3. Gojira (1954)
The movie that started it all. Ishiro Honda’s ode to the Atomic Bomb, Gojira.
While his movies during the late-60s and 1970s would be aimed more towards children (and very young children in the case of All Monsters Attack), his first on-screen appearance was one of warning. Never is that more clear than in Dr. Yamane’s closing speech, “I can’t believe that Godzilla was the only surviving member of its species… But if we continue conducting nuclear tests… it’s possible that another Godzilla might appear somewhere in the world again”.
Filmed over 51 days with genius camera choices and techniques, Ishiro Honda creates an impressive sight as the towing Godzilla smashes through beautifully crafted and meticulously designed recreations of some of Tokyo’s most famous landmarks. In short, Gojira is simply a great movie. It’s not just a great B-movie; it’s a really well made and entertaining film. Some might claim that message is heavy handed (and they are right), but it is effective. Scenes like the children’s choir singing over shots of injured victims are incredibly haunting and there is a particularly harrowing moment where a mother grabs her children as Godzilla’s atomic breath obliterates the building around them. A stark contrast to the jumping monster on Planet X that we’d see in Invasion of Astro-Monster.
This movie isn’t in the list because its the first one, nor is it in the list because it’s a landmark film in Japanese cinema. Gojira is a masterpiece in science-fiction fimmaking and deserves to be recognised as such.
Originally published May 14, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
