How Many Godzillas Are There?

For most of my life, being a Godzilla fan meant something different than it does now. In the last ten years, Hollywood and Toho have brought the world’s most famous giant monster into a new modern era with greater mainstream appeal and unprecedented global success. One question that still gets asked a lot, though, and it’s a valid one, is just how many Godzillas, exactly, there are. In this case I don’t mean movies (39, currently), I mean different individual monsters named Godzilla. You might know him, you may even love him like I do, but although, to quote Shinoda from Godzilla 2000, “Godzilla is inside all of us!” where one Godzilla ends and the next begins is rather unclear. 

I remember posting about seeing Shin Godzilla on social media ten years ago and a friend commented with a surprised reaction, because he thought I was talking about a sequel to the new American Godzilla that had come out two years earlier. With how fast some sequels are produced and released these days, that wasn’t unreasonable to think. Something similar happened when Toho put out Godzilla 2000 in the US just two years after Tristar’s failed 1998 Godzilla, and something similar has been taking place recently yet again, as there are currently two unconnected Godzilla franchises happening at once. I’ve covered many aspects of Godzilla on my blog for a long time, but in the lead up to this year’s Godzilla Minus Zero, I’m going to (pardon the pun) now zero in on what differentiates one Godzilla from another, because while he’s generally always recognizable, not every movie connects, and many versions carry with them different tones, messages, and metaphors.

Speaking of Shin Godzilla once again, I was originally planning to do a ten-year-anniversary retrospective on that film since I never published my review for it on my blog back when it came out, as it remains the only Godzilla movie released since I started my blog that I haven’t reviewed (though I have written about it at several other points since). I’m not sure I have too much new to add about it right now, but one thing that still confuses people who are not as entrenched in Godzilla movies is how that one relates to any of the other movies released in this more recent era. I’ve already gone over the different eras of Godzilla movies (Showa, Heisei, Millennium, Reiwa), I’ve explored Godzilla’s time spent in Hollywood, and now, I’m going to lay out the whole continuity of the monster himself, because for the average viewer, it is extremely hard these days to make sense of it all. If you think the Marvel Cinematic Universe is convoluted, just wait until you see how many different versions of Godzilla have come and gone!

 

THE ORIGINAL

The Godzilla in the 1954 original Gojira is, believe it or not, one of the versions of Godzilla with the fewest appearances. Even diehard fans (including yours truly) don’t always recall that the monster in the original is technically not the same one that appears in all subsequent films. Godzilla is killed by the Oxygen Destroyer at the end, and Dr. Yamane makes a foreboding comment that if nuclear testing continues, another Godzilla could appear one day. At the time, audiences might have suspected a different but similar giant monster could appear in a future film, but the Godzilla that first terrorized Tokyo was reduced to bones (which also then disintegrated), and that is how it remains when the credits roll. This Godzilla never truly lived again.

 

THE SECOND GODZILLA, AKA “GIGANTIS”

The very first sequel, Godzilla Raids Again, not only gave audiences a new giant monster who resembled Godzilla—the spiky, ankylosaur-like Anguirus—but also introduced a new Godzilla monster that, despite some aesthetic differences, is, for all intents and purposes, meant to be a copy of the same creature. I don’t mean that this Godzilla is a clone, it’s just a different individual that has all the same attributes and is given the same name.

This second Godzilla shows up in the midst of a battle with Anguirus, and thus a Godzilla tradition began: pairing him with other monsters, often as a rival. Godzilla defeats Anguirus, but he is not subsequently destroyed like the original. Instead, he’s buried in ice at the end of Raids Again, and that’s where he remained until the next film, a sequel that cemented the “versus” trend which would continue throughout the Showa era and brought him up to the same fame status as the world’s previously most popular giant monster (who, sadly, I think is actually now one step below Godzilla in terms of modern popularity), the Eighth Wonder of the World, King Kong.

For the American release of Godzilla Raids Again, the title was changed to Gigantis the Fire Monster, a title which always seemed dumb to me, but actually, I get what they might have been going for. Godzilla is thought of as this totally unique horror movie monster in the original, but what’s often overlooked is that…he isn’t. He’s the first iteration of the same thing that comes about again later, sort of like The Bride of Frankenstein to the original Frankenstein’s Monster. I think they were trying to distinguish this monster as its (sort of) own thing. Name changes and originality aside, Gigantis is Godzilla, and as he came back for sequel after sequel, he just got sillier and sillier.

