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Blast From The Past Review: Godzilla (1954)
Image Credit: Toho
Loading...It’s time for another blast from the past review, as I continue my march through the list of classic movies that I have never seen before. I actually had to take two tries to watch Godzilla 1954; my first attempt saw me find a copy on my friend’s Plex server that was buried under an audio track talking about the history of Japan and the story of the film. Luckily, I found a more coherent copy for free with our Max subscription, and I got my watch in.
I have always liked the idea of Godzilla, but I haven’t been the world’s biggest fan; there are countless Godzilla movies I have never seen before. All of the Godzilla Vs [X] movies… I have seen maybe one or two before back in my youth, but that’s all. The vast majority of Godzilla’s catalogue has eluded me. But I did have the Godzilla video game on the Nintendo Entertainment System! That game was a lot of fun, as you got to crush Godzilla’s greatest rivals as either the titanic titular titan himself or as Mothra.
The original Godzilla from 1954 is the title that introduced the behemoth to the world, though. It all started there. In the wake of World War II, Japan starts seeing ships not far off the coast get exploded and sunk. As they explore the cause of this, they come across a legend of Odo Island: a creature called Godzilla.
Soon, Godzilla himself, all 165 feet and atomic breath of him, makes himself known to all of the country. As Japan finds its weapons and defenses useless in the face of the beast, they start looking for a way to save themselves. But will the cure to their Godzilla problems be worse than what even the massive amphibian brings?
TWO UPS AND TWO DOWNS
+ The effects are good cheesy fun, and they are pretty snazzy for their era. It’s a blast watching Godzilla crush models and chase people around via green screen. Obviously in 2025, it all looks a bit archaic, but it’s still appreciable to watch this film from over seventy years ago and see how they used to make cinematic magic decades before we got to where we are now.
I feel like this is coming across as tongue-in-cheek here, but I’m not trying to be. It really is solid, genuine enjoyment to see the models get crushed by a rampaging monster. Nowadays, this would all be CGI, and it would look fantastic without question. But there’s a charm to the old school practical use of miniatures and the destruction thereof. Computers are great! But people used to design and make these tiny duplicate of buildings and trains just to see them get destroyed. And movies were good for that!
+ This flick is obviously wildly influential, and it spawned one of the most lucrative and famous franchises of all time. Godzilla started in 1954, and he is still tearing up the screen nowadays–in live action and in animation. And there there are multiple big screen franchises going at the same time if you consider Godzilla Minus One and the Godzilla X Kongseries. It’s nuts to think how the beast has changed from force of terror and destruction to world-saving hero (and back, sometimes). He works on so many different levels, and we are in no danger of seeing him leave our public consciousness any time soon.
Additionally, the story of the Oxygen Destroyer is so powerful in the wake of the US bombing Japan, even if it’s all a bit heavy-handed. This movie came out just nine years after the end of World War II, and the memories of the devastating atomic bombs were so fresh for the citizens of Japan. So partially in response to that destruction came this movie. And the tale of Dr. Serizawa and his reluctance to see another weapon of mass destruction released on society is so potent to what the culture was going through. It’s an important message about someone striving to stick to his mortals in the face of the shadow of war and menace.
– it’s got a lot of humanity to its plot, but after Minus One, you really see how much better such stories could end up being handled. This does a fine job with its humans, I guess, but it just can’t compete with Minus One. And I suppose that’s not really fair as a Down — Minus One was a truly great picture, and I’m basically saying “Well this didn’t compete with that greatness in one regard”–but it is what it is sometimes. You take your Downs where you can find them.
There is also a weird C story in Godzilla about two young adults who want to get married, and the woman in that relationship is the daughter of the scientist who wants to see Godzillas kept alive for studying. This story… goes nowhere and feels like it’s a love story for the sake of having one.
– Speaking of taking what few Downs a good movie might give you: Godzilla’s static eyes are so off putting and really take away from the awesome might he is putting off. It’s a good costume/effect but his unmoving eyes are truly distracting when you see them. After seeing all the terrific work on the models and effects–and how good the Godzilla costume looks in general–those eyes remind you just how fake it all is.
It’s not much, but it’s there. And nothing else really stood out to me as a bigger detraction than that.
