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Final film of both Akira Kurosawa and Ishiro Honda, “Madadayo” was the official submission for the Best Foreign Language FIlm of the 66th Academy Awards and a more than fitting ending for one of the true masters of world cinema.

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The story is based on the life of Japanese academic Hyakken Uchida, a professor of German who taught at the Imperial Japanese Army Academy and at Hosei University. The film begins during his last day at school, at 58 years of age, when he announces that he is retiring, with his wit and humour being met with rewarding reactions from his students, who are obviously sad to see him go. In 1943, he moves into a spacious house with his wife, with the support he would enjoy for the remainder of his life from his students becoming obvious when they visit him, and later on,...

Quick LinksWhere Did the Lore For the Iconic Monster Originate?What Godzilla Represents in the Showa EraIs Godzilla Based on a True Story?The Heisei Era Gave Godzilla's Origin Story a Bizarre TwistFuture Humans Try To Get Rid of GodzillaThe Modern-Day Godzilla Is a Force of NatureGodzilla Gets a New Origin StoryToho Gives Godzilla Another Origin StoryWhich Version of Godzilla is the Strongest?

Spanning over 70 years and spread across more than 32 films, the monster known as Godzilla is a worldwide icon. Based on a monster awakened from the devastating aftermath of a nuclear attack, the franchise birthed a genre that holds supremacy in pop culture today. The lizard-like monster, which looks more like a creature from the Cretaceous period, piqued the audience's interest in the inspiration and facts behind the elaborate Godzilla universe.

Since its inception in the 1950s in Japan, there have been several takes on Godzilla with...

The first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions Godzilla is a kaiju of mammoth size and immense strength who leaves behind only death and ruin. What people often forget is that Godzilla is also a walking nuclear reactor. The energy beam blasts from his mouth come out as a byproduct of his internal fission reaction. Called the atomic breath, this high-temperature, kinetic energy attack has become the King of the Monsters' signature weapon over the years.

The destructive power of Godzilla's atomic breath is inconsistent. It changes with each era and each movie, according to the purpose it serves in the narrative. But in recent times, Godzilla's atomic breath has been getting astronomically stronger with his size. The strongest atomic breaths are terribly powerful and hauntingly beautiful, immortalizing moments from Godzilla's illustrious history and reminding humans of how puny they are.

Terror of Mechgodzilla Shows the Real Power...

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Ishiro Honda's original "Gojira" was released in Japan in 1954, and helped popularize a genre of giant monster movies that remained ascendant for seven decades. Godzilla movies are still being made to this day, with Toho's most recent film, "Godzilla Minus One" coming out in 2023, and Legendary's "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" hitting in 2024. Godzilla has been part of the cinematic landscape for so long, his popularity has risen and fallen and risen again. There have been multiple "finales" in the Godzilla series, and just as many reboots. He's more pliable and more prone to restarts than James Bond.

From 1954 until 1975, Godzilla more or less followed a single continuity, and the 15 films released during this period are said to be of the Showa era. From 1975 to 1983, there would be no theatrical Godzilla movies, with the series rebooting in...

Efforts to arrange a rematch between Godzilla and Hedorah have been bungled multiple times over a period of more than 50 years now. But through the Monsterverse, a chance exists for "round two" of Godzilla vs. Hedorah to finally find life on the big screen. Due to its psychedelic energy and the titular villain's odd, blob-like appearance, 1971's Godzilla vs. Hedorah hardly feels like a top candidate for a Monsterverse adaptation, but its central concepts could translate well to its world.

Also known as the Smog Monster, Hedorah is an alien creature who feeds off pollution and one of several Godzilla villains. His hunger led it to Earth in Godzilla vs. Hedorah. And though its looks may warn of any real danger, Hedorah did prove to be a formidable opponent for Godzilla throughout the film. Even so, Godzilla vs. Hedorah ultimately killed off the monster, and he remained a one-and-done villain...

Godzilla is the undisputed King of the Monsters. This iconic kaiju originated in 1954's Godzilla, a Japanese movie that later spawned one of the biggest media franchises in history. Movies like Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park wouldn't have even existed without Godzilla. Through nearly 70 years of movies, Godzilla has beaten the likes of King Ghidorah, King Kong, Mothra, Gigan, and several other kaiju. Utilizing its signature atomic breath, skyscraper size, and other abilities, Godzilla has cemented its legacy as an iconic movie monster.

But as powerful as Godzilla is, not every incarnation is evenly matched with others. Over the decades, the King of the Monsters has undergone makeovers and has experienced a shift in its powers. However, aside from his height changing with the size of the Tokyo skyline, Godzilla has displayed abilities that rival the great superheroes in fiction. That said, only one of them can be considered the strongest Godzilla of all time.

