So the last time I was writing I meandered off course quite a bit. Hopefully that won't be the case now.
I believe I was six years old when I saw my first Godzilla movie, though I also think I was closer to turning seven (in about four months). I had no idea what I was going to see when I was dropped off at the theater that cold pre-Xmas afternoon. By the end of the show, I was hooked. I'd see bits and pieces of various giant monster movies before. I paid scant attention to them, though the baby roc scene in THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1957) did make me take notice of it.
Now I was actively looking for Godzilla and other monster movies. I've thought about why the genre hooked me so much, and I've come to the conclusion it's because Japanese movies have a completely different aesthetic than Western monster movies. They didn't strive for realism, and they sure didn't look like anything else out there. There is a definite surrealness present in these movies.
The monsters are also characters. Most Western monsters are just giant animals to be stopped or killed. There's a reason that KING KONG (1933) resonates so much to this day- Kong is not just a giant ape. He's something more. Godzilla is not just a giant lizard or radioactive dinosaur. I wonder if this new movie will remember that, or if he'll just be something to be contained until the inevitable sequel.
Hmm, off track again. Stay tuned...
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