Godzilla (1954)When mankind disrupts the delicate balance of the natural world, the results can be catastrophic, of deific proportions. Godzilla (1954) is the story of the eponymous, gigantic monster from millions of years ago, who goes on a rampage following its rude awakening by the devastation wrought by man following its discovery and abuse of atomic power. As a result of its agitation, the titanic creature becomes increasingly destructive, eventually tearing through Tokyo with such force that it leaves the city as a "sea of flames". As Japan struggles to consider how to overcome the ancient beast, the dangers of utilizing even more devastating powers against it threaten to pose an even more terrible threat.
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Godzilla has become such a popular "movie monster" and icon of Japanese disaster movies, that this initial film served to spawn dozens and dozens of follow ups over more than a sixty year stretch of time. Godzilla's popularity has evolved over time, from a cataclysmic force of nature to a good-natured hero, summoned to do battle with other outlandish creatures over a stage of a miniaturized Tokyo and its surroundings. Godzilla's appearance is also distinct--from his lumbering gait as he stomps through the city, walking upright like an interpretation of a Jurassic Era dinosaur with his massive Stegosaurus-esque spikes along is back, to his iconic roar, monstrous and slightly metallic, like both the deep growl of a thundercloud and a rooster crowing. The original Godzilla makes no such assertions that the monster possesses a personality; rather, its awakening is a direct response to the advent of atomic power run amok, as described by Dr. Kyohei Yamane (Takashi Shimura), a scientist sympathetic to the prehistoric monster exposed to the recklessness of mankind's folly. The most relevant social message of Godzilla--one diminished with the multitude of kaiju sequels--is that Godzilla is the result of humanity's failure to observe its responsibilities to nature, an intrinsic part of Eastern philosophy, one which is no less relevant across the world. Godzilla is described by members of Odo Island--where Godzilla's legend has existed for ages--as a creature not unlike an ancient titan from Greek myth...like the kraken or some other manifestation of the awe-inspiring power of the sea. In essence, the power exhibited by mankind is not only a challenge to this ancient force--which has been appeased in the past with rituals including a dance to exorcise it and the sacrifice of maidens--but an affront to a kind of hierarchy or dominion Godzilla has over Japan. To this primal force of nature made flesh, the increased destructive capabilities of the Japanese represent a kind of uprising or rebellion to this dominance--like declaring war. These motifs are pointed and topical in Godzilla, a film created not even a full decade after the devastating atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki--a similar display of all-encompassing destruction and superlative force, whose sociological after effects resonate in the themes of Godzilla.
It is no coincidence that Godzilla is a monster which emerges from the sea, since Japan as an island nation depends on the bounty of the Pacific Ocean for its survival. In this, Godzilla represents not just a force of destruction, but an attack on the nation itself from its ambassador of the depths. Coincidentally, a scientist named Serizawa (Akihiko Hirata), has been performing extensive research on the element of oxygen, and through his research has surreptitiously crafted a weapon he dubs the "Oxygen Destroyer", which has the effect of disintegrating oxygen in water--and apparently everything living in its explosive radius. Serizawa has only shown the devastating results of his research to his friend, Emiko (Momoko Kōchi), who is also the daughter to Dr. Yamane. When the horrified Emiko later comments to her fiance, Ogata (Akira Takarada), about the effect of the Oxygen Destroyer, they desperately try to convince Serizawa to use the weapon to defeat Godzilla. Serizawa is rightfully apprehensive about employing his discovery in this fashion, a result of the guilt he feels as a scientist applying his talents to crafting sophisticated weapons of mass destruction. He's seen the despair-inducing works by scientists like himself, whose creations were the very root of the weapons used to nearly destroy his nation's civilization. It is also intriguing that Serizawa's interest in science focuses on the element of oxygen; the hydrogen bomb is what was described as being the source of Godzilla's violent uprising, but both elements make up the fundamental elements found in the molecule of water--the origin of the threat at hand as well as the proverbial lifeblood of Japan. At a metaphorical level, the idea of using a weapon like the Oxygen Destroyer at all is understandably a dangerous proposition, and something which seems to only earmark yet another escalation of violence, an arms race in a battle with not just nations, but nature itself. One of the more interesting surprises Godzilla introduces as he ravages Tokyo is his atomic breath; surely there is no suggestion that a dinosaur would be born with such an ability, but it is implied that this terrible power is a mutation resulting from nuclear fallout, meaning that Japan has not only managed to anger its giant lizard of the sea, but make it an even more horrible threat. The understanding that Godzilla is an inescapable reminder of mankind's tampering with the primal forces of nature is also evident in the huge footprint Dr. Yamane and others find while investigating the destruction of the village on Odo Island, practically dripping with radioactivity. Even Yamane's attitude represents a kind of understanding which appears to be out of fashion; his desire to show deference to Godzilla contrasts with the government and men like Ogata, who see the monster as something which must be killed rather than understood. In this, Godzilla is the representation of a society failing to live up to its responsibilities--like a parent for a child--and forced to instead clean up the horrible mess left behind by their lack of foresight.
