Hail to the King Baby!!!: A Godzilla Retrospective Part 5

Previously: Following Tri Star Pictures’ costly failure with their own take on Godzilla, Toho resurrected the King four years after the end of the Hesei Era for a new series of epic battles that took Godzilla in several creative new directions.  The culminated in the Millenium Era’s conclusion just as Godzilla celebrated his 50^th Anniversary.  Once again, the world waited anxiously for his inevitable return.

 
It’s strange to think that after such a quick turn around period between the Heisei and Millenium Eras, there was no new Godzilla film even being thought of for years.  Japan seemed content to let Godzilla rest for a while, rumblings of a new launch for the King in the US were beginning to emerge.  Just because the 1998 film failed didn’t mean Godzilla wasn’t off limits, for a little while anyway.  Rumors slowly gave way to facts, that Legendary Pictures was developing not only a brand new American Godzilla but were looking to break into the Shared Universe scene popularized by the Marvel Cinematic Universe with their own Godzilla Universe…a Monsterverse if you will.  This kicked off officially in 2014 with Godzilla.  While the film was not without its flaws, mostly the lack of screentime for Godzilla himself, it was a massive step up from the Godzilla 98 debacle thanks to a more serious tone and Godzilla being able to face off against new foes, the M.U.T.O.s.  The film was a major financial success, prompting the official go ahead for the Monsterverse.  But there was one other miracle to come from it as well over in Japan. 

Inspired by Godzilla’s success in the States, Toho announced that the King of the Monsters would emerge again in his first Japanese film in over 12 years.  2016’s Shin Godzilla would kick off the newly minted (and ongoing) Reiwa Era with a new origin story for Godzilla.  Or rather, his origins remained largely the same but he was now introduced in present day Japan with a new generation introduced to him for the first time.  The film was notably helmed by Hideaki Anno, the acclaimed director of Neon Genesis Evangelion, who had wanted to direct a Godzilla film his entire life (much of early Evangelion has plenty of nods to the franchise).  The final result was a massive win for Toho as Shin Godzilla garnered critical acclaim worldwide, earning several Japanese Cinema awards and becoming the highest grossing film in the Japanese franchise…for the moment. 

The next Reiwa Era entries would be a first for Godzilla thanks to a medium he had never touched til now: Anime.  Written by Gen Urobuchi, the celebrated writer of Fate/Zero and Puella Magi Madoka Magica, this new trilogy, comprised of 2017’s Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters and 2018’s Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle & Godzilla: The Planet Eater, would follow a group of Human exiles who escaped Earth after Godzilla and his fellow Kaiju nearly destroyed the planet.  Returning to Earth thousands of years later, the Humans and their Alien allies battle a new and more terrifying Godzilla to reclaim their home.  The trilogy would prove divisive among fans for its bland and frustrating human characters, dull and uninteresting storyline, a lack of Monsters on this “Planet of the Monsters” and a lack of action involving Godzilla himself.  Needless to say, it wasn’t the big bow the King wished to take in his first foray into Anime. 

Back in the US, the Monsterverse was finding it’s footing slowly but surely.  Godzilla’s Monsterverse co-lead, the 8^th Wonder of the World, King Kong himself, had a well received return in 2017’s Kong: Skull Island.  In 2019, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the official sequel to the 2014 Monsterverse launch, saw Godzilla fighting against his old adversaries King Ghidorah, Mothra and Rodan (all of whom were teased in a post credits sequence at the end of Kong: Skull Island) in a worldwide showdown.  While amazing in spectacle, the film underperformed at the box office, partly the ongoing domination of MCUs Avengers: Endgame.  With a follow up well into production, many wondered if the failure of King of the Monsters would spell early doom for the Monsterverse.  This proved to be farther from the truth when, in 2021 after a year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Godzilla and King Kong would get their first reunion in over 58 years in Godzilla vs. Kong.  Despite being released during a shaky period for the film industry and launched same day on the new HBO Max streaming service, the long awaited rematch between the two Titans proved financially and critically successful.  The King had overcome the pitfalls of King of the Monsters to stand tall in the US once again (with some help from Kong but this isnt his retrospective). 

While a sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong was greenlit almost immediately, it’s success would pale in comparison to what came next back over in Japan.  For the 70^th anniversary of the franchise, Toho announced a new film in the Reiwa Series and arguably their boldest to date.  2023’s Godzilla Minus One would see Godzilla attack Japan only two short years after the countries devastating loss in World War II.  The tagline said it all “From Zero…to minus.”  But this would turn out to be Godzilla’s greatest triumph to date.  The film released both in Japan and the US pretty close to each other in the holiday season of 2023 and the film blew past all expectations and then some.  Godzilla Minus One was praised not just for its terrifying depiction of Godzilla in Post War Japan but also for one of the strongest human stories in the franchise, giving audiences reasons to care about the people Godzilla was trying to obliterate.  The worldwide success prompted a special Black and White Edition in 2024, Godzilla Minus One Minus Color.  The film not only found its way onto many Best of the Year Movie Lists for 2023, it also earned Godzilla his biggest honor (no pun intended) since he first debuted in 1954.  At the 2024 Academy Awards, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito presented Godzilla Minus One with the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, a tremendous feat for a Godzilla film that cost only a fraction of most modern day blockbusters.  What a way to celebrate 70s of Godzilla. 

Godzilla Minus One’s colossal success would see a bit of a double impact on the Godzilla vs. Kong follow up in 2024.  One the one hand, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire was not as well received critically as its predecessor.  Many were too impressed by Minus Ones more mature story and subject matter compared to the New Empire’s endless CG action spectacle, also that while he got top billing, Godzilla didn’t do too much in the movie.  However, there’s no doubt that Godzilla Minus One’s historic win did give Godzilla X Kong the buzz to get butts into seats and lead it to becoming one of the highest grossing films of 2024.  It just goes to show that you can have your serious Godzilla films and your more sillier, action laden monster showdown just like in the last 70 years of the Kings existence. 

So what’s next for Godzilla?  Quite a bit actually as the Monsterverse awaits news of an inevitable third crossover between Godzilla and Kong.  Meanwhile, Toho is certainly hard at work on the next big Godzilla epic in Japan…though that film will have to top one of the best entries in the whole series and no one envies that challenge.  But whether it’s good, bad, or Godzilla 98, the second you hear those footsteps and that infamous roar, you know what’s coming and you know what its capable of.  What more is there to say but Hail to the King Baby!!!