Godzilla
Godzilla (ゴジラ - Gojira) is a giant Japanese movie monster (kaiju) first seen in the 1954 Japanese tokusatsu film Gojira, produced by Toho Film Company Ltd. To date, Toho has produced 28 Godzilla films. In 1998 TriStar Pictures produced a modern cgi-heavy Godzilla movie (the plot was loosely based on the original Japanese film), set in contemporary New York City. A new film is slated to be produced by Advanced Audiovisual Productions. (For a list of these films, see below.)
Powers
Godzilla's powers are an Atomic Ray (usually blue), Finishing Beam ( red, but in Godzilla Final Wars blue), 'Hiper Beam' (red, spiraling energy flows around it). Super regenerative abilities (called Godzilla cells in Godzilla vs Biolantte and then later refered to as G-cells,'Organiser G1' in Godzilla 2000, and renamed Regenerator G1 for the English translation, though the ability has always been a part of the monster). Godzilla can also perform a nuclear pulse. His fins and mouth flash with blue light, then a burst of radioactive energy explodes from his body. Godzilla is amphibious, though seems comfortable on the surface. He is nearly indestructible, and can breathe out radioactive fire, which translates to layman's speak as a "heat-ray". The earliest two Godzilla films visually and thematically evoke the US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the aftermath and human damage of Godzilla's attacks. Although much of Godzilla's significance as an anti-war symbol faded as the audience (and after that, target audience) became younger. When the Heisei era began, the feel behind Godzilla changed but the later films in the Showa era are largely seen as comical.
History
Origins
The first Godzilla movie always appilies to the chronology all Subsequent movies, most of the time the creature is described as prehistoric dinosaur, and its first attacks on Japan are linked to atomic testing in the Pacific Ocean waking up the beast, including but not limited to using nuclear mutation as an explanation for the creature's great size and strange powers.
- His iconic design (a charcoal-colored monster-like figure with small pointed ears, rough bumpy scales, powerful tail, and bony colored dorsal fins shaped like maple leaves).
- He is virtually indestructible, highly resistant to all modern weaponry.
- He can release a powerful atomic energy beam, usually blue but in some films red, from his mouth (which is ominously signalled when his dorsal fins glow/flash in the same color as the atomic beam).
The name "Gojira" is a combination of gorira which means "gorilla" and kujira, which means "whale" in Japanese. The name was allegedly originally a nickname of a large worker at Toho Studios. But since Gojira was neither a gorilla nor a whale, the name "Gojira" was devised in a different way for the film's story; Gojira's name was originally spelled using ateji characters (呉爾羅). Godzilla's design was inspired by various species of dinosaurs, specifically a combination of a Tyrannosaurus, a Stegosaurus and an Iguanodon.
Gojira was first released in the United States in 1955 in Japanese-American communities only, under Toho's international title, Godzilla. In 1956, it was adapted by an American company into Godzilla, King of the Monsters, edited and with added principal scenes featuring Raymond Burr, and this version became an international success. Incorrect translations and editing led to a very different story - often said to be 'unpure' by hardcore fans. As a result, the monster came to be recognised as Godzilla in Japan, though Gojira is still the most used name in the country.
Culture
Godzilla was originally an allegory for the effects of the hydrogen bomb, and the unintended consequences that such weapons might have on Earth. The radioactive contamination of the Japanese fishing boat Daigo Fukuryu Maru through the United States' Castle Bravo thermonuclear device test on Bikini Atoll, on March 1, 1954 lead to much press coverage in Japan preceding the release of the first movie in 1954. The Versus and Millennium Series have largely continued this concept. Some have pointed out the parallels, conscious or unconscious, between Godzilla's relationship to Japan and that of the United States; first a terrible enemy who causes enormous destruction, but then becoming a good friend and defender in times of peril.
Films have been made over the last five decades, each reflecting the social and political climate in Japan. All but one of the 29 films were produced by Toho: a version was made in 1998 by TriStar Pictures and set in the United States by the directors of Independence Day (ID4) and is somewhat despised by most Godzilla fans. Toho immediately followed it with 1999's Godzilla 2000: Millennium, which began the current series of films, known informally as the Mireniamu or Millennium series.
