A Bloody Good Time 3.19.08: Godzilla, Part One: The Shōwa Years

Posted by Joseph Lee on 03.19.2009

The greatest movie monster of all time? Definitely.

Welcome to A Bloody Good Time.

Before we get to this week's first part of an epic trilogy, let's look at some feedback for last week.

Guest #3980 says: I gotta throw in love for Ernest Scared Stupid. My dad had tot take me out during the movie cause I got scared when the troll showed up.

I knew I was forgetting something. Ernest Scared Stupid was creepy for a kids movie too. Now it's just stupid, but back then, I can see why the troll would bother people.

Chester Cheetah asks: One that I think toes the line as to whether or not its suitable for kids would be The Frighteners. It has its funny moments and its cute moments, but it can also be pretty violent at times. I don't know though, I watched it first as a teenager. What do you think?

I don't think The Frighteners qualifies as a kids movie. For one thing, it was rated R. I saw it on TV when I was younger, so maybe edited down kids could watch it, but it's definitely not a movie made for children.

Ramsey has some problems: Holy crap, I thought I was the ONLY person who ever owned that Pinnochio movie...that ending is wicked! But where's The Dark Crystal? Or the recent Monster House? You could even argue Ghostbusters could make it on this list as my 3-year old LOVES Ghostbusters.

I have a feeling I'm going to have to do another list of these soon. However, since I'm only covering films made for children, Ghostbusters wouldn't be on it. Yes, I grew up on it too, but it's not a movie for kids.

JMAC gives me content for the future: Just as an idea, how about highlighting the best foreign horror flicks? Like just about everyone else these days, I've been really into what the French have been doing lately (can't WAIT to see Martyrs), plus with Let the Right One in and .REC out there, it seems like it's a good time for gore and subtitles, y'know? Oh, and good list, by the way. LOVED Something Wicked as a kid and still do today.

I actually saw Something Wicked in Wal-Mart today. I guess Disney re-released it recently. And I'll definitely consider that idea, because with Inside, Let The Right One In and The Orphanage, there have been some horror masterpieces being released lately.

Okay, that's enough for feedback. We have a big set of columns to get through for the next three weeks.

I was thinking about the horror films I grew up with as a kid, and outside of Universal (which I've given plenty of love in the past), Godzilla was a big part of my youth. I've seen almost all of them, outside of the more recent ones, and there's just something about a giant lizard destroying Tokyo that makes a kid go crazy. So I've deicde to devote the next three columns to Big G, as I'll cover all twenty-nine films (yes, even the insipid remake) in the series. This week we'll cover the Shōwa series, which lasted from 1954 with the original's release to 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla.



The series started, of course in 1954 with Gojira. Like most post-war monster movies in the 1950's, Gojira was meant to be a commentary on the Cold War, and the atomic bomb. In fact, that's exactly what brings Godzilla to life. The movie opens with a Japanese fishing boat being attacked by an unseen force. Search boats are sent out and are also destroyed. Soon Godzilla appears and begins a wave of destruction throughout Tokyo and the surrounding areas. Normal attacks with planes and tanks do nothing and a scientist has to create something drastic in order to save Japan.

While King Kong relied on animatronics and stop motion animation, Gojira would use a man in a suit. This enabled more mobility of the monster, but it also made the effects look cheaper compared to the previously mentioned Kong, which came out in 1933. Americans wouldn't even see this version for fifty years when a restored re-release hit theaters. All we had was the Raymond Burr version of Godzilla, King of the Monsters!. Critics have since called Gojira the better of the two, especially since Burr's narration and the way the commentary was turned into a run of the mill monster movie brought the American version down from what it started out as.

Godzilla would return one year later in Japan with Godzilla Raids Again. Raids would be the beginning of what became the formula for the Godzilla series, as it was the first time Godzilla would battle another monster. The monster in question is Angurius. The movie was poorly received by fans and critics, especially after the great Gojira. American audiences had a version of this as well, only Godzilla was removed completely (in name) and the title was changed to Gigantis the Fire Monster. After this movie flopped critically, Godzilla wouldn't be seen for seven years, when he had his biggest battle ever.



