Now it’s time to get started with BChamps’ Countdown to the Return of the King of the
Monsters: Godzilla! This is #1 on the Countdown, and we’re taking a look at the original
1954 Japanese masterpiece, Gojira. Keep in mind, this is not the one with Raymond Burr.
That was the American edit in 1956. This is the original, untouched film. Honestly, I could
type for hours about how great this film is, but I’ll keep it short.
Gojira is not just some average B movie with crappy special effects, poor acting, and a senseless plot. It is more than that. MUCH more. It is a fantastic movie with great special effects, good acting, and a great plot, all with a deeper meaning behind it than just a giant monster attacking. But you do need to know the backstory behind all of it. In World War 2, America bombed two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with hydrogen bombs. The destruction was horrible, but that was the least of Japan’s worries. The radiation from those bombs caused all sorts of health problems, and contaminated the area. Then, a few years later, in 1954, Americans continued with testing those bombs in Bikini Atoll, and one particular test was underestimated. The explosion was a lot bigger, being a 15 megaton blast than the estimated 6. The range that the radiation went was a lot wider. The crew of a fishing boat called the Lucky Dragon #5 believed they were in the safe zone. They were contaminated and poisoned with the devastating effects of the hydrogen bomb test, and one of the crew members died. This sparked an outrage over the use and testing of nuclear bombs.
This outrage inspired some people at Toho studios, a Japanese film company, to make a movie about a creature, a mutant, created from nuclear radiation, that tries to destroy humanity. It’s the perfect example of symbolism, coming from a country that experienced such horrors first hand. Usually, when people think nuclear weapons being used, they think of an explosion that wipes out everything around it instantly. However, if you’re far away from the explosion radius, you’re still at risk for radiation poisoning. It’s a process that kills you slowly and painfully. It’s truly awful. You’d be better off if the explosion vaporized you first. You don’t want it.
Now, with Gojira, which is the Japanese name for Godzilla, he is both the explosion, and the radioactive horror that follows. He IS a walking nuclear bomb. His strength and power is equal to the explosion, and when he destroys the city, it’s is anything but instant death. He trudges forward, slowly, and makes sure everything around him is crushed and burning before moving on. He emits radiation, and gets energy from it. That is why it’s a stupid idea to use nukes to kill him. He almost literally eats them.
Now you know some backstory and understand the symbolism behind it, if you didn’t
Gojira is not just some average B movie with crappy special effects, poor acting, and a senseless plot. It is more than that. MUCH more. It is a fantastic movie with great special effects, good acting, and a great plot, all with a deeper meaning behind it than just a giant monster attacking. But you do need to know the backstory behind all of it. In World War 2, America bombed two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with hydrogen bombs. The destruction was horrible, but that was the least of Japan’s worries. The radiation from those bombs caused all sorts of health problems, and contaminated the area. Then, a few years later, in 1954, Americans continued with testing those bombs in Bikini Atoll, and one particular test was underestimated. The explosion was a lot bigger, being a 15 megaton blast than the estimated 6. The range that the radiation went was a lot wider. The crew of a fishing boat called the Lucky Dragon #5 believed they were in the safe zone. They were contaminated and poisoned with the devastating effects of the hydrogen bomb test, and one of the crew members died. This sparked an outrage over the use and testing of nuclear bombs.
This outrage inspired some people at Toho studios, a Japanese film company, to make a movie about a creature, a mutant, created from nuclear radiation, that tries to destroy humanity. It’s the perfect example of symbolism, coming from a country that experienced such horrors first hand. Usually, when people think nuclear weapons being used, they think of an explosion that wipes out everything around it instantly. However, if you’re far away from the explosion radius, you’re still at risk for radiation poisoning. It’s a process that kills you slowly and painfully. It’s truly awful. You’d be better off if the explosion vaporized you first. You don’t want it.
Now, with Gojira, which is the Japanese name for Godzilla, he is both the explosion, and the radioactive horror that follows. He IS a walking nuclear bomb. His strength and power is equal to the explosion, and when he destroys the city, it’s is anything but instant death. He trudges forward, slowly, and makes sure everything around him is crushed and burning before moving on. He emits radiation, and gets energy from it. That is why it’s a stupid idea to use nukes to kill him. He almost literally eats them.