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Few characters in the history of cinema can claim to have been relevant for 70 years, but beginning with the 1954 kaiju classic that started it all, "Godzilla" birthed such a character. Affectionately known as the King of the Monsters, no giant beast that has ever graced the silver screen has made a larger, more lasting impact on the pop culture landscape. But is that title of king appropriate? This is to say, is Godzilla actually a king? Or would Queen of the Monsters be a more apt nickname?

The question of whether Godzilla is male or a female is actually one worth pondering. For English-speaking audiences, we've largely come to know the monster as a he. But it's not so straightforward as all of that. For example, Godzilla has children, which raises gender questions. Minilla, for example, was introduced as the...

Our friends at Criterion have always been huge Godzilla supporters. They’ve got tons of titles for sale and streaming on their channel (there are more than 30 sequels!), so it’s no surprise that they recently released the film that started it all on 4K, the 1954 original Gojira/Godzilla, directed by Ishiro Honda. It took me longer than usual to review this title, due to events here in the U.S.; I couldn’t help but wonder if we’re going right back where we started in a sense. Will the incoming, returning political regime bring us destruction beyond anything we’ve seen? Let’s hope not, but the weight of that question, in addition to many others, has really taken more than enough energy from myself and countless others. If...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Godzilla premiered in November of 1954, eight months to the day after the United States set off its first hydrogen bomb. Indebted to but distinct from pioneering giant monster movies like 1925’s The Lost World, 1933’s King Kong, and 1953’s The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, the seminal Japanese kaiju film is more than just another special effects-driven creature feature. Working from a story by Shigeru Kayama, writer-director Ishirō Honda and co-writer Takeo Murata provide an outlet for post-war Japan’s fears.

In the atomic age parable, an ancient, 164-foot creature dubbed Gojira ravages Tokyo after being awakened from its deep-sea hibernation by nuclear testing. Scientist Daisuke Serizawa (Akihiko Hirata), salvage ship captain Hideto Ogata (Akira Takarada), paleontologist Kyohei Yamane, and his daughter Emiko Yamane (Momoko Kōchi) are tasked with fulfilling their social obligations to stop the seemingly indestructible beast.

The decision to use an actor (Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka) in a...

As the nights grow longer and the air turns crisp, it’s the perfect time to settle in with some of the best spooky films ever made. From eerie silent classics to modern horror hits, spooky cinema has evolved across decades, yet each era has its own spine-tingling gems. Whether you love atmospheric terror or heart-pounding scares, here’s a journey through the best films from the 1920s to today that will give you chills. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here. Limited Time Offer – Free Subscription to The Hollywood Insider Click here to read more on The Hollywood Insider’s vision, values and mission statement here – Media has the responsibility to better our world – The Hollywood Insider fully focuses on substance and meaningful entertainment, against gossip and scandal, by combining entertainment, education, and philanthropy. 1920s - 1980s ‘The Haunting’ (1963) Cast: Julie Harris,...

Godzillaand Spider-Man may not be the first mash-up to spring to mind, but one unused cover idea by artist Tom Scioli paired the two unlikely subjects together. The writer/artist behind IDWs current Godzillas Monsterpiece Theater is known for his wild, off-the-wall imagination, but the melding of Spider-Man and Godzilla might be the zaniest idea hes had yet.

Sharing in a post to Instagram, Tom Scioli describes the sketch as an unused cover concept for Godzilla Monsterpiece Theater #2. The piece shows Godzilla carrying Anguiras while swooping through the air, taking the same position as Spider-Man did when he made his debut on the cover to Amazing Fantasy #15 by Steve Ditko.

View this post on InstagramA post shared by Thomas Scioli (@tom_scioli)

The unused concept is in keeping with Sciolis cover to the recently-released Godzillas Monsterpiece Theater #1, which paid homage to Jack Kirbys iconic cover to Fantastic Four #1.

Tom Scioli...

Ishirô Honda‘s Godzilla officially turns 70 on Sunday, but Waxwork Records is kicking off the festivities early with the original soundtrack on vinyl.

Akira Ifukube‘s iconic score has been re-mastered and pressed on colored vinyl. It’s housed in a gatefold jacket with matte satin coating featuring new artwork by Robert Sammelin.

An art print insert is also included.

Waxwork previews, “The film’s score by Akira Ifukube has become an instantly recognizable piece of film music. Given only the script and a week in which to compose, Ifukube crafted a score that feels as enormous as the kaiju himself. Godzilla’s theme has become a staple of nearly all subsequent Godzilla films and was considered by Ifukube to be the greatest piece of music he had written.

“Using low-pitched brass and string instruments, Ifukube gives the score a massiveness and weight that complement the terror and destruction brought about by the rampaging monster.

After centuries of fearing creatures based on myth and folklore, the atomic age introduced humanity to a brand-new breed of monster. With man-made extinction becoming a terrifying real-world possibility, it only made sense for our narrative fears to become bigger and badder in order to adapt to jaded audiences – and that’s why radioactive mutants were inevitable.

