Godzilla is character who has been a pop culture icon for decades. People who have never seen any of the films are aware of the character, and he has entered the lexicon in a variety of ways. Despite being thought of as a sort of action movie or movie for children, the truth is that the series did not begin as a fun monster movie series, but instead as horror with Gojira in 1954.
Gojira was inspired by the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and faced heavy criticism from the press in Japan at the time. It was considered insensitive and far too soon for a film to take inspiration from the horrific events still fresh in the minds of the people. Unlike the later films in the series, Godzilla is not played for his awesomeness but instead for the sheer horror of what such a being would be like. Intentional allusions to the war are made, including scenes of families during Godzilla’s rampage and people running to shelters. While I do not wish to spoil anything, the lines said by one character during one of Godzilla’s rampaging scenes, were utterly chilling and did more to show just how intense the situation was. It was far more effective than any recent big budget monster movie, and proved that sometimes less is more.
In fact, it is important to note is that Godzilla was kept off-screen as much as possible. The reasoning for this was a simple one, as it made the impact of when he did appear that much greater. It also had the benefit of reducing the chances of people noticing any flaws in the special effects and preserve the aura of fear. The film in general had amazing special effects for the time, and they still hold up well today due to being practical effects that were well utilized. Every scene was used to its full potential and nothing was wasted. The soundtrack has become so iconic, that it has survived in some form in every Godzilla movie since.
But what made the film so strong was the character building it did, and the intense moral debates presented. While Godzilla was a danger, would it still be right to kill Godzilla? And the fear of creating another weapon that could end the world is addressed as well. The film was relevant then and is relevant now due to tensions between world powers. The film is all about the fact that there are consequences to actions and Godzilla is himself is presented as a consequence of mankind creating the atomic bomb. Its a message that still needs to be heard, and this is a film that needs to still eb seen today.