GMK: REMEMBERANCE OF MEANING by John Lipartito
This article came from Cinescape and is here purely for cinematic review.
Yes, you gibbering maniacs, I stole it! But it's because A. I'm too lazy to keep up
on the world of Godzilla, and B. because John knows what a kewl movie this is gonna be.
But let him tell you...
Since the completion of the Heisei Godzilla series, the complete failure of the American psuedo-Godzilla, and the half-hearted, unoriginal attempts by Toho to revamp and revive “a new Godzilla for a new millennium,” I’ve been wondering if we really need any “new” Godzilla movies. The entire Heisei series started with fantastic imagination, but in the end was nothing if not hopelessly formulaic, the American Godzilla just plain sucked, and the millennium Godzillas were possibly two more steps backward in Godzilla-lore rather than in the right direction. And most of all, seldom in the past decade have we seen even a shred of good story telling or inner meaning beneath the eye-candy of wild rays, explosive miniatures, and CG lizards. There comes a time where even the most loyal of G-fans must ask, “What’s the point?” “Why should we care anymore?”
Gojira, circa 1954 had a point. 1954--only nine years after the most devastating war in Japan’s history—and only nine years after the most powerful and terrifying weapon in history was unleashed upon mankind. Back then the terror of Godzilla was real, and everyone, especially the Japanese, was wary of it.
Godzilla - GMK
© Toho
Shusuke Kaneko, the director of Gojira Mosura Kingu Ghidora: Daikaiju Soukougeki obviously understands the point of the original Gojira. After viewing the premiere of GMK Saturday at the Tokyo Film Festival in Shibuya, it became clear to me that Kaneko not only understood the meaning behind the original Godzilla, but also realized that somewhere in the past fifty years most of us have forgotten what that meaning was. GMK does what past “new” Godzilla movies have failed at. It breathes fresh air into a worn-out, watered down genre, and ultimately does this through an unprecedented examination of what Godzilla meant in 1954, and why that is still meaningful to us today.
GMK begins in a Japan that has enjoyed fifty years of naïve security. Godzilla’s attack in 1954 remains the greatest disaster in Japan since the war, and marks the only deployment of its Self-Defense Forces. Everyone “believes” that Godzilla was destroyed by the SDF. Japan has lived in peace and security for fifty years. But, as General Tachibana lectures at the opening of the film, since a “similar monster ravaged New York at the end of the last century,” (I’m not lying, that is the actual line!) the SDF should be wary of other monsters or Godzilla himself attacking Japan in the near future.
About that jibe at the American Godzilla—it’s immediately followed by two junior officers turning to each other and saying, “That wasn’t Godzilla?” “They say so in America, but not in Japan.” =D
The action builds as an American nuclear submarine is sunk. A salvage sub—the “Satsuma” is dispatched to investigate, and the pilot catches a glimpse of a large creature’s dorsal fins glowing blue...guess who?
And so the action ensues. But keep in mind that GMK is not the usual Godzilla attacks and fights another monster kind of story we are used to. GMK features a complicated drama with sophisticated characters and an underlying symbolism of the modern world’s spiritual crisis…phew! Did I lose anybody there? There is more to GMK than initially meets the eye, and though I will try my best to write a thorough review, keep in mind that a complete review is not possible without multiple viewings.
GMK has a strong supernatural edge, more so than we are used to in Godzilla films, which until now have been largely straight sci-fi. But Godzilla’s supernatural background dates back to the original film. Gojira score composer Akira Ifukube said that many people identified with the monster in 1954 because they felt he represented the “spirit of the war dead.” This becomes the center of gravity in Kaneko’s Godzilla, who is literally said to have absorbed the souls of those killed in the Pacific War. Not only Japanese souls either, since many other Asians and Americans were killed as well, and it is their anger that drives Godzilla to attack Japan.
Just as Kaneko did in the Heisei Gamera series, he shows his unique ability to interweave ancient folklore into modern sci-fi to great effect. Ancient Native American folklore tells that rocks “remember” everything that happens in the world. Kaneko melds this with Shinto practices of making small stone statues for the dead. Now this is something I’d have to review again, but I believe that the Guardian Monsters are awakened when stone statues containing the spirits of dead Japanese soldiers are broken, releasing the souls which are then absorbed by the monsters.
One of the strongest social commentaries within the film is the notion that Japanese youth are growing up with no regard to Japan’s religion or history. This is the spiritual crisis I referred to earlier, and it is this crisis that has angered the souls residing in Godzilla, inciting his return. It is true that in the past decade, Japan has seen a dramatic increase of juvenile delinquency and gang-related crime. So it makes sense that Baragon and Mothra are released when teenage gangs defile temple statues under which the monsters lie dormant.
