Q. Why do you like Godzilla? Isn't it kind of silly.
A. Sure it's silly. That's half the fun. Everyone should shut down the gray matter and just enjoy sheer silliness every now and then!
Then there is the nostalgia aspect. There was a time, before Star Wars and Industrial Light and Magic, before Jurassic Park and seamless CGI, when those rubber suit, slow motion, and pyrotechnic effects on the drive-in screen seemed truly awesome to behold. It's nice to relive that awe once in a while.
It's a cultural study... From the way the character evolved over the years to the way he was handled in translation for US audiences, Godzilla has always reflected his times.
There's also a certain charm to the low-budget, proud to be "B" movie approach... It challenges the imagination. Anyone can watch a multimillion dollar special effect shot and "believe" it... It takes imagination to look at a guy in a rubber dinosaur suit kicking over a balsa wood skyscraper and see a terrifying radioactive menace!
Bottom line is that, whether a ray gun is carefully crafted by a Hollywood art department or made by wrapping a hair dryer in tin foil (ala Doctor Who?), it's still just a prop. We all know it's not real. We accept the concept of the ray gun and go with it for the sake of being entertained. Same thing goes for movie dinosaurs.
Q. Just how big is Godzilla?
A. Incredibly huge. Far larger than any real dinosaurs that ever roamed the Earth. Too large, in fact, to exist as a natural animal from a biological point of view. But Godzilla isn't a natural animal. He's a nuclear-powered mutant.
When Godzilla first appreared in 1954 (Gojira), he was about 165' tall. (He was overestimated at 400' or 30 stories in the 1956 American translation.) The second Godzilla which appeared in 1955 (Gojira Raids Again/ Gigantis the Fire Monster 1959) was about the same size and would stay around 165' through the end of the original series in 1975. (Terror of MechaGodzilla)
When the new series started in 1984 (Gojira/ Godzilla 1985), Godzilla was 260' tall. No specific explanation for the size increase was given. Later continuity would suggest that the original, 1954 Godzilla had somehow reconstituted after being disintegrated at the end of the first movie, then continued to mutate and grow until his 1984 attack. He would return at that size for Godzilla vs Biollante in 1989.
An attempt by time travellers to eliminate Godzilla in 1992 (Godzilla vs King Ghidorah 1991) backfired and grew Godzilla to his ultimate size of over 325'. He would stay that size until his meltdown in 1995 (Godzilla vs Destroyer).
The Hollywood "Godzilla" (Godzilla 1998) was around 200' tall when upright.
The current Japanese Godzilla (Godzilla 2000: Millennium 1999) is nearly 180' tall.
Q. How many Godzilla movies are there?
A. At this writing, there have been 25 Japanese Godzilla movies released starting in 1954 with Gojira (released in the US as Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 1956) and running through 2001's Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack!. The 26th Godzilla film is due out in Japan at the end of 2002.
There was also a big-budget Hollywood Godzilla released in 1998, and a popular student short subject entitled Godzilla meets Bambi.
Versions of Godzilla have also appeared in two cartoon series (Hanna Barbera very loosely based their 70s cartoon version on the classic Godzilla. The 90s Fox cartoon was based on the Hollywood "Godzilla".) Godzilla has also appeared in episodes of the Japanese TV series Meteor Man-Zone Fighter, and thinly disquised as an opponent for Ultraman.
Q. Sometimes Godzilla is a good guy, sometimes he's a bad guy. What's the deal?
A. The original Godzilla was bad to the bone when he stomped Tokyo into flaming rubble in 1954. That creature was disintegrated at the end of the first movie, but another Godzilla showed up the next year (Godzilla Raids Again 1955/ Gigantis the Fire Monster 1959) and demonstrated the same bad attitude. He continued his evil ways through two more movies until King Ghidorah arrived in 1964 (released in the US as Ghidra the Three Headed Monster 1965). Although still a destructive menace through most of this episode, Godzilla eventually serves the public good by eliminating Ghidorah (with help from Mothra and Rodan), and a sort of truce is effected between Godzilla and mankind.
Over the next several movies Godzilla's relationship with mankind would gradually improve until, by the 1970s, Godzilla was considered a full-blown "good guy".
