Gojira
Starring: Akira Takarada, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura
Directed by: Ishiro Honda
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction, Foreign
1954

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Japan is ruthlessly attacked by a giant monster, Gojira. A handful of brilliant scientists try to come up with a way to stop the beast before more people die.

Review:

Tim: Gojira is a classic monster movie that in many ways remains a landmark in filmmaking. Looking at this 1954 film today, it is hard to imagine audiences were scared by it. Upon close inspection, it is pretty obvious that Gojira (or Godzilla) is just a guy in a rubber lizard suit. However, although in the back of my mind I was aware of this, it never took me out of the movie. Director Ishiro Honda crafts such an interesting tale that when Godzilla does appear, it is truly frightening.

This movie wisely spends as much time if not more on the main characters. Yes, this movie is truly about a giant lizard causing havoc in Japan, but it is also about a love triangle. I loved the attention to these characters, giving them room to breathe, develop, and grow on us. The movie works because we care about what happens to these people. When Godzilla shows up, we're genuinely concerned. This is a great strength of the film.

However, the one element that makes this movie truly powerful is that this is really an allegory of the dangers of nuclear testing and nuclear weapons. This movie came out only nine years after the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were literally obliterated by nuclear weapons. I can't imagine how a country tries to deal with that. It was so amazing to watch this Japanese movie warning of the dangers of nuclear weapons. Knowledge of this makes everything seem much more sinister. When the theory of Godzilla's origin emerges, we get shivers thinking about what this means to the Japanese people. When Tokyo is destroyed by Godzilla, this isn't just disaster movie escapism. This was a very real and still fresh event that the Japanese people had to deal with in their own lives. This makes the movie sinister, fascinating, and amazing.

I have to mention the special effects. Yes, even by 1954 standards, these weren't exactly revolutionary, but they work here. I was surprised how much destruction we saw, as Godzilla crushed buildings, trains, and caused real mayhem and damage. We see several hospital scenes as the survivors deal with the aftermath. This makes all of this real, which is why this movie stands apart from many other monster movies.

Gojira is not a flawless movie. In many ways, it can be viewed as silly and dated. However, when one watches this not purely as a monster movie- but also as a nuclear allegory, this infuses the film with some truly fascinating and memorable commentary. For this reason, the movie works far better than it might have. No, this is not an outstanding movie, but it is a solid, memorable film that made a lasting impact on film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Godzilla: King of the Monsters