Here is something that might upset some die-hard fans. Baragon, Mothra, and King Ghidora have been stripped of their original backgrounds. Baragon is not a mutant, Mothra is not the deity of Infant Island, and King Ghidora is not the evil triple-domed destroyer we are used to. They are the ancient guardians of the Japanese islands (not the Japanese nation) and long ago they fought and were subdued by the ancient Japanese people. Over time, they became worshipped as gods (a typical Shinto practice,) but of course, modern Japanese have forgotten them. Of the Guardian Monsters, King Ghidora is the most powerful, referred to as the 1000-year Dragon, and linked to the mythological 8-headed hydra of Yamato.
But Kaneko’s treatment of the supporting kaiju is justified. They clearly take second stage to Godzilla, reminding us that it is Godzilla who has meaning, not the millions of faceless monsters he’s fought and defeated in the last 23 films after 1954. Regardless of how original an enemy monster’s origin is, a spectacular battle between that monster and Godzilla has little meaning. In order to preserve the meaning and symbolism of his film, Kaneko needed to strip Baragon, Mothra and King Ghidora of their unique pasts to make them better accommodate the larger symbolism of Godzilla.
This brings me to examine the human drama. I do suggest that when you see GMK, do not pass this aspect of the film off as mere filler between effects shots! First of all, the acting is fantastic, and Kaneko’s direction is wonderfully original. Characters interact realistically in their environments and are well placed in the forefront of the monster action, so they do not degenerate into spectators who merely comment on what the monsters are doing.
Furthermore, again there is great meaning in the human drama. The original Gojira featured a dynamic symbolism portraying a Japan split between two cultures, one ancient (Odo Island) and one modern (Tokyo.) GMK does much the same, showing that Japan today is split between those who remember the Pacific War and those who don’t. General Taizo Tachibana (Ryudo Uzaki) represents the former, who cannot forget the pain and suffering he witnessed during Godzilla’s attack in 1954. Unfortunately, his attempts to educate other military officials of Godzilla’s possible return fall on deaf ears. But when Godzilla does arrive, and the modern SDF proves ineffective, General Tachibana rises as the great heroic leader Japan needs.
On the other hand, the General’s daughter, Yuri Tachibana (Chiharu Niiyama) is the true protagonist of the film and represents the latter division of Japanese society. She begins the film as a careless young reporter for a trashy variety show (appropriately called “BS!”), clearly marking her as the representative of Japan’s social problem. The film is mostly about Yuri’s transformation from an apathetic child to an adult weary of the dangerous, unforgiving world she lives in as a result of finding herself in the wake of the destruction wrought by Godzilla.
There are many other characters who supplement either one side or the other who develop in kind, the most interesting of which is the prophet Isayama, who leads Yuri to discover a small piece of ancient stone connected to King Ghidora’s power. But it would take too much time to go into detail about every one of these supporting characters and their particular roles. Again, this film is deep and deserves a detailed analysis after repeated viewings.
Finally, let’s look at the monster battles and destruction sequences…WOW!!! As you already know, at this time GMK is only 95% complete, for some effects scenes are still being worked on. I can assure you that regardless, GMK is already a stunning work of special effects artistry, and seems more complete at this stage than either of the millennium Godzilla movies are now! I think I have a good idea of what scenes are going to receive more treatment, so that is another reason I am looking forward to seeing this film again on December 15th. However, I do not think we should expect such flawless effects work as Higuchi gave us in Gamera 3. But this is not the shortcoming of GMK’s effects staff, but rather Toho’s fault for not giving Kaneko the two years he wanted to work on this film like he had for Gamera 3. Overall, the best of the effects are as great as anything Hollywood has to offer, and the worst at least show daring efforts of imagination unprecedented in the past.
Some of the greatest effects are found in brief “money shots” like Godzilla’s fins disappearing behind the wreckage of an American submarine, Godzilla’s foot destroying an island resort hotel, his tail crashing into a hospital, and the crumbling of the Yokohama Bay Bridge. There is a large use of CG effects, most impressive of which are those used to bring Mothra and King Ghidora’s flying action to life, and of course, Godzilla’s breath.
As was the case in Godzilla 2000 Millennium, we have to wait a long time for Godzilla to use his breath, and when he finally does, Kaneko shocks us. During his first attack on mainland Japan, the screaming of people panicking in a parking lot annoys Godzilla. With the new Godzilla theme ominously building in the background, Godzilla’s dorsal fins start glowing and crackling and the energy builds in his throat as he takes in a massive breath, charging the ions in the air before him. But then Kaneko cuts to a scene in an elementary classroom calmly preparing for evacuation. Suddenly CRACK, KA-BOOM!!! And a blinding flash of white light fills the classroom, as the children are jarred from their seats. The teacher slowly rises, and can’t believe the sight before her, out the window, just before the horizon a mushroom cloud rises to the sky.