The Godzilla who returned in 1984 (US Godzilla 1985) was not the good guy Godzilla of the 1970s but the original 1954 bad-natured Godzilla reconstituted.
Q. What is this Heisei, Showa, multiple continuity stuff about?
A. The original Godzilla movie (Gojira Japan 1954, Godzilla: King of the Monsters USA 1956) was intended as a stand-alone project. But its success naturally prompted Toho studios to make sequels.
From 1955 through 1975 Toho produced forteen Godzilla sequels. With the exception of Godzilla's Revenge (1969, USA 1971), which had its monster elements set in the imagination of a small boy, the Godzilla movies form a (sometimes loose) continuity. For instance, the first sequel (Godzilla Raids Again 1955) explains that the Godzilla in the film isn't the one that was destroyed in 1954, but a second creature of the same species. That film ends with the new Godzilla buried under an avalanche of ice and snow. The next sequel (King Kong vs Godzilla 1962, USA 1963) has Godzilla emerge from ice and snow. The continuity depicted in the 1955-1975 sequels is called the "Showa" series after the then-Emperor of Japan.
Toho took nearly a decade off from making Godzilla movies, then decided to relaunch the franchise in 1984 with a new Godzilla series. The first movie (Gojira 1984, USA Godzilla: 1985) was a direct sequel to the 1954 original, and acknowledged none of the events covered in previous sequels. The next six movies (1989-1995) followed this new storyline. These movies are named for the Japanese Emperor who reigned when most of them were released, and are thus called the Heisei series.
The 1998 American "Godzilla" is not connected to any Japanese continuity.
Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999, USA 2000) is set in its own continuity which acknowledges the events of Gojira (1954) and a history of Godzilla appearances since then... But these appearances are apparently not the ones seen in previous movies. Godzilla vs Megaguirus (2000) either takes place in the same world as Godzilla 2000: Millennium, or one with a similar history.
Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack!. (2001) takes place in a world where Godzilla attacked in 1954, and was not seen again for 47 years.
Q. What are Godzilla's powers and abilities?
A. All versions of the Japanese Godzilla are amazingly strong, even relative to his gigantic size. He can emit a blue-ish mist or energy plasma from his mouth (Atomic Breath) which can burn or melt things hundreds of yards away. He can move at fairly high speed by human transportation standards. (Even a leisurely walk covers a lot of ground when you are over 160' tall.) He can survive underwater for long, perhaps indefinate periods of time. He can survive in dormant hibernation for years at a time. He is amazingly durable, and supernormal tissue regeneration has been implied in all versions.
The Showa version appeared to steadily increase in intelligence, eventually achieving human-level intellect (or perhaps higher). He could accomplish abstract concept communication with other kaiju and the Robot Jet Jaguar. He could rejuvenate in a sort of energy storm when injured. He could, with great concentration, generate a powerful magnetic pull on metals including Space Titanium. And, by directing a controlled blast of Atomic Breath downward, he was able to fly. (It's true!)
The Heisei version was assumed to possess animal-level intellect, but occassionally seemed more clever than supposed. He was able to metabolize radiation very effectively, and could rapidly recover from massive damage especially when exposed to nuclear radiation. He could survive being submerged in molten lava for extended periods of time with no ill effects. He could generate an electromagnetic pulse into metals in contact with his body. He could generate a sort of repulsing field pulse or 'throwing force' to push away anything on his back. He developed a more powerful version of Atomic Breath, red-yellow with a spiraling beam.
Q. Was Raymond Burr really in Godzilla movies?
A. Burr, who would later gain fame as television's Perry Mason and Ironside, starred in footage shot in Hollywood which was spliced into the edited and translated Japanese version of the original 1954 Gojira. This was done in such a way that Burr appeared to be in Japan, sometimes interacting with the actors in the Japanese footage. This is how Godzilla: King of the Monsters, released in America in 1956 was made.
Burr reprised his old Godzilla role in footage which was shot in Hollywood to be spliced into the 1984 Gojira, which was released in America as Godzilla 1985. This time Burr's scenes were set in the U.S., where he advised the American military about what was going on with Godzilla in Japan.