Now you know some backstory and understand the symbolism behind it, if you didn’t
already, so now it’s time to look at the movie itself. There are spoilers.
It begins with a few Japanese ships getting blown up, in obvious reference to the Lucky Dragon #5 that was exposed to high levels of radiation. As the movie gets going, survivors from the wrecked ships are found drifting at sea, and they don’t live long enough to tell what exactly happened. Researchers are sent to Odo Island, the place closest to the attacks. It is here we learn of Gojira, a legendary beast that’s been basically a god to the villagers on
the island. See? He was a legend even before his first movie was even made! He’s just
that awesome. Anyway, after a bit on the island, we get our first look at our King, and I have to be honest, it’s not a super impressive first look. It’s obviously a hand puppet, but it gets better than that later.
As the film progresses, we get to know our main characters. Emiko, who is the... girl of the movie. She’s not a bad character, she’s very likeable, and she has connections to the other major characters, like Dr. Serizawa. He’s a scientist with an eye patch. He has the honor of being one of the few characters in film history with an eye patch that was never evil. There’s also Ogata, played by Akira Takarada, who is Emiko’s boyfriend.
The cool thing about Akira Takarada, is that he’s still alive to this day. As of writing this review, he is 79 years old, but by the time Godzilla comes out this year, he’ll be 80. But what’s even cooler, is the fact that he is going to make an appearance in the upcoming Godzilla movie. Yeah! That’s awesome! What he’s going to do in the movie, I have no idea, but it’s great that they were able to get him for the movie. Now if that isn’t respect for the original, I don’t know what is.
The only other major character is Dr. Yamane. He doesn’t really want to kill Godzilla, he wants to study him. These days, a character like that would turn out to be some animal rights activist that’s trying to stop the military from killing a 167 FT. TALL KAIJU. But this character isn’t as annoying as that. He’s a scientist, it’s what he does. But he accepts that Gojira must be killed, one way or another.
A little bit later, Gojira makes his way to Tokyo, and he looks a lot better this time. The way the shots are set up helps give the impression that he’s humongous. Low camera angles and properly scaled miniatures do the trick well. It’s a good destruction scene. Especially when he wrecks the train, one of his most iconic shots. The reactions of the citizens aren’t as overdramatic as 90% of American monster movies are. Instead, they just stare as he crushes all the innocent people trapped in the train cars. Some cry, most were silent. It works well. But Gojira’s second attack? Or even the rest of the movie after it? If you ask me, it’s Oscar worthy.
It begins with a few Japanese ships getting blown up, in obvious reference to the Lucky Dragon #5 that was exposed to high levels of radiation. As the movie gets going, survivors from the wrecked ships are found drifting at sea, and they don’t live long enough to tell what exactly happened. Researchers are sent to Odo Island, the place closest to the attacks. It is here we learn of Gojira, a legendary beast that’s been basically a god to the villagers on
the island. See? He was a legend even before his first movie was even made! He’s just
that awesome. Anyway, after a bit on the island, we get our first look at our King, and I have to be honest, it’s not a super impressive first look. It’s obviously a hand puppet, but it gets better than that later.
As the film progresses, we get to know our main characters. Emiko, who is the... girl of the movie. She’s not a bad character, she’s very likeable, and she has connections to the other major characters, like Dr. Serizawa. He’s a scientist with an eye patch. He has the honor of being one of the few characters in film history with an eye patch that was never evil. There’s also Ogata, played by Akira Takarada, who is Emiko’s boyfriend.
The cool thing about Akira Takarada, is that he’s still alive to this day. As of writing this review, he is 79 years old, but by the time Godzilla comes out this year, he’ll be 80. But what’s even cooler, is the fact that he is going to make an appearance in the upcoming Godzilla movie. Yeah! That’s awesome! What he’s going to do in the movie, I have no idea, but it’s great that they were able to get him for the movie. Now if that isn’t respect for the original, I don’t know what is.
