Talk:Godzilla (1954 film)/@comment-343942-20150721040351

What is there to say about this film that hasn't been said already? It's the first movie I remember watching as a small child (or rather its Americanized counterpart). It's one of the most important foreign films out there, and the titular creature is arguably the most well-known movie monsters to grace the silver screen, easy on par with the likes of King Kong and the Universal Frankenstein.

The dark, grim tone of the movie is what sells it. Even after more than 20 years of watching this film, Godzilla's rampage is still one of the most frightening sequences I have ever seen. Keep in mind that there is a difference between frightening and startling. Startling is something that just pops out of nowhere with a loud sound, something the horror franchises seem to be relying on too much these days. Frightening is something, a sight, sound or even a simple concept, that chills you to your very core. In this case, it's atomic devastation, something the Japanese know of all too well.

Other monster flicks of the 50's showed the process of destruction. This film didn't just show us the bomb that is Godzilla going off... it shows us the grisly aftermath: The city in smoldering ruins, the dead and wounded, the anguish of the survivors...

A B-movie plot... with a triple-A execution.

Hell, event the special effects help to instill that feel of dread. The gritty black and white cinematography, and masterful angel shots help to emphasize Goji's size and god-like power. They drive home the concept that he isn't so much an animal as a force of nature, the flesh and blood equivalent of an earthquake or hurricane.

Even the chopped up American version, while robbed of much of the original's message of the dangers of nuclear violence, still manages to instill enough of that forbidding tone to get the point across.

What many would consider just another shlockly monster movie is so much more. It's a monster movie with a meaningful message, one that is amazingly executed. It's a masterpiece, plain and simple.