Godzilla (1954)

Released 27th October 1954, the very first Godzilla film came to Japanese cinemas – a film which would begin a (Currently) 66-year legacy still going strong. The plot revolves around Japan trying to tackle the threat of Gojira – a prehistoric monster awoken by nuclear power which is unstoppable. So, for a 66-year old film how does it hold up? Surprisingly well actually: whilst the cast isn’t spectacular, it isn’t awful either – to be honest the humans aren’t particularly important.

Whilst this lacking importance of the humans can make the pacing of the film rather jagged at times, the film is still enjoyable; especially once the film summons Godzilla himself. From his atomic breath to his head’s resemblance to a mushroom cloud; this nuclear powerhouse instils fear in and out of screen – even more so in the end when Japan concludes the only way to stop atomic power is to engineer a more threatening, destructive weapon. As Budd Wilkins put it for Slant Magazine; “Rarely has the open wound of widespread devastation been transposed to celluloid with greater visceral impact.” Godzilla is the atom bomb and his effects in Japan remind you of this right until the credits roll.

Whilst far from the best soundtrack, Godzilla’s is instantly recognisable to those who have heard it and is able to convey the dread and unstoppable nature of the monster. The special effects are fairly dated by modern standards, they are not awful and some shots still hold surprisingly well – again, this film was released in 1954 and yet it still looks more real than almost every other Godzilla (Except from 2014 onwards) –a result of ‘suit-mation’. This technique is simply someone inside of a large suit who either stomps on model-sets or is composited via green screen. Overall whilst dated by modern standards, Godzilla 1954 stands strong as an icon of cinema through its extremely mature themes and its horrifying monster.