Much of Godzilla's popularity in the United States can be credited with TV broadcasts of the Toho Studios monster movies during the 1960s and 1970s. The American company UPA contracted with Toho to distribute its monster movies of the time, and UPA continues to hold the license today for the Godzilla films of the 1960s and 1970s. Sony currently holds some of those rights, as well as the rights to every Godzilla film produced from 1991 onward. The Blue Öyster Cult song "Godzilla" also contributed to the popularity of the movies. The creature also made an appearance in a Nike commercial, in which Godzilla went one-on-one with NBA star Charles Barkley.
In 1995, after his then-final appearance in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, Godzilla received an award for Lifetime Achievement at the MTV Movie Awards. Creator and producer Shogo Tomiyama accepted on his behalf via satellite but was joined by "Godzilla" himself.
26 days after his 50th (Japanese) birthday, on 29 November 2004, Godzilla got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Synopsis
Template:Spoiler The deoxygenation of Tokyo bay, caused by Dr. Serizawa's oxygen destroyer, killed Godzilla at the end of the first movie, dissolving his flesh and bone into nothingness. Nonetheless, Gojira - or Godzilla - returned in a series of films, all from Toho.
In the subsequent films, another of Godzilla's species take his place or Godzilla simply doesn't stay dead (there is some debate about this). In Godzilla 2000, it is discussed that Godzilla possesses a component known as "Organizer G-1", or "Regenerator G-1" in the English version of the film, which allows him to heal from any wound, possibly even regenerate himself from mere fragments. This would make it possible for Godzilla to continue indefinitely, even though he appears to die. Such an ability was used in Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah; where Godzilla's heart beats after Godzilla explodes.
The Japanese version of Godzilla was greatly inspired by the commercial success of King Kong, and the 1953 success of The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms. Godzilla would go on to inspire Gorgo, Gamera, and many others.
Films
The Godzilla series is generally broken into three eras, reflecting the broader division of daikaiju eiga into the Shōwa era, Heisei era, and Millennium era.
Shōwa Godzilla Series (昭和ゴジラシリーズ) 1954–1975
The initial series of movies is named for the Showa period in Japan (as all of these films were produced before Emperor Hirohito's death in 1989). This Showa timeline spanned from 1954, with Godzilla (1954), to 1975, with Terror of Mechagodzilla. With the exception of the serious Godzilla (1954) and the semi-serious sequels Godzilla Raids Again, King Kong vs. Godzilla, and Mothra vs. Godzilla, a lot of this series is relatively light-hearted. Starting with Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (made 11 years after the first Godzilla film), Godzilla began evolving into a more human and playful antihero (this transition was complete by Son of Godzilla, where he is shown as a good character), and as years went by, he evolved into an anthropomorphic superhero. The films Son of Godzilla and All Monsters Attack were aimed at youthful audiences, featuring the appearance of Godzilla's son, Minya. The Showa period saw the addition of many monsters into the Godzilla continuity, many of which (Mothra, Rodan Ghidorah had their own solo movies. The 'big four' (Godzilla, Mothra, Ghidorah and Rodan) all features together in Ghidrah the Three Headed Monster, though Mothra was more of a star of Godzilla vs. Mothra as Godzilla - she had the hero role - and Ghidorah took credit for his self-titled film, with the other three playing second fiddle. However, Godzilla's popularity meant they began to feature in 'Godzilla films' as opposed to 'monster films', as his importance increased. This period featured a well documented continuity, although the chronology becomes confusing after Destroy All Monsters. This film, set in the year 1999 transports all the monsters to Monster Island. The following film appears to be in the Japan when it was made, but Monster Island still features. Subsequent films Godzilla vs. Gigan, and Godzilla vs. Megalon followed this idea of Godzilla being on Monster Island from 1999 onwards (thouth the world is strangely un-futuristic looking), while Godzilla vs. Hedorah Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and Terror of Mechagodzilla set him as a free roaming wild monster again.
