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Alex Uribe

Professor Beadle

University Writing

October 25, 2017

The Evolution of Godzilla

Godzilla is a movie monster that may be more real than most people realize. He is

massive, he is nearly unstoppable, and he causes a lot of damage. However, since the first

Godzilla film was released in 1954, Godzilla has pertained to more than just a giant reptilian

monster; he represents the fears of an entire nation. Although there are many differences between

the original 1954 film and the newest release, Shin Godzilla(2016), the fact still remains that

Godzilla is a movie monster that represents a real life disaster and the fears surrounding it.

Nevertheless, the disaster that he represents differs between each film. In Gojira(1954) Godzilla

represents the atomic bombs dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and in Shin Godzilla(2016) he

represents the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami. Both films, I believe, were made to provide

hope for the Japanese people, but in very different ways. After both disasters and by the end of

each film, Japan is left in ruins to be rebuilt from the ground up by its citizens.

In 1945, two atomic bombs, Little Boy and Fat Man, were dropped in Hiroshima and

Nagasaki to bring an end to WWII. This horrific and historic event left the Japanese people in

anguish but, also made for an incredible monster movie nine years later in the form of

Gojira(1954). It is evident from the very beginning of the film that Godzilla is to represent those

catastrophic events, and the fear that they invoked, from the way in which he is first introduced.

A bright flash of light blinds the crew aboard a Japanese fishing boat which is then destroyed, but
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not before it could send out a S.O.S. The bright flash of light, which later turns out to be

Godzilla, is meant to represent the flash of light that was seen upon the impact of the two atomic

bombs. Furthermore, when Godzilla makes his first appearance in the movie, he lets out a

terrible screeching roar that is meant to sound like a military air raid and his steps are loud

booms meant to sound like bomb explosions. These features and the fact that his arrival was a

result of nuclear bomb testing in the Pacific Ocean, are meant to make Godzilla an embodiment

of the fears and pains of the Japanese people following WWII. Moreover, Godzilla is killed by a

scientist who develops and uses an oxygen destroyer, a weapon just as deadly as the one that

caused Godzillas ascension in the first place. This is meant to represent the role of scientist in

the creation of the atomic bomb and how the only outcome of it is destruction and more

destruction. It is also said that Gojira was meant to be a warning so as not to make the same

mistake again.

Shin Godzilla(2016), in contrast with Gojira(1954), is meant to represent the 2011 Japan

earthquake and tsunami. There are many differences between Godzilla and Shin Godzilla that

make clear the difference in meaning. For example, in the latter, Godzilla appears in the middle

of broad daylight with no flash of light to accompany him. He merely bursts a few pipes that

attract the attention of a few government officials who initially brush it off as nothing. He then

surfaces and begins his trek into the heart of Tokyo, leaving only ruble and destruction in his

path, similar to the earthquake. Further, throughout the film Godzilla continuously evolves which

can be said to represent the aftershocks and the tsunami that followed the earthquake; just when

they thought the destruction was over, the monster mutates and does even more damage.

Furthermore, in Shin Godzilla there is a lot of focus on the destruction of the city and the
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government's response to Godzilla, whereas in the original film the emphasis is placed on the

Japanese citizens and their suffering. It can be said, then, that Shin Godzilla was made as a

beacon of hope for the crippled country. Just as they were able to defeat Godzilla(nuclear bombs)

and rebuild Japan from the rubble so many years ago, so too can they rebuild Japan from the

rubble left by Shin Godzilla in this present day(Japan Earthquake). In Shin Godzilla, Godzilla is

defeated by an elaborate government plan spanning many days. This is meant to represent the

government action necessary to rebuild and recover Japan after such an intense event.

In conclusion, Godzilla is more than just a giant movie monster, he is a representation of

the fear, pain, and anguish felt by the Japanese people after facing two major catastrophes.

Although much has changed from Gojira to Shin Godzilla, it is clear that he meant to comfort

and provide hope to a damaged people. Similar to the concept of the Phoenix, only after the

destruction can Japan be rebuilt anew.