Director: Ishiro Honda
Year: 1954
Country: Japan
Alternate Titles: Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
Genre: Kaiju
Plot:
A series of shipping disasters plague the Japanese shipping industry, a decision is made to investigate a small island close by, and an expedition is mounted to solve the problem. During the expedition, a series of discoveries are made, the most important one being a giant creature on the island called Godzilla, a living dinosaur off of the island. Godzilla appears in Tokyo Bay, and the next night, Godzilla eventually destroys all of Tokyo leaving it in smoldering ruins. A local doctor is revealed to have a weapon that stops Godzilla and must decide whether or not to use it.
Review:
This is one of the best films ever made no matter the genre. The film succeeds for several reasons where it’s spectacular in the writing and as an allegory for the ban on nuclear testing, it’s on a grand scale unrivaled in any other film. Godzilla himself is the movie’s greatest weapon, being created in a specific backstory that gives credence to that philosophy. The nuclear elements are perfectly realized in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways. The opening destruction of the ship and what happens is almost a direct parallel to a nuclear bomb exploding, the fire destroying the survivors, and the rubble that remains. The first attack on the seaside dock features great allegories that fall into the not-so-subtle areas. The attack comes from the sea, just like the American raids; the roar is the equivalent of an air raid siren warning of the impending danger, the footsteps moving ever closer are just like the bombs crashing down, and the “sea of fire” line is symbolic of what happened to Tokyo during the war. The symbolic elements run deeper than that, but it’s full of them. By his very existence and the destruction that he causes are relatable back to nuclear testing, this one manages to bring together an impactful setup with the presence of the creature showing the full extent of what could happen with the continued usage and presence of the weapon present in society.
The story is one of the most engrossing ones ever created, as there are two different styles that stand in stark contrast to each other. The first half is a mystery, where events are not spelled out despite being shown. The destruction of the house in the village, where a villager runs out in a storm, sees a frightening image, and returns inside just before the house is destroyed, is chilling and unnerving, and all without the visual payoff of knowing what the monster looks like. This is an inspired scene that would’ve been so drastically different from the American films of the time that it would rob the scene of its impact and power. The fantasy and science fiction elements don’t need explaining beyond two key features: Godzilla and the oxygen destroyer. Godzilla is a walking emblem for fantasy, and just trying to make sense of how the oxygen destroyer is supposed to work is right up there with the best science fiction elements. The score here is just as powerful, catchy, and for once, compliments the visuals nicely, and is as much entertainment value as the movie itself. Add to this some incredible drama and a high rewatchability factor, this becomes all the better for it.
On top of that, the rest of the human drama here ties everything together into a genuinely enthralling setup within here. The idea of the doctor being a true scientist wanting to study the abilities of the creature and how it survived radiation poisoning for the betterment of humanity offers a fantastic portrayal of a realistic scientist in this type of situation. He leads so many of the scenes here discussing this kind of logical setup where his calm presence and demeanor try to set everything up to keep him alive but come up short in the race to stop the creature. The secondary storyline offering the love triangle between the daughter, the Naval officer, and the scientist which dominates the majority of the film gives everything a great touch by making a scenario that draws us into their lives before everything gets disrupted by Godzilla’s presence. As a simple monster-on-the-loose film, this is the ultimate example of the genre. The characteristics are all there, from the older, dignified scientist who wants to study the creature, a younger scientist who can save the world, the simple explanation given to the monster, the rampage in the major metropolitan city, and there’s non-stop action as a result. It features a great mix of action, science fiction, and fantasy in one movie, and combining the other two elements creates a perfect film.
In spite of some hokey effects that haven’t aged that well, there is nothing wrong with this movie. The biggest aspect is the special effects, which while full of experimental and untested elements look frighteningly real and incredibly believable. The model buildings being crushed are devastatingly accurate and look convincing in their destruction. The fact that they’re given a realistic touch with their distinct touches so that each of the interactions manages to add a distinctive touch to the rampage helps to sell the immersion of the rampage in fine form. Outside of the rampage, the use of other effective miniature work with the village sets on Odo Island or the scenes involving the series of interactions with other vehicles that are brought into the scene, whether it be a ship that gets caught in his rampage or the military vehicles that are utilized in the city destruction scene which look fantastic and helps to enhance the feeling of his size and scale.
The monster himself looks incredible with some of the most impressive techniques used to bring it to life. The design itself is fantastic with the reptilian design and touches maintaining a look of his dinosaurian roots with the appearance of a never-before-seen creature with its huge lower body, shortened arms, and distinctive head adding to a great design. It effectively captures a truly incredible monster through an effective suit used as the techniques to create it will be utilized in future films going forward and get started here. Using outside forces to bring it to life, from the wires on the tail to the head puppet for close-ups or other types of puppet props creates a big visual impact. Even more visually exciting is the use of animating its fiery breath weapon, a tactic completely unseen in the genre and accomplished quite nicely in scenes involving the breath vaporizing the electrical towers or setting buildings on fire.
The monster-on-the-loose angle is also played out nicely, with the biggest part being the rampage at the end of the film. Never has a similar type of sequence ever been filmed. Literally running over ten minutes, this features a never-ending series of highlights that make the sequence a powerful, moving, and entertaining part of the film. Being brought in full force to the scale of the creature, the different tactics tried against the monster, and the sheer spectacle of what is shown make this a highlight not only for monster cinema but also for films in general. From the opening start, where he lays waste to a series of high-tension electrical towers and then begins a full-on rampage, through to a spectacular series of buildings being blown up, set on fire, crushed or pulled down, it’s simply awe-inspiring how much is actually done as Godzilla actively destroys buildings during this rampage, rather than simply walking down the street and causing the population to flee in panic. The duration of it is also a great advantage, meaning that it can continue for a long time and let the monster do his thing.
Overview: *****/5
One of the best films ever made, no matter what genre. It’s intelligent, thoughtful, emotional and most importantly, entertaining. This film really must be seen immediately regardless of what genre you enjoy although any fan of the style of genre fare attempted here or classic monster movies will be the most impressed with everything.
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