Anguiano 1

Alfonso Anguiano

Prof Beadle

English 115

December 5, 2017

Godzilla, Out With the Old & In With the New

Within both movies, Gojira 1954 and Shin Godzilla 2016, Ishiro Honda and Hideaki

Anno include several differences in the movie which involve the fate of the monster, the overall

political inclusion and the way the monster progresses and evolves. These provide enough

information to carry out a valid reference and important message to the audience by contributing

these characteristics to the visual education of the horrific World War II nuclear bombing attacks

on Japan. I believe that there were major changes that signify and educate us about the history of

Japan as well as the United States between both movies which would make one film superior to

the other, rather than these films having little changes to make them both very similar in

comparison. Demonstrating some real visualizations of all the damage and terror that was caused

to the innocent citizens if Japan. Not sugarcoating much signifying and giving us a realization of

the destruction that could happen and did happen to Japan because of a nuclear attack.

To start off, the first familiar change within these films is how the aid of countries differs

between Gojira 1954 and Shin Godzilla 2016 movie. In the first film Gojira 1954 the only two

countries to be involved were Japan and the United States of America. America is the only other

country to provide assistance to Japan after the horrific attacks of such monster which destroyed

the city of Tokyo. America was the first country to respond to Japan with help. With this in

mind, the help of only one other country gives me the analyzation of how Japan might have felt

alone
 Anguiano 2

and isolated. Meaning that they felt they had nobody to help them in the time of the crisis. In

contrast, the 2016 Shin Godzilla involved many other countries including Japan, The United

States of America, Russia, France, and I believe Germany as well as some others. Not only did

America provide help, so did other foreign countries to help eliminate and deal with the dilemma

Japan was involved in. One of these countries in the newer film, Japan didn't feel helpless as they

had endless help from different countries rather than feeling alone and desperate. As well as how

America played a bigger role in the newer 2016 Godzilla film as they provided most of the

military support towards the monster. To wrap up, the overall difference between the movies

represented the psychological consciousness Japan fell into when they were under attack, feeling

alone in the 1954 Gojira film with the help of only one country, and how they felt more

comfortable knowing they had several allies to watch their back in the 2016 Shin Godzilla

movie. Godzilla carries the weight of recent psychological crises like the Fukushima nuclear

disaster that Japan has suffered through. (Rosser, 7 )

In addition, a second change between both Godzilla movies was the difference between

the monster and his different attacks or abilities when it was terrorising the city. Godzilla was a

two legged beast which looked similar to a dinosaur with two simple attacks. In the original

Godzilla, the monster came out of the ocean already fully formed into the two legged

monstrosity, it is scary but not really the ideal creature to depict the disaster of the city of Tokyo.

In the older 1954 film, Godzilla was a very simple monster with only the attacks of his tail and

his fire breath which would cause mayhem, but nowhere near as how the new and improved

Godzilla would in the 2016 film. In the newest film, the bigger, better and badder Godzilla now
 Anguiano 3
features a variety of attacks which include its ability to use its tail as a weapon, along with the

use of a fire breath which turns into an atomic laser beam and last but not least, now it can shoot

laser beams out of its back with more power than ever, the monster is more terrifying. These

attacks were only noticeable through the creatures stages of evolution. As the time past and the

city progressed, so did Godzilla, the monster started off with having no legs to later developing

and growing legs, a tail and many other hideous characteristics which would only be revealed as

the monster grew day by day, raising the danger levels and overall destruction the monster would

continue to create. Keeping this in mind, the monster grew worse and worse everyday making

the attacks more severe which crippled the city of Japan by bringing them to their knees. With all

these examples and comparisons addressed within the films, these are all examples and

interpretations of the history and the occurrence of the discussed attacks on Japan. The monsters

attacks are in relevance to its evolution, correlating to history about how the bombings were

different and caused all sorts of damage besides one kind. A variety of attacks were illustrated

throughout Godzilla showing us that these weren't just an ordinary bombing, but something far

worse that what we would expect and ever expect. To conclude, both movies address the

monster and its attacks to reference the nuclear bombings on Japan while the older film

demonstrates the damage as more lenient than the newer film. The newer film sends the same

message but creates a more clear and picturized image by demonstrating the stages of evolution

the monster goes through, to the time period of the bombings showing the significance hour by

hour day by day an week by week in which the attacks got worse and worse, educating us on the

harsh reality of history of Tokyo Japan included in the notable nuclear attacks. As Alessandra
 Anguiano 4
said, Gojira is a Japanese science fiction lm incorporating a monster as symbolic of the

destructive and terrifying e ects of atomic warfare. (Luedeking, 5)

Last but not least, the final difference between these films were the different ways of the

monsters fate. In the original 1954 Gojira, the monster was attempted to be eliminated through

military force and once they found out its immunity to military force, they had to change their

tactics. The next way they approached the monster was to lure it into the power lines to fry the

beast but later only proved to be ineffective as well. As a last resort, a brave scientist named