 

HANNA-BARBERA’S GODZILLA

This first animated iteration of Big G was also technically America’s first on-screen version of the character, too, though it was relatively short-lived, airing on NBC from 1978 to 1981. Godzilla looks more dinosaur-like and was definitely softened to appeal to young kids, plus the show included the often-maligned “cowardly nephew” of Godzilla, the goofy Godzooky. The less said about this Godzilla for now, the better…

 

 

THE HEISEI GODZILLA

After 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla, the Showa Era filmmakers cracked the code for their monster cinematic universe, and that second Godzilla monster remained the same one, continuity-wise, over the course of a whopping fourteen films in total, with the continuity of other monster movies like Mothra and Rodan woven in as well. After Terror of Mechagodzilla in 1975, Toho put Godzilla film productions on hold, but original creator and producer Tomoyuki Tanaka wanted to bring him back in a serious new film, and worked hard to get The Return of Godzilla into production, though it wouldn’t come out in Japan until 1984. This Godzilla is not part of the continuity of the Showa Era sequels…but it does have a connection to the previous era, and this is where things start to get confusing.

That second Godzilla’s story doesn’t end with Terror of Mechagodzilla, it actually concludes in the ninth overall film, 1968’s Destroy All Monsters, which was set in the year 1999. The Heisei era Godzilla was the second new Godzilla introduced by Toho, the third Godzilla monster overall, but in the continuity of The Return of Godzilla, it serves as a sequel to the 1954 original only. Forget all about those silly sequels and those battles between the second Godzilla and other kaiju, this is the new, new Godzilla! Return pays respect to the original Gojira by maintaining the events of that film and going back to a darker tone. It also worked out nicely for the American re-release, which tied into the American version of Gojira, 1956’s Godzilla, King of the Monsters! Godzilla 1985 provided North American fans of the monster with a slightly-more-modern version, and one of the first mainstream reboots/legacy sequels long before those became a Hollywood trend.

The Heisei Godzilla looks similar enough to the 1954 original that there’s no question about their relation, but the effects are a bit more sophisticated despite still being created with the same traditional methods of miniatures and suitmation. This Godzilla plunges into a volcano at the end of his first film, but it’s not a fatal plunge, for he crawls back out at the start of the sequel, 1989’s Godzilla vs. Biollante, and from that point on, this same Godzilla comes back several more times, usually to fight the same rivals his Showa Era counterpart fought in the 60’s and 70’s, only the fights are even bigger and better than before.

There are plenty of parallels between Heisei Godzilla and Second Godzilla/Gigantis, such as his adoption of a son and his evolution into more of an anti-hero, but he shares something tragic in common with the original: Heisei Godzilla actually dies. In 1995’s Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, he experiences a nuclear meltdown and transfers his energy into the dead body of his son (referred to in that one as “Godzilla Junior”), who grows into a fully-fledged adult Godzilla in the final shot. You would think this is the new Godzilla who will appear in the subsequent Japanese movies, right? Well, you’d be wrong.  

 

“ZILLA”

For over forty years, Godzilla was exclusively a Japanese movie monster, and he will always be at his best in his native Japan, but Hollywood had been trying to make their own version for many years before we finally got Tristar’s 1998 Godzilla—now known by many as G.I.N.O (Godzilla in Name Only). One look at the emaciated iguana tells you all you need to know: sure, he has back spikes, two arms, two legs, a long tail, and destroys a lot of buildings, but that’s about where the similarities end between the traditional Godzilla and this thing, which isn’t even strong enough to survive the US military’s missiles. They did, indeed, take the “God” out of “Godzilla.”

