Kassir1

Jennifer Kassir

Professor Beadle

English 115 8:00 AM

December 5, 2017

Original vs. Shin Godzilla

Life itself is a mysterious thrill. Nobody ever knows what is coming tomorrow or the day

after tomorrow. We live day by day in the unknown. This is why Godzilla rose to fame. Godzilla

became one of the most popular thrillers because people dont know when it will strike, which is

what excites the audience. Godzilla was created as a result of the nuclear war in Japan. The first

ever Godzilla was created in 1954. During this time, people were actually still recovering from

the effects of the nuclear war, therefore, the audience must have truly felt the connection and

emotion. In 2016, another Godzilla came out called Shin Godzilla, which was modernized.

Although the Original Godzilla and the Shin Godzilla had the same concept that Godzilla arose

from radiation due to the nuclear war, they had differences because of the special effects and

color scheme, Godzillas level of aggression, and the process of killing Godzilla, which is

significant because it shows that the different time periods in which the movies were filmed

affected the audience differently by their emotions as one was more serious than the other and

conveyed a different message because the Shin Godzilla was more political than the original and

demonstrated that we need a stable government to be safe.

The original Godzilla and the Shin Godzilla were different due to the color scheme and

special effects. According to Shinji Higuchi, he stated that he wanted to make this new Godzilla

very frightening, so he can represent the worlds loss of innocence from modern events like

9/11 and the tsunami in Japan, which Higuchi called the real monsters of the world (Higuchi).
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Obviously these events were huge and very disastrous, so that is why he made this Godzilla

bigger and more disastrous; to send the message that every monster comes in different shapes

and sizes, but the real monsters of the world are huge such as natural disasters or terrorism.

The Shin Godzilla is linked to the real events of the world. The original Godzilla was in

black and white and not so detailed while the Shin used colors and crazy effects, which made it

scarier. The original Godzilla wasnt as terrifying due to the time period in which they couldnt

use much special effects. Also, it wasnt linked to natural disasters or terrorism. It was linked

more to the nuclear war in Japan because it was filmed during the time where the war had just

happened. It showed how people were getting destroyed and it looked like the damages Godzilla

created were bombings. It looked very much like there was a war, especially since it was in black

and white.

The 1954 Godzilla had a heavy lower body with small arms, a round head, and larger

glossy eyes. Godzilla also stays the same size throughout whereas in the Shin, Godzilla changes

and becomes bigger. According to The Godzilla Wiki, it states, the new Godzilla's official

height was 118.5 meters tall, making him officially the tallest Godzilla to appear in a film (about

10.3 meters taller than the Legendary version, mostly due to its longer neck and more upright

posture) (The Godzilla Wiki). This is significant because if the Shin Godzilla is linked to natural

disasters and terrorism, then it shows that these real monsters that are huge will continue to

exist and grow. That is why they made Godzilla taller and larger. It is sending the message that

monsters will keep coming. However, in the original, since it was focused more on the nuclear

war, they werent really focusing on the future; it was focused more on the past event. Also, the

possibility of having another nuclear war is rare, so it cant exactly grow, however, natural

disasters can, as well as terrorism, especially in todays society. This is probably why the original
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Godzilla stayed the same size throughout the film and didnt expand. Additionally, in the

original, they couldnt do much with special effects. For example, in the Shin, they show

Godzilla shooting out purple lasers and you can actually see the fires that it caused. There was a

lot more action involved, which made the audience enjoy it more. The original showed the

peoples suffering more and there were no distractions from the color scheme or special effects.

The original and the Shin Godzilla used different levels of aggression to attack the city

and were later killed in different ways. In the original, Godzilla was slower and didnt come out

of the water as much. It also wasnt as stubborn. In the Shin, since it grew bigger, it was more

aggressive and faster. In the original, a scientist named Serizawa killed Godzilla with an oxygen

destroyer underwater. He was the only person to kill Godzilla whereas in the Shin, the entire

government was involved including the United States. According to Chris Lambert, he states

The 1954 Godzilla, the original Godzilla, had been such a shocking and powerful metaphor for

the unintended results of military and science, of experimentation and technology (Lambert).

This is true because the original focused more on the scientific aspect and also the government

wasnt so involved. We can see this with the scientist, Serizawa. It showed his science lab, but in

the Shin, there were no scientists. The original was just showing how the nuclear war affected

others. It had nothing to do with politics or the future like the Shin Godzilla did. Lambert also

states that the Shin Godzilla is very much a chastisement of government systems (Lambert).

This is what made the original and Shin Godzilla so different. When it comes to tragic

events, the governments job is to protect its citizens. In the Shin Godzilla, it shows how much

the government tried their best to help their citizens. The prime minister even put his life at risk

just to save his people. He ended up dying trying to save the citizens. This is a positive depiction

of government. Lambert claims While Godzilla is terrifying and intimidating, the idea of a
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government that's overweight, unorganized, closed-minded, and thus impotent, unable to save us

not because the situation we're in is impossible but because it's impossible for them to do

anything to solve it...that's in a lot of ways scarier than Godzilla (Lambert). This is so true

because in life, we cant prevent tragic events, but all we can do is rely on the government to

help protect us. Godzilla is in fact not the one to fear because that is uncontrollable, but it is the

government because they are the ones who will protect us. The Shin Godzilla suggests that no

government will be perfect. In the Shin, the government tried its best to help, but they will not

always succeed with everyone. It is currently the same in America. Just because we have a stable

government, doesnt mean we will always be safe. Monsters will keep coming no matter what

and we cant always stop them.

