Plot for Godzilla, King of the Monsters: WARNING!: I Tell the Endings!

In the beginning, many Japanese fishing boats are being destroyed by a "wall of fire" in the ocean. No one can explain what kind of phenonema would destroy this, so scientists began to conduct some research. An island called "Odo Island" have claimed to have seen a monster called "Godzilla," which was a part of a legend they had there. Then, Godzilla shows up on the island and creates some damage. The natives are then transferred to a press conference in Japan. All of them claimed that the ship disasters, and the terror caused the night before was by Godzilla. The scientists then go back to the island again and witness Godzilla on top of a hill. Photographs are taken of him, and the main character, Dr. Yamane describes that Godzilla was resurrected from prehistoric times by H-Bomb tests (resurrected from the Atomic bomb dropped on Japan in Gojira). Dr. Yamane's daughter, Emico (who will later appear in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah), is engaged to a scientist named Dr. Serisawa. Serisawa shows Emico a horrible device that destroys all oxygen and surrounding life in water. Emico promises Serisawa not to reveal his secret.

The military, from a boat, shoots depth bombs into the ocean hoping to kill Godzilla. Later on though Godzilla pops his head out of the water near a cruise ship in Tokyo Bay. Godzilla then dives back into the water. The next night the Japanese military gather up to try to stop Godzilla. They're unsuccessful and Godzilla crushes a few buildings and destroys a train. Godzilla then returns to the water. Although his attack was brief, there was much damage. The next night, Toko evacuates the people behind a set of high tension wires that the military placed up. Godzilla appears later and easily breaks through the barrier with no pain. Nobody in Tokyo is safe. Godzilla completely destroys the city with his dreaded heat beam. Many people are killed. Military tanks and jets try to stop Godzilla's fury, but neither of them work. The next day at a hospital, where all of the dead and wounded lay from the previous night, Emico tells Ogata, a coast guard officer and who Emico wants to marry, about Dr. Serisawa's oxygen destroyer weapon. They both agree that this weapon is Japan's only hope to stop Godzilla. The two visit Serisawa and ask him for the weapon. Serisawa refuses until he sees a television broadcast of the destruction Godzilla brought. Serisawa says that the oxygen destroyer will only be used this one time. He burns the plans of his work. The next day, Serisawa and Ogata place the oxygen destroyer in Tokyo Bay, near Godzilla. Ogata pulls up, but Dr. Serisawa stays underwater and cuts his oxygen tube off so nobody for sure will ever find out about his horrible weapon. Serisawa dies along with Godzilla.

The first and, without a doubt, the best Godzilla movie ever made. This movie was originally released in Japan as Gojira. It was supposed to be a stand-alone film. Godzilla dies at the end and that's that, no sequels. When it was released in Japan on November 3, 1954, the movie became so popular, that Toho decided to make a sequel 5 months later. Ishiro Honda, considered by many Godzilla fans the best Godzilla director, directed this movie. Akira Ifukube, considered to be the best Godzilla composer, wrote the musical score, and came up with Godzilla's roar. He created it by rubbing a contrabass with a resin-coated leather glove.

I own a copy of Gojira and I have to say that there is a huge difference between Gojira and Godzilla, King of the Monsters. When Godzilla, King of the Monsters was released in the U.S., the U.S. producers cut out several minutes out of the original Gojira and added in some scenes of Raymond Burr as a reporter who arrives in Japan during Godzilla's first rampage. Many Godzilla fans believe that this spoiled the movie. When I first saw Godzilla, King of the Monsters, I thought that it was a fantastic movie, and that couldn't get any better! After seeing Gojira, though, I realized that the cut scenesand the Raymond Burr parts did spoil the movie! In the American version, it says that Godzilla was created by H-Bomb tests. In the original version though, Godzilla was created from the atomic bomb dropped on Japan! This movie is not an anti-American movie, it's an anti-nuclear war movie. In Gojira, Godzilla is not only a monster, but also has a symbolic meaning in him. Godzilla sinking any ship that crossed his path, razing any buildings within his reach, exploding the ground with his heat beam, and the casualties that came across from his attack all had reflected the physical and emotional damage of the atomic bomb dropped on Japan during World War II. In the upcoming Godzilla movie, Godzilla-Mothra-King Ghidorah: Daikaiju Soukougeki, Godzilla will be percieved the same, except it will be for everyone on both sides during World War II.

The scenes that were cut out of the original Gojira left out many important scenes that were, in my opinion, very important to understanding the mesage of the movie. In Godzilla, King of the Monsters, there is only one scene where Dr. Yamane says Godzilla should not be killed. In Gojira, he keeps that opinion throughout the whole movie and even explains his thoughts on why he has this opinion. Dr. Yamane wanted to study Godzilla not because he wanted to find out how to kill him, but because he wanted to find out what keeps him alive. In Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Dr. Serisawa seems to be percieved as a mad scientist that came up with the destructive oxygen destoryer for no reason. In Gojira, he explains that while he was working with oxygen, he came across an unknown form of energy. The energy shocked him when he found out what he could do. While he was working with the energy, he created the oxygen destroyer. Serisawa kept secret of his oxygen destroyer because of the destruction it could bring as a weapon. If used as a weapon the oxygen destroyer would be far worse than any nuclear weapon. Serisawa wanted to work with the oxygen destroyer so he could find a way it could benefit society. The oxygen detroyer was just a stage in his progres. In Gojira, but not Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Serisawa says before diving in the ocean "I never thought I would release this in its present form."

Some of the scenes of Godzilla were modified in Godzilla, King of the Monsters. The trademark roar that, in America, wasn't heard until the very end of Godzilla Raids Again, and consitentaly in King Kong vs. Godzilla, was heard a few times in Gojira. Some music in some scenes were added in the American version where there wasn't any music during Godzilla's attack. The parts that didn't have the music in Gojira, in my opinion, made Godzilla's terror more effective. Also, the jet fight at the end of Godzilla's first attack in Gojira lasted a little longer than the attack in Godzilla, King of the Monsters.

In my opinion, I believe there will never be a Godzilla movie as good as Gojira (notice the extra Toho rating for Gojira). Even though Gojira might not have the best special effects compared to today's standards (it did back in 1954), but the sybolic meaning and the deep message made this movie beyond fantastic.

Photos above are from my own DVD capture.