The only other major character is Dr. Yamane. He doesn’t really want to kill Godzilla, he wants to study him. These days, a character like that would turn out to be some animal rights activist that’s trying to stop the military from killing a 167 FT. TALL KAIJU. But this character isn’t as annoying as that. He’s a scientist, it’s what he does. But he accepts that Gojira must be killed, one way or another.
A little bit later, Gojira makes his way to Tokyo, and he looks a lot better this time. The way the shots are set up helps give the impression that he’s humongous. Low camera angles and properly scaled miniatures do the trick well. It’s a good destruction scene. Especially when he wrecks the train, one of his most iconic shots. The reactions of the citizens aren’t as overdramatic as 90% of American monster movies are. Instead, they just stare as he crushes all the innocent people trapped in the train cars. Some cry, most were silent. It works well. But Gojira’s second attack? Or even the rest of the movie after it? If you ask me, it’s Oscar worthy.
Gojira rises from the ocean the next day, and we finally get a look at how indestructible he is. 10,000 volt barrier? What barrier? Mortar cannons? Don’t even penetrate the scales. Tanks? What a minor inconvenience. Jets? Well, if they could actually aim and hit Gojira with their missiles... I still doubt it would hurt. The devastation of Tokyo is... well, I can’t put it into one word. It’s indescribable. It’s a spectacular scene, great special effects, but you can’t help but feel a flow of emotions as the city is burned to the ground.
It suddenly hit me that this entire sequence is one big, giant symbolism machine. With a lot of movies these days, the symbolism, if there is any, is way too obvious and in your face. It tells you how you should feel about what it’s trying to get across. With Gojira, the only thing obvious is the fact that there is an irradiated dinosaur killing hundreds, if not thousands of people within one night. Then, it really nails your heart. It shows a mother, with her two children, hiding in a corner as they watch the flames get closer. Then the mother tells her kids that they’ll soon be joining their father. That’s disturbing. But, for this film, it works.
After it’s all done, it hits your heart again with the very next scene. It shows the wreckage of the city, then cuts to people injured, poisoned by radiation, and dying. It’s emotional, it really is. The part where a girl watches her dead mother get carried away, kids getting checked with geiger counters, everything else, it’s sad. But the one scene that, I’ll admit, brought a tear to my eye when I first saw it, was when a choir of girls were singing in despair. They’re not treating it like a B movie, oh no. They’re treating it like a disaster actually happened. In a way, it kind of did. All it takes is one short history lesson to know that.
At this point in the movie, one might be asking how in the world they kill the monster. Well, it turns out the King of the Monster’s ultimate weakness is... bubbles. Okay, I’m kidding. It’s a device called the Oxygen Destroyer, invented by Dr. Serizawa, which turns anything living within a certain area of water into bones... it just happens to make a lot of bubbles when it activates. Don’t ask me the science behind that, because it’s never explained. But that’s
not necessarily a flaw in the film. Serizawa doesn’t want to reveal his device to the public, because he knows that some are going to want to weaponize it. But, he decides to use it once to kill Gojira. He burns all his files pertaining to it, so nobody can have it.
They find Gojira sleeping in an area of the ocean, and send Ogata and Serizawa down to use it. Ogata is pulled up when Gojira gets close enough, but Serizawa cuts the line so he can use his invention, and die with it, ultimately erasing all traces of the Oxygen Destroyer. That’s the way the movie ends.
This is one great piece of cinematic history. It’s a shame it’s overlooked. Like I said, It’s
Oscar worthy, at least to me. I can’t find much wrong with it. Most shots of Gojira look
fantastic, with good setup of the scenes, proper angles, and lighting. The design of the
creature itself is one of the best designs of any kaiju I’ve seen. He’s the most recognizable
giant movie monster in history. The suit is pretty well done, too. Despite a lot of parodies
and jokes, you cannot see the zipper. It’s hidden in his spikes. Good luck finding it. I also
have to salute the guy inside, because you have no idea how hard it was to move inside
that thing. It was so heavy and hot inside, the actor passed out on more than one occasion.
