Godzilla trampled onto Japanese cinema screens way back in 1954. As an allegory for the devastating effects nuclear war has on the world has since become the worlds most iconic giant monsters, constantly toeing the line between friend or foe.
The most recent Western effort to bring these epic monsters to the big screen has been somewhat a success, with Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019). This ‘Monsterverse’, in a continued obsession with Hollywood to have sprawling universes of films, is a welcome one, and one that fits with how some eras of the Toho movies worked. Despite these films’ successes, after watching so many of the older Toho films recently, there is a glaring problem with the Monsterverse Godzilla movies and that’s with the monsters themselves.
Some modern audiences may snicker at the actors in rubber monster suits battling each other in a scaled-down city set, with sparklers and smoke machines going off left, right and centre – not to mention the model tanks that get decimated by our favourite gigantic lizard. For me, this is part of the charm of the classic movies; I adore seeing what new moves and characteristics actors will put into each Kaiju, they are hilarious and yes, they are badass at times. In my most recent watch, 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars the battle between Godzilla, Anguirus, Rodan and King Ceasar felt like I was watching an epic wrestling match of my dreams, that made me laugh out loud, but the it still packed a punch.
That’s the beauty of the Toho Godzilla movies, they appreciate the rawness of practical effects, whilst still utilising more modern techniques. Take the latest live-action film, Shin Godzilla for instance, believe it or not, the Godzilla we see in this movie is entirely CGI. Great care was taken to make it look more practical, (which is a feat on its own) but in keeping with the techniques of past films, Godzilla was still portrayed by an actor, swapping a rubber suit for a mo-cap one.
I want to preface this section of the article by stating that I have nothing against CGI, I think it is an incredible art-form, one that has been able to bring thighs we wouldn’t have dreamed of before to life and has transformed the film industry. However, I do feel that there are times when it needs to be used more smartly and purposefully. And the Godzilla Monsterverse movies, sadly, in my eyes how the monsters are presnted on-screen is a detriment in some moments of the film, rather than a welcome addition.
In both of the recent Hollywood movies, we rarely see Godzilla (which is traditionally the case for so many of these films) but when we do see our favourite giant lizard, he is obscured by darkness, the shots are so close up and when he is in the daylight it’s raining. I understand that it is a ‘choice’ and lighting CGI in a certain way will make it age better. But at the same time, I want to be able to see my kaiju’s fight properly.
Despite having some visually stunning moments, especially when utilising Godzilla’s in-built light shows, in that underwater scene in King of the Monsters, there are times when I want to see these monsters in full action. In every single kaiju scene, it was either in complete darkness or obscured by some kind of environmental state, whether it was torrential rain, lava smoke, explosions, rubble dust, or just the weird grading of the film. The only way we can see the monsters is due to the light they give up, which obscured what they look like.
Take Ghidorah for instance, this three-headed dragon is meant to be shimmering gold, yet throughout most of the film, you can’t really tell, apart from the light he omits. Mothra… hell I don’t even know what Mothra’s full form in this movie looks like because most of the film she is a caterpillar, (albeit a very cute one) haloed by her dazzling light, in a battle saturated by rain and smoke and by the time we get a good look at her, she’s dead.
I will give it to King of the Monsters though, there are more satisfying kaiju moments, and you get to see the monsters in their full form, especially Godzilla. But I guess what I want from these movies is a clear distinction of the monsters. They blend into the scenes and environments far too much for my liking, with the filmmakers relying on stylized lighitng around, or on them to make them more visible.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking for everyone to don rubber suits again and have at it, absolutely not, there just needs to be more care taken in showcasing the monsters because at the end of the day, they are the stars of the show.
I briefly mentioned Kong: Skull Island and I have left talking about it till the end because I honestly feel this, despite its flaws as a film probably did the best job at showcasing its star. It’s one of the most visually appealing films of the franchise so far, with some surprisingly beautiful cinematography. But the best thing is that when Kong is on-screen you can see what he is doing in all his glory because thankfully most of the time he is in broad daylight and it isn’t raining- it isn’t afraid of hiding the battles and it’s a better monster movie for it.
Although it may seem like I am completely putting a downer on these films, because they are for the most part a lot of fun and the kaiju fight scenes are a lot of fun to watch. Godzilla in particular looks incredible when we are able to see him in all his glory and the use of light in his design works beautifully at times.
I will say the trailer for Godzilla vs Kong does have me hopeful for how we are going to see these two iconic monsters battle it out, and hopefully it will be more clear so they can showcase each of their epic skills in battle without them being obscured for the sake of ‘mystery’ or to hide some less up to scratch CGI.
Siobhan of the Dead 