A little suspension of disbelief would be nice. Just an iota.
Why can’t things just exist for the sake of existing? Just for the joy of being? Why do they have to have deep meanings and always be nutritive, always be purposeful? Sometimes we need to unplug and enjoy life and do or take part in those things that serve no real purpose.
I of course mean the movie Godzilla.
Not high art by any means, not a deep philosophical subject, nothing there that’s really original thinking or even a fresh reinterpretation. Eye candy really. But I can see that you need something.
fine…
Standard spoiler warning here.
The original movie, Gojira, produced in 1954 reflected the contemporary mood of the Japanese populace to a wide variety of issues. Chief among these issues was the concern over atomic power in all its constructive and destructive guises. Japan at the time was a society in transition. They were not only in the process of physically rebuilding from a devastating war but of changing their mindset in a radical new direction. The Japanese people had first hand experience with nuclear weapons and according to the film’s producer, Tomoyuki Tanaka:
“In those days, Japanese had a real horror of radiation, and that horror is what made Godzilla so huge. From the beginning he has symbolized nature’s revenge on mankind.”
The feeling of the film conveyed some of the first doubts that the mainstream media had about unfettered progress and whether just because mankind could do something if it was a good idea to do it. This movie also took issue with the idea that all progress came without a price and that industrial activity was totally benign. This by the way was 8 years before Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring came out and caused quite a stir in America.
Take that, notion that all pop culture is totally useless as meaningful social commentary!
Godzilla was nature’s reaction to mankind’s nuclear tests in the Pacific. The themes of war and environmental degradation were intertwined in a horrific form. The vast scale of mindless destruction not only resonated with kids looking for an action movie but with their parents that had seen real mindless horror unfold before their eyes during the war.
In the movies, Godzilla takes on the symbols of authority and progress in the guise of the military and industry. Not a single weapon in the military’s arsenal can stop him and Godzilla seems to take particular delight in laying waste to factories and nuclear power plants.
The environmental themes were expanded upon in the 1970s with Godzilla vs Hedorah (or as it was known in the US, Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster), a film in which Godzilla takes on a literal representation of pollution by using pollution. As a mutant created by mankind, he uses mankind’s own nuclear waste to make himself more powerful. He literally eats nuclear waste. We as a civilization feed the means of our own destruction. Quite relevant in today’s debate over climate change.
Yes, I know. Silly. Reading way too much into this.
But as a means of communicating the concerns over environmental problems to a mass audience I think it does a much better job than a dais full of scientists wringing their hands in front of a room full of bored reporters.
Now we come to the 2014 film. This in a way was an attempt to restore the reputation of the “king of all monsters” in the eyes of American audiences. The 1998 Godzilla movie was widely panned by critics and fans alike. The plot was bad (even for a monster movie), the effects were terrible, and worst of all, the classic look of the monster was radically revamped making Godzilla almost unrecognizable. For a long time no one would even talk about Godzilla in Hollywood.
So when they decided to tackle this project they went back to the original and they leaned heavily on the source material. The exploitation of nature had re-awakened prehistoric monsters (other than Godzilla) and they thrive on nuclear power. In this movie Godzilla isn’t just a mindless beast but is in fact a leveling force of nature come to re-establish equilibrium. All humans can do is stand by and watch in horror.
Ken Watanabe’s character, Dr Serizama, states this eloquently:
“The arrogance of men is thinking nature is in their control and not the other way around. Let them fight”
Indeed that is what finally happens in the end. Godzilla finishes off the other monsters and returns to the sea although he had devastated the city that they fought in.
Godzilla is neither hero nor villain. Just as with any other force of nature he just is. He exists to do what he has to do and we really cannot do anything to change that. All we can hope to do is get out of the way as best as possible.
Or we could just sit back and enjoy it as a guy in a rubber suit stomping around a movie set stepping on little movie props. Your choice.
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