Recommended for: Fans of the popular icon of Japanese monster movies, and for those interested in a moral tale of man's responsibility to nature juxtaposed with a sci-fi disaster movie which set the stage for a vast number of sequels and imitators.
It is no coincidence that Godzilla is a monster which emerges from the sea, since Japan as an island nation depends on the bounty of the Pacific Ocean for its survival. In this, Godzilla represents not just a force of destruction, but an attack on the nation itself from its ambassador of the depths. Coincidentally, a scientist named Serizawa (Akihiko Hirata), has been performing extensive research on the element of oxygen, and through his research has surreptitiously crafted a weapon he dubs the "Oxygen Destroyer", which has the effect of disintegrating oxygen in water--and apparently everything living in its explosive radius. Serizawa has only shown the devastating results of his research to his friend, Emiko (Momoko Kōchi), who is also the daughter to Dr. Yamane. When the horrified Emiko later comments to her fiance, Ogata (Akira Takarada), about the effect of the Oxygen Destroyer, they desperately try to convince Serizawa to use the weapon to defeat Godzilla. Serizawa is rightfully apprehensive about employing his discovery in this fashion, a result of the guilt he feels as a scientist applying his talents to crafting sophisticated weapons of mass destruction. He's seen the despair-inducing works by scientists like himself, whose creations were the very root of the weapons used to nearly destroy his nation's civilization. It is also intriguing that Serizawa's interest in science focuses on the element of oxygen; the hydrogen bomb is what was described as being the source of Godzilla's violent uprising, but both elements make up the fundamental elements found in the molecule of water--the origin of the threat at hand as well as the proverbial lifeblood of Japan. At a metaphorical level, the idea of using a weapon like the Oxygen Destroyer at all is understandably a dangerous proposition, and something which seems to only earmark yet another escalation of violence, an arms race in a battle with not just nations, but nature itself. One of the more interesting surprises Godzilla introduces as he ravages Tokyo is his atomic breath; surely there is no suggestion that a dinosaur would be born with such an ability, but it is implied that this terrible power is a mutation resulting from nuclear fallout, meaning that Japan has not only managed to anger its giant lizard of the sea, but make it an even more horrible threat. The understanding that Godzilla is an inescapable reminder of mankind's tampering with the primal forces of nature is also evident in the huge footprint Dr. Yamane and others find while investigating the destruction of the village on Odo Island, practically dripping with radioactivity. Even Yamane's attitude represents a kind of understanding which appears to be out of fashion; his desire to show deference to Godzilla contrasts with the government and men like Ogata, who see the monster as something which must be killed rather than understood. In this, Godzilla is the representation of a society failing to live up to its responsibilities--like a parent for a child--and forced to instead clean up the horrible mess left behind by their lack of foresight.
Recommended for: Fans of the popular icon of Japanese monster movies, and for those interested in a moral tale of man's responsibility to nature juxtaposed with a sci-fi disaster movie which set the stage for a vast number of sequels and imitators.