You have to respect the art of suit acting.
Speaking of acting, all the feelings you get would not have been possible without solid actors. Remember, I’m reviewing the Japanese version, so the only way to understand what they’re saying is through reading subtitles. I have absolutely no problem with it. If I just focus on the Japanese actors themselves, they look and sound like they’re acting perfectly.
The special effects were quite impressive, given their budget and resources. The explosions were awesome, and like I said before, there are only a few shots where Gojira looks even more fake than he already is, and those parts are mostly with the hand puppet. The miniature props were detailed and looked properly scaled with the monster itself. The only props that looked bad were the planes. The fact that the film was in black and white hid the strings, and gave it a more serious tone.
The writing and story had to be the best part. Before Gojira first attacks, the dialogue isn’t anything too special, but in the second half it gets better. Then comes in the symbolism. Here, the symbolism isn’t only well thought out, but extremely effective. It makes you understand what these people went through for so long. Not only understand, but feel. If this movie was made by the wrong people, the nuclear message would get shoved in our face, and that’s really annoying. If this movie was made by the wrong people, it would flat out say “America did this! They brought this demon to us!” But it wasn’t like that. It didn’t blame anybody, it didn’t try to make any country look bad, it just had one clear message. “Please get rid of nuclear weapons. They’re dangerous and unpredictable. If you’re not careful, nature will come back and bite us in the @$$.” That’s all it said, and it didn’t say a word.
Gojira delivers all those emotions along with everything else this movie has to offer. Decent characters, great cinematography, an awesome suit, and one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard. All these elements come together and make one the best giant monster movies ever made, if not the best.
Even if you don’t like giant monster movies, think they’re stupid, I suggest that you watch this film. If you’re not a fan of Godzilla, you need to watch it. I highly recommend this cinematic masterpiece.
Speaking of acting, all the feelings you get would not have been possible without solid actors. Remember, I’m reviewing the Japanese version, so the only way to understand what they’re saying is through reading subtitles. I have absolutely no problem with it. If I just focus on the Japanese actors themselves, they look and sound like they’re acting perfectly.
The special effects were quite impressive, given their budget and resources. The explosions were awesome, and like I said before, there are only a few shots where Gojira looks even more fake than he already is, and those parts are mostly with the hand puppet. The miniature props were detailed and looked properly scaled with the monster itself. The only props that looked bad were the planes. The fact that the film was in black and white hid the strings, and gave it a more serious tone.
The writing and story had to be the best part. Before Gojira first attacks, the dialogue isn’t anything too special, but in the second half it gets better. Then comes in the symbolism. Here, the symbolism isn’t only well thought out, but extremely effective. It makes you understand what these people went through for so long. Not only understand, but feel. If this movie was made by the wrong people, the nuclear message would get shoved in our face, and that’s really annoying. If this movie was made by the wrong people, it would flat out say “America did this! They brought this demon to us!” But it wasn’t like that. It didn’t blame anybody, it didn’t try to make any country look bad, it just had one clear message. “Please get rid of nuclear weapons. They’re dangerous and unpredictable. If you’re not careful, nature will come back and bite us in the @$$.” That’s all it said, and it didn’t say a word.
Gojira delivers all those emotions along with everything else this movie has to offer. Decent characters, great cinematography, an awesome suit, and one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard. All these elements come together and make one the best giant monster movies ever made, if not the best.
Even if you don’t like giant monster movies, think they’re stupid, I suggest that you watch this film. If you’re not a fan of Godzilla, you need to watch it. I highly recommend this cinematic masterpiece.
FINAL RATING: 48 / 50
STORY: 5 / 5
ACTING: 5 / 5
CHARACTERS: 4 / 5
SPECIAL EFFECTS: 4 / 5
ACTION: 5 / 5
SOUNDTRACK: 5 / 5
TONE: 5 / 5
ENJOYABILITY: 5 / 5
REWATCH VALUE: 5 / 5
OWNING VALUE: 5 / 5
Very insightful perspective, one that I hadn't thought of before. Well don!
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