And nearly 80 years after the end of the Manhattan Project, genre fiction still exists in the radioactive shadow of the atom even as our modern fears evolve to include global pandemics and climate collapse. With that in mind, we’ve decided to come up with a list celebrating six memorable radioactive movie monsters.

And in the interest of keeping things a little less obvious, we won’t be including the king of radioactive monsters himself, Godzilla, on this list, as everyone and their mother is already aware of the atomic-powered dinosaur.

With that out of the way,...

On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.

In October 2024, we’re doing the Midnight Movie Monster Mash with films that challenge our understanding of evil characters and creatures just in time for Halloween.

First, read the spoiler-free Bait: a weird and wonderful pick from any time in film. Then, come back for the Bite: a breakdown of all the spoiler-y bits you’d want to unpack when exiting a theater.

The Bait: Kaiju Cain and Abel Take Tokyo

As a horror and sci-fi subgenre, Kaiju was built on the promise of towering monsters threatening to squish entire cities on a whim. From North Korea’s bonkers “Pulgasari” (1995) to the global phenomenon that is Godzilla and the MonsterVerse, you’d be hard-pressed to find a mega-monster flick that doesn’t classify as midnight in some way.

But even...

Welcome to IndieWire After Dark, where we pick a new theme for our midnight movie programming every month!

Join us Friday nights at 9:30 p.m. Et to explore the best in fringe films — available at any hour in the streaming age.

Whether you’re working in the lab late one night or going to your favorite repertory theater after hours, now’s the time to do the Midnight Movie Monster Mash. This October, we’re honoring the Halloween season with a carousel of killers so unusual their beastly mugs would make Lon Chaney quake — and he’s been dead for 100 years.

Ancient beasts predate humans, and monsters have always stalked our campfire stories. But in cinema, the monster movie has mutated into an uncontainable genre behemoth all its own. From B-movie creature features to chilling portraits of serial killers, the terrors of the big screen we choose to call...

The Japanese term kaiju comes from the Chinese word gui shu, meaning "strange beast," as found in an ancient Chinese text on mythical animals. These days, kaiju evokes only one image, and that is of Godzilla. It is little surprising that a creature of such formidable stature has become synonymous with the word in the modern lexicon.

Director Ishiro Honda, who brought the titular character to life in 1954s Godzilla, once said that monsters are tragic beings whose size and strength unfortunately make them villains in the public eye. Over the decades, Godzilla has stomped through the screen, getting bigger and badder with each incarnation. And as the King of the Monsters has grown in size, so has his iconic history.

Fans Saw Godzilla Junior Grow Up

After years of portraying Godzilla as an adorable goofball, the Heisei era of Godzilla brought the King of the Monsters back to his destructive roots.

On the eve of his 70th anniversary following the release of the 1954 original, Godzilla has been a fixture on screens and various forms of media ever since allowing for people to get acclimated to his presence. As a side-effect of that constant influx of new media in films, TV shows, and comics, there’s been a fair amount of change to his looks over the years, for better or worse. Here, then, are our choices for the Top 10 Godzilla Costumes and why.

10. Terror of Mechagodzilla

This one has always been an overlooked design. Known as the Mekagyakshu Goji, there’s a lot to enjoy with this look. A lot of that is especially in his face which has some nice designs around the eyes which make him look a lot more fearsome than the rest of his 70’s outings. This smaller look fits nicely into Godzilla’s brawler style behavior...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Godzilla 4K Uhd from Criterion

Godzilla will celebrate its 70th anniversary in style, as The Criterion Collection is bringing Toho’s 1954 Japanese kaiju classic to 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on November 5.

The film has been newly restored in 4K with uncompressed monaural sound. A high-definition restoration of Terry Morse’s 1956 American reworking of the film, Godzilla, King of the Monsters, is also included.

Ishirō Honda directs from a script he co-wrote with Takeo Murata. Eiji Tsuburaya (Ultraman) helmed the special effects. Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, and Takashi Shimura star with Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka as Godzilla.

Special features include: commentary by film historian David Kalat; interviews with Takarada, Nakajima, special effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai,...

Quick Links Godzilla's Origin, Explained Godzilla's Gender, Explained Godzilla's Species, Explained

With Godzilla celebrating its 70th birthday in October 2024, the gargantuan beast has never been more popular. Following the release of the hit Godzilla Minus One, the recent Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and the Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, a renewed fascination with the classic Toho movie monster has brought Godzilla back into the cultural spotlight for new and old generations to enjoy. Yet, despite appearing in countless movies since 1954, several questions about Godzilla's biological makeup remain.

