Godzilla, The Shōwa Era: The Golden Age

Garrett Stiger

Garrett is an entertainment professional living in the Los Angeles area.

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3 Responses

  1. greginak says:

    Ahh that last sweet scene of dad and kid in Son of G napping in the snow. I still always like it. I do have a ton of affection for this era since it is what i grew up on. Even with the cheapness that will come and some of whacked out goofiness there is so much cool here.

    It will always be just Monster Zero to me. For one that is a lot cooler of a title Invasion blah blah blah.Report

    • I’m right there with you, so much nostalgia attached to these films in particular. As I’ve been revisiting Godzilla movies over the last few years, between this Criterion release and “Pacific Rim” and Warner Bros./Legendary’s big budget take on the property, this Roger Ebert quote (from a Gamera review) rings so true to me:

      “There’s a learning process that moviegoers go through. They begin in childhood without sophistication or much taste, and for example, like ‘Gamera’ more than ‘Air Force One’ because flying turtles are obviously more entertaining than United States presidents. Then they grow older and develop ‘taste,’ and prefer ‘Air Force One,’ which is better made and has big stars and a more plausible plot. (Isn’t it more believable, after all, that a president could single-handedly wipe out a planeload of terrorists than that a giant turtle could spit gobs of flame?) Then, if they continue to grow older and wiser, they complete the circle and return to ‘Gamera’ again, realizing that while both movies are preposterous, the turtle movie has the charm of utter goofiness–and, in an age of flawless special effects, it is somehow more fun to watch flawed ones.”

      My hope is there’ll be a reappraisal of the franchise once this Criterion set is available.

      “Astro Monster” was “Monster Zero” for me growing up as well. I went back and forth on what to call some of these, because a few have two or three titles. I finally decided on going with what they’re named in the box set and calling out alternatives where I can.

      Thanks for reading!Report

      • greginak in reply to Garrett Stiger says:

        Ebert quote is good. I get why people don’t’ like certain genres. Maybe they didn’t grow up with it or whatever. But if you like a genre, the serious and cool and flippin goofy mix perfectly. Giant monsters…..well yeah of course.

        I recently realized i hadn’t watched any Jackie Chan movies in years so i’ve been going through some. Granted Chan is objectively mega talented and amazing, but there is plenty of goofiness and whacked out stuff that in just the right proportion mixes well with incredible stunts and skill.Report