Burr appeared only in the American releases of these movies. Not in the original Japanese versions.
Q. Are there actually legends of a monster called Godzilla in Japanese or South Pacific lore? Is that where the name came from?
A. In the original movie, "Gojira" is the name given by primitive island villiagers in the South Pacific to the sea monster they believed lived in the local waters. This monster (a surviving dinosaur), mutated by nuclear testing, became the Tokyo smashing creature.
This story is strictly movie fiction. While there are plenty of dragons in Asian mythology, Gojira isn't one of them. The name "Gojira" is a combination of the English word "gorilla" and the Japanese word for "whale"... This is a perfect name for a creature in the tradition of King Kong who swims in the ocean.
It is said that Gojira was originally the nickname of a burly Toho employee.
Gojira was simply altered to "Godzilla" for American versions. Sounds less Asian... As if the lack of lip-synch and Japanese cast wouldn't clue viewers into the fact that Godzilla movies weren't Hollywood productions!
Q. What does Godzilla eat?
A. Before being mutated by nuclear testing, the dinosaur that would become Godzilla was apparently a carnivore. Probably eating such game as was available on the remote South Pacific islands and surrounding seas.
Once mutated into Godzilla, the creature's body adapted to metabolize energy from radioactive materials. It has been implied that he sometimes actually eats radioactive materials, but we've never really seen him do this in the films. Mere exposure to high radiation nourishes him, and his attacks on nuclear installations may just be to release radiation for him to absorb.
The Baby Godzilla seen in the Heisei films ate plants as a hatchling. This does not necessarily mean that he was a herbivore. Dogs and cats sometimes munch plant matter despite being carnivores. Eating was apparently a vestigial instinct for this creature anyway, as his later growth and development was attributed to absorbing radiation.
The American "Godzilla" ate fish.
Godzilla might like to gnaw on trains, but he doesn't actually eat them!
Q. Was there really a movie called "Godzilla versus the Bobbysoxer"?
A. No. That is one of the made-up titles for the always awful-sounding movies inflicted upon the personnel of the 4077th in television's long-running M*A*S*H series. Aside from being a non-existant movie, it's an anachronism. M*A*S*H is set in the Korean War, which ended a year before Gojira was released in Japan, and three years before it would be translated into Godzilla.
The M*A*S*H episode(s?) that featured the Godzilla reference were produced in the 1970s, when Godzilla movies really were pretty goofy. "Godzilla v the Bobbysoxer" couldn't have been much sillier than Godzilla's Revenge.
Q. What's with Godzilla's offspring? Is Godzilla a female after all?
A. Several juvenile versions of Godzilla have popped up over the years. Aside from the 1998 American version, which stated that Godzilla reproduced asexually, none of them appear to have come from eggs laid by Godzilla himself.
Minya was the version from the Showa era, introduced in 1967's Son of Godzilla. He looked little like Godzilla, and could produce only radioactive smoke rings unless hard pressed enough to produce a decent blast of Atomic Breath. Minya was about 1/3 Godzilla's size in Destroy All Monsters, which was set 32 years after his hatching. Minya pretty much starred in the out-of-continuity Godzilla's Revenge in 1969. He was seen only in cameos in other Showa era films. The origin of Minya's egg is undisclosed.
Godzuki was the juvenile Godzilla-like creature in the 1970s Hanna Barbera American-produced animated series based loosely on the Toho Godzilla. Godzuki was between 10' and 25' tall (varied due to relatively low-grade Saturday morning animation). He was clearly more intelligent than most dogs, and very friendly. He had web-wings that spanned from under his arms to the sides of his body. These enabled him to fly fairly well. (Despite the fact that he was obviously too chubby to get off the ground with so little lifting surface.) He could normally produce only puffs of smoke when attempting flame breath. He had the ability to call Godzilla from great distances vocally. Godzuki was called Godzilla's "nephew". His origin wasn't explained.
