As most of us know, the '54 Godzilla kicked off one of the biggest movie franchises of all time. There are certainly more films - a whopping thirty-two in total from the Toho studios - in this canon than in any other series. Even the James Bond flicks are a distant second-place at twenty-four (official films, that is... not including the 1967 parody Casino Royale and the unofficial remake of Thunderball, Never Say Never Again in 1983).
But back to good ol' Gojira (as written and spoken in Japanese). I am not sure when I first saw the original version... it may not have been the very first 'Zilla flick I ever saw, but I'm sure it was among the many I caught on after-school TV when I was a kid. As a youngster and tween, I preferred the more colourful and campy sequels and spin-offs (Mothra, Rodan, Gamera, etc). But as a more "serious" film fan as a grownup, I have come around to regarding the original with admiration.
Its black-and-white treatment, the effective horror movie lighting, tension-building pacing, creepy and ominous music, and of course the atomic testing cautionary tale all contributed to its grim, atmospheric, and almost-scary tone. Subsequent entries in the series became rather silly, jokey, and downright corny with their comic-book-ish approach. Godzilla and his fellow monsters, whether comrades or opponents, performed crazy wrestling matches, rolling around, grappling, and body-slamming. And the victory bounces with arms in the air! The cooler bits of the battles were the radioactive breath and laser blast stuff.
The fact that this monster was portrayed by a man in a rubber suit, stomping on detailed miniature cities, did not harm the spirit of the first film. The camera captured a truly awe-inspiring destructive being from the depths. The later instalments gave us a lighter-footed, jumping, dancing Godzilla... not at all frightful, just entertaining in a goofy way.
Anyway, the first movie was an important part of history, truly kicking off the giant monster genre in cinema. Yes, King Kong (and his smaller counterparts Son of Kong and Mighty Joe Young) came first (okay, second... after dinosaur picture The Lost World in 1925), but it did not quite inspire the studios to pump out one fight fest after another. Godzilla did. And not just Toho sequels and spin-offs, but other forms of humongous creatures in mostly standalone features from other studios.
For example, there were 50's imitators Them! (giant ants), Tarantula, The Deadly Mantis, and 20 Million Miles to Earth (a rapidly growing alien), and many more... and on into the 60's with Gorgo, Reptilicus, and others. Giant monster films are still big draws in today's CGI-blessed (or damned) industry.
Now on to the 1998 Godzilla. I had high hopes... hell, we ALL had high hopes... when this remake was announced back in the day. I was there in my seat chomping popcorn with everyone else, waiting for a monumental reboot of the ancient beast.
But boy, what a disappointment. This version came across more like Jurassic Park Goes To New York. And its all-star Hollywood cast just couldn't save it from mediocrity. To begin with, it took most of the 1990's to even get this picture off the ground. Script issues and budget disputes stalled the production over and over again. When it was finally on its way, the hype machine was in full force and the fans were salivating. What did we know?
The movie made some cash but it was considered a box office disappointment. Critics and fans agreed that this was a flop. Planned sequels were cancelled. Yep, that says it all in a nutshell. Even Ferris Bueller (actor Matthew Broderick) couldn't save the show. The story begins with promise, with the well-known radioactive resuscitation of the prehistoric creature. But when the old boy heads into NYC, things go way off track. Too many dull human sub-stories emerge and that alone made this almost unbearable. Then throw in the fact that this Godzilla is pregnant and is building its nest in Madison Square Garden and you've got a twist that doesn't bode well. Without giving it all away here, I'll just say that this becomes more of a Jurassic Park action knock-off than anything worth the radioactive spit of the 1954 monster. The unsatisfying final scenes left viewers with a bad taste in their mouths.
That was a gigantic "meh".
So in this movie cage match, 1954 Godzilla wins with a serious knock-out. I've bought and upgraded my copies of the original a few times over the years, from VHS tape to DVD, then to the more recent magnificently restored Criterion edition on Blu-ray. On the other hand, that '98 bust - well, I think I might have seen it one more time shortly after its release on video rental way back when. That was more than enough. Blech.
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