Gutierrez, Anthony

Professor Beadle

English 115

October 29 2017

The Evolution

In the original Godzilla (1954) film it was evident that the monster is the visual

representation of an atomic bomb. The monster is gigantic, radioactive, and projects an

atomic ray from its mouth that can melt through anything. Godzilla as a Monster has

changed from the original film compared to the recent Shin Godzilla (2016). There are

miniscule differences between both versions of the monster that make Godzilla develop a

different personality from the original monster. In a way Godzilla is embracing the

atomic bomb, and shows how the Japanese people are able to overcome the destruction of

their cities and still be one of the worlds most powerful countries. The monster is a

product of nuclear experimentation, and the film shows what happens when humans

tamper with nature.

In the original Godzilla film the monster was awaken by nuclear testing, and it

goes on a rampage through the city. The monster is roughly around fifty meters tall, and

highly radioactive. With every footprint the monster leaves behind large amounts of

radiation. In the (2016) Shin Godzilla film, the monster goes through various physical

changes that make the monster stronger and scarier looking. In the beginning the monster

looks like a juvenile crocodile with no front legs, and it progressively becomes stronger

taller, and begins to resemble the original Godzilla. What the director could be showing is
the evolution of weapons of mass destruction. In the article Godzilla/Gojiro; Evolution of

the nuclear metaphor the author, Nancy Anisfield, gives a brief description of Godzilla.

Humans made the bombs. The bombs created the monsters. The monsters punish the

humans. After enough punishment, the humans triumph and are left in peace.(Anisfield).

In the Shin Godzilla film there is more involvement with the government and the need to

study the monster. For the safety of citizens of japan a drug has been ordered to be

created to stop Godzilla without military forces. In the meantime that the drug was being

developed, there were attempts to stop the monster. The monsters giant stature and thick

skin made it immune to the weapons used by the Japanese military. All the military

managed to do was make the monster angry. With the failed attempts of at stopping

Godzilla the United Nations bring up the idea of dropping a nuclear bomb on the

monster. A major thread of the drama comes when the United States insists on using a

nuclear bomb to eradicate Godzilla, a strategy encouraged and enforced by the United

Nations.(Zevallos) There was no guarantee that the plan would work, but the

government officials looked uneasy with the idea of another nuclear bomb being dropped

on japan.

In both films Godzilla gives the characters time to develop their weapons that can

put an end to the monster. The directors use of a Deus ex Machina is present in both

films where in a time of hopelessness there is eventually a scientific breakthrough that

will put an end to all problems. In the Shin Godzilla film Godzilla takes a nap after a

battle with the Japanese army that destroyed an entire city, and did little to no damage to

the monster. While Godzilla remains asleep, that gives time for scientists to successfully

develop a drug that will freeze Godzilla. In the original film scientist Serizawa developed
the Oxygen destroyer. After a rampage through the city Godzilla returns the sea and the

oxygen destroyer is put to use and doctor Serizawa sacrifices himself to see his creation

do its job. In the original film the people would prefer to get rid of Godzilla completely

rather than study it, and possibly use the monster as a potential energy source. When

doctor Serizawa was testing the oxygen destroyer no fish in the tank survived, the only

remains were fish bones. In Shin Godzilla the government accepted the monster, and

wanted to study it for new scientific discoveries in medicine or energy sources. Godzilla

gave the people of Japan a chance to develop a plan that will freeze Godzilla. The

monster remains frozen in the middle of the city, and everyone comes to the conclusion

that Godzilla is now a part of their lives.

Godzilla is much more complex than a giant lizard that runs around burning down

cities with its atomic ray. The director of the original Godzilla film, Ishiro Honda, wanted

to embody the fears of the Japanese people after World War II. Many people were

instantly incinerated when the bomb was detonated, and entire city was knocked down by

enormous amounts of energy. Radiation is not visible to the human eye, but it is very

toxic and many citizens died of radiation poisoning. According to Peter H. Brothers, the

author of Japans Nuclear Nightmare: How the Bomb Became a Beast called Godzilla,

the director of the original film wanted Godzilla to recreate the final months of World

War II. Godzilla is in fact a virtual re-creation of the Japanese military and civilian

experience during the final months of WWII Honda insisted the monsters roar

sounded like an air raid siren while its footsteps should sound like exploding bombs

(Brothers 53). Many scenes of the movies were analogies to the war. For example, Japan

had to face the monster alone without any foreign aid or any strategy as to how to bring
down the monster. During WWII japan was left to face the U.S. alone after Germany and

Italy had surrendered. Godzilla tramples an entire city and reduced everything to rubble,

the same way that B-29s and incendiaries were laid down on Japanese cities. Although

the scenes of destruction were not as graphic as the war, the Godzilla film is meant to be

taken seriously.

