Kaiju and general GIANT MONSTER mania

[megladon8]

So there's a very old "Rate/Rank Godzilla Movies" thread on MatchCut, but I think it's about time we have a thread devoted to giant monster films of all kinds.

"Kaiju" is one of the official-unofficial words used to describe this genre. Since the genre is mostly known for the Godzilla, Gamera and other Toho monster films of Japan, this Japanese word - roughly translated to mean "monster" or "beast", with the extension "daikaiju" meaning "giant monster" - has become synonymous with guys in rubber suits beating the crap out of each other in the middle of model cities.

And while most probably know the genre for the '60s and '70s Godzilla efforts which were camp-tastic flicks with throwaway plots and characters, there are some real gems to be found throughout the years and literally thousands of entries in this genre of filmmaking.

A rundown of some of kaiju cinema's most popular characters:

GODZILLA



First Sighting : 1954

Disregarding the American abomination starring Matthew Broderick, Godzilla is one of the most popular entities ever to grace the silver screen. Even people who have never seen a Godzilla film in their lives know what Godzilla is, and most even know the basic back story - that he was created as a metaphor for the massive destruction of Hiroshima by the atomic bomb.

His actual size has been far from consistent over the years. Some say 50 meters, some say as high as 100 meters. In any case, he's big - big enough to topple buildings with his footsteps or a single sweep of his enormous tail. Godzilla is also capable of breathing fire (or in some films, nuclear energy, which he builds up by sucking on nuclear reactors - see Godzilla 1985).

His allegiances have also been inconsistent at best. The original 1954 incarnation of Big G was an evil one, as he tore through Tokyo without hesitation. Just a few series entries later, however, Godzilla became Earth's saviour as he battled Ghidorah in Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster.

While his filmography has some moments that are certainly less than stellar, Godzilla remains one of, if not THE undisputed king of giant monster cinema

[megladon8]

MOTHRA



First Sighting: 1961

Though the creature Mothra appeared in book form prior to the silver screen, her breakout film role was in Mothra in 1961, followed by Mothra vs. Godzilla in 1964. Though she has certainly wrought havoc all over Japan, she has more-or-less been a "good" character throughout the years.

In the original film, Mothra, she is defending the innocence of Infant Island - a land of primitive people which is found by explorers who then attempt to exploit the land and its people.

The character of Mothra can be seen in many different "life stages" throughout the various films she has appeared in. Sometimes she is just a larva, able to spray strands of silk to trap her attackers. But her most common form is, of course, the full-fledged moth, whose enormous wing-span can blow cars off of streets, and whose psychic abilities give her an edge over many other kaiju who rely on sheer braun.


(KING) GHIDORAH

First Sighting: 1964



The three-headed gold dragon from space, King Ghidorah has only ever played one role in the kaiju genre - the bad guy. However, King Ghidorah is almost always found to be controlled by one alien race or another, using his incredible powers for their own twisted plans of universal domination.

Ghidorah first came about in 1964 with Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, a film where Mothra attempts to bring Godzilla and Rodan together with her to defeat the evil golden dragon and save the Earth. So began a long string of Godzilla-the-good-guy movies, considered by some the be the absolute worst Godzilla has to offer, and by others to be the best.


MECHAGODZILLA



First Sighting: 1974

Arguably one of Godzilla's most popular opponents, Mechagodzilla is a manufacutred villain created by an alien race called the Simians. In his first appearance in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, he appears to be Godzilla himself - flesh, blood, bones. Even Godzilla himself is confused when he finds himself fighting his twin!

But when the flesh-suit is torn off it reveals a mechanical titan of terror underneath - Mechagodzilla!

Mechagodzilla has gone through many incarnations, just like the original giant lizard of Toho lore. More than once, he has even been man-made and piloted by Japanese fighter pilots in an attempt to fight Godzilla!

Armed with jetpacks, rockets in his shoulders and hands, and energy blasts from his mouth, Mechagodzilla is a formidable foe for Godzilla.

[megladon8]

KING KONG



First Sighting: 1933

Flying back over to North America for a minute, King Kong sits right next to Godzilla in terms of wide recognition. Since his first (and, in my opinion, best) appearance in 1933 in the classic action/adventure film King Kong, he has appeared in several different films and TV shows.

King Kong has without a doubt the most personality of any of the kaiju listed here. While his tirade in New York City does cause a lot of destruction, he is hardly to blame, and if anything he is seen as the sympathetic hero of the film. Whether you see him as a misunderstood beast, an ancient deity who could not live among modern society, or just a monkey with a severe case of gigantism, looking into his puppy-dog eyes and seeing the star-struck adoration he feels for Ann Darrow is perhaps one of the purest looks at "love" we have yet to see in the movies.


