The Showa Era Criterion Collection Review (Part 1)

“In His Fourth Decade, Daniel Takes a Critical Look at Toho’s First Era of Godzilla”

Matthew Kutruff, Vocalist, guitarist, and creator of the band Beast Parade

I cannot remember a time that I didn’t know and love the sometimes enigmatic, sometimes hilarious, and sometimes terrifying beast known as Godzilla. He has lit a beacon to my heart since true memories were formed. There is no small amount of my lifetime spent thinking about, idolizing, and generally consuming that critter’s content. I have bought, and re-bought, VHS after DVD after Blu-ray after Ultra HD of movies dedicated to his antics.

So it may surprise you that it took until about a month ago for me to finally pull the trigger on the box set showcasing every Showa era (1954 – 1975) Godzilla movie in a conveniently collected Criterion edition—another media craze I have focused on collecting, from Wes Anderson’s lighthearted comedy romps to the avant-garde and downright terrifying David Lynch fares.

I couldn’t handle the gigantic book-case style of the criterion collection, so I elected to snag custom prints along with official Criterion cases… it was a whole song and dance, but MAN does it look beautiful on the shelf!

Nonetheless, it is in my collection now, and it shan’t go unappreciated. It took less than a month for me to decide to really delve back into these stories. This time, however, I decided to watch the vast bulk of them in their original Japanese audio (sans King Kong vs. Godzilla, more on that later). Through this process, I think I’ve come to a deepened sense of belonging to this once and again creature of terror.

Bare in mind I have been watching these in order, and each movie serves as a quick reaction to said movie. So if I say something like “Mothra Vs Godzilla” is the best one since ’54 (which I will say in this article), I am referring to up-to-that-point. I know for a fact that Godzilla 1984 is superior to MvG, don’t sell me that short.

Godzilla (1954)

Watching it this time, I really tried to put myself in the shoes of the Japanese audience seeing it in 1954. The fear, the trauma, the sheer weight of what they had been through must have made this movie absolutely chilling in a way I can only begin to grasp. It perfectly encapsulates the terror of the atomic age in a way that still resonates today. Even after all these years, it’s a powerful film, and it still stands as the gold standard for kaiju cinema.

Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Ever see a sequel that just doesn’t quite get it? That’s Raids Again in a nutshell.

The rest of the movie just kind of… exists. Not the worst, but definitely a step down.

Rodan (1956)

Not actually in the Godzilla box set, but since I consider it part of the larger Toho monster-verse, I figured I’d throw it on. And yeah… it’s fine. Rodan is cool, but the movie itself is a little forgettable. It has some nice destruction sequences, but it lacks the impact of Toho’s other kaiju films. Rodan would get better in later entries when he gets to play with the big boys.

Mothra (1961)

Once again not in the Godzilla box set, but like Rodan, it’s kind of canon, so I figured it was worth revisiting. A step up from Rodan and Raids Again, but still not a home run. Mothra is an interesting monster, basically Toho’s version of the Phoenix, a guardian spirit that keeps getting reborn to save (or occasionally wreck) the world. The concept is cooler than the execution, though. She’s always more fun when she’s interacting with other kaiju than when she’s carrying her own movie. Still, the Shobijin (tiny singing fairy twins) are great, and this film lays solid groundwork for her eventual crossover with Godzilla.

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Man, I used to love this one as a kid. Rewatching it now? Oof. It does not hold up. This is the moment where Toho clearly started marketing Godzilla toward kids, and the result is a movie that features way too much “kaiju volleyball with boulders” and not nearly enough actual substance. Kong looks ridiculous (why is he so derpy?), and the fights are goofy as hell. Also, considering that King Kong (1933) and Godzilla (1954) are both absolute classics, it’s shocking how mediocre this mashup turned out to be.

That face. You should not exist…

What’s even more surprising is that Ishirō Honda, the mastermind behind the original Godzilla, was actually involved in this film. He co-directed alongside an American director, which, judging by the final product, suggests the American side of things got in the way more than was necessary. It’s a weirdly uneven movie that feels like it had too many hands trying to steer the ship. Oh, and for some reason, this is the only movie in the Criterion set that’s in full English. This must also have something to do with the American co-direction.

Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Now we’re talking. This is easily the best Godzilla film since the original. Ishirō Honda had already been back with King Kong vs. Godzilla, but here, it feels like he had far more control, and the difference in quality is staggering. Mothra gets folded into the Godzilla mythos properly, and the result is fantastic. Instead of nuclear horror, we’re now looking at post-war economic boom and the greed of capitalism as the central themes. And you know what? It works. The human story is compelling, the monster action is great, and Godzilla is at his most menacing. Big win.

TAKE IT LIKE A CHAMP!!!

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)

No respect!

I just finished this one last night, and while it’s maybe not as strong as Mothra vs. Godzilla, I had a blast with it. This marks the start of Godzilla embracing its weirder sci-fi elements. The film introduces an alien element, but it’s not the full-blown invasion storyline yet. Instead, a single alien from Venus has possessed a princess to warn humanity of the coming of Ghidorah, which is a pretty wild way to get the message across. This sets the stage for the craziness to come. The human storyline feels like a James Bond flick, with assassins trying to take out the aformentioned princess. Also, we get a great monster team-up—Mothra, Rodan, and Godzilla putting aside their differences to take on King Ghidorah, who is just a total menace. This is where Godzilla truly starts morphing into the franchise we all know and love.

---

That’s as far as I’ve gotten, but I’m excited to keep going. Watching Godzilla evolve from a terrifying metaphor for nuclear destruction to a reluctant superhero is fascinating, and even when these movies get a little hokey, they’re still a ton of fun. Some hold up better than others (cough King Kong vs. Godzilla cough), but it’s been a blast revisiting them. Stay tuned for more Showa-era kaiju madness!