#35 We just watched this on Netflix streaming: Gojira

The Film: Gojira

Of all the movies Gojira reminds me of one just sticks in my mind and won’t leave: The movie First Blood. The two films have nothing to do with each other in terms of plot, but both are tragic warnings about the dangers of war and both were turned into franchises of shameless destruction and violence. Don’t get me wrong, Godzilla flicks and Rambo flicks are awesome. It is just funny Godzilla was such a powerful statement against weapons of mass destruction, but you could watch a more modern Godzilla flick and never know.

The actual movie is what you expect: Godzilla shows up and starts fucking up Tokyo. However, what you might not expect is the moral dilemma introduced toward the end of the movie. Do you save the cities of Japan or introduce a new weapon of mass destruction to the world? The film takes a position on the use of the Atom bombs only a decade earlier.

Why to watch it: It is the first fucking Godzilla movie!

Aside from all the morality jargon, it is just plain cool to see the first Godzilla movie. You might not like it, but I did. The special effects are cheesy at times, especially when you can clearly tell that Godzilla is a dude in a suit. The special effects though, overall, are pretty decent. They’re dated, but still effective. I was engaged in the story, but the characters are never fleshed out and you never care about them, but that really isn’t the point of the movie.

Pay attention to this: The film’s arguments against weapons of mass destruction.

Gojira is a not so subtle in regards to its criticisms of weapons of mass destruction. Particularly America’s use of the Atom bomb on many cities. It is easy to draw parallels between Godzilla’s destruction on Tokyo and the destruction that America did when they dropped two Atom bombs on heavily populated cities. These scenes with Godzilla are way too long and are often way too silly and fake, but I think they work.

Moreover, the discussions whether or not to use the new weapon to kill Godzilla seem like real fears that stemmed from the use of these weapons. They are intriguing ideas during a time of global uncertainty in regards to what America did. It’s cool. And man, hearing that Godzilla scream for the first time is so cool.

-Collin.