Even though most fans never liked this American version, it showed up again beyond just this one movie. The sole surviving offspring from the cliffhanger ending went on to star in an animated series which gave him a form of atomic breath and a lineup of other monsters for him to fight, both of which his parent lacked. “Zilla” was reclaimed/rebranded by Toho in 2003 and included in Godzilla: Final Wars the following year for the real Godzilla to fight—a fight which lasts all of twenty seconds and ends with Zilla getting totally annihilated. Zilla has not been seen in a movie or show since, and likely never will be ever again…but, if Toho wanted to have the real Godzilla kick its ass again, I would pay top dollar to see it a second time.

GODZILLA 2000

This is my personal favourite version of the king of the monsters. This Godzilla is yet another second example, a la Gigantis and Heisei, but I don’t understand why Toho didn’t commit to making him the new mainline Godzilla monster for the whole third series. Godzilla 2000 is the first entry in the Millennium Era, which lacks overall continuity more than either previous era. The next film from the very next year, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, uses the same suit design, but follows its own storyline, though both are continuations of the 1954 original, just like Return of Godzilla was. Neither are as overt in their continuity from the original, but it doesn’t really matter, because now we’re on to yet another new one!

 

POSSESSED GODZILLA

Filmmaker Shusuke Kaneko was given quite a lot of creative freedom with 2001’s Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, and he did something new with everyone’s favourite atomic monster. This Godzilla is the original—meaning, yes, the actual 1954 version—but there’s one caveat which makes him categorized separately beyond looking a little different: he is possessed by the souls of soldiers and civilians who were killed in the Pacific War. These souls are upset that Japan is forgetting about what happened in the past, so this resurrected Godzilla has been brought back to punish the modern-day citizens. His blank white eyes give him a zombie-like quality, and he is purely a villain, out to destroy everyone and everything, including the other monsters in the title. Despite his undead strength, he’s still destroyed by the end, which also ends this one-and-done continuity.

KIRYU-ERA GODZILLA

In 2002’s Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, another new Godzilla shows up in 1999, and as has become a theme with most of these, this one is the second of his species, following the 1954 original. He returns a few years later and has to battle Kiryu, the new name given to this new version of Mechagodzilla, which would finally lead to a proper sequel with a definitive ending the following year, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. Kiryu represents something a bit different about this duology of films; for the first time ever, the lore of the original film is tweaked. Remember when I said the 1954 Godzilla’s bones disintegrated after he was killed by the Oxygen Destroyer? In this continuity, the bones remained intact, and Kiryu was built over top of those original bones, so in a way, it’s Godzilla vs. Godzilla!

 

FINAL WARS GODZILLA

I know I’m here to explain Godzilla continuity, but when it comes to Godzilla: Final Wars, please…don’t ask. There’s no making sense of it. In addition to Godzilla, we get Gigan, Hedorah, Rodan, King Caesar, Anguirus, Ebirah, Kamacuras, Kumonga, Manda, Mothra, Zilla, Baragon, Gaira, Gezora, Varan, Titanosaurus, Megaguirus, and Godzilla’s son, Minilla. Did I miss anyone? Oh yeah, Monster X doubles as a new monster and Ghidorah when he transforms in the finale. Many of those monsters have brief appearances or only show up in stock footage, but essentially, Final Wars exists in its own continuity as a tribute to Godzilla’s storied history. It’s implied that this Godzilla is yet another secondary member of the species who has fought all these monsters before, and he’s often forgotten in the discussion of the most powerful versions of Godzilla, for he takes down every enemy singlehandedly and is the last monster standing by the end of this insane intergalactic war.

MONSTERVERSE GODZILLA

Legendary Pictures were entrusted with the Godzilla rights from Toho to make a new American version that would not be a public embarrassment this time, and luckily, they understood the assignment. The Monsterverse Godzilla carries the spirit of the original while also fulfilling the Hollywood requirement of being a reptilian pro-wrestler in the monster fighting ring, able to take on new enemies and recognizable rivals. Introduced in 2014, this Godzilla has, so far, remained the same ancient titan since the reboot’s inception, having appeared in four films and two seasons of the Apple TV series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, with more appearances slated to come. Unlike Zilla, Legendary’s Godzilla has found international success and continues to receive support from Toho.