Although in both movies the governments were corrupt, especially since it is in Japan, the

Shin Godzilla shows how much the government tried hard to keep the city safe. Aside from that,

the Shin Godzilla took longer to be killed and was killed by poison injection and then was

bombed by Japanese soldiers as well as the US army. This itself shows how in the Original, the

government seemed too corrupt and couldnt even help protect the citizens. One person had to

help everyone and also ended up dying in the process, which is selfish because now that machine

cant be used in the future in case another Godzilla came into existence. It is understandable why

Serizawa chose to die. He didnt want to be held responsible incase something went wrong. Also,

he didnt want to face the fame or eventually be asked to create a weapon that could destroy

humanity. However, even if he was asked to create something he is against, he could choose not

to. It wasnt an excuse to commit suicide, but it is understandable why he did it; because of the

pressures he would face. In the Shin, it shows how the government worked hard together with the

military and even the US military to protect the people. That is the importance of the Shin
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Godzilla, to show how the government matters when it comes to situations like this and how a

country needs to have a stable government. This itself shows why America will continue to be

the best country, because of a strong stable government.

Although America may have some tragic events, it doesnt compare to Europe or other

places in the world like the Middle East. For example, today, people are concerned with the

whole ISIS situation. In Europe, there have been many incidents, which continues to scare

Americans, but lots of Americans trust the government here because the US government is

always on top of things and stop them before happening. However, according to Eric Schmitt, he

is saying that although the government is trying their best to track ISIS, people fear these

terrorists will inspire others to follow their footsteps. In the article, it says The continuing

efforts of ISIL followers in Europe to conduct attacks demonstrate the potential for ISIL to

recruit and motivate followers in Europe, said a United Nations report in August. Even if the

leaders of ISIS were found, it doesnt stop others from trying to be like them. This in a way

relates to the Shin Godzilla because we can see how the government tried their best to help the

citizens, but failed with some. Just like how our government can try and keep the American

citizens safe, they wont always succeed because these monsters will keep finding a way to

appear.

Despite all these differences, the original and the Shin Godzilla were similar in a few

ways. They both came out of the water, which is very significant because the ocean is mysterious

itself, so it makes people wonder what else could arise from the ocean. In Here Be Monsters

from the book Monsters, Genoways states, the fear of the unknown, of that future that lies just

past the horizon, has been with us always (Genoways 132). This is why most people fear the

ocean. The fact that Godzilla comes from the ocean is even more thrilling. Both of these
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monsters came into existence because of the nuclear war in Japan. It was due to radiation and in

both movies, the people realized that, so it was the same concept. However, in the Shin, it took

them longer to figure it out because they wanted to make sure they find the correct information

about Godzilla, which they did. It is significant that both monsters were as a result of radiation

because this also relates to the modern day now. People still fear that there is going to be a

nuclear war. For example, in a recent article called North Korea threatens to turn US mainland

into a theater of nuclear war, Kaiman states On A-bomb anniversary, Nagasaki mayor says the

fear of nuclear war is growing. He talks about how Trumps confrontation to North Korea made

them angry and how they are threatening to use nuclear weapons on the US mainland. People are

still in fear till this day because the use of nuclear weapons can truly destroy this nation. At the

end of both the Original and the Shin Godzilla, when the monsters were killed, people still said

there might be another Godzilla if the use of nuclear weapons is continued to be in use. The

murder of Godzilla didnt end peoples fear in both movies, which is why both were similar.

The Original 1954 vs Shin Godzilla were both spectacular movies. In both movies,

Godzilla was a result of radiation from the nuclear war and atomic bombs. Both Godzillas came

out of the mysterious ocean, which was a metaphor for the unknown and they destroyed the

whole city. While that made both movies similar, they were completely different because in the

original, it was based more on science and it didnt have as much special effects, which made it

easier for the audience to connect with the plot. It actually was more emotional to watch but the

Shin Godzilla used lots of effects, which was distracting. Also, the government was heavily

involved, which shows the need for a strong government. In a world of fear, especially today, the

government needs to do their best to protect its country.

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Works Cited

Higuchi, Shinji. Shin Godzilla. Gojipedia,godzilla.wikia.com/wiki/Shin_Godzilla#cite_note-

Leaked_Design-18.

Hoffman, Andrew J., and Ted Genoways. Here Be

Monsters. Monsters: a Bedford Spotlight Reader, Bedford/St. Martin's, a Macmillan

Education Imprint, 2016, p. 132.

Kaiman, Jonathon. North Korea Threatens to Turn U.S.

Mainland into a 'Theater of Nuclear War'. Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9

Aug. 2017, www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-

north-korea-threatens-to-turn-u-s-1502294652-htmlstory.html.

Lambert, Chris. SHIN GODZILLA and 2014's GODZILLA,

Major Differences and the Expectations for a Godzilla Movie. Film Colossus: Movie

Endings Explained, Filmmaker Tools of the Trade, 8 Oct. 2016,

www.filmcolossus.com/single-post/2016/10/09/SHIN-GODZILLA-and-2014s-

GODZILLA-major-differences-and-the-expectations-for-a-Godzilla-movie.

Post, The Jakarta. Japan's 'Godzilla' Director Wants to

Surprise. The Jakarta Post, 5 Aug. 2015,

www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/08/05/japans-godzilla-director-wants-surprise.html.

Schmitt, Eric. ISIS Fighters Are Not Flooding Back Home to

Wreak Havoc as Feared. The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 Oct. 2017,

www.nytimes.com/2017/10/22/us/politics/fewer-isis-fighters-returning-home.html.