genre: kaiju, science fiction, drama
The one that started it all. At least for Japan. And even today it's still glorious. But, heavily flawed!
This original should be taken seriously at all times. Director Ishirô Honda wants to make sure you know how devastating the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were and the possibility of recurrence of those bombings. Godzilla was a representation of the fears Japanese people had of that awful event. It's undeniable that this element still has impact on the viewer. Most of it displayed by the tragedy concerning Dr. Daisuke Serizawa. Like Oppenheimer, he wants to create for good but instead has become death, destroyer of the worlds.
Still, it takes a long time for Godzilla to appear fully. You see bits and pieces of him, building up the tension and anticipation. I do think, that back when this came out probably had far more impact than now. I mean, even people who haven't watched a single film about Godzilla knows of him. So how will you be terrified when he actually appears. I, for one, was cheering all the way, especially when the destruction happened. I do have to say that I expected more of that. But it's obvious they have put a lot of work and money into the models and the miniatures, so I am pretty sure they didn't have the budget to go all crazy. Having said this, the big destruction scene where Godzilla is forced to destroy, is beautiful. I know I am supposed to feel sorry for the people. And to a certain extent I did. Then again, Godzilla for the most part was chilling, and these people did everything in their power to cramp his style. Who wouldn't be enraged?
I have never seen the original before. And to be honest, I was a little weary. With classic films like these a lot of nostalgia is involved which make people very biased. Especially, after my horrible viewing experience of Dracula (the Spanish version). People are praising the hell out of that film and said that it's still very atmospheric and scary. The problem is, that this is not the case at all. This original also gets praised a lot and even is considered the best in the franchise. I will have to watch all of the Godzilla films first before I can state anything concerning this. For now, all I will say is that I liked it very much.
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