With 70 years of historical mythology to draw from, ascertaining Godzilla's gender, origin, and species is long overdue. Although there has been conflicting information throughout the movies and literature, there's enough consensus to understand Godzilla's physiological traits, what it is, whether the monster is male or female, and what race of creature it belongs to. Now that...

The Criterion Collection, known for releasing classic and influential films in high quality formats, has revealed several new movie titles coming in November 2024. The lineup showcases a diverse range of films from different eras and genres. Notable releases include upgraded versions of two iconic Japanese films from the 1950s as well as Oscar-winning American movies. Art house releases sitting lesser-known but important works are also part of the fall slate.

Leading the list are new 4K transfers of Akira Kurosawa’s epic “Seven Samurai” from 1954 and Ishirō Honda’s original “Godzilla” movie. These films helped establish their genres and are considered highly influential internationally. For the first time, “Godzilla” will be a stand-alone release rather than part of a box set.

Also debuting is Peter Bogdanovich’s 1973 film “Paper Moon” starring 10-year old Tatum O’Neal. Her performance opposite her father Ryan O’Neal won her an Academy Award for best supporting actress,...

Blu-ray collectors, rejoice. The Criterion Collection unveiled its November 2024 slate of releases this week, and the month looks like an embarrassment of riches for cinephiles looking to expand their physical media collections. The boutique distributor will be rolling out six new titles, several of which have long been coveted by Criterion fans: “Funny Girl,” “Paper Moon,” “Demon Pond,” and “Scarface,” along with new 4K editions of “Godzilla” and “Seven Samurai.”

William Wyler’s 1968 film adaptation of the musical “Funny Girl” marked Barbara Streisand’s big screen debut, turning the actress into one of Hollywood’s biggest stars overnight and earning her an Oscar for Best Actress on her first nomination. The film quickly became a cultural phenomenon and has remained one of the most popular (and quoted) movie musicals of all time.

Peter Bogdanovich’s “Paper Moon” is widely regarded as one of the greatest showcases for a child actor in film history.

Japanese sci-fi classic The Human Vapor — directed by Godzilla creator Ishirō Honda and released in 1960 — is set to receive a contemporary reimagining as a live-action series courtesy of Netflix and Toho Studios. The remake project marks the first time the global streamer and Japanese studio giant are collaborating.

The series is being co-helmed by a Korean-Japanese creative dream team. Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan, Hellbound, Parasyte: The Grey) is serving as the film’s executive producer and co-scriptwriter, while Japan’s Shinzo Katayama (Missing, Siblings of the Cape, Disney’s Gannibal) will direct. Japanese stars Shun Oguri (Godzilla vs. Kong) and Yu Aoi (Wife of a Spy) will co-star in the series.

The third and final film of Toho’s “Transforming Human Series” of cult sci-fi classics from the 1950s and 1960s, The Human Vapor tells the story of a man turned into a gaseous mutant by a radiation experiment gone awry.

Netflix has forged its first ever partnership with Toho, Japan’s leading film studio, to remake 1960 science fiction feature The Human Vapor.

Human Vapor will be written by Yeon Sang-ho, the South Korean filmmaker behind hit zombie thriller Train To Busan, and directed by Shinzo Katayama of Disney+ drama-horror series Gannibal and 2021 feature Missing.

While plot details remain under wraps, the original centres on the victim of a scientific experiment who can transform himself into gas and uses these powers to commit robberies and kill those who stand in his way. It was directed by Ishiro Honda and featured effects by Eiji Tsuburaya,...

There are few genre movies of any kind that can claim to have the level of influence that 1954's "Godzilla" had. Directed by Ishiro Honda, the kaiju classic was made as a response to the tragedy of the atomic bomb that Japan faced in World War II scarcely a decade earlier. The wounds were still fresh for the country at the time and, in that way, it's tough for modern audiences to truly view the film through the same lens as when it first came out, particularly those of us who aren't Japanese. But that's precisely why it was met with such an emotional response out of the gate.

2021's Life Godzilla did a deep dive on the "Godzilla" franchise and looked back at the original film that started it all. Stunt man Haruo Nakajima was in the audience for the film's premiere and he offered a bit of context...

Godzilla: iconic mutated lizard with nuclear energy, famous in kaiju films since the 1950s Ultraman: alien superhero with solar-powered abilities, known for brawling hand-to-hand combat. Ultraman vs. Godzilla: Ultraman's diverse extraterrestrial superpowers could give him an advantage in a fight.

As the acclaimed big-screen behemoth Godzilla Minus One and the popular TV show Ultraman: Rising battle for viewership supremacy on Netflix, a legitimate debate about the stronger fictional character has emerged. Both gigantic fictional characters were created in Japan in the 1950s and 1960s, with the alien superhero Ultraman often facing humongous Kaiju monsters of Godzilla's ilk lurking beneath the country.

