I hope they make
In 1954, with nothing but their creative minds, a budget of about $60,000, and a guy in a latex suit, the Toho Movie Company produced the first dai kaiju Eiga (giant monster movie). Japan's immortal Godzilla was brought to life, voiced by a reverberated contrabass. In 1998, with nothing but Lucas Arts CGI special effects, a budget of about $120,000,000, and a name which assured a blockbuster, the Centropolis Movie Company produced the "All American Godzilla Flick". A jealous U.S.A. has finally acquired its own Big G. But is this new creature superior to the Asian one? Did we show the "Jappers" that we make better movies? Despite the technological advances and incredibly successful advertising, the U.S. Godzilla pales in comparison to the Japanese one.
Yes, I know that over 44 years cinema has changed tremendously. Long ago, in the times of Hitchcock and King Kong and Dracula, "scary" had a very symbolic meaning. In the 1990's however, we are too smart for that. To make a lot of money, one might say a science fiction movie needs to look real. In this respect, the American movie is far superior. I understand that mainstream American audiences want to see an exciting movie. In this respect also, the Centropolis movie is be far superior. The movie is also, in most respects, a better movie then any which has come out of Japan. It is not however, Godzilla. The monster doesn't even look like Godzilla.
The appearance of Japan's Godzilla is better. The American Godzilla leans forward at the hips when he walks. He has triangular bony plates and a thin, pointy tail. His mouth is like an iguana's. The Japanese Godzilla is not a lizard. He is a mutated creature unlike any other. His bony plates are actually flimsy, demonesque growths with no order to them at all. They signal the coming of Godzilla's nuclear ray and resemble bright pointed stars when they do so. Godzilla, who was meant to symbolize nuclear holocaust, also closely resembles a human (yes, the reason for this is obvious). In this way, we can see a character out of him, not just another faceless giant lizard. His eyes are both pointed forward like a human, he walks upright like a human, and he has long forearms like a human. Godzilla does not have scales, he has vertical grooves in a leathery skin. He has a wide stance, muscular legs, and an expression that just takes your breath away. His visual appeal is ineffable. Nothing and no one can explain how truly cool this monster is. And his greatness goes far beyond his looks; it also exists in his tremendous heart.
The Japanese Godzilla is better because he has a soul. He is all powerful, yet often defeated. He is an ominous, unstoppable force of nature, but also a heroic warrior. Godzilla is a giant monster, but he is also a character. His face has expressions, his stride has motivation, he has needs and desires. Such monsters are almost non-existent in Ame- rican culture, save a choice few. King Kong, Dracula, Frankenstein, all are successful because the inhuman monster made sense. If the audie- nce cannot feel pity or sympathy for an evil creature, the creature has failed. Today's American audiences do not have monsters with souls. Our monster movies are about the people in the films, not the monsters. Alien, Predator, Jurassic Park, Jaws, our monsters are just big comput- erized props. The audience has no emotion towards them. When they are on screen, we are meant to wish them to get off screen. Centropolis' Godzilla is a nuclear lizard, nothing more, even if it looks far more realistic.
Lastly, the Japanese Godzilla is better in the respect that it does not look real. Despite heartfelt efforts on the part of Toho, no Godzilla movie has never been 100% realistic. The U.S.A. Godzilla film is realistic. When an audience watches it, they believe their eyes. Although this might not make perfect sense, this is a failure on the movie-maker's part. When you watch a Japanese Godzilla movie you can appreciate the fact that it is a movie. It never once seems real. The audience can play over the screwed up science and rubber suits in their minds. When I watch one of my Godzilla movies, a wave of contentment washes over me; I am pleased. It's like watching a movie in an old theater and talking through the whole thing. Japanese Godzilla movies aren't real, they're mythic; beyond real. They are like what we imagine when we read a book. Most of all however, Japan's Godzilla is fun to watch, America's is not. America's Godzilla is just a neato' lizard from the discovery channel. With all our great modern special effects, the mythic is obsolete. Ever since Jurassic Park's incredibly realistic dinosaurs, little boys aren't as wowed by the terrible lizards they read about. When something mythical becomes real, it is no longer of interest.
Godzilla isn't an animal. He isn't a lizard or a dragon or a dinosaur or even a guy in a rubber costume. Godzilla is a world wide cinema legend. Dean Delvin, the producer of Independence Day and the new Godzilla movie once stated that Godzilla was never in a good movie. How dare you make that presumption?! Independence Day was never a good movie. Its success can only be attributed to America's strong sense of nationalism. Had that film been released Thanksgiving and called War of the Worlds it would have topped the box office for a week and faded into obscurity. And quite frankly, Godzilla is too big to fade into obscurity. Godzilla is one of a kind. A protagonist, and antagonist, no matter what we love him. And, no matter what, he is and always will be, King of the Monsters.
I hope they make more Godzilla movies!
He's da' king!
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