TALKBACK #1: Gojira

[lhb412]

Well, I decided to skim through the first four films again so I can get back to doing my Talkback threads and fufilling my little dream of watching all these movies in order... so I start watching Gojira and, well, when you start watching it you can't help but watch it all-the-way through.

I teared up a bit at the end, knowing Honda's dream of ending nuclear tests and president Obama's recent statements about outlawing nuclear testing and phasing out nuclear weapons altogether. It was a nice feeling.

[king_ghidorah]

[jellydonut25]

[godziwolf]

[StevenScrivello]

[Godzilla 2000]

[Andrew Nguyen]

[StevenScrivello]

[badism]

[Gabbara Davis, Jr.]

I am going through all the G films again, after many years of neglect. I watched the original again after many, many years.

WOW. It really does hold up well, and for those in contemporary audiences who like "dark" movies (Dark Knight, etc.), GOJIRA is really, really freaking dark. It would be depressing if it didn't have the action sequences to at least bump up the adrenaline level.

It really is an amazing film. Then I look at TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA and wonder WTF?? How did that happen?

I love all the G films, but it is really something to look at bookends like that, and to go back to the source material and see what it was all about originally. Very impressive film, well made, and worthy of a place in cinema history even without the giant monster part.

[jellydonut25]

[EricDent]

[mbozzo]

[Benjamin Haines]

[kiryugoji04]

[StevenScrivello]

[jellydonut25]

[xyphus42]

[Irish Gfan]

The original Gojira will always be my favorite Kaiju film and probably my favorite monster movie period behind the original King Kong.

Its a great social commentary on the dangers of nuclear weapons, so it actually has a point. Also, that subject matter forced the film makers to be gruesome. Something that many Godzilla movies in the future completely lacked was the sense of destruction & death that these giant monsters create. We see people being killed by the scores. We see children crying over the bodies of their dead parents. Its really quite horrific and its the only Godzilla movie that I would truly label as a horror movie.

I also have to say that Dr. Serasawa is my favorite human character in any Godzilla film. I love the whole debate brought about by the Oxygen Destroyer. It is powerful enough to destroy Godzilla EASILY, but is it right to unleash that on the world? It really does raise a lot of questions, and I don't even know if there is a right answer. Serasawa's sacrifice is also a great moment in the series as its a great selfless and heroic act.

The original Godzilla is a film classic and my personal favorite.

[EricDent]

[The Real McCoy]

Well, it is explained in David Kalat's commentary track on the new Criterion Godzilla Blu-ray that the name "Godzilla" is in fact a direct translation of the name "Gojira." I haven't watched it in a while, but if I'm not mistaken he makes an extra effort to point that out. That's why they put the name "Godzilla" on the box instead of Gojira. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but Classic Media's release used the title "Gojira" as a marketing technique so that people knew that it was in fact the original uncut version.

It's kind of funny; those type of people will not refer to that movie as anything other than Gojira, but for the rest of the movies they use the name Godzilla.

They are indeed the same thing.

[EricDent]

Thanks for the clarification, though it would be useful to post that on the topic on that board.

[The Real McCoy]

Sorry Eric, but I'm not a member there.

That particular tidbit of info stood out in my mind because I've seen discussions/arguments like that before and it gets tiresome sometimes.

Just think about it: Why must you use the title "Gojira" for the first movie, but for say, Godzilla vs. Gigan, it then becomes "Godzilla" all of a sudden? :dunno:

[SeaHawk]

The Criterion edition is called GODZILLA because that's the name of the movie. That has been the international title for the film since the beginning.

[lhb412]

Gojira is just to differentiate it, so's you know what film you're talking about.

"Gojira" in English is "Godzilla."