by Jorzilla » Mon Sep 08, 2014 1:52 pm
Does anyone know of a US Giant Monster Movie where the military doesn't step in and save the day?
I watched Gorgo for the first time in years, and was really surprised by how many civilians they show getting crushed and killed, and how the military can do nothing to stop Gorgo. The monster's rampage is only ended when it gets to the baby and returns back to the river.
I'm wondering if there is a cultural attitude going on that I've written about before. In both WWI and WWII the British experienced the horrors and tragedy of war a lot more acutely than any one in the US did. While Pearl Harbor was bombed and civilians died, it still doesn't compare to what the bombing or rocket attacks against London were like back in the 1940s. I definitely saw some similarities in Gorgo with strategic bombing in London, people randomly getting crushed by debris, going into the London Underground only to be crushed to death regardless. In that respect, the movie was most similar to Godzilla because both of those audiences had first hand experiences of what it's like to be a civilian being targeted by an enemy force...albeit a giant monster over an enemy bomber. Even Pacific Rim was criticized because there was an "America comes to save the day" vibe going on with Gipsy Danger...add to that even in the back story the military is ultimately able to defeat Trespasser with conventional weapons.
In recent memory, US experienced 9/11 and we are now seeing similar homages and references in films like the Avengers and even the new Godzilla film.
I'm just curious, does anyone have an example of a US giant monster film where the military shows up and doesn't ultimately save the day? The only example I can think of is Cloverfield, and even that is left rather ambiguous.