Godzilla (franchise)

Godzilla (ゴジラ, Gojira^?) is a series of giant monster films starring Godzilla, a Japanese creation usually portrayed by a man in a rubber suit. Starting in 1954, the Godzilla series has become one of the longest running film series in movie history.

The first film, Godzilla, was first released in the United States in 1955 in Japanese-American communities only. In 1956, it was adapted by an American company into Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, edited and with added principal scenes featuring Raymond Burr, and this version became an international success. Unfaithful translation and editing led to a tweaked storyline.

The original Godzilla was greatly inspired by the commercial success of the 1952 re-release of King Kong, and the 1953 success of The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms. Godzilla would go on to inspire Gorgo, Gamera, and many others.

The name "Godzilla" is a romanization, by the film production company Toho Company Ltd., of the original Japanese name "Gojira" — which is a combination of two Japanese words: gorira (ゴリラ) 'gorilla' and kujira (鯨, くじら) 'whale'. The word alludes to the size, power and aquatic origin of Godzilla. "Gojira" was allegedly the nickname of a large employee of Toho, but in the 50+ years since the film's original release, no one claiming to be the employee ever stepped forward and no photographs have ever surfaced.

Films

The Godzilla series is generally broken into three eras, reflecting the broader division of daikaiju eiga into the Shōwa era, Heisei era, and Millennium era.

Shōwa series (1954–1975)

The initial series of movies is named for the Shōwa period in Japan (as all of these films were produced before Emperor Hirohito's death in 1989). This Shōwa timeline spanned from 1954, with Godzilla, to 1975, with Terror of Mechagodzilla. With the exception of the serious Godzilla and the semi-serious sequels Godzilla Raids Again, King Kong vs. Godzilla, and Mothra vs. Godzilla, much of this series is relatively light-hearted. Starting with Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Godzilla began evolving into a more human and playful antihero (this transition was complete by Son of Godzilla, where he is shown as a good character), and as years went by, he evolved into an anthropomorphic superhero. The films Son of Godzilla and All Monsters Attack were aimed at youthful audiences, featuring the appearance of Godzilla's son, Minilla. The Shōwa period saw the addition of many monsters into the Godzilla continuity, two of which (Mothra and Rodan) had their own solo movies. This period featured a well documented continuity, although the chronology becomes confusing after Destroy All Monsters. This film, set in the year 1999 transports all the monsters to Monster Island. The following film appears to be in the Japan when it was made, but Monster Island still features. Subsequent films Godzilla vs. Gigan and Godzilla vs. Megalon return to the 70s and late 60's onwards but still on an island called Monster Island. Godzilla vs. Hedorah, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and Terror of Mechagodzilla set him as a free roaming wild monster again or just don't show Monster Island at all but it still exists.

Heisei series (1984–1995)

The timeline was revamped in 1984 with The Return of Godzilla; this movie was created as a direct sequel to the 1954 film, and ignores the continuity of the Shōwa series. Known as the VS Series, (unofficially known to American fans as the "Heisei Series", for the ruling emperor of the time), the continuity ended in 1995's Godzilla vs. Destoroyah after a run of seven films. The reason for the continuity shift was based on a realization that the marketing of the movies had removed the reason it was so loved. When it was discovered that Godzilla was becoming more popular with children (and less so with the original adult audience), less complex themes were removed and Godzilla was made out to be a good guy instead of an indestructible, abhorrent mistake of men. However, the further Godzilla was taken away from his origins, the less long-term popularity his films held. Hence, The Return of Godzilla brought the series back to form with a grittier, more serious feel.

The "new" Godzilla was portrayed as much more of an animal than the latter Shōwa films, or as a destructive force as he began. The biological nature and science behind Godzilla became a much more discussed issue in the films, showing the increased focus of the moral focus on genetics. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah gave the first concrete birth story for Godzilla, featuring a Godzillasaurus that got mutated by radiation into Godzilla.

Millennium series (1999–2004)

The Millennium Series is the official term for the series of Godzilla movies, unofficially called the "Shinsei Series" (or even the "Alternate Reality Series") by American fans, made after the VS Series ended with Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. The common theme to this era is that all movies use Godzilla (1954) as the jumping-off point. After the American Godzilla, Toho decided to show people who the "real" Godzilla was again (previously, plans for revitalizing the series were scheduled for 2004), while at the same time reinventing him.

