Pictures may take a few seconds to download
Ÿ Click for a larger pictureAbout Godzilla
|
|
|
Height |
100 m (330 ft) |
|
AKA: Gojira, Goji, G Suit: Desu-Goji
Background: As just about everyone knows, Godzilla was born of atomic fire. Although the movies conflict on his origins, apparently he was a Godzillasaurus dinosaur who managed to avoid extinction until nuclear testing mutated him into a gigantic monster. His first rampage into Tokyo was in 1954. He has since returned to Japan in 1984, fighting other monsters until his battle with Destoroyah and subsequent meltdown in 1996 (the movie was released in 1995, but the setting is 1996). In this movie, Godzilla's charcoal-gray (not green) skin is accentuated by orange and red glowing radiation burns with steam venting out from an internal nuclear reaction. Note: Since this is a Godzilla vs Destoroyah page, I am going by the Heisei timeline, which includes the original movie and skips to Godzilla 1984. However, the series does not include the post-Godzilla 2000 movies. For details, check out my
Strengths: They do not call him the "King of the Monsters" for nothing. His primary weapon, of course, was his atomic breath (or "Atomic Heat Ray" or "radioactive fire breath" as my Japanese books call it). Not really a flame, it might be better described as atomic blast, though for simplicity's sake I will refer to it as "fire" throughout the page. Usually blue, he was able to make it a stronger red blast in previous battles against stubborn foes. However, his out-of-control radioactivity kept the flames red throughout, although Destoroyah was able to withstand it longer than other monsters (would Destoroyah have triumphed if Godzilla did not have the sole use of his red blast?). His other big weapon was his resilience, being impervious to most attacks. If hurt, Godzilla can regenerate himself, which he does by swallowing his fire. This "nuclear pulse" can heal his wounds (like after Destoroyah sliced him with the horn). It also gave him an energy boost, permitting him to finally hurt Destoroyah. In other movies, he was able to knock back monsters with it.
Weaknesses: Ultimately, it was the unpredictability of nuclear power that did Godzilla in. His heart was basically a nuclear reactor, and a disaster at Birth Island adversely affected it. When his body reached critical mass at 1200°C, scientists thought he would either explode or melt down, taking Japan and the world with him (talk about going out with a bang!). Other than that, his only other weakness was the inability to fly, which put him at a speed disadvantage to Destoroyah's flying (it seems like every monster except Godzilla can fly). The lack of mobility prevented him from rescuing Junior from Destoroyah's clutches.
My thoughts: I liked Godzilla in this movie more than the other Heisei ones, because he went back to being Godzilla. The Hong Kong scene did an excellent job of setting the tone. I thought this was Toho's best city-stomping spectacle ever and Akira Ifukube's pounding score accentuated it superbly. You could feel the pain and frustration he was trying to deal with his heated nuclear reaction. In addition, I never saw his breath weapon look better.
One problem I had with the Heisei series were too many laser-light shows and not enough monster-bashing. However, with this movie, there was more fighting, like when he punched the "green stuff" out of Destoroyah. Godzilla also looked more animated as when his whole face moved when he roared, not just his bottom jaw. In addition, the way he moved and swayed his head and body around (I do not think I have ever seen his neck move before), gave him a look of pure anger at Destoroyah after he found Junior dead. The orange glowing was distracting at times, especially the eyes, but I liked the way it pulsed when he got mad. Ken Satsuma said this movie was his best performance as Godzilla.
|
|
Godzilla has always been a favorite of mine, probably because I liked dinosaurs and fun movies when I was younger. I had a few US-made Godzillas (Imperial, Trendmasters, etc), but my current interest really took off after I discovered Japanese toys. Now I have over 40 Godzillas of all shapes, sizes, and designs, including fourteen Burning Godzilla figures. It makes for quite a shelf display. |
Below is a picture from my GvD Film Comic. Now we know how to spell Godzilla's roar in Japanese! GAW!
(or so my friend Donna translates). Click on the picture to hear his roar again.
His shoe would actually be Size 888 (inches). The Godzilla superlatives are from the TV Kun Deluxe: GvD book.
Go Back.