The Kaiju Thread of Building-Smashing, Flame-Breathing, and Slam-Dunking
- Thread starter ZakuConvoy
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The 1954 film was serious. It wasn't until the sequels that it started getting super cheesy. It was those later films(well, two of them anyway) that MST3K riffed. It was the OTHER Japanese kaiju series that MST3K really leaned into(Gamera). I wouldn't say it was their bread and butter, though. Only 8 Japanese kaiju films were riffed and 6 of those were Gamera films. They also did Gorgo, Yongray and Reptilicus which were not Japanese films, but shared a lot of similarities with them(I guess you could also include the two giant spider films they riffed and 'Beginning of the End' with the giant locusts.) They also did Atlantic Rim(Asylum's Pacific Rim knockoff) but I'd rather forget that one.
I never really watched Kaiju films growning up. I recall my father was flipping through channels, paused on some Godzilla movie, noticed how everything looked like toy cars, and moved on. I think the first time I actually watched the original King Kong was maybe a year before Peter Jacksons film came out.
But the original 1933 King Kong was probably my first. I wasn't sure if it counted as Kaiju since it wasn't Japanese. But it was that and then Peter Jackson's King Kong.
Last week I found the Criterion release of Godzilla and then Godzilla Minus 1. Somewhere along the line I know I watched the Matthew Broderick Godzilla, which I don't really count because I don't think most people count it.
Anyway, that's my background. At some point I may or may not want to expand my horizons. The only other Kaiju I have little more than a passing knowledge of is Mothra. But I know there's probably tons!
But the original 1933 King Kong was probably my first. I wasn't sure if it counted as Kaiju since it wasn't Japanese. But it was that and then Peter Jackson's King Kong.
Last week I found the Criterion release of Godzilla and then Godzilla Minus 1. Somewhere along the line I know I watched the Matthew Broderick Godzilla, which I don't really count because I don't think most people count it.
Anyway, that's my background. At some point I may or may not want to expand my horizons. The only other Kaiju I have little more than a passing knowledge of is Mothra. But I know there's probably tons!
Yeah, the Gamera one was what I was thinking of.
I guess I just assumed the Godzilla series was cheap B-movie fare so I never sought them out. Glad to see that’s not totally true.
I guess I just assumed the Godzilla series was cheap B-movie fare so I never sought them out. Glad to see that’s not totally true.
I'd say King Kong(1933) is at the very least proto-kaiju. It was once of the inspirations for the film.
Yea, the creature in the Broderick film is a giant radioactive lizard and they call her Godzilla, but outside of that she doesn't feature many of the qualities that would classify her as 'Godzilla'. No nuclear fire breath, too small, and susceptible to conventional weapons, not to mention she's a fast breeder. It's an OK Kaiju film but should not have been called Godzilla.
I'd recommend the 90s Gamera trilogy(aka the The Heisei Gamera films) and The Host(It's a Korean film, but ticks all the right boxes)
Yea, the creature in the Broderick film is a giant radioactive lizard and they call her Godzilla, but outside of that she doesn't feature many of the qualities that would classify her as 'Godzilla'. No nuclear fire breath, too small, and susceptible to conventional weapons, not to mention she's a fast breeder. It's an OK Kaiju film but should not have been called Godzilla.
I'd recommend the 90s Gamera trilogy(aka the The Heisei Gamera films) and The Host(It's a Korean film, but ticks all the right boxes)
95's Gamera, Guardian of the Universe is a good watch. The sequels are a mixed bag, with technically better effects and some genuinely interesting things going on, but I have issues with both of them that I don't with the 95 movie.
1998 Godzilla feels like it was written as an update for "The Beast of 20,000 Fathoms", for which it would have been more suitable, but got shoehorned into a Godzilla film instead. It's a serviceable movie in its own right, and the animated spinoff that followed kind of makes up for its mistakes, but its not a great Godzilla film, no.
"Frankenstein Conquers the World" is probably worth a watch as an example of classic, non-Godzilla Toho (though co-star Baragon got folded into the Godzilla mythos later).
"Daimajin" shares DNA with Kaiju films, though I would call it mostly a samurai film with a kaiju-esque final act. That final act, though, is worth the wait.
1998 Godzilla feels like it was written as an update for "The Beast of 20,000 Fathoms", for which it would have been more suitable, but got shoehorned into a Godzilla film instead. It's a serviceable movie in its own right, and the animated spinoff that followed kind of makes up for its mistakes, but its not a great Godzilla film, no.
"Frankenstein Conquers the World" is probably worth a watch as an example of classic, non-Godzilla Toho (though co-star Baragon got folded into the Godzilla mythos later).
"Daimajin" shares DNA with Kaiju films, though I would call it mostly a samurai film with a kaiju-esque final act. That final act, though, is worth the wait.