Hello all,
Just a quick note before I begin, I just recently went and saw the new Godzilla movie, and I wanted to say that this post will give away some spoilers, so don't read this if you haven't already seen the movie. If you don't plan on seeing the movie, then please, read on.
I really wanted to begin this blog post by simply talking about how I viewed the new Godzilla movie in relation to Gojira, as well as talk about my experience in the theater on opening night. If you haven't heard yet, the new Godzilla movie set a new box office record of $38.5 million on opening day. It is strange to think that I contributed to that. As I was waiting in line to buy my tickets, I looked around me. Not only did I see individuals with Godzilla action figures waiting to get into the theater, but I even saw a girl with a dinosaur costume. My initial reaction was, "isn't Godzilla a symbol of atomic warfare and destruction? Why are these people so enthusiastic about this radioactive monster?" (On a side note, I have not seen any other Godzilla movies besides the original that we watched in class). I was confused at the pride many of these American, and Japanese, movies goers took in this new movie. Once in the theater, the movie began with an American cast and the destruction of a nuclear plant, not an atomic bomb. As soon as the main scientist said Godzilla's name, the audience began to scream out and applaud. "Why are they happy?" I thought, still confused because the original Gojira movie seemed so tragic. As this new movie progressed, so did the plot line. There was a new type of monster that fed off of radiation and nuclear power, and at a climax of the movie, Godzilla came out to destroy this new breed of monster. The audience applauded when Godzilla came out and destroyed these new beasts. In this 2014 version of Godzilla, Godzilla was the savior of society. In the 1954 version, Gojira needed to be destroyed because the constant destruction of mankind. This is the biggest difference I have seen. I believe that this version of Godzilla takes away from the historical aspect of the original.
This new movie does tie in nuclear power, a nuclear bomb, and it mentions Hiroshima as being a cause to Godzilla. Overall, I really did enjoy this movie. (I must admit, this version of Godzilla stayed true to the look and shape of Gojira in 1954).
The amount of destruction in this movie due to the new monsters and due to Godzilla made me think of a natural disaster. The destruction due to these monsters was located mainly in San Francisco, and it was insane. It made me hurt that our bay area could be destroyed, and it made me wonder if the way I felt was even just a glimpse of what the Japanese felt when Gojira first came out.
I apologize if this blog post is a rant of my own personal opinion, but I wanted to make sure that I at least wrote it down to see if anyone else felt the same way. Please feel free to comment with your opinion of the movie. I'd love to hear it. Thanks for reading!
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