SHIN GODZILLA

Toho’s own modern Godzilla reboot represented a departure for them, because it finally fully restarted the continuity and erased the 1954 original, along with every other sequel, to start completely fresh. Unlike the Monsterverse’s ever-growing expanded lore which continues to build up the most ancient version of Godzilla ever seen, Shin Godzilla is a self-contained story that answers the question of what it would be like if Godzilla showed up for the very first time in modern Japan. This Godzilla is a gigantic, mutating force of nature designed not to fight other monsters but to withstand military assaults and completely devastate Tokyo to a degree never before seen. Though it ends in a somewhat ambiguous fashion, it seems Toho intends for Shin Godzilla to exist as its own chilling solo reboot in this new Reiwa era—at least, for the time being…

GODZILLA EARTH

So far, the Reiwa Era has been defined by four distinctly different Godzillas, with the second being this version from a trilogy of anime films. Instead of just being his typical self hellbent on destroying Tokyo and any other monsters in his path, this version successfully destroys the entire planet and forces the surviving members of the human race to evacuate earth in a spaceship. He kills every other giant monster, turns the biosphere completely upside down, and then also spawns a copy of himself, which is destroyed at the end of the first film, 2017’s Planet of the Monsters, when the humans return to earth 20,000 years later. The true Godzilla Earth is ancient, and larger than any version before, reaching over 300 metres tall. Also, apparently, he’s mostly made of plant material…yeah, that’s all I’ve got for this one.

SINGULAR POINT GODZILLA

This version comes from the 2021 Godzilla anime TV show, Godzilla Singular Point, and seemed to take a lot of inspiration from the more recent Shin Godzilla, with multiple forms throughout the show, referred to as Godzilla Aquatilis, Godzilla Amphibia, Godzilla Terrestris, and Godzilla Ultima. The “Ultima” form is closest to what you’d expect from the classic kaiju, with a couple new features, such as extra teeth/tusks and the ability to fire atomic breath rings.  

 

YAMAZAKI’S GODZILLA

I’m naming this one after writer/director/VFX creator Takashi Yamazaki, partly because it was just so wholesome seeing him carry around a little model version of his Godzilla to all the award shows in 2024, in the lead up to Godzilla’s first-ever Oscar win. 2023’s Godzilla Minus One debuted only the second-ever fully rebooted Toho Godzilla, following Shin Godzilla. This is the newest version at the moment, even over the Monsterverse’s, which, despite some design changes between movies, has remained the same individual creature between all American films since 2014. Minus One has what I think is the greatest version of the monster since Godzilla 2000, in terms of design, writing, and performance. Technically, Yamazaki’s Godzilla was destroyed at the end of Minus One, so will the regenerated version that’s going to appear in Godzilla Minus Zero count as the same one, or a new one? I guess we’ll find out soon!

 

Looking back over all this, I count fourteen distinctly different Godzillas. To quote Wong from Avengers: Endgame, “What, you wanted more?” I didn’t include every non-Toho film cameo, parody, or TV commercial, just the main, official examples. In case you were confused or curious or simply had no clue at all about all these Godzillas, I hope this brings some clarity to one of the biggest, busiest, and messiest monster movie franchises of all time, but there’s one important takeaway from all this. Even if you don’t care which sequel follows which film, or what’s a reboot or a legacy sequel, or which monsters fight one another from one movie to the next, the one thing you need to know is that no matter which version is on screen, they are all, in their heart of hearts, the Real Godzilla.

Except for the 1998 one.

 

Related:

Godzilla Movie Tier List: https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2024/03/
godzilla-tier-list.html

Godzilla in Hollywood: https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2024/03/godzilla-in-hollywood-part-1.html

Shin Godzilla vs. Godzilla Minus One: https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2024/01/shin-godzilla-vs-godzilla-minus-one.html

Brief History of Cinema: Godzilla Series (Up to 2014): https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2014/05/brief-history-of-cinema-issue-2.html

Late Phases (2014) Review

Tagline: When Darkness Falls, Evil Will Rise.

Late Phases (2014) Review

 

Happy Halloween!

If you’ve ever wondered what it would have been like had an elderly John Wick been attacked by a werewolf instead of gangsters, then the movie Late Phases is for you. Even more accurately, it’s like if the blind man from Don’t Breathe was a good guy, but just like the criminals who break into his house in that film, this werewolf has no idea it picked on the wrong Vietnam vet and his dog.