GAMERA



First Sighting: 1965

Lets shoot back over to Japan for one of my personal favorites: Gamera. In essence a giant turtle with a jetpack, Gamera is one of Earth's greatest heros, defending us against beasts as strange as Guillon (a monster with a sword for a head) and as unrelenting as the Gyaos (a race of giant bird-like creatures whose only purpose is destruction).

I must stress that the trilogy of Gamera films from the 1990s are absolute REQUIRED VIEWING. These form a trifecta of the very best that the genre has to offer - incredible action sequences, genuinely interesting plot and funny characters, and just a great movie-watching experience. They begin with Gamera: Guardian of the Universe, where Gamera must defend the Earth against hordes of the aforementioned Gyaos. In the second installment, Gamera 2: Attack of Legion, he must do battle with Legion, a hive-mind race of beings who use infect planets with giant flower pods which launch their seeds into space to invade other planets.

In the last installment, Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris, a young girl awakens an ancient monster to do battle with Gamera, and avenge her parents who were killed by Gamera while he was fighting the Gyaos. This is perhaps the only giant monster films I've seen which addresses the issue of the collateral damage caused by these huge monster fights which always seem to happen in populated areas. In a very cool flashback scene, we see Gamera through the girl's eyes - no longer a hero, but a demonic looking villain whose wrecklessness leads to the deaths of thousands.

[megladon8]

DAIMAJIN



First Sighting: 1966

First appearing in his own film trilogy in 1966 (Daimajin, Return of Daimajin and Wrath of Daimajin), this is one of the lesser-known kaiju, but also one of the best. Daimajin is similar to what we westerners know as a "golem" - an animated statue or sculpture. The Daimajin is a giant samurai warrior statue possessed by an ancient spirit.

The Daimajin films do something that very, very few kaiju films have done before or since - it's actually quite frightening. Not in an "I'm so scared I can't even sleep" kind of way, but they're eerie, unnerving and have an incredibly dense atmosphere. The beautiful photography gives the monster himself a startling presence.

These are kaiju films for people who think the cheesiness of the Godzilla or Gamera films won't suit them.


ULTRAMAN



First Sighting: 1966

Ultraman isn't actually a giant monster, but he is giant, and he defends the Earth from monsters, so I figure he qualifies. Plus, he's frickin' awesome.

Ultraman first began as a TV series in 1966 in Japan (which was dubbed for American audiences) and has had countless incarnations since then - TV series', movies, comics, books, video games. I don't think there's any story-telling medium Ultraman hasn't invaded.

To make matters even more complicated, every new appearance tends to be a whole new Ultraman. There are so many different Ultramen, I don't think I can even count them. Just some of them are:

Ultraman Gaia
Ultraman Max
Ultraman Mebius
Ultraman Tiga
Ultraman Dyna

There are at least a dozen more, each of them with a different variation on the red-and-silver costume, and with a different human host.

The way Ultraman works is similar to the American comic cook character Captain Marvel/Shazam. A human makes a bond with an Ultraman (one of a race of intergalactic protectors) and are given the power to transform into Ultraman whenever they need to save the world.

The series' are known for their outlandish monster designs and Ultraman's ever-growing list of powers. He seems to be able to do pretty much anything. If a monster's only weakness is having chocolate chip cookies full of laser beams injected into his scalp, you can guarantee that Ultraman is just a few hand gestures away from pulling a syringe fullof laser-chip cookies out of his ass.

While they're pretty much kids' shows, the Ultraman shows are just great fun for the goofy kaiju lover. I strongly recommend the 2005 series "Ultraman Max".

[bac0n]

Anybody looking for me can find me in this thread.

Interesting note on King Ghidorah - although he has been Godzilla's principle adversary in every film in which he has made an appearance, he has not always played the role of villain. In 2002's Godzilla Mothra King Guidorah: Giant Monster All-Out Attack, he plays the part of an ancient Japanese water god who is resurrected to battle Godzilla, a demonic surrogate for vengeful dead spirits.

The movie basically turns around the whole Godzilla-as-goodguy convention on its head - and it works surprisingly well. A must-see for fans of the genre.

[megladon8]

Anybody looking for me can find me in this thread.