In addition to their immense size and stature, Ultraman has a host of alien technology in his favor and Godzilla has radioactive atomic energy in his, leading many fans to wonder who would come out on top if they ever clashed onscreen. Although the two iconic...

Godzilla Minus One is a standalone Japanese film honoring the original 1954 Godzilla movie and its historical context. The film features an upgraded atomic breath for Godzilla, consistent with the MonsterVerse iteration. Godzilla's Heat Ray is also more powerful and deadly in this film, referencing past Godzilla movies.

One of the most immersive and emotionally charged movies of 2023, Godzilla Minus One honors and advances the titular terror's historical canon. While the film does not belong to one cinematic universe or have ties to Godzilla's MonsterVerse, the standalone effort pays homage to Ishiro Honda's 1954 original and the historical context regarding atomic energy and nuclear war. Moreover, thanks to great technological advances in the VFX, Godzilla's incendiary atomic breath has been drastically upgraded in the throwback event film.

Godzilla Minus One 4/5 Release Date December 1, 2023Director Takashi YamazakiCast Rynosuke Kamiki, Takayuki Yamada, Sakura AndouMain Genre Action

With Godzilla Minus One available on Netflix,...

Modern fandom, to say the least, is very misguided in its sense of entitlement. As proof, look no further than Change dot org, a website where anyone can start a petition for just about anything. Amongst the dozens of joke petitions, the hundreds of political petitions, and other types of requests on the website, you can find many (way too many) petitions regarding the arts and entertainment. More specifically, petitions involving what fans believe should (or should not) be included in their beloved franchises.

Perhaps, if one's feeling charitable, such petitions had some merit back during the days when most filmmakers working on franchise films were only barely aware of any given series and its fanbase. Nowadays — really, for the last 20-odd years or so — studios and producers seek to hire creators who are already self-avowed fans of a given character or source material, the better to hopefully circumvent issues with fan demands.

Well, it was 2004 when Godzilla, our beloved colossus, marked his 50th thunderous anniversary with an epic, monumental clash in Godzilla: Final Wars. For those who do not know, Ishirō Honda helmed and co-wrote the 1954 Toho release of Godzilla, the first flick in the franchise.

Despite the box office stumble of Godzilla: Final Wars, today we stand almost two decades later, celebrating the film’s transformation into a cult phenomenon. And as a seasoned Kaiju enthusiast who has followed Godzilla’s career from the depths of the Pacific to the climactic showdowns on the big screen, it’s informative to delve into the little-known stories behind the making of such a fan-favorite film.

Godzilla Final Wars | Toho Pictures

In a riveting encounter with Kaiju United, director Ryuhei Kitamura shared a candid account of the unconventional casting of former Mma titan Don Frye as Captain Gordon in his 2004 flick.

Casting Captain Gordon:...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Am I Ok? (Stephanie Allyne and Tig Notaro)

A romantic comedy that functions best as a fable of friendship and self-reflection, Am I Ok? is the kind of lightweight, amiable movie that just barely earns the emotional beats at the heart of its story. Set in Los Angeles, it follows the converging life events of two best friends, Lucy (Dakota Johnson) and Jane (Sonoya Mizuno), soul sisters with opposite personalities who tell each other everything—except for the big secrets they’ve been harboring from each other. How they respond to hearing them fuels Stephanie Allyne and Tig Notaro’s gentle and wobbly feature debut. – Jake K-s. (full review)

Where to Stream: Max

Dad & Step-Dad (Tynan DeLong)

Following the stellar comedy Free Time,...

Filmmaker Takahashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One may have won an Oscar for its VFX, but it’s the storytelling that Hollywood needs to learn from, Ryan writes.

You can tell that Godzilla Minus One is the work of a brilliant storyteller right from its opening scene. It’s World War II, and a lone Mitsubishi fighter plane flies over choppy waters towards an airfield on a lush, remote Japanese island. We then get a tighter shot of the aircraft as it touches down on a rutted landing strip: wheels kicking up dust, the bomb stowed beneath the plane hangs perilously close to the ground.

The viewer may not even consciously notice it, but this shot speaks volumes about kamikaze pilot Kōichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki), who we see for the first time in the next shot. First, that he’s landed without dumping his payload on the enemy; and second, even...

Godzilla Minus One On Ott: Where It Stands Within A Week Of Its Digital Release On Netflix!( Photo Credit – YouTube )

Godzilla Minus One is entertaining viewers on the streaming platform. It has debuted among the top five positions on Netflix’s Weekly Global 10 list (non-English film). The film was directed by Takashi Yamazaki and produced by Toho Studios and Robot Communications. It performed really well during its theatrical run. Keep scrolling to see how the movie is performing online.

The movie was set in post-war Japan as the country is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb. It is part of the Godzilla franchise, which is not limited to just movies. The franchise comprises television series, novels, comic books, video games, and other merchandise. The Guinness World Records acknowledges the franchise as the longest-continuously running franchise.

