The Hound Salutes: Godzilla Movie Review

Ten things you probably don't know about Godzilla:

1. He's not a dinosaur. Most folks think that Godzilla is a prehistoric creature revived by the A-bomb. Actually, he was once a Godzillasaurus, a species dying out during the 1940s on a small Pacific island. Nuclear energy from weapons tests mutated him into an entirely new and different life form.
2. At last measure, he was over 100 meters tall. Although not completely impervious, his tough hide can quickly heal itself due to the properties of the G-cell, of which Godzilla is composed. The G-cell's regenerative properties, powered by atomic energy, give Godzilla incredible strength and endurance.
3. Despite claims presented in King Kong Vs. Godzilla, he has a much larger brain than any reptile of proportionate size, and also has an additional brain at the base of his spine. His atomic breath is produced by igniting nuclear fuel discharged into his throat while exhaling, and can produce a beam of varying levels of power. The same energy can also be discharged throughout his entire system at once, to quickly heal and re-energize his body.
4. He can eat normal foods such as fish, but prefers to absorb nuclear energy whenever he can (although the furnaces within his body can produce this energy without an outside source).
5. He is constantly mutating, which is why he sometimes looks very different from one film to the next.
6. He's not the last of his kind. The original Godzilla was dissolved by the Oxygen Destroyer in Godzilla. The monster that appeared in Godzilla Raids Again was supposedly another of the same species. This Godzilla appeared in 14 features, most or perhaps all set in the future (at least the future from the time of their release). In Godzilla 1985, which ignores all 14 of those movies to present a second direct sequel to the original (got that), yet another Godzilla appears. Or perhaps Godzilla actually survived the Oxygen Destroyer in one or both series. In both the original and the modern series, a mutated Godzillasaurus egg hatches Son of Godzilla (1969), Godzilla Vs. MechaGodzilla (1993). There have been 22 Godzilla features to date.
7. In 1996, Godzilla received a lifetime achievement award at the annual MTV Movie Awards.
8. He really is the King of the Monsters. Unlike Frankenstein, Dracula, King Kong, or any other critter, he's not misunderstood. He doesn't want our love. Although he occasionally appears to be mankind's protector facing a greater menace, he's usually just protecting his own turf. He's never been seen stepping gingerly around a building to avoid killing some puny human. He is a true monster, an aberration outside of nature and beyond good and evil.
9. He's still around. Even though the last Godzilla film released in the U.S. was Godzilla Vs. Biollante, there have been five more made since then. Toho has so far refused all offers to release them in the U.S., because of the poor treatment they usually receive from American distributors. These films are quite unlike the cheap ones made during the 1970s that are so familiar to Americans – they have much better production values, with f/x that rival and often surpass those creat ed for Hollywood product. There is an American-made Godzilla film in the works, scheduled for release in 1998.
10. He's dead. In his latest film, Godzilla Vs. Destroyah, Godzilla is consumed by the energy of his own body, while the efforts of the G-Force make sure he doesn't take the rest of the planet with him. He is, however, survived by Godzilla, Jr., who may be friendlier towards mankind, having spent his first few weeks in the company of caring humans.