Interesting note on King Ghidorah - although he has been Godzilla's principle adversary in every film in which he has made an appearance, he has not always played the role of villain. In 2002's Godzilla Mothra King Guidorah: Giant Monster All-Out Attack, he plays the part of an ancient Japanese water god who is resurrected to battle Godzilla, a demonic surrogate for vengeful dead spirits.

The movie basically turns around the whole Godzilla-as-goodguy convention on its head - and it works surprisingly well. A must-see for fans of the genre.

Yeah, this is probably my favorite Godzilla film of all

I completely forgot that he wasn't an all-out bad guy in this one, though.

I still like to think he would've done a little more city-trashing than needed in this movie - just to keep is bad-guy spirit up to snuff.

[bac0n]

Yeah, this is probably my favorite Godzilla film of all

Yeah, you and me both. Further, this is the only Godzilla film that, like Gamera: Revenge of Iris, explores to a certain degree the human cost of all the monster destruction. It really works to cement Godzilla in the film as one evil motherfucker.

[balmakboor]

I'll be following this one closely. I've been grazing in the genre for about a year now and my favorites have so far been the first of the recent trilogy of Gamera movies, Rodan, and War of the Gargantuas.

A few comments:

I get a ridiculous thrill out of how epically fake the battles are. I love how the cities and cars look like models and the monsters like men in rubber suits. Polished special effects are overrated.

I also enjoy how the monsters can be difficult to pin down. What they represent can fluctuate almost scene by scene and so can their physical size. I've especially noticed this frequent changing of size in Godzilla and King Kong movies.

It made me realize that E.T. and the It's Alive movies owe a lot to these Kaiju movies. E.T. represents different things to each character. The It's Alive monsters evolve considerably throughout the trilogy.

Is it just me or do the early Ishiro Honda films like Gojira and Rodan look like Ozu films with monsters?

[megladon8]

Watched Godzilla Final Wars for the first time since its original release 10 years ago.

Was astounded by how horrible it is. Probably the very worst Godzilla movie.

[Skitch]

Probably the very worst Godzilla movie.

As someone who's been working through them chronologically the last few months...no way.

[Scar]

I have watched the abridged version of Final Wars many times, and its fun.

[D_Davis]

That's one I'm keeping in my memory.

One of the most fun times I ever had in the theater.

That's how I want to remember GFW.

[number8]

There's an abridged version?

I watch Final Wars all the time. It's my second favorite Godzilla movie.

[Scar]

There's an abridged version?

I watch Final Wars all the time. It's my second favorite Godzilla movie.

Ha, yeah, the fast forward button. Sometimes you just need a monster fix. I know you love all the other stuff in that movie, while I just like watching Godzilla fuck shit up.

[Sycophant]

I don't think I saw anyone mention that Toho is putting out a new Godzilla movie next year, co-directed by tokusatsu/kaiju superfan Anno Hideaki (Evangelion) and Higuchi Shinji (effects director of Kaneko Shusuke's glorious early 90s Gamera films).

http://io9.com/evangelion-creator-hi...new-1695226453

Like, this can't not be amazing.

[Skitch]

The third gen Godzilla movies are so damned entertaining. Not to knock the older ones, but those ones with Godzilla's son are the worst.

[megladon8]

As far as I'm concerned the only right answer to "what's the best Godzilla movie after the original?" is GMK.

[MadMan]

I forgot to bump this thread last year when I was viewing every Godzilla movie they had on Netflix Instant Viewing. Also I still need to see Mothra and somehow get my hands on Destroy All Monsters.

[Skitch]

I forgot to bump this thread last year when I was viewing every Godzilla movie they had on Netflix Instant Viewing. Also I still need to see Mothra and somehow get my hands on Destroy All Monsters.

Crackle has a bunch of em, so check there.

[MadMan]

Crackle has a bunch of em, so check there.

Thanks.

[megladon8]

Just received Godzilla vs Megalon and Godzilla vs Biollante.

Getting close to owning every Godzilla movie ever.

I really wish someone would release 1985 on DVD/BluRay.

[Skitch]

I just got vs Megalon a couple weeks ago! I'm nowhere near owning them all, but by god, I will.

[D_Davis]

Has 1985 ever been released on anything other than VHS?

[megladon8]

Has 1985 ever been released on anything other than VHS?

Not that I know of. I own the VHS tape (it's actually the first Godzilla film I ever saw).

[Russ]

This is from another forum, but I had to share:

Picked up the non-Ric boy X plus Diamond reissue of Kiryu Mechagodzilla from Godzilla SOS.

I have no idea what any of that means, but I gotta admit, that is one sweet Meachagodzilla!