Godzilla is a creature all his own, but he's often classified as a dinosaur; one dinosaur species, the Gojirasaurus, was even named in 1997 as a tribute to the King of the Monsters. It should go without saying, though, that Godzilla doesn't resemble any real fossils that paleontologists have found.

Godzilla was created in 1954, debuting in his first movie that year (directed by Ishirō Honda). There had been prior dinosaur movies, such as "The Lost World" and "King Kong" where the animals were brought to life with stop-motion, so audiences recognized the notion and imagery of a dinosaur. Still, scientific knowledge of these prehistoric beasts was more limited back then. "Godzilla" covers its bases by suggesting the creature was mutated via atomic radiation, but its star still looks little like any real dinosaur.

What makes one giant lizard-looking beast different from another? For starters, not even the largest of (discovered) dinosaurs even approach Godzilla's 300+ foot height.

After a 160-ft tall prehistoric monster rises out of the sea and crushes an entire village in 1954's "Godzilla," all hell breaks loose. Professionals scramble to study this ginormous beast in hopes of understanding its motives but soon realize that its mutated form follows no logic while leaving destruction in its wake. Even after a 100-ft electrified fence is built to keep the monster out, it demolishes this obstacle with its atomic breath along with the city of Tokyo, leaving thousands dead and injured before temporarily returning to the sea.

The only way director Ishirō Honda and special effects creator Eiji Tsuburaya could portray Godzilla's unforgettable Tokyo rampage was through practical means, and it was certainly not easy to pull off. At the time, Godzilla was portrayed by a man in a rubber suit — namely Nakajima Haruo, who brought the iconic monster's telltale mannerisms to life — which meant that...

Everything about the making of 1954's "Godzilla" feels miraculous. The movie is a feat of filmmaking on every level, from its now aged yet still impressive practical effects to its bold nuclear threat story set in post-war Japan. The film utilized every trick in the book to bring its eponymous kaiju to life, from building a monster costume out of plastic and concrete to creating Godzilla's infamous roar by rubbing the loosened strings of a double bass.

The team behind the original "Godzilla" movie, which included director Ishirō Honda, special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, and the team at Toho Studios, got creative with their moviemaking at every opportunity. Still, no amount of creative problem-solving could save the cast and crew from the forces of nature, which apparently conspired against the production during some especially sweltering days in Japan's Mie prefecture.

In the 2019 Life magazine special edition "Life: Godzilla," the...

Godzilla is one of modern pop culture’s most recognizable monsters, being the trope codified for an entire genre of films. While there have been many stories about how Godzilla was conceived as an idea, Life magazine published a special article about the nuclear menace, detailing how Godzilla was conceived in the mind of producer Tomoyuki Tanaka.

A still from Godzilla Minus One/ Toho Studios

The producer was responsible for a film that was being made as a collaboration between Japan and Indonesia. However, due to rising political tensions, the film was dropped from the production schedule as Indonesia decided to back off from the project, which left a very large unallocated budget in the hands of Tomoryuki Tanaka.

Godzilla ended up taking the spot of In the Shadow of Honor Godzilla (2014)/ Legendary Pictures

Termed an ambitious coproduction between Japan and Indonesia, Shadow of Honor was set to be an...

According to the lore of Ishiro Honda's original Godzilla film "Gojira" (1954), the title monster came into being as the direct result of nuclear tests held in out in the Pacific. An unseen ancient sea creature was exposed to radiation from said tests, causing it to mutate into a 130-meter-tall amphibious dinosaur-like behemoth that climbs out of the ocean and lays waste to cities in Japan. It crushed buildings underfoot and can breathe clouds of destructive radiation. Nothing seems to be able to stop it.  

"Gojira" was partially inspired by the real-life Daigo Fukuryu Maru disaster, an even in which a Japanese fishing vessel was exposed to nuclear radiation during the United States' Castle Bravo H-bomb tests. One of the sailors died, the rest of the crew was sick, and the Japanese public became concerned that the fish may have been tainted. Nuclear fears were justifiably high in 1954, making Honda's film incredibly timely.

Many anime are known for their unique approach to well-known subject matter. Naruto gave a whole new look to ninjas. One Piece explored the world of fantasy pirates. Haikyuu made everyone a fan of volleyball. The list could go on. The newest Spring anime, Kaiju No 8, tackles the matter of kaiju, some of the most iconic creatures across fiction.

Kaiju No 8 was introduced with the central focus of kaiju attacks on Japan. The protagonist Kafka Hibino is a pure-of-heart character looking to join the fight against kaiju. While the debut of the anime enthralled anime fans, this series has the worst depiction of kaiju ever made. This first season is only about halfway through, but so far, the anime fails to represent the sub-genre that fans have loved for several decades.

