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Godzilla: A Case For Optimism

The year is 1998, cinema-goers flock to the multiplex, popcorn and fizzy pop in hand. There is an air of anticipation as they take their seats. They’ve been waiting for this moment – a moment that’s been half a century in the making. Fast forward two hours later, and the same crowd shuffles out, scowls etched across their faces. The neutrals had a pleasant enough time, sure, but the real fans – fans invested heavily in the mythos of the character – were left feeling bitter and disappointed. They’d gone in looking for Hollywood’s version of Godzilla and came out wondering when they were going to see it.

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Well, there are two reasons really – the seal of approval the legendary Toho Company have given the 2014 revamp, and the talent attached to the picture. Oh yes, if you weren’t quite ready for the latest Godzilla outing, then this might just put you in the mood.

Last month, it was announced that the Toho Film Company have already seen the movie and given it a big thumbs up. In the past, they’ve been a tough team to please when it comes to the crowning jewel in their expansive body of work. In fact, they hated the 1998 film so much that they re-acquired the rights to the character and had the ‘real’ Godzilla blow up Emmerich’s poor excuse in the 2004 film, Godzilla: Final Wars.

Humorous as this seems, Toho have a pretty strong track record when it comes to protecting their prized asset. For example, in April 2008, Toho sued Subway for copyright  infringement after Subway used an advertisement depicting a monster similar to Godzilla. That’s not all though, as they’ve also tackled car company Honda and even the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society for using the image or Gojira name for their own products. The fact that they have this history regarding the beast is an attractive prospect for the upcoming release, especially seeing as though they have given the finished product their blessing – the same, sadly, cannot be said about the unfortunate 1998 ‘Zilla’.

But why are Toho so protective of Godzilla’s legacy?  And what should we expect from this latest instalment that has them grinning from ear to ear? Well, considering the film leans towards the more ‘fantastical’ area of filmmaking and cinema, it is somewhat surprising to discover the origins of the character lie in the harrowing history of the Japanese nation.

The idea stems from the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – the two places obliterated by the American nuclear bomb during the Second World War; and the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Daigo Fukuryū Maru – a fishing boat caught up in the nuclear fallout following the United States’ Castle Bravo thermonuclear device test on Bikini Atoll. Godzilla – being radioactive – is the biological reincarnation of such power, and has been since his first outing way back in 1954. From there, we’ve seen 28 films, spanning half a century, all of which showcased disaster to an unprecedented magnitude. If this makes anything clear it is this – Godzilla has not only been a staple of Japanese culture, but the country’s scarred heritage as well.