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.