Random Musings and Factoids Thread

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LSD Jellyfish
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

The electricity stance on whether or not showa Godzilla is weak to electricity to bother me too, but for the reasons that Max Rebo stated it no longer seems strange. I like to think that electricity is one of the few detterents against Godzilla, as electricity would presumably bypass Godzilla's rough exterior, but that it's just not feasible in the long term, either because: A) Godzilla will destroy the power source or obstacle direcetly with his breath, B) the system will overheat C) Cities and places need electricity, you can't just use all your countries electricity as a possible annoyance for Godzilla.

I also think the electricity problem is exacerbated by the KKVG dub. I'm forgetting how much of a deal it is, but I think the Universal version greatly emphasizes Godzilla's weakness to electricity.

I think the only other things that are odd are:
-Godzilla being awakened by electricity/lightning in EHOTD
-Godzilla suddenly becoming magnetic due to a lightning storm.

In the first case, it's not so strange when you think of it as "cold water" on Godzilla's face. Imagine you`re sleeping and someone gives you a jolt to wake up. It's not a powerup, but an awakening. We're also aware of the meta elements, that Kong was originally supposed to play Godzilla's role in EHOTD.

The second case, Godzilla getting magnetic powers, is really difficult to think about and explain, and is one of the most baffling moments in the showa series besides Godzilla flying. A possible explanation is that Godzilla has some control over energy in general, not just nuclear power, and the fact that the lightning, not as strong as one million volts, hits his spines specifically, which allows him to control it (versus being zapped in the brain).
Last edited by LSD Jellyfish on Thu Aug 18, 2022 5:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by mikelcho »

LSD Jellyfish wrote: Thu Aug 18, 2022 5:11 pm The electricity stance on whether or not showa Godzilla is weak to electricity to bother me too, but for the reasons that Max Rebo stated it no longer seems strange. I like to think that electricity is one of the few detterents against Godzilla, as electricity would presumably bypass Godzilla's rough exterior, but that it's just not feasible in the long term, either because: A) Godzilla will destroy the power source or obstacle direcetly with his breath, B) the system will overheat C) Cities and places need electricity, you can't just use all your countries electricity as a possible annoyance for Godzilla.

I also think the electricity problem is exacerbated by the KKVG dub. I'm forgetting how much of a deal it is, but I think the Universal version greatly emphasizes Godzilla's weakness to electricity.

I think the only other things that are odd are:
-Godzilla being awakened by electricity/lightning in EHOTD
-Godzilla suddenly becoming magnetic due to a lightning storm.

In the first case, it's not so strange when you think of it as "cold water" on Godzilla's face. Imagine you`re sleeping and someone gives you a jolt to wake up. It's not a powerup, but an awakening. We're also aware of the meta elements, that Kong was originally supposed to play Godzilla's role in EHOTD.

The second case, Godzilla getting magnetic powers, is really difficult to think about and explain, and is one of the most baffling moments in the showa series besides Godzilla flying. A possible explanation is that Godzilla has some control over energy in general, not just nuclear power, and the fact that the lightning, not as strong as one million volts, hits his spines specifically, which allows him to control it (versys being zapped in the brain).
I always thought it was the electricity that combined somehow with the nuclear radiation already within him to give him this power, so it was probably a one-shot thing that'll likely never be repeated again.

Also, when he gains the power (presumably on Monster Island (I think)), wouldn't the energy coming out of his back almost be the first known example of his Nuclear Pulse? It sure looked that way to me when I watched the film.
Last edited by mikelcho on Thu Aug 18, 2022 5:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

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The two Prime Ministers of the Heisei series, Keiju Kobayashi and So Yamamura, were both among the many actors to portray Admiral Yamamoto (Kobayashi in The Imperial Navy and Yamamura in Tora! Tora! Tora!). Too bad they never dragged out Mifune to make an extended cameo as one.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Terasawa »

So Yamamura in Godzilla vs King Ghidorah is probably the biggest waste of on-screen talent in any Godzilla movie ever made. Also up there is Koji Ishizaka as the guy crushed by Godzilla in The Return of Godzilla. I know these are just cameos by design, but still. Yamamura especially isn't far behind Takashi Shimura in the conversation for the best actor to ever appear in a Godzilla movie.
Last edited by Terasawa on Thu Aug 18, 2022 7:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

