Favorite aspects of the Showa Godzilla films

[MDK]

Title says it all. What are your favorite aspects of the Showa Godzilla films? Personally, I love how the characters are basically normal everyday people. A lot more interesting than some generic military generals of the Heisei series. Also, the special effects are timeless in these films.

[Space Hunter M]

I like the batshit insane advertising material the Toho publicity department did. There was more creativity in the studio system back then anyways.

[he-ba]

Best part- everything, except the american Ebirah soundtrack

[Space Hunter M]

except the american Ebirah soundtrack

Whaaa? There were zero musical changes except the removal of the High and Low stock cue during the fighter jet attack.

[Tamura]

Finding ads like this:

[Legion1979]

The sincerity of these films, even the lesser ones, something many of the Heisei and Millennium films lack.

[Gerdzerl]

Godzilla's character development from villain to hero.

[kamilleblu]

The sincerity of these films, even the lesser ones, something many of the Heisei and Millennium films lack.

Pretty much this. I enjoy watching all but GRA and DAM in regards to the Showa films, even the bad ones. They seemed to care about what they were making more than they would in the 90's and beyond.

Yeah. But many people are unwilling to give the older ones a chance, which is a shame given all of the hard work and love they were made with.

[JAGzilla]

Almost everything, really. There was this magic combination of people behind them that had the talent, creativity, and will to make these potentially ridiculous ideas work amazingly well.

Besides that, I just tend to prefer the old style of monster movie. Good stuff still comes along now and then, and modern technology allows for today's kaiju to be portrayed in ways the ancestors could not, but something about the genre just belongs in the past. Mostly, I suppose, because it was all new, back then. These monsters were being created for the first time, and people were willing to risk trying new things. Now... now, we mostly get rehashes and halfassery. Or both.

[three]

The sincerity of these films, even the lesser ones, something many of the Heisei and Millennium films lack.

this, along with the monsters themselves (this is where some of the best incarnations of the monsters show up, such as Mothra, and for many Ghidorah and MG), as well as the ability to be both zany and realized.

[edgaguirus]

There's many things I like about this period. You can see a lot of creativity in these movies, and they have some great musical scores. These films were also made with love. No matter how silly the films might get, the studio did a serious job to make them quality and fun.

[tymon]

They transport me to a place where I'm not a jaded, judgmental, postmodern cynic which is quite the feat. I like what the movies are about culturally, how they were made and who made them. But it all goes back to an unexplainable love for dinosaurs, monster and practical effects. They just make me happy.

This, to a word.

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

I honestly love the portrayal of the monsters. They weren't just mindless animals, they had personality & emotion, they were treated as characters in their own right. Also loved they kept coming back again and again, more like comic book heroes and villians rather than simple movie monsters. Especially loved the vast number of creatures with all their outlandish designs and powers.

[kamilleblu]

One of my favorite aspects is Godzilla during his heroic mode during the latter Showa Era. I know these films aren't examples of master film-making and many look down on this period in his history, namely mainstream audiences and the fans who prefer their Godzilla dirty & gritty, but these films are pretty entertaining. Before shounen anime and Star Wars, Godzilla was utilizing the force and gaining power-ups out of thin air.

[ScouseGojira]

I realize it was not the original intention of the character, but all that anti-nuke stuff is not the reason I love Godzilla, the real reason is he is a giant Dinosaur who has radioactive breath and kicks the ass of every other monster out there. This is what mid 60s through mid 70s Showa films portrayed and this is always how I've seen Godzilla, like a Batman, Hulk, Spidey etc. Which is why I loved his portrayal in this years film. Godzilla has had some great films as a villain but I grew up with Vs MechaGodzilla, Gigan, Megalon, Hedorah, Monster Zero. Godzilla with kick-ass heroic status holds the most sentimentality with me.

[three]

The retro asthetic. Sometimes I want to see a woman with a beehive or a bob cut, or a big computer with spinning wheels if tape and so many blinking lights that your creepy neighbor who over decorates for Christmas would be proud. Alien invaders with silver suits who wear sunglasses indoors are a major plus, as are their flying saucers.

[KaijuFiend]

- The derpiness. If I'm not kept in stitches from flying Godzilla, I'm kept in stitches from the dolphin boat. Skeleturtle's head bob. Godzilla giving the peace sign. Godzilla's victory dance. Godzilla's tail slide. These are things of the finest art.

- The messages of some of the films, the two biggest being Gojira and vs Hedorah. I like the way the latter handled the issue of environmentalism, which at that point was a relatively fresh topic that hadn't been done to death.

- The creativity of the monsters. The only ones that don't seem super creative to me are Giant Condor, Eibrah, Kamacuras, and Kumonga, because they don't have a lot to differentiate them from their tiny counterparts. The rest all feel incredibly unique, even Gabara.

- The amount of monsters introduced. We have Godzilla, Anguirus, Mothra, Rodan, Varan, Baragon, Manda, Eibrah, Flappy Bird, Gabara, Kamacuras, Kumonga, Minilla, King Ghidorah, King Kong, Gorosaurus, Hedorah, Jet Jaguar, Megalon, King Caesar, MechaGodzilla, Titanosaurs, and Gigan. That's a ton in comparison to the Heisei and Millennium series' (of which you can probably count the new monsters introduced on one hand).

- Well-detailed suits and amazing miniatures. When you take a look at Showa-era Gamera and Ultraman kaiju, it becomes pretty evident that the suits in the Godzilla films have a much better sense of realism to them.

- The roars. "Bee-de-dee-de-dee!" is the penultimate Ghidorah sound. Easily some of the most iconic kaiju roars.

- The human characters usually feel quite enjoyable, with the obvious exception of kids being kinda meh.

- Theme songs. I love Mothra's and have a fondness for King Caesar's. Godzilla's and Jet Jaguar's are enjoyably bad.

[Benn_Sonic_exe]

The crazy alternate titles! Mothra:The Flying Dracula Monster? Gorgo and Superman meet in Tokyo? Watang in Fabulous Empire of Monsters? WATANG IN FABULOUS EMPIRE OF MONSTERS?!

[Space Hunter M]

I found a torrent of the Italian The Thing dub but it's dead and the ED2K link will take forever.

[RumbleJapan]

How clunky and campy they are. I don't take Showa seriously with the exception of the first couple of films--which is why they're fun to watch.