I love Godzilla, like anyone in Japan. I remember watching Godzilla for the first time as a grade school kid on the Thursday afternoon movie, The Big Show. I am a great Sci-Fi nut and they had all the greats on the Big Show. We did not doddle home from school on Thursdays. Because in those days without VHS recorders, DVDs, etc., if you missed it you would have to wait a long time to see it again. Glad to hear they are making another movie with one of my favorite Japanese actors, Ken Watanabe. Sounds like the plot is to reboot the franchise with a story not unlike the first movie.
Little known facts about Godzilla.
1. Godzilla was an anti-nuclear war movie. The movie was made shortly after a US test dropped radioactive fallout on a Japanese fishing vessel. They were all affected and one died. The message of the movie is don’t mess with nuclear stuff, bad things will happen. Godzilla is not welcomed in any neighborhood. He has mean eyes, he stomps around, growls a lot. But watch out when his spine lights up, that is when he is gathering his nuclear power and will disintegrate anything with his breath. Yes nuclear stuff is dangerous. Japan is very anti-nuclear.
2. There is a Japanese version and an American version of the film. Raymond Burr (Perry Mason) plays a self-sacrificing US reporter in the US version.
3. Godzilla is a combination of two of the most powerful beasts in the world, a gorilla (gorira) and a Whale (kujira). He doesn’t look like either but he is from the sea and the name works.
4. There have been well over 25 Godzilla movies. The first one is very classic sci-fi. Godzilla has trashed pretty much every major city and landmark in Japan in his history.
5. Godzilla has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame, but I am sure he would trash the place if he had a chance.