Seriwaza created an Oxygen Destroyer which would initially kill anything in the given area to

defeat the monster but in the process took his own life fearing that countries and others might

want him to recreate the Oxygen Destroyer to use for evil and disastrous purposes. On the

other hand, the new godzilla was very similar, but yet different. Japan in this movie used military

force and as the other one, it failed. When trying to figure out a new tactic to approach the

monster, they found that Godzilla had a weak spot on its back which would only become

effective it the attacks toward the giant were precise to hurt the monster. Acknowledging that

hurting the monster only infuriated it even more therefore creating more disaster and destruction

to the city of Tokyo worse than before. I. The 2016 Shin Godzilla the protagonist Yaguchi came

up with a final idea to have a group of rambunctious scientists to come up with enough of a

coagulant to freeze the monster in its footsteps to prevent further damage. In the process, many

casualties occurred but the monster was finally frozen in its tracks, alive, but immobile. This

signifies how the tactics Japan used in the actual history were ineffective and only made things

worse. Therefore they needed to improvise, find, and develop a different way of dealing with this
 Anguiano 5
issue. Living less fearsome in the original film that there might be no possibility of the attack

happening again because the monster is defeated; relating to the nuclear attacks never happening

again because their battle has been won. Living in an everyday fear of what had happened, might

happen again only because although the monster is frozen, it can be melted and happen once

again; just how Japan took care of their enemies and bombing issue for now, they fear that their

problem might not be completely over with just yet and could happen at any moment. To sum

up, between both films, the fate of the monster differers where the older film kills off the

monster, while the newer film only is able to freeze the beast where it stands. The larger picture

depicted from these actions is none the less than how the citizens of Tokyo only fear that there

might be a slight possibility of another Godzilla (Bombing.) On the other hand, how Godzilla

is only able to be frozen, it symbolizes how to city and citizens of Japan and Tokyo live in

constant fear and the breath restricting anxiety that the monster (nuclear attacks) may return at

any moment of time and theyre either ready or not. In relevance to history, the fear of the

monster ever returning signifies the fear Japan carries that there might be another stretch of

bombings on their beloved country at any moment in the future to come.

On the other hand, some people might reject my claim as some might believe these

differences arent anything big and relevant to history. Others might believe that the political

stance of these films carry little to no importance because the movie is simply about a giant

monster who destroys Tokyo, no more or less. What they dont understand is the role other

countries involved play a historical part when looking at the bigger picture of the significance

Godzilla carries, as the monster itself is a self interpretation of a nuclear bomb. Furthermore, the
 Anguiano 6
way Godzilla evolves isnt seen as a bomb, but simply a monster growing because it carries no

importance or change great enough to alter the stories main purpose. This is solely incorrect

because not only does the evolution of the monster contribute to the difference in damage on

Tokyo but as well as the wide range of information taken from the nuclear attacks which make

these subtle changes important. The evolution of the monster and the attacks that come along

with it represent how the damage got worse day by day as the nuclear bombings (Godzilla)

proceeded to rain down of Tokyo. Last but not least, while others might claim that the fate of the

monster doesnt matter, the fate of the monster between both films is a better shown

psychological state the Country and its citizens are left in after these horrendous actions of evil.

These reasons become distinguished because the overlooked opinions of these films are often

underestimated when people fail see the significance in these little but noticeable changes these

films posses. In the original Gojira, hes taken out by a hydrogen bomb and in the newest film

Shin Godzilla, it is frozen in its tracks. Separating the fears and anxieties Japan and its citizens

hold because of this possible re-occurring in the newer film and not the original because he is

killed off instead of frozen, able to be thawed out.

In conclusion, the several changes in the movies compared and contrasted shared the

significance of the historical event of the nuclear attacks taken place in Tokyo Japan throughout

many moments in each film that signify the true meaning of the film in history. To conclude, the

history of Japan is important and we should further educate our society on the cruel but true past

of the nuclear attacks on Japan and these films both contribute to the idea which teach a great

lesson about the significance hidden between the original 1954 Gojira and the newest 2016 Shin

Godzilla.
 Anguiano 7

Works Cited

1. Anno, Hideaki. Higuchi, Shinji. Godzilla. Toho, Cine Bazar, 2016.

 Anguiano 8
2. Honda, Ishiro. Gojira. Toho, 1954.

3. Luedeking, Alessandra. Titan of Terror: A Personification of the Destroyer of

Worlds.https://csun-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-

explore/fulldisplay?docid=TN_1science_s6442d95a748e8282110ba40a8569ae943b52b9

04&context=PC&vid=01CALS_UNO&search_scope=EVERYTHING&tab=everything

&lang=en_US, Elements, vol. 12, no. 1, 2016, pp. Elements, 2016, Vol.12(1).

4. Rosser, Michael. Japanese 'Godzilla' to Rise in 2016.

http://www.lexisnexis.com.libproxy.csun.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=35507

8, Screen International, 2015, p. N_A.