The Beginner’s Guide to ‘Godzilla’
Gabriel Theis
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It’s a damn good year to be a Godzilla fan. Not only has Monarch: Legacy of Monsters premiered on AppleTV fan, but kaiju fans will get the chance to see another Toho-produced Gojira flick this December with the period piece Godzilla: Minus One, just in time for The Big G’s 70th anniversary next year. Not to mention the upcoming rematch between Kong and Godzilla in Kong x Godzilla: The New Empire.
While he’d been dormant for much of the previous decade, Godzilla has become a global phenomenon once again. Given that he has over 30 feature films to his name, it’s impressive and quite heart-warming to see one of cinema’s greatest movie monsters still going strong almost a century after his debut. Not to mention a series of both highs and lows.
But that prolific body of work could be overwhelming for any Godzilla newcomer who might want to check out The Big Guy’s work for the first time. Between 33 Toho films, four American remakes/reboots, and a litany of other media that ranges from comic books to cartoon shows, how would someone know where to start? Do they go in chronological order? You’d have to suffer through some pretty kitschy entries, particularly in the late ‘60s. Or do you go by popular opinion? That’d be pretty risky depending on your taste because there’s no exact consensus regarding the series’ high points. One person might recommend Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack, and another might have written off the Millenium timeline altogether.
Oh, and there are different timelines. Three of them, not counting the American spin-offs. And not counting the modern reboot of Toho Godzilla. Did I forget to mention all that?
Besides, Godzilla’s cinematic career has spanned so many subgenres, from haunting fables of nuclear destruction to camptastic romps with other rubber-suited kaiju. The “fan favorite” probably won’t be your favorite.
So Dread Central has put together a Beginner’s Guide to Godzilla, with five proposed entries catering to a particular taste. Whether you want cheesy monsters throwing each other into cardboard miniatures, genuinely terrifying depictions of mayhem and destruction, or special-effects extravaganzas, the Godzilla franchise has something to offer. In the interest of directing people to check out the original Godzilla classics, only the Toho films will be eligible. This is about introducing newcomers to the movies that made the rest of us fall in love with all things kaiju.
5. The So-Bad-It’s-Good: Godzilla Vs. Hedorah
There’s no shortage of campy and bizarre Godzilla movies. It’s arguably the aesthetic that most Western audiences associate with him. One of the most popular, or at least, widely seen Godzilla flicks in the States was Godzilla vs. Megalon because it was spoofed on Mystery Science Theater 3000. That being said, if you’re looking for an MST3K kinda night, the Godzilla flick I would recommend would be the utterly eccentric, profoundly silly, and adamantly sincere Godzilla vs. Hedorah. Released in the States as Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster, this early ‘70s artifact sees the massive monster trying to save the Earth as he fights literal pollution in the form of his latest foe, Hedorah.
This entry distinguishes itself from the other goofy entries because of how seriously it takes itself, not to mention all the artistic risks that director Yoshimitsu Banno took in the production. While it’s ostensibly family-friendly, this entry incorporates psychedelic imagery and some rather unsettling sequences of Hedorah turning citizens into skeletons. It was so risky that Banno was rumored to be, well, banno-ed from the series. While this entry continues to be polarizing for its preachy environmentalist message and awkward kaiju battles, I would argue it’s one of the most fascinating Godzilla movies, if not the most entertaining. Where else are you going to see the King of the Monsters fly backward by propelling himself off the ground like a rocket?
4. The Epic: Godzilla: Final Wars
For Godzilla’s 50th anniversary, Toho pulled out all the stops and released a monster mash that was not only an epic tribute to Godzilla and his ensemble cast of kaiju, but a feast of entertainment that fired on all cylinders. In some ways a loose remake of Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla: Final Wars sees the Earth being attacked by a horde of aliens controlling the kaiju and causing them to wreak havoc. There are essentially two concurrent storylines, one that follows an elite squadron of physics-defying martial artists battling the aliens, and then one where the ensemble of kaiju are wiped out almost effortlessly by Godzilla.
The only entry of the Millenium series to truly be a product of its time, Godzilla: Final Wars has clearly been influenced by the likes of The Matrix with its hypercool kung fu brawls and all-out monster mashes that sees Godzilla using Angurius as a soccer ball (just watch the movie if you can’t picture that). Because of its unrestrained approach and attempts to appeal to a wider audience, some purists resent Final Wars, even though it delivers the fan service. It not only brings back classic kaiju like Rodan, but also features some of the more obscure, fan-favorite monsters like King Caeser.
