>"Ogata, humans are weak animals. Even if I burn my notes, the secret will still be in my head. Until I die, how can I be sure I won't be forced by someone to make the device again?

>"Oh Peace, Oh Light, Return... The prayer for peace that took place all over the country today... Here we see the Tokyo chapter of this event... Listen to the young voices as they put the strength of their lives into their song..."

>"I can't believe that Godzilla was the only surviving member of its species... But if we continue conducting nuclear tests... it's possible another Godzilla might appear somewhere in the world again."

This is not a monster movie. This is not a Godzilla movie. This is a post-war horror film. This is a drama masterpiece that displays the horrors of nuclear weapons and the results such weapons have on the planet. Godzilla is a direct symbol of an atomic explosion. Godzilla is our fault. We did this to ourselves, and now we suffer the devastating consequences.

It's such a damn shame, even though I'm loving where the new Godzilla films are going with Kong Vs. Godzilla, we will never get an American Godzilla film this insanely deep or politically important. The closest Godzilla film that's gotten close tone wise to this is 2016's 'Shin Godzilla.' That film was about the horrors of the 2011 tsunami and incompetence of the Japanese government during that event.

The acting is perfect. The script is perfect. The music is perfect. The themes of post-war fear are perfect. It's groundbreaking. It's heartbreaking. It's amazing. It's the original Godzilla.

Had to check out the original after loving Minus One, and the latter is truly cut from this one’s cloth. This movie is similarly somber and even more tragic. It’s a potent allegory, and while the effects may be dated in some ways, the artistry with which they are are used things an oddly impressionistic feeling. Godzilla framed against the flames is a striking picture, and the crumpled buildings with fire all around and on the horizon oddly evokes a watercolor painting for me. There’s how Godzilla’s eyes glint in the night, or how when you face him head on they have an animal innocence to them. This is reflected in his movements too, an animal lost and panicked trying to navigate through a world that no longer fits him after being violently awoken. Or in his quiet rest under the sea. He’s not a malevolent force of evil. He’s as much a victim as anyone else, forced into this role by man’s invention.

The destruction of the film is similarly affecting, never blasé but instead weighted. The mother comforting her children of their impending death by holding them close and saying they’ll be with their father soon is devastating, as is the desolate aftermath of Godzilla’s final rampage. Hirata and Shimura are highlights of the human cast, both taking no pleasure in this and carrying a weight that is felt through the screen. And the score is immaculate, especially Godzilla’s theme and its sad reprise as he dies, writhing in agony, panic, and confusion. Godzilla sets a standard and looms large even today, and it’s heartening to see there’s a space today for some Godzilla films to follow in its footsteps.

"I can't believe that Godzilla, was the last of his species. If nuclear testing continues, then someday, somewhere in the world, another Godzilla may appear."

Ishiro Honda's Godzilla is still a cinematic masterpiece even if it wasn't the start to the longest movie franchise ever it would still be a masterpiece. I'm happy the sequels went the way they went but let us be honest, even though it is incredible fun to watch two giant monsters battle it out and destroy shit, the weight and story the original carries outweighs every other Godzilla film ever released and I don't think one will ever surpass it. The story told is simply amazing and especially if you consider the time it was made in.

It is awesome to see Godzilla wreck shit in this movie but if you have seen this one, the story stays with you the most. The way they use the fear of Nuclear Weapons still amazes me. The only other Godzilla film that kind of used real life for its story is Shin Godzilla were they link it to the incompetence of the Japanse Government during the 2011 Tsunamis.

Anyway Godzilla is like I said a cinematic masterpiece and a must-watch for every movie buff here at Letterboxd.

The big political atomic lizard is cheesed off!

After H bomb testing in the pacific, ships start to go missing and a remote island is apparently under attack from a prehistoric monster. Japanese scientists hasten to find out just what is going on, what they find is Gojira, and he is mightily hell bent on destruction...next stop Tokyo.

Gojira is such an influential film, it has spawned many sequels, remakes, copyists, and numerous homages, and of course there is two versions of this film for the viewer to choose from. The American version is a decent enough watch, it has integrated Raymond Burr into this original versions plot, and although it's unintentionally funny at times, it holds up pretty well as a no brainer piece of fluff. But it fails to compare to this original Ishirô Honda classic because this has a wonderful ambiance of fear at its heart, coming some 10 years after the Hiroshima bomb, the Japanese audiences of the time would surely have noted the heavy aura of destruction seaming through the picture.

Watching it today, now that it's restored in all its original glory, is still a memorable and exhilarating experience, the build up is perfect, we are practically on the edge of our seats waiting to glimpse the giant atomic creature, and when he/it/she shows up for the first time, it gives us a truly memorable classic piece of cinema. Sadly the film is hampered a touch by a meandering romantic sub-plot, but the performances (notably Takeshi Shimura) are very engaging, while Akira Ifkube's score is poignantly perfect.

As man in a rubber suit movies go, Gojira has no peers, it's smart, fun, and above all else, memorable. 8/10

The surprise hit that spawned the fertile Japanese monster industry isn't nearly as silly and hokey as its offspring might make you think. Sure, the special effects are laughable by today's standards - a passionate love for obvious miniatures really does it in - but the plot is usually more concerned with deeper meaning than cheap action sets. The monster itself, wisely silhouetted or partially obscured after an unintentionally hilarious debut in broad daylight, works as both a sci-fi foil and a potent metaphor for the terrors nuclear war had played on Japan not ten years prior.

And the way he's ultimately dealt with leaves the door wide open to questions about mankind's interference in the natural order, the breakneck spread of WMDs and everything in between. It's always bugged me that later films in the series shifted Godzilla's role to friend of humanity and defender of the planet, because there's really nothing to befriend in a 160-foot, fire-breathing, nuclear-powered lizard with a penchant for destructive strolls through the industrial district. For my money, he's never been used more effectively than he is right here, in a cameo role as the nigh-unstoppable force of nature that muscles humanity into making a tough decision. The story moves a bit too slowly at times, with too many major players sharing too many coincidental relationships, but the moral stays true and frankly it's nice to see a movie in this genre that isn't afraid to take its time.