This movie was the first Japanese Godzilla movie to be made after the big-budget American flop. And, true to form(ula) it involves a guy in a rubber suit, bad English dubbing, and wanton pointless destruction. Which is kinda fun and really the point of the whole thing, I guess.
There was a moment, though, when I was outraged. Right at the end, after Godzilla kills the alien thing, all the Japanese actors say "Why does he still protect us? Why does he do it when we've been trying to kill him?" The answer given to us and this question is "Maybe we all have a little Godzilla in all of us." And then they cut to this lovely lyrical music while Godzilla cheerfully and wantonly continues to destroy power sources and anything standing in Toyko. What!?? A little Godzilla in all of us means we smile benevolently as he trashes the place? And I thought Americans were bad about making up pseudo-Zen Buddhist crap. Dumbest. Line. Ever.
I realized as I watched this movie that I'v never actually sat through an entire Godzilla movie. I grew up with them being a normal Saturday-afternoon UHF station offering but we never sat down and watched one from start to finish. My sisters and I normally flipped between Godzilla, cartoons (the less good afternoon ones), and bowling. We only stopped on the Godzilla station if he was actually tearing things up. So, really watching one from start to finish was sort of educational. I learned that there's a phrase in Japanese which must translate closely as "Bite Me" because a whiny reporter lady said that. I learned that pseudo-science and taking yourself way too seriously aren't exclusive to American cinema. I learned that acting isn't a necessary requirement if one wants to be in a Godzilla movie. Right, I know, that's no revelation but when you see (in the outtakes) the director giving "motivation" to the guy in the rubber suit and then you see what he does afterward...whatever it is, it's not acting. On the plus side my co-worker Brooklyn is really really good at imitating Godzilla and is inspiring me to make her a suit for Halloween. I think I'v about got the mechanics of it figured out. Which is good 'cause the ward talent show is coming up. If I can get a suit made, a minature city built, and 6 pounds of marshmellows for the kids to throw, I think I'v got a movie!
