The Evolution of Movies: Godzilla Over the Years

Much like many forms of media, the world of film is rapidly changing. Tropes, humor, subject matter, special effects, music, camera angles, characters, everything. Movies have benefited a lot from advances in technology, especially when it comes to CGI or computer-generated images which have since come to replace most practical effects when it comes to movies. Many long-running franchises show good examples of this, but no franchise has shown more change than that of the world's most famous monster: Godzilla.

The Godzilla (ゴジラ Gojira) franchise is one that needs little introduction, as anyone you ask will have seen the signature Japanese Kaiju or at least heard his name. The original Godzilla movie debuted in Japan in 1954 directed by Ishiro Honda. It was a colossal success and used primitive, practical effects, given they were all that was available at the time. Godzilla himself was played by an actor in a suit by the name of Haruo Nakajima, rampaging around on the set of a tiny city to make himself look massive.

Interestingly enough, this could have been the last of Godzilla as a film, but instead the Japanese monster craze spread like wild fire, quickly becoming one of Japan's most iconic characters in media history. In 1956, after the original and a successful sequel, Godzilla's movie appeal came to America, where a heavily edited version of the original film became "Americanized" for the general population. This is where the entire world came to know the signature monster, and the legacy only continues from there.

Fast forward a few years and Godzilla has become a massive icon. Over the years the signature character has done everything from fighting with King Kong to battling a mechanical Godzilla. He has been both a hero and a villain. Godzilla inspired just about the entire genre of Japanese and American kaiju films. Godzilla could technically be considered the original cinematic universe, albeit with certain films being withheld from being canonical.

Be they Japanese or American, the monster himself has gone through so many different phases throughout the lifespan of the character and the appearance of the character reflects the different eras of movies extremely well. The following three clips accurately represent multiple eras and interpretations of the story and characters. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974), the Hollywood production Godzilla (2014) and the grotesque Shin Godzilla (2016)

These different films are just 3 of the many interpretations of the character as cinema evolves from practical effects to CGI. Some of the Hollywood films are very similar and while relatively faithful, have very similar tropes to all American action films. The unique 2016 Shin Godzilla is one of the most unique films, turning the character into a disgusting, mutated mess.

All in all, the Godzilla franchise is one of the most long-running film franchises of all time, and as things change, the series changes along with the world.