A 400-foot (122-meter) dinosaur-like beast, awoken from undersea hibernation off the Japanese coast by atomic-bomb testing, attacks Tokyo. When American reporter Steve Martin investigates a series of mysterious disasters off the coast of Japan, he comes face to face with an ancient creature so powerful and so terrifying, it can reduce Tokyo to a smoldering graveyard. Nuclear weapon testing resurrected this relic from the Jurassic age, and now it's rampaging across Japan. At night, Godzilla wades through Tokyo leaving death and destruction in his wake, disappearing into Tokyo Bay when his rage subsides. Coventional weapons are useless against him; but renowned scientist Dr. Serizawa has discovered a weapon that could destroy all life in the bay – including Godzilla. But which disaster is worse, Godzilla's fury, or the death of Tokyo Bay? I wasn't even aware there were two versions of the original GOJIRA until about a month ago. GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS was the American version of the film released two years after the original with heavy edits and a bunch of additional footage. It came from a time when, rather than subtitle a film for a new audience, it was deemed a better option to redub it in English and, apparently, add a brand new irrelevant character for the Americans to relate with. Despite the many differences, the overall premise remains the same. A series of ships lost at sea lead to the discovery of an ancient creature dwelling beneath the ocean waves. The legendary Godzilla has awoken and he rains destruction down on Japan. Except this time, instead of following the story of a few characters with actual back stories and motivations caught in it's path, we follow American journalist Steve Martin (Raymond Burr) as he follows the monster around Japan and spouts exposition to keep American audiences in the loop. So it's all of the monster smashing fun of GOJIRA with none of the character drama. In other words, it's the hollow shell of a movie that I wasn't too impressed with to begin.<br/><br/>A brief rundown on my thoughts of GOJIRA: I was bored. It was drawn out and overdramatic with a quick fix climax that continues to bother me with its goofy pseudoscience that doesn't gel with its otherwise serious tone. Still, I respect it for what it is and dig the subtext about Japan's nuclear fears in the years following the end of the second World War. On that note, GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS drops all of the subtext that made GOJIRA interesting. An obvious bit of American guilt for killing tens of thousands of Japanese civilians with nuclear weapons, all references to the bombing or even atomic testing in the Pacific have been removed. Now Godzilla is nothing more than an ancient creature that rises from the ocean sort of randomly to stomp around Tokyo. It's become a generic monster movie in the hands of director/editor Terry Morse. So, there's the first mark against it. Then we have the removal of any interesting characters from the film. Sure, the characters are all still there: Dr. Yamane and his daughter Emiko, her lover Ogata, and her fiancé Dr. Serizawa. But nearly all elements from the love triangle between Emiko, Ogata, and Serizawa have been eliminated. And, if the film touched on Dr. Yamane's desire to study the beast rather than kill it, it wasn't much. Dr. Serizawa and his deus ex machina invention are still there, but only because they needed it to close the movie. Otherwise I imagine it would've been canned too. If anything, it's fun to watch this movie to see how different the vibes are between the Japanese and American versions.<br/><br/>GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS cuts 20 minutes from the film, so at least it moves at a faster pace and puts more focus on getting to the money shots of the monster wreaking havoc. In order to get us from plot point to plot point in a way that American audiences can understand, we get Steve Martin and his powers of exposition. He's a totally passive character and does absolutely nothing more to move the plot forward. He's basically our translator. Except he's not, because that's the other new character's job: the security officer played by Frank Iwanaga. We get brief moments of story happening in Japanese, Steve asks what they said, and the security officer fills Steve (and the audience) in. So Raymond's role in the film is to essentially stand awkwardly spliced into the background and ask, "What'd he say?" This is basically a foreign film dumbed down for American audiences, a practice that continues well into the new millennium. If you want to watch some classic Godzilla but can't be bother with all that pesky "plot" or "character development" and just want to see a man in a rubber suit knock over buildings, here's your movie. But, even with it's flaws (as I see them) in the original, GOJIRA is still the superior film and should be anyone's go-to for the true origins of the world's most famous monster. What more can be said? This is the one that started it all, and is a classic that stands the test of time. My favorite part is when<br/><br/>Godzilla first walks into Tokyo and demolishes the train! That about sets the tone for the upcoming destruction. As for the music, absolutely perfect for the movie. Dark, foreboding, atmospheric, somber, entertaining. The accolades could go on forever. The best.<br/><br/>10 out of 10. Godzilla rules!
Gilmevis replied
295 weeks ago