Why do you watch Kaiju Movies?

[CyberZilla]

I want to add to this because I saw a great conversation: there's also something empowering about kaiju. Like many others who are neurotypical, or queer or of a different race, there's something.....fascinating about monster movies. About seeing these creatures shunned by society for not fitting it's standards striking back at it for what it did. Kaiju films in particular work because they have two interesting wrinkles to this formula.

1. kaiju are tragic. There's rarely a "thank god, that MONSTER is dead" moment, where the monster is dead and our heroes celebrate. With the exception of the worst of the worst kaiju (the ones the films argue can't be saved), the humans mourn what happened when the kaiju die. That they were forced to kill something unique for being in a world not for it, for losing people who had so much to give, for simply stopping one problem and not the wider issue that causes it. That helps set them apart.

2. Kaiju can CHANGE. Look at it. Over and over again, this series ends the same way: a triumphant Godzilla ends at almost even terms with humanity, with humanity not wanting to always attack him as he goes on to live in peace with a new family he lost. The benefit is it shows the other side: not only can we empathize with these monsters for lashing out, not only do the films show their lashing out is a tragic situation instead of something we should shrug and finish, but THEY CAN CHANGE. Society can adapt to accommodate them, villains can be heroes, they can move on and be happy.

That's why kaiju work. Because at the end of the day, they are the heroes of underdogs in so many ways.

This, this, this. There's these elements and they always resonate for me when I watch a kaiju flick. They're majestic and strange and different, they stomp about in a world that doesn't fit them, but they try to fit in anyways. The movies that show a move towards coexistence, between kaiju and humans or other kaiju (KOTM, GvK to some extent), are usually among my favorites– but the tragic ones, where they cannot fit in, but try to force the world to change are also so fascinating (Shin Godzilla). As someone whose mind functions differently, seeing these creatures persist and prevail despite their extreme differences can be empowering to watch for sure.

[Zasraniec]

Kaiju movies are definitely one of a kind. Right now the prevailing theme is superhero movies. While I do like those I will always love kaiju movies the most. They are unique. For one it requires a creative imagination to think of what the kaiju will look like, behave like, and what abilities. There is also a scale of realism you can pick. You can be somewhat realistic or just go outright crazy. It is a very versatile genre. It can be action, adventure, sci-fi, and even horror. Speaking of that I would say horror kaiju movies are too rare and we need some more of those. Anyways they can be very serious or just a giant slugfest. They can serve purely as escapism or offer cutting social commentary on important issues. You name it, a kaiju can fit in it somehow. The kaiju themselves can be heroic, more neutral, or even evil. Just look at all of the phases Godzilla has been through over the decades. He was heroic, anti-heroic, and even evil. His movies touched on nuclear weapons, space travel, fantasy, pollution, and even bio-weapons. That is what attracts me to the genre most. That and since the most shared genre is science fiction because I love sci-fi movies.

[goji89]

I watch them to be cool.
Everyone knows watching kaiju movies is a fast ticket to being the cool kid on campus. I mean look at all the cool kids in here at TK.....pfffft hahahahaha

I watch them because I love miniature effects and the process of building these intricate models. The suits, the designs of the kaiju, the monster fights.