Ambrose McKinley is being helped by his son to move into a remote retirement community as the film opens, and they have a difficult relationship. His new neighbour Dolores is friendly, and he is bringing with him his guide dog, Shadow, but immediately, something about the place seems…off. As Ambrose enters his side of the duplex for the first time, he feels scratch marks on the wall and pulls a claw tip out of them. Only twelve minutes into the movie, we see the werewolf for the first time, and I love that no time is wasted in getting to the good stuff. It passes outside a window in a pretty creepy shot, and next thing you know, it’s massacring Ambrose’s neighbour. It doesn’t take him long after this horrific full moon night to begin piecing together the ongoing mystery of what has been killing retirees in the area, and he immediately begins preparing for the next full moon so he can put an end to the curse.

If you’re familiar with John Wick, you’ll be able to guess what motivates Ambrose, but what you won’t be able to guess as easily is the werewolf’s identity. It’s frustrating when the mystery aspect becomes the focus of the story but is too obvious or has an unsatisfying reveal. Fortunately, it’s a compelling investigation by Ambrose as he gets to know the people in the community and tries to narrow down the suspects. At one point it seems like it might be a man confined to an iron lung, but then it seems like the movie might go the Silver Bullet route and make the priest a werewolf. Is it the priest? I won’t spoil the truth, because even beyond the reveal, there’s an additional twist which spices up the finale and brings the story to a proper, satisfying conclusion.

Late Phases is a werewolf movie to be taken seriously, yet it rides the line of schlock and genuine unease, which somehow coalesces into a pretty entertaining tale that’s decidedly different from most, despite having some werewolf clichés throughout. We get Ambrose eventually seeking out silver bullets, and we see the person who is the original werewolf undergo a transformation, but what sets this one apart from the pack is the protagonist and his drive to defeat evil. Ambrose McKinley is an utterly unflappable character; after the initial werewolf attack, he starts using a walking stick, but instead of a regular white cane, he uses an entrenching tool—not just a normal shovel, a military-grade one with a blade at the end that can double as a weapon, presumably from his days in ‘Nam—and it’s both badass and humorous. If the character of Ambrose hadn’t worked, the whole movie would have been a disaster, but Nick Damici absolutely nails the role. He’s gruff, to the point, hardened from his past, and you believe he’s really blind (Damici isn't in real life), but he’s still someone you root for. He’s also quite funny even when he doesn’t intend to be, like when he’s perusing tombstones to buy. There’s some great dialogue throughout, and the way the werewolf stuff threads into the themes of aging and redemption doesn’t come off as too heavy handed or overtly comedic.

The supporting cast is sufficient, with the only other standout for me being Tom Noonan as the priest (who may or may not also be a werewolf). With the violent setup taken care of in the first 20 minutes, the bulk of the story is Ambrose patiently waiting for the next full moon, and even though it makes the wait for the return of the werewolf quite long, I didn’t find myself bored or wanting to skip ahead, but the building of suspense does make it feel like it should be working toward an inevitable showdown between Ambrose and the werewolf, and to the film’s credit, it delivers the goods in the last 20 minutes, not skimping out on action or carnage. The werewolf isn’t seen much when it first attacks, but it becomes apparent on the second full moon that the design for this creature is a little unconventional, and the effects are a bit inconsistent. The aforementioned transformation can’t hold a candle to An American Werewolf in London, but it’s pretty creative and frightening in its own way, and the creature looks cool in certain shots, but it looks like a costume at times, too, and the face is not frightening.

Even though they didn’t quite get the monster right in terms of appearance, I appreciate that the filmmakers went for something different instead of a generic look, and I’ll give particular praise to the commitment to the old school lore. American Werewolf, for as great as it is, turns its back on pentagrams appearing in people’s palms and the need for silver bullets to slay the beast, but the one gripe I’ve always had with it is the fudging of the lunar cycle. David turns into a werewolf the night after the full moon as well, but in Late Phases, the werewolf only comes out strictly once a month. It’s a trade-off: the film gets bookended by werewolfery and lacks any in the middle, but it also made me buy into the clear structure for the story’s beginning, middle, and ending without feeling like the writer needed to bend the rules just to make it more interesting.

