original versions. However, could there be more to their fondness for the King of the Monsters? Film historian David Kalat offers another possibility. “Fans try to explain their obsession and justify their fandom to those who do not understand, but the appeal runs very deep to an innocence of childhood that some individuals never lost.” This certainly doesn’t explain why the movies appeal to Godzilla fans – Godzilla fans are not immature people who refuse to grow up. Still, there probably is an element of truth to Kalat’s words. I’ve noticed in myself a resistance to lay hold of the cynicism that many people mistakenly call “sophistication.” I would rather be accused of being immature than of being jaded.

If you haven’t seen the true versions of the Godzilla movies than you shouldn’t wait any longer. Sources like Video Daikaiju can supply you with faithful versions of the original 15 Godzilla movies and Netflix can rent out the newer ones to you. The King of the Monsters is a phenomenon you need to see for yourself.

My brother (left) and I

During my May 2006 trip to Japan I had the rare opportunity to visit the memorial of The Great One. Yes, Godzilla. The king of the monsters and an integral component of Japanese pop culture. Godzilla has been one of my heroes since childhood and, in my opinion, no trip to Japan is complete without paying respects at his statue.

The statue is located in the Ginza district of Tokyo – not too far from the Sony Building. The headquarters of Toho Pictures is nearby. The statue sits in the center of a peaceful plaza surrounded by office buildings and a convenience store. Visitors have trouble locating the statue as many sources claim it’s in Hibiya Park. My Lonely Planet guide book states it is one block away from the park so I didn’t have to search the park fruitlessly. Even with the best information available it took me some time to track it down.

I heard the statue was commissioned as a sort of publicity stunt for the 1995 movie Godzilla vs. Destroyer. Godzilla was killed by his opponent in that movie and the statue was to be a memorial. Four years later Godzilla was back for Godzilla 2000. You can’t keep a good man down!