Since the films are different, the sizes are different in some cases. Godzilla's most prominent size in this series is 55 meters (180 feet). In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack he was 60 meters (about 196 feet), and in Godzilla: Final Wars he was 100 meters tall (about 328 feet). Godzilla was originally supposed to be 50 meters (about 164 feet) in Final Wars, but budgetary cutbacks in miniature sets forced this size change.

Godzilla: Final Wars is the last Godzilla film as of 2004; Toho has decided to retire the franchise for a period of 5-10 years to renew interest in the future and will be returning with a new film in 2013.

Daiei approached Toho about co-producing GODZILLA VS. GAMERA, but Toho rejected the offer so the project was scrapped.

American film

Godzilla (1998)

In October 1992, Toho allowed Sony Pictures to make a trilogy of English-language Godzilla films, with the first film to be released in 1994. In May 1993 Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio were brought on to write a script, and in July 1994 Jan De Bont signed on to direct. DeBont quit due to budget disputes, and director Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin signed on before the release of the highly successful Independence Day. They rejected the previous script and Patrick Tatopoulos radically redesigned the titular monster. The film was finally scheduled for release on May 19 1998.^[1]

Godzilla was met with poor reviews and negative reaction from the fan base. Having grossed $375 million worldwide though, the studio moved ahead with a spin-off animated series and a sequel. Tab Murphy wrote a treatment, but Emmerich and Devlin left the production in March 1999 due to budget disputes. The original deal was to make a sequel within five years of release of a film, but after sitting on their property, considering a reboot, Sony's rights to make a Godzilla 2 expired in May 2003.^[1]

Culture

Godzilla was originally an allegory for the effects of the hydrogen bomb, and the unintended consequences that such weapons might have on Earth. The radioactive contamination of the Japanese fishing boat Daigo Fukuryū Maru through the United States' Castle Bravo thermonuclear device test on Bikini Atoll, on March 1, 1954 lead to much press coverage in Japan preceding the release of the first movie in 1954. The Versus and Millennium Series have largely continued this concept. Some have pointed out the parallels, conscious or unconscious, between Godzilla's relationship to Japan and that of the United States; first a terrible enemy who causes enormous destruction to the cities of Japan such as Tokyo(Godzilla, The Return of Godzilla), Osaka(Godzilla Raids Again, Godzilla vs. Biollante), and Yokohama(Godzilla vs. Mothra, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack) in different films, but then becoming a good friend and defender in times of peril.

Films have been made over the last five decades, each reflecting the social and political climate in Japan. All but one of the 29 films were produced by Toho: a version was made in 1998 by TriStar Pictures and set in the United States by the directors of Independence Day (ID4) and is somewhat despised by most Godzilla fans due to the lack of similarities between its titular monster and the traditional Godzilla. Toho immediately followed it with 1999's Godzilla 2000: Millennium, which began the current series of films, known informally as the Mireniamu or Millennium series. Then, in 2004, Toho officially made the creature of the 1998 film (named "Zilla") one of their own kaiju, and gave it an official appearance in Godzilla: Final Wars, in which it attacks Sydney, Australia and is quickly defeated by the true Godzilla.

Much of Godzilla's popularity in the United States can be credited with TV broadcasts of the Toho Studios monster movies during the 1960s and 1970s. The American company UPA contracted with Toho to distribute its monster movies of the time, and UPA continues to hold the license today for the Godzilla films of the 1960s and 1970s. Sony currently holds some of those rights, as well as the rights to every Godzilla film produced from 1991 onward. The Blue Öyster Cult song "Godzilla" also contributed to the popularity of the movies. The creature also made an appearance in a Nike commercial, in which Godzilla went one-on-one with NBA star Charles Barkley. And made an appearance in the Honey Nut Cheerios commercial (1990). Recent commercials for Subway restaurants feature a Godzilla-like monster promoting their 5-dollar-footlong sandwiches.

In 1995, after his then-final appearance in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, Godzilla received an award for Lifetime Achievement at the MTV Movie Awards. Creator and producer Shogo Tomiyama accepted on his behalf via satellite but was joined by "Godzilla" himself.

Awards

• At the 1996 MTV Movie Awards, Godzilla won the life time achievement award.
• On November 29, 2004, Godzilla received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6925 Hollywood Blvd. and near Drew Barrymore 1.