In all films of this original series, Godzilla was 50 meters tall, and weighed 20,000 tons. The American release Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) incorrectly stated Godzilla's height to be 300 feet, an inaccuracy that lingers today.
Versus Series or Heisei Series (ＶＳシリーズ) 1984–1995
The timeline was revamped in 1984 with The Return of Godzilla; this movie was created as a direct sequel to the 1954 film, and ignores the continuity of the Showa series. Known as the VS Series, (unofficially known to American fans as the "Heisei Series", for the ruling emperor of the time), the continuity ended in 1995's Godzilla vs. Destoroyah after a run of seven films. The reason for the continuity shift was based on a realization that the marketing of the movies had removed the reason it was so loved. When it was discovered that Godzilla was becoming more popular with children (and less so with the originaladult audience), less complex themes were removed and Godzilla was made out to be a good guy instead of an indestructible, abhorrent mistake of men. However, the further Godzilla was taken away from his origins, the less long-term popularity his films held. Hence, The Return of Godzilla brought the series back to form with a grittier, more serious feel.
The 'new' Godzilla was 80 metres tall, and portrayed as much more of an animal than the latter Showa films, or as a destructive force as he began. The biological nature and science behind Godzilla became a much more discussed issue in the films, showing the increased focus of the moral focus on genetics. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah gave the first concrete birth story for Godzilla, featuring a Godzillasaurus that got mutated by radiation into Godzilla. The film also increased Godzilla's size to a record 100 metres.
American Columbia/TriStar Godzilla film, 1998
The only Godzilla movie not made by Toho is the 1998 film Godzilla, directed by Roland Emmerich. Despite being one of the highest grossing films of the year when factoring in overseas profits, the film was widely panned by cult followers of the Godzilla franchise, critics on both sides of the Pacific, and movie-goers in general, as well as from Toho itself, who were reportedly enraged that Emmerich ignored all their requests they made in regards to how Godzilla should have be portrayed. The $136 million US boxoffice fell far short of marketing expectations, thus the film is generally viewed as a failure despite turning a profit worldwide.
In the 1998 film, Godzilla had been a reptile mutated after a French atomic test, on a French Polynesian island. Set in New York City and produced by Columbia Pictures, this movie is not considered to be part of any of the three eras of the Godzilla series.
The monster in the 1998 film has since been dubbed GINO (Godzilla In Name Only) by many Godzilla fans.
GINO is so called for multiple reasons. The most obvious is that the American movie restarts the saga from the beginning, setting the main action in New York City. Another is that it is produced by a different company. However, the biggest change is in the Godzilla character itself. The Godzilla in this movie is almost entirely computer-animated, and bears little resemblance in look or manner to his Japanese counterpart. Instead, he resembles a gigantic bipedal iguana or Komodo dragon. Also, the behavior of the American Godzilla is viewed as running contrary to the long-established Japanese Godzilla traditions. Examples of this changed behavior include the American Godzilla running away and hiding from the military instead of fighting, a lack of radioactive fire-breath, the laying of eggs by Godzilla, and the ease with which the monster is dispatched by the military at the end of the film.
The movie was considered such a failure that Toho declined to allow any sequels to be made, despite their original plans. The sequel-starting plot hook at the end of the original was used in the animated TV serial Godzilla: The Series, which was a far more popular creation than the American movie, and much more similar to the Japanese films.
Zilla, as the American Godzilla is officially known later featured in Godzilla: Final Wars.
Millennium Series (ミレニアムシリーズ) 1999–2004
The Millennium Series is the official term for the series of Godzilla movies, unofficially called the "Shinsei Series" (or even the "Alternate Reality Series") by American fans, made after the VS Series ended with Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. Unlike the previous two series, this era does not feature a continuous timeline. Only two of the films in this era, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, are directly related to one another. The rest follow entirely different timelines. The common theme to this era is that all movies use Godzilla (1954) as the jumping-off point. After the American Godzilla, Toho decided to show people who the 'real' Godzilla was again (previously plans for revitalising the series were scheduled for 2006), while at the same time reinventing him.
