Godzilla at 65: still wreaking havoc, but now a reminder of Japan’s anxious past
- As one of Japan’s biggest pop-culture exports celebrates its 65th birthday, the monster’s backstory prompts memories of the nation’s harrowing struggle with nuclear conflict
- After 20 years ago appearing to be on its last legs, the film franchise is now roaring to box office success with Hollywood remakes
He has bestridden the silver screen for 65 years, but Godzilla is showing no sign of slowing down or curbing his enthusiasm for wreaking havoc on the world and his equally monstrous enemies.
The giant lizard-like creature that first stomped out of the Pacific Ocean in 1954 celebrates the 65th anniversary of his big screen debut on Sunday. This milestone comes as his latest movie – Godzilla: King of the Monsters – racks up US$385 million in global box office takings following its release in late May.
The film, starring Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown and Ken Watanabe, is the 35th title in the franchise and the third to be completely produced by a Hollywood studio. And while it might not have achieved the critical acclaim of previous Godzilla movies, it does show that this beast from the east has enduring appeal, both in the home of its creators and abroad.
“Godzilla works on a couple of levels, at least in Japan,” said Kaori Shoji, a veteran film critic for The Japan Times newspaper.
“Right now, the population here is ageing very rapidly, but Godzilla reminds that generation of their lives in the 1960s and 1970s when the Godzilla movies were really popular.