Paleontology

At least two prehistoric creatures from the fossil record have been named after Godzilla:

• Gojirasaurus quayi is a theropod dinosaur that lived in the Triassic Period; a partial skeleton was unearthed in Quay County, New Mexico.
• Dakosaurus andiniensis, a crocodile from the Jurassic Period, was nicknamed "Godzilla" before being scientifically classified.

Other media

Main article: Godzilla in popular culture

Literature

Godzilla also had his own series of books published by Random House during the late 1990s. The company created different series for different age groups, the Scott Ciencin series being aimed at children.

Music

Blue Öyster Cult released the song "Godzilla" in 1977. The introduction to the live version (1982) directly references the first Godzilla movie "...lurking for millions of years, encased in a block of ice, evil incarnate, waiting to be melted down and to rise again."

The song "Simon Says" by Pharoahe Monch is a hip-hop remix of Godzilla's March theme music. The instrumental version of this song was notably used in the 2000 film "Charlie's Angels".

British band Lostprophets released a song called We Are Godzilla, You Are Japan on their second studio album Start Something. It is track 12, and is 4.05 minutes long, or 3.30 for the radio edit.

The theme music used by TNA superstar Samoa Joe starts off with a tune very similar to the original Godzilla march.

The American punk band, Groovie Ghoulies released a song called 'Hats Off To You (Godzilla)' as a tribute to Godzilla. It is featured on the EP 'Freaks on Parade' released in 2002.

Television

Putting the Godzilla films' suits and effects crew to further use were several Japanese television shows; Ultraman and some shows inspired by it used the suits occasionally for cameos but Godzilla Island primarily followed the further adventures of the kaiju featured in the films.

• Ultraman
• Ultra Q
• Zone Fighter
• Godzilla Island
• Monster Planet Of Godzilla

The success of the Godzilla franchise has also spawned two U.S. Saturday morning cartoons, both featuring an investigative scientific team who call upon Godzilla as an ally. The series make several homages to the Shōwa films and several antagonist monsters have been inspired by extant Toho creations.

• The Godzilla Power Hour
• Godzilla: The Series

Comics

Main article: Godzilla comics

Several manga have been derived from specific Godzilla films, and both Marvel and Dark Horse have published Godzilla comic book series (1977–1979 and 1987–1999, respectively).

Video games

Main article: Godzilla video games

Godzilla and his fellow monsters have appeared in several video games, including:

• Godzilla: Monster of Monsters
• Godzilla 2: War of the monsters
• Super Godzilla
• Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee
• Godzilla: Domination!
• Godzilla: Save the Earth
• Godzilla: Unleashed
• Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash
• In the Sega Genesis Games, The Revenge of Shinobi, and it's sequel: Shinobi 3, the player encounters creatures very similar to Godzilla and Mecha Godzilla, respectively.
• In the first game of the SimCity series, the creature sent to lay waste to the player's city during the "Monster Attack" disaster seems to bear a strong resemblance to Godzilla. The 1961 Tokyo Monster Attack scenario also seems to have been inspired by the first film.
• The original Godzilla (and his upcoming 50th anniversary) was mentioned in the video game Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

References

• Allsop, S "Gojira?Godzilla' in Bowyer, Justin (2002). '24 Frames: The Cinema of Japan and Korea'. London: Wallflower Press. 
• "Godzilla taking a break -- for now". Japanese film producer putting star on hiatus. CNN. 4 March 2004.
• "'Monster Theory' Godzilla: Cross-Cultural Analysis of Godzilla". AN332/CS310 2 November 2000.
• Kroke, Arthur, and Marilouise Kroke, "Ctheory: Tokyo Must Be Destroyed". Theory, technology and culture, Ctheory. VOL 18, NO 1-2 Article 27b 95/06/22 Editors:

Further reading

• Galbraith, Stuart. Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films : A Critical Analysis of 103 Features Released in the United States, 1950-1992. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. 1994.

External links

Official sites

• Godzilla Official Website (Japan)
• Godzilla Official Website (US)
• Classic Media's Godzilla site

Filmography

Since 1954, there have been 28 Godzilla films produced by Toho Studios in Japan, with the US film bringing the total to 29. (Please note that the titles listed below are Toho's preferred English titles)