G-Fest is back in town, and although I no longer attend the convention proper, I do vastly enjoy the classic Godzilla movies they show at the historic Pickwick Theater every year–at least those years when I’m around to see them, as I haven’t been for the last two.
They kicked things off with Godzilla, Mothra and Ghidorah Giant Monsters All Out Attack, a recent G-flick made by the guy who did the phenomenal ’90s Gamera trilogy. The film, like most of the 2000s Godzilla movies, is a standalone, predicated on the idea that the events of first Godzilla film from 1954 happened, but with the other ones removed from continuity. This one is the most revisionist of all, and admittedly the mysticism can get a bit hard to follow. However, there’s some GREAT stuff in this movie, and watching it on a gorgeous, subtitled actual film print on a big screen was pretty great. Not bad for seven bucks.
The film also brings back Baragon, a minor monster who fought the titular giant in Frankenstein Conquers the World. Godzilla here is pretty much entirely evil, and animated by the spirits of all those who died–Japanese and otherwise–in the Pacific theater in WWII. Apparently enraged by having their sacrifices forgotten by a modern, decadent world, the spirits have resurrected Godzilla and turned him into an automaton of destruction–even more than usual I mean.
Standing against him is a military that’s never known war (no action in Japan since Godzilla’s first raid in ’54), and three ‘sacred beasts,’ protectors of the ancient homeland of Japan, if not necessarily the country of men that currently resides there. This is along the lines of Gamera’s role in the trilogy, where he was a protector of the Earth, but not really concerned with local human casualties. As in those films, there’s a LOT of collateral damage here.
The sacred beasts are Baragon, Mothra and Ghidorah, aka the 1,000 Year Dragon. Yes, Ghidorah is a good guy. Sadly, he’s a good guy against what might be the most powerful Godzilla ever.
Again, you might get lost here and there, but there are moments that are stunning. I also liked a lot of the little moments. Even when I was a kid I always thought it was funny how every single person in Japan could identify any monster a moment after it first appears. Here Baragon, the first monster to arrive, is assumed by most everyone to be Godzilla, simply because Godzilla is the only giant monster Japan has ever known. Even after they finally figure he’s not Godzilla, they call him Red Godzilla for lack of a better name. I get a kick out of that.
Anyway, a good start to things. The Mysterians plays tonight, and I’m really looking forward to seeing that epic aliens vs. military battle that wraps the film up, accompanied by Akira Ifukube’s brilliant and rousing score. Ifukube’s music brings as much to the classic Toho movies as Morricone’s music does to Sergio Leone’s westerns.
Tomorrow is a double feature (starting at 10:30!) of the very recent Korean sequel to The X From Outer Space, and the original Godzilla vs. Mothra, arguably the best Godzilla movie ever.
