Godzilla is a Horror Movie
By Jakob Johns | Misfit Media Columnist
Man, that monkey socks Godzilla real good.
I know I’m a pretentious tool half the time, telling people to stop enjoying what they enjoy and stuff, but I did enjoy Godzilla vs Kong. I mean, I’d only really give it a 5/10, but I went in tipsy and really enjoyed the part where the giant monkey punched the giant lizard – it activates that little part of my ape brain. Good shit. Better than the 1962 King Kong vs Godzilla, which lacked the oomph that this new version has. Kong won that one, by the way. For some reason he was powered up through electricity? I know he’s a really big super monkey, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense. It’s Batman and Superman all over again.
Wait, what was this article about? Right. Gojira. Time for a time warp guys – back to 1945, after Japan served as the testing ground for the worst weapon humanity ever made: the atom bomb.
Nuclear power didn’t just have a massive effect on Japan physically. Culturally, the waves of the bomb would ripple for decades. One of the first big ripples visible to a film nerd like me is the 1954 Godzilla – the OG as it were. This film isn’t an action movie. This is sci-fi horror, where Godzilla represents the terrifying power of the atom bomb.
That’s right lads. Godzilla was an art film. Gotcha again.
Ironically, America has taken Godzilla back and turned him into an action hero, which leads us to Godzilla vs Kong. The ape-brain movie that wastes Lance Reddick for some reason. But, recently, there was another Godzilla entry that might entice you a little more if you want a taste of what the character (or lack thereof) was originally all about. Shin Godzilla (2016).
In Shin Godzilla, the monster is actually terrifying. It’s creepy, animalistic, and lacks any semblance of human characteristics. The thing starts as a bizarre fish-like monster that only evolves into its bipedal form upon crawling onto land, at which point it only gets worse for the humans. The atomic breath razes cities as easily as man lasers ant-hills. The tail sweeps skyscrapers off of their feet like nuclear roofies. It’s pained, it’s confused, and it really doesn’t agree with the Tokyo skyline.
The humans in this film have a far more grounded challenge to defeat the beast because, like the ’54 film, this one is based on real disasters. This time, it’s inspired by the responses to tsunamis and earthquakes, and how easily they can be choked in red-tape. You want to evacuate Tokyo? Good luck dealing with all the refugees. You want to nuke Godzilla? Good luck convincing the government that it’s a good idea. You want to try a superweapon? Good luck funding all that. By the way, if you don’t do all this fast enough, Godzilla murders everyone by accident.
I know the monkey had an axe like Thor. I’m aware of the big boxing match vibe. Don’t remind me, I know they’re cool. But this one’s scary because it’s real - and it’s great.
Anyway, does anyone actually expect Kong to win? He’s a monkey, man.
Credit:
Godzilla (1954)
King Kong vs Godzilla (1962)
Shin Godzilla (2016)
Godzilla vs Kong (2021)