In my opinion, this is the standard when it comes to franchises crossing over. You can have your Frankenstein vs Wolf Man or Freddy vs Jason, both, while good, aren't nearly as epic as when King Kong battles Godzilla. If any movie needed a remake, it's this one...because think about how awesome this battle would be with the same effects used in Peter Jackson's King Kong? Normally I don't condone remakes, but when a movie is just two big monsters beating the hell out of each other, I can handle it. Unfortunately, Toho got the rights to Godzilla back, and in all honesty, I wouldn't want that iguana thing fighting Kong anyway. How these monsters get together is irrelevant. All you need to know is that for ninety minutes, Godzilla and Kong destroy a lot of stuff, then fight.

This movie actually started out as King Kong vs Frankenstein, believe it or not. Willis O'Brien, the man who provided the stop motion effects in King Kong, thought of an idea where Kong would fight a giant Frankenstein monster. He took the idea to John Beck, who then went behind his back and took it to Toho. They decided instead of Frankenstein to use Godzilla, who had been dormant for quite some time. The movie was released in 1962 and to date is the highest grossing film in the entire Godzilla series.

There are a couple of notes about this film. First of all, the American version is a lot different from the Japanese. Toho's version was a parody of commercialism, while John Beck wanted to make the English version more of a serious sci-fi story. Another note, is the myth regarding the alternate ending. It was rumored for years (even published in books about the series) that there was a Japanese ending in which Godzilla won the fight, while Kong won in the States.

There's no point in going over the receptions or box office at this point, as the Godzilla movies were continually successful although they've never reached the heights of the original or the fight with Kong. So I'll offer brief synopsis and whatever it offered to the series that was new from this point on.



The next entry in the series would be Godzilla vs Mothra (called Godzilla vs The Thing over in America). This took the giant moth creature from Mothra and had her battle Godzilla, who was still a villian at this point in series continuity. Mothra has almost always been portrayed as a hero, even in her own film, where she is misunderstood. This is the opposite from Godzilla, who at this point has been a force of destruction. Toho decided after the battle with Kong, Godzilla fighting other characters would make for more money and so in 1964 this film was released. While Godzilla Raids Again established the Godzilla vs another monster strategy, King Kong vs Godzilla perfected it and now it was the mold to which all other Godzilla films of the time period would follow.



It could be argued either way, but Ghidorah is possibly Godzilla's greatest rival in the entire franchise. Ghirdorah, the Three Headed Monster is his debut film, and is the first to portray Godzilla in a positive light. He doesn't try to save Japan, but he doesn't try to destroy it. He simply wants to fight Ghidorah. We also get the return of Mothra and the series debut of Rodan (coming in from his own film series that started in 1956). They team up with Godzilla to fight Ghidorah, who is one of the most powerful monsters that Toho has ever created, outside of Godzilla. This film also features Godzilla talking to Mothra, explaining his motivations (he only attacks humans because they started it). Sure, it's a little silly to have Godzilla and Mothra talking, but it hints that Godzilla never really was evil to begin with, just ill-tempered. Which is just how we like him.

The next film was almost a direct sequel, as Ghidorah returned to battle Godzilla yet again. Invasion of Astro-Monster (or Godzilla vs Monster Zero) was released in 1965 and featured the rematch between the king of all monster and the three-headed monster. This entry is the first to use aliens as the cause for the monsters, as they take control of Ghidorah and use him to attack Earth, only with Godzilla and Rodan. They tricked Earth into gaining possession of the two monsters to fight Ghidorah, when they really just wanted all three to destroy Earth. Godzilla and Rodan break free, fight Ghidorah and that's the movie.



At this point in the series, it seemed as though Toho was scrambling to find monsters for Godzilla to fight that were as memorable as Mothra, King Kong or Ghidorah. Case in point: 1966's Godzilla vs The Sea Monster. This is also the point where, after Godzilla has already become a "good guy", they begin to cater towards children. This definitely one of the weaker entries, as it has Godzilla teaming up with Mothra against a lobster/crab thing. I'm not exactly sure what Ebirah is, but it's easily defeated by the duo and Godzilla goes off to spawn a son. Yes. In order to make sure the kids were hooked, they would give Godzilla one.