Kaiju Are Meant For Pure Monster Violence, With Plenty of Substance King Kong (1933) is technically the first...

What's in a roar? Well, if it belongs to a ginormous prehistoric reptilian monster like Godzilla, it matters as much as what the creature represents or makes us feel. Godzilla's roar has evolved over the years — the original sound resembled a shrill "Skreeeonk!" as described in Dark Horse's "Godzilla" comics, and went on to alternate between deep, guttural sounds and high-pitched screeches that feel otherworldly. Akira Ifukube, who created the score for Ishirō Honda's "Godzilla", was the one who crafted the monster's distinctive disyllabic roar. This was not an easy task to accomplish, especially in 1954, when most creature sounds were created organically with minimal reliance on technological tweaks. How did Ifukube and Honda decide on a sound that would go on to constitute the heart and soul of such a beloved character?

For starters, Ifukube did not believe that Godzilla should roar at all, as the creature's reptilian...

by Hiranmoy Lahiri

The article contains spoilers

Godzilla (Gojira), the beloved fictional movie monster, is a favorite among viewers. Since 1954, Godzilla has been wreaking havoc on screens, terrifying and delighting audiences. The genesis of this creature can be traced back to something profoundly serious and devastating: thermonuclear weapons and the tangible threats they pose to humanity.

The first instalment in the series was “Godzilla” (1954), directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Toho Studios. Going beyond a simple horror/monster movie, it drew inspiration from a real-life event involving the ‘Lucky Dragon No. 5' (Daigo Fukuryū Maru) tuna fishing boat. This vessel was navigating in waters near the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, not far from the area where the American military had chosen to conduct a test of a hydrogen bomb (a thermonuclear device). The United States government had predicted that the area would be safe, but the power...

The original Japanese version of Ishiro Honda's kaiju classic "Gojira" -- previously bowdlerized by American translators as "Godzilla" -- wasn't released in American theaters until 2004 to coincide with the film's 50th anniversary. Up until then, American audiences had to content themselves with the 1956 film "Godzilla, King of the Monsters!," a heavily re-edited version of "Gojira" that included new scenes of actor Raymond Burr narrating the action. The footage was directed by Terry O. Morse.

When "Gojira" was finally released in 2004, not every critic was pleased. Most audiences accepted that Honda's film more or less birthed the kaiju genre, and established a persistent pop culture icon that persists to this day. Roger Ebert acknowledged that "Gojira" could be significant while also being completely shabby. He gave the film only one and a half stars, saying it was "idiotic." "Godzilla at times looks uncannily like a man in a lizard suit,...

There are few genre films of any kind quite as respected as 1954's "Godzilla." Directed by Ishiro Honda, the film was an examination of post-World War II Japan, a nation that had experienced the horrors of the atomic bomb. The now-iconic monster was a narrative device used to reckon with those horrors, and even though some 70 years later the movie has secured its place in cinema history, it wasn't always a sure thing. So much so that composer Akira Ifukube was advised to back out of doing the project by his peers for fear that it would ruin his career.

In the 2019 book "Life Godzilla," it's explained that production company Toho was not confident in the film ahead of its release. "Godzilla" was a movie that could have ended a great many careers. "We couldn't reassure them," said assistant director Koji Kajita. "There was still no soundtrack and without it the film looked stupid.

The original 1954 "Godzilla" film may look a bit worn 70 years after its release, but one aspect of the movie is still capable of reaching across time and space to rattle the nerves of modern moviegoers: that famous kaiju roar. Ishirō Honda's groundbreaking film brought its eponymous creature to life with a screeching, discordant sound that sends tingles down the spine, and it's a noise that the latest Toho Studios masterpiece, the critically acclaimed "Godzilla Minus One," aimed to emulate and expand upon.

In an interview with A Frame, the sound team behind the Oscar-winning film explained exactly how they put together the new Godzilla roar, a stunning noise that punctuated the film's first trailer and sounds even better in context. According to writer-director Takashi Yamazaki, he and the sound team decided to create the latest roar in part by replaying the original audio in a space that would allow for major echoes and reverberations.

Gorgo promotional imageImage: Courtesy Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Why do we love kaiju movies so much? Is it the sight of an enormous creature stomping its way through a metropolis, tapping into our secret desires to see them leveled? Or the representation of nature’s wrath against humanity for its mistreatment of the planet?...

Like its eponymous lumbering lizard, Ishirō Honda's 1954 Godzilla (Gojira) moves unhurriedly but with grave intentionality, inching toward inevitable catastrophe. From the opening roar -- what a wonder a double bass, a leather glove, and some pine tar resin can create -- to Akira Ifukube's frantic theme music, Godzilla establishes its urgency from the outset, unsettling and preparing us for the worst -- a terror borne of humanity's hubris.