The film was meant to portray the feelings of anxiety shortly after WWII. The

film has an anti-American tone, because of the atomic bombs. According to Brothers it is

hard for American critics to face the burden of the atomic bomb that destroyed a city with

fire and radiation. Brothers writes in America the Bomb is viewed as a necessary evil;

in Japan the Bomb is evil, period (Brothers 54). Hondas intentions for the monster have

faded away over time. After the cold war, fears of a nuclear holocaust have gone away. In

more recent versions of the film the message of Godzilla was changed, and was just made

as another Monster movie.

It can be argued that Godzilla as a monster has not changed since it was originally

created. In the Shin Godzilla (2016) film the metaphor of the atomic bomb is vaguely

present, but it is not as obvious as the original film. Shin Godzilla evolves throughout the

movie, and eventually reaches its familiar form that closely resembles the original

Godzilla. The monster still terrorizes the civilization of Japan and has the same special

abilities. Both monsters were immune to the weapons used by the Japanese military, and

they were able to be defeated when they were vulnerable. Both monsters have their

similarities but the subtle miniscule changes of the monsters make the meaning of the

monsters different from each other. The monsters downfalls were different with the use

of a drug in the recent shin Godzilla as opposed to the oxygen destroyer in the original
film. Throughout the first film the monster was clearly viewed as the atomic bomb,

especially when the directors intentions were to make the monsters rampage resemble

the destruction caused by the bomb. The original film wanted to put an end to the

monster, which meant that the anxiety and constant fears of another atomic bomb had to

be put to rest. In Shin Godzilla the people were more accepting of the creature, and found

a new potential energy source. Shin Godzilla did make the characters reminiscent of the

World War II, but the monster was not as strong of a representation of an atomic bomb as

the original Godzilla.

As a monster Godzilla developed a different personality that is not as distant as

the original. Godzilla was a distant creature that has taken out its anger on humanity,

because it was awaken from its sleep after many years. Godzilla is an alien that people do

not know how to handle, and it makes japan vulnerable. The original monster was easier

to sympathize with, because of how simple the creature was. I believe that the fear

between the monster and the humans was mutual. The monster seemed angry but was not

exactly sure what to be angry at. Similar to the Shin Godzilla film ships were being

destroyed, probably because the monster felt threatened by anything it came in contact

with. The monster uses its atomic ray as a last resort of violence when it is being

bombarded or feeling helpless. The death of the original Godzilla was more emotional,

because the monster had retreated into the city, but the peoples rage would cause them to

pursue the monster and use the oxygen destroyer on it. Along with the sacrifice of doctor

Serizawa, the ending of the film is bittersweet. Throughout the film Shin Godzilla is

viewed as the antagonist that people have to manipulate to use its special abilities for

good. The original Monster and the more recent Shin Godzilla have similar meanings, but
the have miniscule differences that make the monsters unique. Godzilla is meant be the

visual representation of the destructiveness of radiation. Films are a directors ideas

coming to life on the big screen. Godzilla changed as a monster physically and

metaphorically.
 Works Cited Page

Anisfield, N. (1995). Godzilla/Gojiro: Evolution of the Nuclear Metaphor. Journal of

Popular Culture, 29(3), 53-62.

Zevallos, K. (2016, October 18). Shin Godzilla Review. University Wire, p. University

Wire, Oct 18, 2016.

Hoffman, Andrew J. Japans nuclear nightmare how the bomb became a beast called

Godzilla. Monsters: a Bedford Spotlight Reader, Bedford/St. Martin's, a Macmillan

Education Imprint, 2016.