Monster Discussion #1: Godzilla 1954

[UltramanGoji]

I call for a merge of the thread with the same title as this on the next page:

http://www.tohokingdom.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=91

Why? One's for discussion of the movie, this is for discussion of the monster itself.

[Missingno.]

I call for a merge of the thread with the same title as this on the next page:

http://www.tohokingdom.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=91

Why? One's for discussion of the movie, this is for discussion of the monster itself.

Oh, is that what it is? I guess I didn't catch the movie/monster discussion title differences.

[Lain Of The Wired]

Always loved it when this fucker flipped that bridge

[Rodan]

The only Godzilla I find legitimately frightening. Just a black, confused, angry mass -- it's understated enough that you don't read the filmmaker's attempt at horror through it (something I worry about in the 2016 film) -- but so animal and alien that you know there's no reasoning with it. Everything about the way the suit is filmed during destruction sequences in the movie aids this effect.

Also, the moment he rears his head over the hill at Odo Island is maximum uncanny; one of my favorite scenes in the series.

The puppet version looks a little goofy sometimes, but, like, whatever, man.

[BlankAccount]

Can we all agree this is probably the most tragic monster of the whole series? Cause I feel he is. He suffered PTSD and un-godly burns, his home was destroyed so he is displaced, he didn't even get a quick or painless death, he suffered a slow and aggonozingly painful death. And thanks to the Alternate Reality movies, he can not find peace even in death, either coming back as a puppet for angry ghosts, a cyborg weapon used by man, or the walking corpse like regenerating monster in Resurgence.

The only monster I can say probably came close to suffering as much as him was Burning Godzilla.

[Lain Of The Wired]

Can we all agree this is probably the most tragic monster of the whole series? Cause I feel he is. He suffered PTSD and un-godly burns, his home was destroyed so he is displaced, he didn't even get a quick or painless death, he suffered a slow and aggonozingly painful death. And thanks to the Alternate Reality movies, he can not find peace even in death, either coming back as a puppet for angry ghosts, a cyborg weapon used by man, or the walking corpse like regenerating monster in Resurgence.

The only monster I can say probably came close to suffering as much as him was Burning Godzilla.

I think Minilla's the most tragic monster, or that Condor…

[Rodan]

Can we all agree this is probably the most tragic monster of the whole series? Cause I feel he is. He suffered PTSD and un-godly burns, his home was destroyed so he is displaced, he didn't even get a quick or painless death, he suffered a slow and aggonozingly painful death. And thanks to the Alternate Reality movies, he can not find peace even in death, either coming back as a puppet for angry ghosts, a cyborg weapon used by man, or the walking corpse like regenerating monster in Resurgence.

The only monster I can say probably came close to suffering as much as him was Burning Godzilla.

Yeah, I was going to say -- One of the things I can give the Heisei series real props for is the element of tragic inevitability it lends its Godzilla -- that's a monster who lives and dies without peace.

But the same certainly applies to the '54 film. I actually don't feel much sympathy for him for most of the film, as he's an engine of sheer terror, but that scene where Serizawa and Ogata dive under water at the end, with the gentle soundtrack played over Godzilla resting against a rock? I think that's an amazing emotional turn -- adding another huge layer of complexity to the final act. The film does ask for sympathy for Godzilla, and successfully, but only in his final scene. It waits for the last minutes to impress on you that he's a victim too.

If I haven't made this abundantly clear, I think Godzilla '54 is so f*cking good.

[BlankAccount]

He never asked to be turned into a god of war. In that he is a victim of war as much as humans are. Who better to punish than THE ultimate victim, an animal torn from his peaceful existence by forces beyond his understanding or control. At least Heisei had a friend in Junior.

[Lain Of The Wired]

He never asked to be turned into a god of war. In that he is a victim of war as much as humans are. Who better to punish then THE ultimate victim, an animal torn from his peaceful existence by forces beyond his understanding or control.

Yeah, but I think it's kinda hilarious to feel sorry for him, his origin is tragic sure, but there's nothing sympathetic about his actions, which is why no one's like "awwww, it isn't his fault" when he stomps through the city

[Rodan]

He never asked to be turned into a god of war. In that he is a victim of war as much as humans are. Who better to punish then THE ultimate victim, an animal torn from his peaceful existence by forces beyond his understanding or control.

Yeah, but I think it's kinda hilarious to feel sorry for him, his origin is tragic sure, but there's nothing sympathetic about his actions, which is why no one's like "awwww, it isn't his fault" when he stomps through the city

Right, which is why I think the ending is about as sympathetic as it gets -- it portrays him as an animal, allowing a tinge of complexity into the final scenes, but still completely retaining the sense of terror for most of its run time. It never takes attempts to mitigate the destruction with an element of sympathy.

Even then, that tinge of sympathy at the end is purely asked of the viewer, from the way it's filmed and the music (Godzilla just chilling on that rock, animal-like). It doesn't come from any of the characters. Even Yamane, the character most vehemently against killing Godzilla, takes his stance for primarily humanitarian reasons -- Godzilla survived an atomic blast and may be scientifically useful (this in addition to his own interest as a paleontologist).

[BlankAccount]

He never asked to be turned into a god of war. In that he is a victim of war as much as humans are. Who better to punish then THE ultimate victim, an animal torn from his peaceful existence by forces beyond his understanding or control.

Yeah, but I think it's kinda hilarious to feel sorry for him, his origin is tragic sure, but there's nothing sympathetic about his actions, which is why no one's like "awwww, it isn't his fault" when he stomps through the city

He's a tragic villain, you're not supposed to excuse his action but understand them.

[LegendZilla]

*edit* Never mind.

[Godzillian]

This is from one of the guide books to Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla and it depicts the birth/mutation of the original Godzilla. Idk what it says other then he was the only one to survive the blast with horrific burns and that the rest of his kind were killed.

[Ligerzilla2014]

The "burn" thing was always one of my favorite things about this whole setting.

[BlankAccount]

The Godzilla couple in the cave cuddling makes me feel both happy and sad.