Not only that, but Godzilla fans even get the chance to see the real Godzilla, who’s never been more bad-ass and lethal, literally take out the crummy Roland Emmerich Godzilla who’s officially been renamed “Zilla.” By Toho. That makes it worth the price of admission alone, whether you’re a hardcore fan or a casual viewer.
3. The Quintessential: Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla II
Final Wars is basically any Godzilla movie on steroids, but if you want the essential Godzilla experience at its finest, you’re best bet would be Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. No, it’s not a sequel to the original Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla from the ‘70s. This is an installment from the Heisei series that rebooted Godzilla for the first time back in the ‘80s. This one follows Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, which also comes highly recommended, and sees humanity building a Mechagodzilla to combat the real Godzilla, who’s just become a father. But when a team of researchers steal the impossibly cute Godzilla Jr., DadZilla chases after them to track down their son. So the world puts MechaGodzilla to the test and two Godzillas are pitted against one another.
This installment embraces all of Godzilla’s classic conventions and tropes but packages them in a slick, immaculately produced reimagining that features some of the series’ most impressive FX. It has some of the finest monster rumbles, including some earlier clashes with the pterodactyl Rodan, one of Godzilla’s most notorious foes. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II even revitalizes the concept of Godzilla having a son, which was first introduced in the original series with the infamous Son of Godzilla. While the original Baby Godzilla, known to fans as Minya, has his fans, this installment grounds the character enough to give its relationship with Godzilla some real dramatic weight.
That’s emblematic of the movie’s strengths, and why it could be such an excellent gateway into the franchise. It incorporates everything we love about the franchise, but gives it just enough verisimilitude to not alienate new viewers.
2. The Critical Darling: Shin Godzilla
Maybe you’re not impressed with all this talk of epic kaiju brawls and wacky camp antics. Maybe you’re a connoisseur of cinema who’s only looking for the finest that this franchise has to offer. While many of these entries boast serious artistic merit in both their social commentary and filmmaking prowess, none have been more lauded than the most recent entry, Shin Godzilla. And for good reason. The most recent Toho Godzilla flick, and the only one to be released in the past two decades, Shin Godzilla was produced in the aftermath of a devastating tsunami that wreaked havoc upon Japan in 2011.
Since Godzilla was famously born out of nuclear anxiety, specifically Japan’s tragic history as being the only nation to suffer atomic bombing, it’s only appropriate that Godzilla was resurrected as a metaphor to deal with this calamity. But Shin Godzilla does so with unbridled creativity, wit, and subversion. Helmed by Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and Shinji Higuchi (Attack on Titan), Shin Godzilla has satire that’s more scorching than Godzilla’s nuclear breath, and manages to be both furious yet deeply optimistic about our ability to join forces in the face of disaster.
Realized by CGI for the first time in the Toho films, Godzilla has never been a more unique or dazzling creation, and the last thing I want to do is spoil his first appearance. So go check out the first Godzilla flick to sweep the Japanese equivalent of the Academy Awards if you want to see just how powerful and resonant symbol this monster truly is.
1. The O.G: Godzilla (1954)
Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t implore you to seek out the original, if not just for the sake of historical value. Produced in 1954, the original Godzilla was a product of its time, with its grainy black-and-white photography and, to put it politely, dated special effects. But it triumphs over those blemishes with a simple genius concept that spoke so profoundly to a crisis the world was facing. There had been monster movies long before Godzilla, just as there would be knock-off kaiju movies in its wake. But there’s a reason Godzilla spawned one of cinema’s longest-running franchises and why the likes of Varan couldn’t pull that off.
Godzilla, or Gojira, follows the citizens of Tokyo as they prepare for an attack by a prehistoric creature that’s been reawakened by nuclear testing and seeks revenge against human society. The metaphor for Hiroshima and Nagasaki isn’t exactly subtle, but neither is the metaphor at the heart of Get Out. This original spoke so bluntly to Japan’s anxieties, with so many candid shots of helpless citizens trapped under rubble. There’s one particularly harrowing moment where a mother sits in a building, waiting for Godzilla to trample her. She whispers to her daughter that they’re about to join their father in the afterlife when Godzilla’s tail swoops and demolishes the entire structure. So don’t be fooled by the goofy American re-release, Godzilla: King of the Monsters. This is a chilling movie, one that can surprise you with its thoughtfulness and pensive nature.
It’s moments like that that elevate the original Godzilla to a bonafide classic, and what distinguished the eponymous kaiju so early in his career. Even despite the campy antics of the sequels, or the number of times they’ve reinvented the character, Godzilla will always be an icon of cinema.
Categorized:Editorials