This scene, showing us the far-reaching effects of Godzilla’s breath, rather than the actual unleashing is just one example of how Kaneko brings gravity to Godzilla’s presence in the film. When we actually do see the breath for the first time, it is no less impressive. The combination of CG rendering, great animatronics in the Godzilla suit’s head, and great suit acting give Godzilla’s breath a real sense of mass and force. Also, in the battles Kaneko makes sparring use of Godzilla’s breath so that when he does charge up the suspense of how much destruction it’s going to cause never wanes.
The monster battles themselves are fantastic, and very original. Kaneko’s Godzilla is brutally vicious, fighting more like an animal than ever before, but he also shows a great amount of human intelligence (more so than Deanzilla!) After all, Kaneko’s Godzilla is partially composed of human souls. The expressiveness of the new Godzilla’s facial animatronics makes this new aspect of the monster very effective, and at times we can really “see” Godzilla thinking up his next move. His ability to emote does not suffer at all because of his all-white eyes, which just make his gaze more foreboding. Godzilla’s roar remains largely unchanged from the millennium G’s, but with more variety of intonations, again, enhancing his emotions.
Personally, I think the GMK Godzilla is the best design yet. It is malicious and the proportions are excellent, with smaller forepaws and a more dominant, predatory head. Because of this design the suit actor holds his hands rather low, which some might criticize. But given his new proportions it is actually more natural for Godzilla to hold his head--his main line of attack and defense--more prominently forward while tucking his arms at his sides. The prominence of the head is furthered by the fantastic animatronics I mentioned before. The only drawback of the animatronics is that on occasion a somewhat disturbing divit becomes noticeable in between his throat and his lower jaw.
Godzilla and Baragon meet early in the film, and Baragon proves to be a studious fighter, but no match for Godzilla. Baragon’s roar is very cool as well, starting like a loud hiss and tapering into a high-pitched squeal. The suit actor does a fantastic job both on all fours (and never looks like she’s on her hands and knees) and as a limited biped. Like Godzilla, animatronics have enhanced the suit’s expressiveness, so we feel Baragon’s early defiance, but subsequent desperation in a battle against an unbeatable foe. My only problem with this battle is that Baragon never uses his horn. But he does use his leaping ability to good avail early on and latches on to Godzilla’s arm, only to be tossed like a rag doll by the much stronger King of the Monsters. The rest of the battle is pretty bleak for Baragon as Godzilla kicks, whips, and burns Baragon to death.
Mothra is a real effects treat! Unfortunately, we only get one brief shot of the Mothra larvae rising from Lake Ibake that is shrouded in darkness. We also don’t get to see her spin her cocoon, but I think we’ve seen enough of that already. But the adult Mothra’s emergence from her cocoon under a full moon is one of the great money-shots of the film, relying mostly on well-rendered CG.
Mothra’s flight scenes often rely on CG, and when they do, Mothra looks incredibly real. When CG is not employed for more “calm” flying scenes, the new Mothra still looks excellent, but the legs tend to look a little fake when they are not moving. Mothra’s new stinger-shooting attack is much more original and useful than the antennae rays of the Heisei Mothra.
King Ghidora, playing the role of “savior” against Godzilla this time, has been intentionally designed not to look neither stronger nor more threatening than the Big G. This is a big change from earlier incarnations of Ghidora, which I think will upset many fans. But, as I explained earlier, Ghidora is just meant to be a familiar face to usher in a new kind of Godzilla film, in which all enemy monsters must somehow enhance Godzilla’s meaning, not seek their own.
Nonetheless, the new King Ghidora looks cool, is tremendously detailed, and is brought to life quite well. Again the combination of great suit-acting, animatronics and CG prove effective in making Ghidora a strong, expressive beast. Also, when Ghidora first appeared I was disappointed that his roars seemed to sound more like a combination of a whale’s song with creaking floorboards. But when Ghidora gets a sudden boost in strength, his voice changes to an amplified version of the original bell-like cry we all know and love! What’s most interesting is how King Ghidora evolves throughout the final battle. When he first appears he assaults only from the ground (at this point Ghidora has not flown at all yet.) Ghidora attacks not with the lightning rays we are used to, but with a “power-bite” that sends surges of energy through Godzilla’s body. But when Godzilla literally incinerates Mothra the souls within her transfer to King Ghidora’s body, and finally Ghidorah takes to the air. Ghidora’s flight is more real than ever for like Mothra, the movement of his wings and body through the air is aided by CG. Later in the battle, when King Ghidora is near death again, the ancient stone Yuri found joins with him and gives him one more power-boost, and finally Ghidora unleashes the destructive energy bolts we all know so well.
MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!The next section contains the finale of the film, don't read further if you don't want to know!
The climatic confrontation in the Yokohama bayside city is incredible! The human drama begins to peak when the Chief Cabinet Secretary reveals to General Tachibana that the SDF failed to defeat Godzilla in 1954. He was really destroyed by an unknown chemical compound created by a scientist who died at the same time. Know one knows what that compound was—this is a direct reference to the Oxygen Destroyer that even links with Serizawa’s wish to only deploy it once, and never have anyone find out about its existence. As Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidora converge on Yokohama, Yuri risks her life to film the battle and urges the military not to attack the Guardian Monsters. Tachibana decides that there is no other choice but to believe in his daughter’s theory that the ancient monsters of legend are truly there to protect Japan. In a Gamera-esque twist he orders to SDF to standby and prepare for a co-coordinated strike against Godzilla to support the Guardian Monsters. Tachibana also approves the use of a drill-tipped missile used earlier in the film to uncover a tunnel buried by Baragon.
But keep in mind that though the Guardian Monsters are inherently benevolent they care little for human life that gets in the way…
What happens in the ending is a little muddled, but this is how I took it. After Godzilla finally blasts King Ghidora to embers, all the souls of Baragon, Mothra, and King Ghidora transfer into Godzilla. This momentarily stuns him, and he sinks into the bay. Tachibana takes advantage of the situation to pilot one of the Satsuma subs armed with a drill missile straight down Godzilla’s throat. Refusing to give up, from inside Godzilla he launches his missile. Godzilla rises right in front of Yuri, looking right at her. Suddenly the drill-tip of Tachibana’s missile bursts through Godzilla’s chest and explodes, leaving a massive open wound.
Godzilla is in pain, but still powers up his breath, only to have his ray shoot out of the chest wound! He tries again and again, but the same thing happens! Finally, he crashes under the waves, and Tachibana’s Satsuma (somehow) leaves Godzilla’s body. Suddenly, there is a huge explosion underwater. The last remaining frigate in the bay reports that Godzilla has disappeared from Sonar! Godzilla has exploded!!!
Tachibana and Yuri are reunited, and Japan once again is safe…for now… The camera pans underwater as the music grows ominous once more. Something is moving in the distance, when the camera comes to rest, we find ourselves looking at Godzilla’s heart, and it’s beating on its own!!! Ifukube’s Godzilla march cues in, and the credits role…
Overall, I love this climax, but I think the action gets a little too muddled with clichés toward the very end. For one thing, Ghidora getting revived not once, but twice with outside assistance is a little too much, especially when Godzilla just blasts the hell out of him anyway. And of course, there is no way that General Tachibana would have really survived getting swallowed by Godzilla. The ending would have been more moving if he had perished Serizawa-style. After all, it is his willingness to die for the right cause that makes him the hero to solve the social dilemma Kaneko presents. However, the action of this climactic battle will keep you on the very edge of your seat and stun the hell out of you with Kaneko’s quick twists and turns to the very end!
Unfortunately, I couldn’t con any of my new Japanese friends to go to this premiere with me. I guess more than a decade of the same old, same old has soured Godzilla to many non-die-hard Japanese fans. So I couldn’t get an immediate second opinion on the film, nor could I interpret the comments of the people around me as I left the theater. What I do know is that throughout the film, the rest of the audience seemed very enthusiastic, laughing heartily and applauding at the many inside-Godzilla series jokes Kaneko made throughout the film and sometimes gasping at the more shocking special effects scenes. At the sight of Godzilla’s beating heart at the end of the film, the audience broke into wild applause, which carried on into the rolling of the credits! I’d say it was pretty well received.
As I bring this review to a close (before it turns into a master’s thesis,) let me relate to you one more reason Gojira Mosura Kingu Ghidora: Daikaiju Soukougeki is incredibly meaningful to us today, fifty years removed from Godzilla’s origin. It is a reason Kaneko did not intend when he finished the script one year ago. On September 11th, 2001 something happened that violently shook the feeling of peace and security America and most of the modern world has enjoyed for almost sixty years since World War II. Ironically, what Kaneko shows happening to Japan before, during and after Godzilla’s attack in GMK unsettlingly mirrors what happened in America, right before, during, and immediately after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. In light of such an event, Godzilla means more to us now than he has in fifty years, and Kaneko’s masterpiece, Gojira Mosura Kingu Ghidora: Daikaiju Soukougeki, makes us remember why.