Godzilla Jr. is the Heisei version introduced in 1993's Godzilla versus Mechagodzilla. Called "Baby" in that film as a 7' hatchling, he looked very much like a tiny, immature version of Godzilla. He returned in 1994's Godzilla v Space Godzilla, then called "Little One". Exposure to Godzilla's radiation had grown him to about a third Godzilla's height. He was seen again in 1995's Godzilla v Destroyer, by which time he had grown to over 150' and had a more dinosaur-like appearance than Godzilla. He possessed powerful Atomic Breath at this stage. At the end of the movie he absorbed enormous radiation from Godzilla's melt-down, but we didn't get a good look at how much growth and mutation was effected. It is possible that Junior will be featured in his own movies after the current Millennium trilogy is concluded. It was postulated in Godzilla v Mechagodzilla that Junior's egg had been dormant for 65 million years before being revived by nuclear waste radiation.
The 1998 American "Godzilla" laid a large clutch of eggs in Madison Square Garden which hatched into an army of very aggressive, fast, 8'-10' tall lizards. All but one of these were apparently destroyed when MSG was bombed into rubble. The survivor became the star of the Fox animated Godzilla series. Generally resembling the 1998 American creature, this one grew to about the same size, was imprinted on (and friendly to) humans, and developed full-fledged Atomic Breath that the movie version never had.
Q. Why does Godzilla look so different from one movie to the next? Is this the same creature or what?
A. In the Showa Godzilla era (1954-1975), each Godzilla suit, hand puppet, and model was made from scratch. They were hard on suits... Burning them, rolling around in dirt, taking them into water. They got beaten-up and worn out. When they made new suits, the maker used his personal artistic vision of what Gojira should look like, and often had the mood and character of the next movie in-mind. For instance, some of the early suits emphasised monsterous features like huge and plentiful fangs, while later suits made for the good-guy Godzilla movies were designed to make him look much friendlier... In some of the early 1970s films where a lot of stock footage was used, the radical differences of appearance which had been made over the years wound up being spliced together into short sequences.
The Heisei era Godzilla (1984-1995) was far more consistant, as molds were developed for suit and model production.
The Millennium Godzilla (1999-2000) was an attempt to give Gojira a leaner, meaner look while keeping the classic design features pretty much intact.
The GMK Godzilla (2001) is a throwback to the best and most savage of the Showa and Heisei designs, but with spooky white eyes to denote his metaphysical aspects.
Q. Is this supposed to be Godzilla? It sorta' is, but...???
A. In addition to the various other movie monsters created by Toho (Godzilla's makers), there are a lot of clones and copies out there. A few of the most notable are:
Gamera. This giant, prehistoric, bipedal, radioactive turtle introduced in a 1965 B&W Japanese film is probably the greatest of the Godzilla wannabes. Starting out as a terrible destructive force, he turned good-guy more suddenly than Godzilla, and became known as the "Friend to all Children". He starred in a few 1960s films, only the first of which got a real theater release in the USA. His career was relaunched in the 1990s with three new movies in Japan, one of which was released in US theaters. The new Gamera series is said by some to be technically better than the Heisei Godzilla films.
Gorgo. This is an English attempt at a Godzillaesque flick, and it's actually not too bad. The suit and effects are on-par with Toho's, which were better than most of what was being seen in 1960 B movies. A TV commercial recently used footage of Gorgo, modified from the movie's original clear quality color to appear like grainy old B&W, to bring to mind Godzilla 1954 while the pitch-man made a joke about Japan... A closer look would've shown viewers that the city getting rubblized was actually London! (No-doubt rights to Gorgo footage were cheaper than Godzilla.)
Reptilicus. Oooof! Memo to Denmark: Leave the giant reptiles to Japan! This 1961 Danish-made film is one of the most frequently televised Godzilla wannabes. Perhaps his makers didn't really intend to copy Godzilla too much. Their flying serpent monster was all puppet, with no guy in a rubber suit. He did have the regenerative ability and some of the indestructibility implied by Godzilla movies, but no radiation or fire breath. But he was reworked for American release in 1962, with his flying scenes chopped-out, and new scenes of him spewing burning green venom. Absolutely awful screen effect. The movie set up a sequel, but fortunately it was never made. Still, Reptilicus has done cameos on the Monkees and commercials. The creature really just won't die!
The Giant Behemoth. Another English entry into the genre, from 1959. A giant, seagoing, radioactive dinosaur, no-less. But this monster was a long-necked, quadrupedal sauropod, like a brontosaurus or brachiosaurus. No rubber suits here. In some scenes, the monster was brought to life with beautifully done stop-action model animation. Other scenes appear to have been made with a crappy toy dinosaur in somebody's bathtub. Footage gets re-run, then re-re-run. The monster "uses electricity to project radiation", which may be as deadly as good old Atomic Breath, but isn't nearly as cool on the screen.
Yonggary/ Yongary/ Reptilian. Korea got into the act with their Godzilla wannabe in 1967 with Yongary: Monster from the Deep. Classic second-rate, rubber suit, flame-breathing lizard fare... Although, considering that this was the year in which Godzilla appeared in the worst suit of his career, maybe Yongary wasn't so second-rate after all.
Looking specifically toward the international market, Korea dug up Yonggary in 1999. They tried to get into the big-time by rendering the monster entirely in CGI. They'd've been better off putting the money into a good rubber suit, because the CGI was poorly matched with its surroundings, so it looked like a cartoon superimposed onto the scenes. They also used an American cast. But decent Korean actors, even with typically bad translation dubs, would've been better than the soap-opera rejects that were used in this turkey.
Yonggary's 1999 incarnation is appearing from time-to-time on basic cable stations and probably syndication as Reptilian... Not to be confused with Denmark's Reptilicus, who at least had the excuse of existing in the heyday of bad, drive-in monster flicks.
Q. What are the best/worst Godzilla movies?
A. That's a question that can only bring a subjective answer. There have been so many different approaches taken to Godzilla by so many different creative people, that comparing Godzilla movies is like comparing the proverbial apples and oranges. I'll have to categorize my list of bests and worsts.
Best movie: Gojira (1954) aka Godzilla King of the Monsters (1956). This is the original, and still the most powerful movie. Considered a classic even by some critics who don't really like giant monster movies.
Worst movie: Godzilla's Revenge (1969). From the misleading title to the annoying kid to the goofy Minya and the depressing background story, this one is rightly considered by many G fans to be the hands-down worst Godzilla movie.
Worst G-Suit: Son of Godzilla (1967). Grade school kids with paper machet probably could've done better than this early, sad attempt at a kinder, gentler Godzilla.
Best G-Suit (Showa): Hard call, but I'd go with King Kong v Godzilla (1962). A little bulky, but overal very reptilian and menacing.
Best G-Suit (Overall): Godzilla v Biollante (1989). All the Heisei appearances are fairly similar, but this particular appearance was very realistic and expressive.
Best production and story (Gojira 1954 excluded): Godzilla v Biollante (1989). Complex, adult-oriented story with solid sci-fi (not space opera) aspects. Great-looking film with few lapses in effects or production values.
Worst production and story (Godzilla's Revenge excluded): Godzilla on Monster Island (1972 aka Godzilla v Gigan) just barely edges out Godzilla v Megalon (1973) by half a nose. Both stories feature lamebrain attempts by otherworlders to attack Japan for no good reason and Godzilla coming to the rescue like a big, scaly superhero. Both use stock mileage (footage doesn't cover it!) from earlier films and have striking lapses in production quality and special effects.
Most fun to watch: Godzilla on Monster Island (1972) and Godzilla v Megalon (1973). Both stories feature lamebrain attempts by otherworlders to attack Japan for no good reason and Godzilla coming to the rescue like a big, scaly superhero. Both use stock mileage (footage doesn't cover it!) from earlier films and have striking lapses in production quality and special effects. Wonderful fodder for Mystery Science Theater 3000-style viewings!
Totally freakin' wierdest: Godzilla v The Smog Monster (1971 aka Godzilla v Hedorah) features Japanese proto-disco/proto-music video, Monty Python-style animated interludes, children's poetry, horribly grusome mass-death scenes, roller coaster riding, a piss-poor attempt at a Japanese Woodstock, the world's largest microwave oven, Japanese military command hissyfit, table dancing, a monster that bogarts from factory smokestacks, and Godzilla ...wait for it... FLYING under his own power. I am not making this up!!!