Godzilla: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Giant Green Monster

Godzilla is one of cinema’s finest creations. The pure manifestation of art as social and political critique. The shining example of examining our own world and creating a mythical figure to match. He is also one of the most flexible characters ever created. He can be scary, friendly, the villain, the anti-hero, a father, a friend, an action figure to smash around, and always an indictment of the nuclear bomb.

Created in 1954 by Ishiro Honda, only NINE YEARS after the US dropped the nuclear bomb, the original Godzilla is one of the greatest movies ever made. It takes one of the world’s greatest tragedies and uses it to explore the enduring impact of that moment. The movie is played completely straight. We don’t see much of Godzilla; he peeks his head over mountains, we catch glimpses of him, but the movie is truly focused on the human cost of his destruction. To this day, filmmakers continue to iterate on the same basic plot points that Honda mapped out in the original. Nuclear testing has created this monster; they debate where it came from, we watch the procedures of the government as they try to address the issue, and eventually, a new, more powerful weapon has to be created, but never used again, to destroy the beast.

Silhouette of a large, monstrous figure against a foggy background, with cables crossing in the foreground.

A group of people struggling in rain and darkness, with expressions of desperation and determination, as they clamber over a rocky surface.

If the original Godzilla is a repudiation of government inefficiency, the next standout film, Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), continues the legacy of using these monsters for social commentary. Mothra’s giant rainbow egg is found washed ashore, and a greedy businessman immediately lays claim to it. The indigenous people of Infant Island protest, only to be dismissed in favor of monetary gain. At one point, the businessman even decides to build a theme park around the egg. Money talks!

The SAME YEAR, Toho released Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964), setting our giant green friend on his path to character elasticity. Until this point, Godzilla had been the ultimate villain, the terror against humanity. Now he’s Earth’s last hope. What a turn! From the ashes of the A-bomb, the ultimate atrocity man has committed, to the only thing that can save humanity from an even greater evil. In Son of Godzilla (1967), he becomes a father, cementing his place among cinema’s great characters. In 13 years, Godzilla went from the most terrifying monster one could imagine to a friendly green fella just trying to raise a kid. That’s range!

A dramatic scene featuring two giant monsters, one resembling a dinosaur and the other a three-headed dragon, battling amidst dark clouds and fog.

In the modern age, there are two types of Godzilla movies. Movies with Godzilla and movies about Godzilla. Warner Bros. ’ “Monsterverse” films are movies about Godzilla; they lean into the myth and the camp of the character, care little for its human protagonists (anyone remember Milly Bobby Brown is in them??), and can generally be summarized as two hours of smashing your toys against each other. They’re seemingly one movie away from the pendulum swinging fully back around and giving Godzilla a child again! I find those movies fun at times, but they should honestly commit to making a movie fully about Godzilla or Kong, and cut the humans out entirely. It would be interesting to see.

Godzilla and King Kong charging through a cave illuminated by vibrant crystals.

Luckily, Japan has continued to make movies with Godzilla. Telling stories of human toil as the King of the Monsters stomps around. 2016’s Shin Godzilla, directed by Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno, is an incredible government procedural about the festering anger surrounding the handling of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and how the infrastructure of our society is the last line of defense we have in the face of a real crisis. A stirring picture. 2023’s Godzilla Minus One takes the character back to post-WWII and places its story on the citizens of Japan, their struggles, and national trauma. It’s the story of a guy having a real tough time, and it resonates. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what Takashi Yamazaki has in store for the sequel.

A distressed man with a bandaged head kneels on a rocky ground, surrounded by debris and destruction.

Like all great characters, Godzilla gives filmmakers a tried and true template to play in. Seventy years in, Godzilla is still as fresh and interesting a character as he’s ever been. He’s survived reboots, studio recycling, men in rubber suits, and he even Got Busy. He’s a character you can drop into almost any situation, and the movie will still be interesting.