Godzilla begins aboard the Eiko-maru, a 7500-ton South Seas Shipping vessel. One sailor plays harmonica, and another plays guitar while the rest of the crew rests in a languorous lull. Spontaneously, the moment is interrupted by a burst of phosphorescent light from the ocean. Moments later, a fiery wreckage is all that remains. Hideto Ogata (Akira Takarada), a member of the Coast Guard, receives a phone call. He tells Emiko Yamane (Momoko Kochi) that he can't attend the evening's performance...

Shōgun, the highly anticipated ten-episode limited series by FX Productions, is a jidaigeki drama that will air on FX and Hulu from February 27, 2024, to April 23, 2024. Based on James Clavell's 1975 novel of the same name, Shōgun is the second adaptation of Clavell's story after the 1980 five-episode limited series that aired on NBC. A fictionalized account of real events, Shōgun focuses on the relationship between Lord Toranaga, a powerful daimyō, and John Blackthorne, a shipwrecked English sailor.

While samurai films date back to the silent era, it was not until the Golden Age of Japanese cinema in the post-World War II years that the samurai genre truly exploded in international popularity. Led by the works of Akira Kurosawa, samurai films helped expose Western audiences to Japanese cinema throughout the 1950s. Directors such as Kurosawa, Masaki Kobayashi, Kihachi Okamoto, Hideo Gosha, Kenji Misumi, and Hiroshi Inagaki played a crucial role in the...

Clockwise from top left: The Holdovers (Focus Features), The Last Temptation Of Christ (Universal Pictures), Red Eye (DreamWorks Pictures), Música (Amazon MGM Studios)Image: The A.V. Club

An Oscar-winning drama-comedy, a controversial Martin Scorsese movie about Jesus, an underappreciated Wes Craven movie starring Cillian Murphy, and a music-filled rom-com lead...

Is there any movie opinion more wrong-headed than saying that Godzilla isn’t my Godzilla? Sure, you might prefer the serious allegorical Godzilla from the 1954 movie or, more recently, Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One. Or you might like the goofier Godzilla from Godzilla vs. Gigan and the newest film, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Heck, it is absolutely okay if the American Iguana monster Zilla is your jam.

The only thing that’s unacceptable, that’s absolutely dumb and worthless, is saying that a particular movie doesn’t understand Godzilla. A movie may botch everything else around the giant lizard monster, as happens often in the United States, but the lizard always works. Not only would every movie be improved by the inclusion of a giant fire-breathing monster, but the King of the Monsters fits in a wide range of movies, making him (or her!) pop culture’s most versatile star.

Adam Wingard's "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" features an epic team-up between the legendary beasts, Godzilla and Kong, underlining the necessity to push aside a millennia-spanning feud to tackle an even greater threat. Firmly rooted in the perspective of the monsters, where most of the storytelling stems from nonverbal, evocative visuals (which are also cool as heck), "Godzilla x Kong" understands the appeal of the monster movie genre -- it's pure spectacle that often tugs at the heartstrings. While it cannot get much simpler than that, the film does a commendable job of pitting two giants against a villain scorned, whose motivations culminate in destroying the world without a second thought about the cost of such an act.

The monster movie franchise is as gargantuan as the beasts that are featured in it, spanning back to 1933's "King Kong," which kickstarted a cultural phenomenon that still feels fresh and fun to this day.

Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire truly shocked everybody, even though it didn’t have much money behind it. It stormed the box office, getting a huge $35 million on its first day, much more than anybody anticipated. This most recent film in the Monsterverse series demonstrates the way that large spectacles and fan excitement can beat budget issues any day.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

It’s setting an entirely different norm for blockbuster hits. And with a particularly huge start, it’s on target to break a wide range of records in the cinematic world, showing that people actually love watching giant beasts battle it out in the cinema.

Godzilla X Kong Smashes Box Office Records Despite Low-Budget

A recent report by Deadline revealed Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire had a production cost of about $135 million. Unbelievably covered 75% of the spending plan, with Warner Bros. disclosure contributing...

Adam Wingard's new film "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" has, tonally speaking, strayed far from Gareth Edwards' 2014 MonsterVerse kickoff film "Godzilla." Edwards' film was somber and sad, featuring very little "fun" monster destruction. As the MonserVerse series has progressed, however, it has crept inexorably toward a sillier tone before striking it rich with Wingard's 2021 entry "Godzilla vs. Kong." That film featured a battle between the titular titans, but also a cameo from Mechagodzilla, a monstrous robot extrapolated from the skull of the dead King Ghidorah. "GvK" also featured a fleet of human-built UFOs and a magical portal that led into the Hollow Earth, an unusual underground realm ruled by monsters.

The Hollow Earth idea is straight out of Jules Verne, but the mayhem-forward approach to a Godzilla movie comes from several of Toho's films released in the 1970s. Indeed, many critics and pundits have been comparing "GxK" to the series' Shōwa era,...