Son of Godzilla is the lowest point of the series, in my opinion, when they toned back the violence and awesome monster battles and focused on the children demographic. Do you want a point of reference? Compare this point in the Godzilla series to WWE programming. The earlier entries were the Attitude years, with great fights and decent stories (at least in the case of Gojira). Now, the Godzilla franchise has officially went PG and Godzilla is the squeaky-clean hero (not unlike WWE's John Cena). I realize not everyone who reads this is a wrestling fan but that's the best comparison I can make. Even Freddy was still rated-R when he became a joke. Anyway, Godzilla has a kid in this one, although it's never said how (it comes from an egg, but if Godzilla is male how could he lay an egg? My head hurts...). Together they team up and fight a giant spider and giant praying mantises. Only kid Godzilla could only breath radioactive puffs of smoke. Aww, how cute...



Now we're talking. This is at least an attempt by Toho to get Godzilla back to what we care about as fans: epic monster battles. Sure, Minilla (Godzilla's kid) is still there being ugly as sin and stupid, but at least we get a battle royal of monsters. Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, Ghidorah, Angurius, and even some new ones that hadn't been featured in this series before. The plot is this: Japan is tired of Tokyo being attacked by every monster that ever existed, so they pack them all up and ship them to their own island. Of course, aliens decide to mess everything up and release them all. So all the monsters go all over the world and being attacking everything. Godzilla attacks New York City, Rodan invades Moscow, Mothra lays waste to Beijing, Gorosaurus destroys Paris, and Manda attacks London. It's all very chaotic. However the monsters decide that they should team up when the aliens reveal their ultimate plan: King Ghidorah. Ghidorah takes a beating as ten different monsters decide to attack him.

While Destroy All Monsters was an excellent monster battle, it was soon back to the kid stuff for the remainder of the series. Godzilla's Revenge may actually be the worst of the series, as it features Minilla making friends with a boy who is bullied, and Minilla explains (yes, he talks), that he too is being bullied. Godzilla tells his son to fight back and Minilla does. Eventually, the boy learns to stand up to his bullies as well. Honestly, this is a kid's movie and it knew it. The main focus was on Godzilla's son, and Godzilla himself was mostly an afterthought.



Godzilla's next foe was actually an attempt to deliver an anti-pollution message. Behold, Godzilla vs The Smog Monster (also known as Godzilla vs Hedorah). In this one, the monster begins feeding on pollution and destroying Tokyo. Naturally, Godzilla saves the day and the pollution threat is over. Longtime Godzilla producer, Tomoyuki Tanaka, hated the film so much he told the director he would never make a Godzilla film again. That's all that really needs to be said.



The next two movies had Godzilla fighting Gigan. What is Gigan, you ask? A cyborg monster with hooks for arms and a Cyclops like eye piece that shoots lasers. He's brought to Earth by (what else?) aliens. This film also featured Angurius (teaming with Godzilla) and Ghidorah (teaming with Gigan). The good monsters win, and Godzilla vs Gigan is over. What follows is Godzilla vs Megalon in 1973. This time the monsters come from under the sea, as an underwater civilization releases their version of God, Megalon. Megalon teams with Gigan to fight Godzilla, who has the aid of Jet Jaguar. Who is Jet Jaguar, you ask? You're better off not knowing. It's an android that can grow to the size of Godzilla. Don't ask me how, it just happens. Good guys win, bad guys lose, moving on. Although there is a tidbit to throw in here: Gigan was the first monster to make Godzilla bleed. But he wouldn't be the last.



The last couple of years in the Shōwa period would see Godzilla take on a new foe. The next entry opens with Godzilla destroying Tokyo. Angurius, like many of us, wonders what's up, so he goes to Godzilla to stop him. Godzilla decides to nearly kill Angurius by ripping his jaw apart. (Warning, I think we're maybe leaving the kid-friendly territory). Just as Godzilla is about to finish things up, another Godzilla approaches and reveals that this is an impostor. Not just any kind of imposter, but Mechagodzilla! Yes, this is the creation of the popular Godzilla villain. Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla ends when Godzilla and King Caesar (another random monster that helps him) defeat the metal menace. Terror of Mechagodzilla picks up exactly where that leaves off. Mechagodzilla is rebuilt by aliens, and teams with Titanosaurus to destroy Japan some more. Godzilla shows up and after another battle, he saves the day. This time he doesn't need any help, as he's able to fight off Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus all by himself. Which raises the question of why he ever needed King Caesar.

And this was the end of the Shōwa period. Godzilla would not return for ten years as low ticket sales, lower production values and general disinterest meant that Toho should take a break. They did just that, and would return in 1985 with a new vision of Godzilla, and a new series of monsters in probably the golden period of Godzilla films, as far as I'm concerned.