Late Phases is a pretty unique werewolf film which I would recommend most strongly to those who have seen many of them and are looking for one that’s a little different. I was in it for more than just the monster, and I appreciated the elevated schlock nature of its premise. It has its moments of gore, though isn’t especially scary, but solidly entertaining throughout, and perfect for those who appreciate low-budget fare that rises above any limitations to become something more. 

 

Late Phases, appropriately enough with that title, marks the final review in my Wolf-athon and the conclusion to this year’s third Shocktober Showcase! I’m already figuring out next year’s topic as you read these words, so be sure to check out Shocktober Showcase four in 2027, and until then, have a great Halloween weekend! 

The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020) Review

Tagline: “Welcome to Snow Hollow.”

The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020) Review

 

Werewolf films frequently end up treading a lot of the same territory. Obviously they are most often about the horror of the protagonist turning into a monster on a full moon, and the threat to others of being killed or turned into one, as well, but sometimes the concept is played up for comedy. When it’s not a comedy or tragedy, it’s often tied to the mystery genre. Who is the werewolf? If you’re tired of the same old schtick when it comes to werewolves, consider The Wolf of Snow Hollow, a film that proves there’s still plenty you can do with the classic creature to make it feel fresh and entertaining.

Jim Cummings plays John (he also wrote and directed this whole thing), a deputy sheriff with three big problems. 1) He’s an alcoholic, 2) he doesn’t get along with many people in the small town of Snow Hollow, Utah, and 3) he has to deal with the brutal murder of a young woman, which may have been by either a man or a wolf…or a wolfman? In just the same way Jim tells his police department, the movie tells us any rational person knows werewolves are imaginary, but some are not so convinced, especially when subsequent full moon murders take place. Jim has so many problems that he becomes distracted from other familial concerns, like the angst of his teenage daughter and the health of his father the sheriff, played by the late great Robert Forster in one of his last roles. Forster’s presence lends a bit more credibility to the cast, but is he the werewolf? It seems unlikely since there are multiple times when John has to literally hold him up just to keep him on his feet. John’s frequently unhinged behaviour makes you question early on if he is the werewolf, and the mystery becomes the focus of the plot, but unravels at a great pace and keeps you going right to the last scene.

The Wolf of Snow Hollow is not your typical werewolf movie, but I can’t say exactly why without spoiling a fun aspect of the story that isn’t apparent for most of the runtime. What it really comes down to in terms of entertainment value is whether or not you vibe with Jim Cummings and his brand of humour. I’d call the movie a horror-comedy-ish, leaning more toward the horror and mystery with injections of black comedy, dry humour, and deadpan delivery throughout. There’s some very crisp, creepy cinematography of the snowy, mountainous locales, and while you don’t see too much of the werewolf throughout, there are a few satisfactory glimpses of it in the midst of several brutal murders. Most of the violence is offscreen, likely because this was only a two-million-dollar production (very low budget by modern standards), but Cummings was clever in how he shot not only the horror scenes but also the mundane details, like John’s AA meetings, where we hardly see any of the other people he’s speaking to, but never question why.

Even though we don’t see much of the killings, the aftermath of each is pretty well documented, and there are simple, unsettling visuals placed throughout the runtime to stoke the flames of the mystery, but at no point does it ever get truly scary. Intentionally disorienting editing is used at a few points, which is fairly effective, but everything is shot pretty conservatively, without any real standout visual tricks or some of the usual werewolf eye candy. Don’t expect a transformation or even a closeup of the creature; the focus is squarely on the characters, but it works to the desired effect, and the humour comes primarily from how the protagonist deals with the disturbing case and the difficult people around him. Cummings delivers some great, exasperated lines throughout, which often leave other characters looking baffled.

I won’t say much else about The Wolf of Snow Hollow to preserve the mystery on which the foundation of this somewhat unconventional werewolf tale is built, but in terms of modern takes on one of cinema’s oldest movie monsters, I think this is one of the best, though only if you’re open to a tale that is simultaneously more grounded but also quite idiosyncratic by its very nature.