Since the films are different, the sizes are different in some cases. Godzilla's most prominent size in this series is 55 meters. In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack he was 60 meters, and in Godzilla: Final Wars he was 100 meters tall. Godzilla was originally supposed to be 50 meters in Final Wars, but budgetary cutbacks in miniature sets forced this size change.
In response to negative fan reaction to the 1998 American Godzilla film, Toho inserted derogatory references to the American film and creature design in two of its Millennium movies. The Gotham attack was referred to in the 2001 movie Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. The monster that had appeared in New York was not, in fact, Godzilla, but an entirely different yet similar monster. In Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) a kaiju named Zilla, of identical design to the American interpretation of Godzilla, attacks Sydney, Australia. It is later killed by the "true" Godzilla from a hit to the tail, and its radioactive breath in a very fast fight showing that the "true" Godzilla is by far the most powerful.
Filmography
Since 1954, there have been 29 official Godzilla films produced. All of these, with the lone exception of the 23rd, were produced by Toho Studios in Japan. (Please note that the titles listed below are Toho's preferred English titles; for further discussion, see Toho Kingdom.)
Yoshimitsu Banno, director of Godzilla vs. Hedorah, has acquired permission to make a 40-minute film for IMAX theaters, and has secured close to complete funding.
| No. | Title | Year | Director | SFX Director | Monster Co-Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Godzilla 3D to the MAX | 2007 | Yoshimitsu Banno | Eiichi Asada | Deathla |
Other media
Television
Putting the Godzilla films' suits and effects crew to further use were several Japanese television shows; Ultraman and some shows inspired by it used the suits occasionally for cameos but Godzilla Island primarily followed the further adventures of the kaiju featured in the films.
The success of the Godzilla franchise has also spawned two U.S. Saturday morning cartoons, both featuring an investigative scientific team who call upon Godzilla as an ally. The series make several homages to the Shōwa films and several antagonist monsters have been inspired by extant Toho creations.
Comics
- Main article: Godzilla comics
Several manga have been derived from specific Godzilla films, and both Marvel and Dark Horse have published Godzilla comic book series (1977–1979 and 1987–1999, respectively).
Video games
- Main article: Godzilla video games
Godzilla and his fellow monsters have appeared in several video games, including:
- Godzilla: Monster of Monsters
- Godzilla 2: War of the monsters
- Super Godzilla
- Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee
- Godzilla: Domination
- Godzilla: Save the Earth
References in culture
As with any pop culture icon, Godzilla has been parodied, referenced to and homaged in many movies, TV shows, comic books, internet articles, and so on. Here is a partial list of such references:
- Marv Newland's two-minute Bambi Meets Godzilla (1969) is one of the more memorable examples of independent animation.
- Featured in the Animaniacs short, "Warners and the Beanstalk" where Yakko tells the Giant, "Would you like it in Japan with Godzilla and Rodan?"(a parody of Green Eggs and Ham) The Giant ignores Yakko's offer resulting in Godzilla burning him with his Atomic breath, and Rodan blowing him away.
- In the last scene of The Simpsons 10th season finale "Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo", Godzilla attacks a plane going from Japan to the USA that the Simpsons are on. Godzilla is distracted by Mothra, Rodan and Gamera, allowing the plane to escape.
- In the episode of the Comedy Central animated reality show parody Drawn Together entitled "Super Nanny", Godzilla plays a minor role as Ling-Ling's conscience (with his size probably meant as a subtle joke to Ling-Ling's cultural responsibility).
- In The Fairly Oddparents TV movie School's Out: The Musical before the Mayor starts singing it shows Godzilla destroying the city.
- In Austin Powers in Goldmember, Austin crashes his car into a dinosaur like parade float while in Japan, causing it to roll around the streets uncontrollably. It is identified by a civilian as Godzilla, but another civilian corrects him, stating that it only looks like Godzilla due to copyright issues.
- Mariah Carey's video for "Boy (I Need You)", which takes place in a futuristic Japanese metropolis, features a yellow, fire-breathing Godzilla-like monster, also brought to life by suitmation.