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Terasawa wrote: Thu Aug 18, 2022 7:06 pmAlso up there is Koji Ishizaka as the guy crushed by Godzilla in The Return of Godzilla.
ROG in general has a lot of excellent character actors largely wasted in faceless bureaucratic roles. You’ve got the likes of Eitaro Ozawa, Nobuo Kaneko, Takeshi Kato and most disappointingly (IMO), Kei Sato (as Goro’s editor). There’s also Hiroshi Koizumi (to a lesser extent) and Yoshifumi Tajima, though I can at least accept those as “legacy cameos”. Ishizaka is definitely a missed opportunity, though I get he was just a cameo done to appease audiences who would recognize him (whereas those aforementioned guys were a bit more on the niche side). It’s especially disappointing given how dull the film’s two leads kind of are.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by daveblackeye15 »

Oh y'know if I was doing a continuity retcon/make up I should have done Frankenstein to War of the Gargantuas. Because of the dub of that made it it's own movie while it was originally a sequel where characters namedrop the Frankenstein creature in the Japanese version. Except when we see young Sandra instead of being Franky it's more like an ape person though modern Sandra does have a pretty square head. While the human characters are basically expies where we got an American scientist, Mizuno plays another scientist, Togami to Togawa and then a Japanese male scientist, Tadao Takashima then Kenji Sahara.

Surprised I didn't think of this since for two weeks now I've been meaning to re-watch War of the Gargantuas.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by edgaguirus »

Mizuno's characters are basically treated as the same person by both films, despite the different names.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Breakdown »

Marvel Godzilla never really went away, he lives on through the copyright logo to this very day I think.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

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Breakdown wrote: Wed Oct 05, 2022 9:04 am Marvel Godzilla never really went away, he lives on through the copyright logo to this very day I think.
You're sort of right, he is still in the comics. To avoid any copyright problems, they mutated him to look less... Godzilla-y.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Has anyone ever mentioned or pointed out that Godzilla dancing in IOTAM isn't just a fun reference, but a way to show the lower gravity of Planet X? Later on the Showa series, Godzilla will do some weird acrobatics (tail slide), but I just realized this was the most mobile Godzilla has ever been.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by edgaguirus »

The film did say that Planet X's gravity was 2/3 of Earth gravity.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

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LSD Jellyfish wrote: Wed Oct 19, 2022 6:21 am I just realized this was the most mobile Godzilla has ever been.
Well.... almost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKFxf8p ... raGodzilla
Last edited by JAGzilla on Thu Oct 20, 2022 1:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

JAGzilla wrote: Thu Oct 20, 2022 1:35 am
LSD Jellyfish wrote: Wed Oct 19, 2022 6:21 am I just realized this was the most mobile Godzilla has ever been.
Well.... almost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKFxf8p ... raGodzilla
I meant mobile in terms of physical movement; as in I don't think we've been able to see Godzilla jump or move like that on Earth. There's a few moments where he sort of does something in the heat of battle (Kong drop kick), but it 's the only moment we see Godzilla be that fluid.

Most of the Showa series retains Godzilla being slow and lumbering, save for the very last moments of the Showa era.
Last edited by LSD Jellyfish on Thu Oct 20, 2022 5:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by edgaguirus »

Millennium Godzilla has shown that he can turn on a dime in battle, and then you have moments like the body slam on Meg.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Janjira-York »

hes definitely a fearsome rival to any kaiju

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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by edgaguirus »

Except twin caterpillars.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

It's interesting to think that the Godzilla series has never gotten a proper remake. Design and plot elements have been heavily reused, but we've never gotten a carbon copy film where Godzilla just appears, and is eventually killed by Serizawa and the Oxygen Destroyer.

Godzilla 1984+Shin Godzilla are updates to the creature and can be seen as reboots, but nothing about them is a direct remake if you ignore some superficial similarities.

I'm thinking of countless slasher films, or monster films, that are continually getting remade with very similar plots and directly marketed as such. King Kong has been remade so many times...

If we ever do get a remake of the original, I hope it comes out in 2054, assuming the Earth isn't destroyed by then.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Tyrant_Lizard_King »

I think Toho is pretty much afraid to do a straight up remake for better or worse.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

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The original is held quite high by fans and critics, so Toho knows any remake would have to hit it out of the park. That's likely the biggest obstacle to that idea.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Major sssspielberg! »

Den of Geek just posted an interview with John Carpenter for his Scream Factory Godzilla day thing. It was kind of a fluff interview, as they usually are, but there was this nugget:
Q: What is the most educational thing directors can get from Ishirō Honda?

JC: Watch how he deals with lots of actors in crowds. He’s really brilliant.
Really valid. Honda was great at directing crowds.
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