- In Olive the Other Reindeer, a show often shown on Cartoon Network during the Christmas season, Olive, Santa, and Santa's reindeer sing a song titled "Merry Christmas After All" while traveling the world delivering presents. However, when they visit Tokyo, Ultraman flies by them, waves, and then starts dancing and singing with Godzilla.
- A great many of The Far Side cartoons feature Godzilla, including one where he is driving a car with a license plate saying "I 8 NY" (I ate New York}.
- In one Calvin and Hobbes strip Calvin, after having seen Godzilla vs. Megalon on television, starts behaving like Godzilla (which includes spitting water on his mom, pretending that she is Megalon.
- There is a Warcraft creature called Gahz'rilla who is a hydra. However, his name gives away that he is a parody of Godzilla.
- One The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy episode is titled
" Giant Billy and Mandy: All Out Attack"
- Godzilla has cameoed or inspired likenesses in several other (usually animated) shows:
- There is a drink in Malaysia called "Milo Godzilla", consisting of a cup of Milo with ice cream and/or whipped cream on top of it.
- In an episode of the anime series Viewtiful Joe, Joe is at one point seen playing with a Godzilla toy. The antagonists rush in, and Joe tells them to go away because he is playing with his Godzilla. At that point, one of the antagonists states, "How about I play Godzilla, and you play Tokyo!"
- Several Mecha from Tomy's Zoids model line and anime closely resemble Godzilla. Examples of such are Gojulas, Gojulas Giga and Death Saurer.
- The Pokemon character "Tyranitar" appears to be a ripoff of Godzilla.
Paleontology
At least two prehistoric creatures from the fossil record have been named after Godzilla:
- Gojirasaurus quayi is a theropod dinosaur that lived in the Triassic Period; a partial skeleton was unearthed in Quay County, New Mexico.
- Dakosaurus andiniensis, a crocodile from the Jurassic Period, was nicknamed "Godzilla" before being scientifically classified.
See also
- Agon (TV series) (Agon was a serialized B&W TV movie produced in 1964, but aired in 1968. This 4 episode miniseries (aired Jan 2-5, 1968 on Fuji TV) was produced by Japan Radio Pictures (Nippon Denpa Eiga). The title monster is similar in appearance to Godzilla, so much that Toho almost sued Japan Radio Pictures, until they found that it was Fuminori Ohashi (who helped create the Godzilla suit for the original 1954 film) who designed the Agon costume!)
- Ditanix (Seijuu Sentai Gingaman)
- Dragon Caesar (Kyoryuu Sentai ZyuRanger)
- Gamera
- Gappa
- Gorgo
- Raki
- Reptar
- Reptilicus
- Rhedosaurus (The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms)
External links
Official
Information
- Toho Kingdom
- Kaijuphile: Monster Site. Monster Obsession.
- Monster Zero News
- Barry's Temple of Godzilla
- Godzilla Stomp
- Rodan's Roost
- Gamera Fans, kaiju fan site & resource board
- Tokyo Monsters The premiere kaiju multimedia site
- Giant Monster Movies
- Henshin! Online, Japanese fantasy website
- Template:Dmoz
- GreenCine primer on Godzilla
- Godzilla and other Monster Music
- Club Tokyo, kaiju collectibles reference
- Godzilla U.K., The British Godzilla Webzine
- G-FAN, an international fanzine
- Twisted Kaiju Theatre, a webcomic
Analysis
- Allsop, S "Gojira?Godzilla' in Bowyer, Justin (2002). 24 Frames: The Cinema of Japan and Korea. London: Wallflower Press.
- "Godzilla taking a break -- for now". Japanese film producer putting star on hiatus. CNN. 4 March 2004.
- "'Monster Theory' Godzilla: Cross-Cultural Analysis of Godzilla". AN332/CS310 2 November 2000.
- Kroke, Arthur, and Marilouise Kroke, "Ctheory: Tokyo Must Be Destroyed". Theory, technology and culture, Ctheory. VOL 18, NO 1-2 Article 27b 95/06/22 Editors:
