Movies - Godzilla

Home > Listing Index > Movies > Godzilla

	Movies - Godzilla

Godzilla (ゴジラ - Gojira) is a giant Japanese movie monster (kaiju) first seen in the 1954 Japanese tokusatsu film Gojira, produced by Toho Film Company Ltd. To date, Toho has produced 28 Godzilla films. In 1998 TriStar Pictures produced a modern cgi-heavy Godzilla movie (the plot was loosely based on the original Japanese film), set in contemporary New York City. A new film is slated to be produced by Advanced Audiovisual Productions. (For a list of these films, see below.)

Powers

Godzilla's most famous power is his breath weapon, which has many common names. Contrary to the popular belief in American culture, Godzilla does not really "breathe fire" like a dragon, his breath more closely resembles a heated, concentrated gas-like beam. Usually it is most commonly referred to as an "atomic ray" or "radiation breath". The breath has varied from a light blue to a darker blue throughout the series (it seemed to take on a darker shade as the series, and presumabely, effects as well, progressed). In the earlier movies, Godzilla's breath generally seemed to be more of a hot gas that simply ignited materials, but in films since about the mid-1960's, the breath seems to be more of an explosive beam rather than a heated gas. Godzilla also has another variation on his breath attack, wherein the color changes from blue to red-orange, and small fiery spirals circle around the beam as it projects from his mouth. This is commonly referred to as "spiral fire" of "hyper fire/breath". Godzilla only seems to exhibit this different breath when he is charged or energized by an outside force (lifeforce, radiation, energy, etc). Godzilla famously showcased this breath in the late Heisei films, and used it at the end of Godzilla: Final Wars as well. Likewise, in Godzilla vs Destoroyah, Godzilla's breath is in the "spiral fire" state all movie long, as Godzilla is energized throughout this entire film, consumed with more radiation than normal, and in both Godzilla 2000 and Godzilla vs Megaguirus, Godzilla's standard breath was changed from blue to the red-orange (just for cosmetic appearances, just as how Godzilla was finally and actually green in those films as well).

Godzilla also has super-regenerative powers, which basically make him invincible, as his cells can heal themselves from almost any damage in a matter of minutes to hours, depending on the damage. This regenerative quality has been named "Organizer G-1" (called "Regenerator G-1" in the American cut of Godzilla 2000). Most of the time, Godzilla's hide and/or cellular structure seems to be immune to most damages in the first place (the common implication is that most firearms for example, do not even penetrate his hide), but when he is injured, his regneration allows him to recover from wounds that would likely be fatal to other monsters.

In the Heisei films, Godzilla also frequently displayed a "nuclear pulse", wherein his body would discharge a powerful energy blast, the shockwave being more than sufficient to knock back enemies. Godzilla frequently displayed this power while caught in the grasp or in a strangle-hold of an enemy monster. Though this power was seen in almost all of the Heisei-era films, it has not been seen before or since.

Godzilla is also amphibious, and is an adept swimmer. Whether or not Godzilla is capable of actually breathing underwater is the subject of debate, as the movies have never really specified. If Godzilla cannot breathe underwater, then it is apparent that he can likely hold his breath for a very long time then. Godzilla vs Biollante confirmed that Godzilla is indeed ectothermic (cold-blooded), and cold-blooded animals typically do not need to draw breath as often as their warm-blooded counterparts.

Another of Godzilla's useful powers over other monsters are his grasping hands. Unlike most monsters, which are typically based off of giant animals, dinosaurs, or are simply bizarre beings of the imagination, Godzilla has opposable thumbs and grasping hands, which allow him to grabble with and grab opposing monsters. Very few other monsters in the Godzilla series have displayed grasping hands like this.

Details of Godzilla's brain and intelligence have not been explored or fleshed out much (though in Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II, it is said that Godzilla has a secondary "brain" in his hips that control his lower body functions), but Godzilla does appear to be quite intelligent by animal standards. Godzilla is clearly shown in many films to be capable of problem-solving, using tools, emotion and reasoning, which, in the real animal kingdom, are quite rare. Godzilla does not seem to be as smart as a human being, but his intelligence does seem to be at least on par with, if not surpassing that of the great apes, such as chimpanzees or gorillas. Very few other monsters in the series are depicted as being very intelligent at all (the main exception being Mothra), they are usually portrayed as brainless behemoths who only act out of rage, predatory instinct, or under the guidance/control of more intelligent beings. Godzilla's potential intelligence has also evolved over the course of the series. In the early films, he was depicted as a standard brainless behemoth of 1950's giant monsters, but as the series progressed, and Toho found it vital for Godzilla to become more human-like, Godzilla's intelligence increased so that by the late 1960's and 1970's, he was as smart as a great ape at least, by comparison. This tends to vary some by film to film, though. Some films (even some more recent ones) tend to depict Godzilla as more of a giant crocodile, and some portray him as more of an intelligent, sympathetic beast (more akin to King Kong). Though it should be mentioned that Godzilla's ability to be portrayed and translated in numerous ways is one of the primary reasons he has been able to stay so popular for so long, and is one of the great secrets to his immortality, so to speak.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Godzilla ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Godzilla; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Movies - Godzilla

Powers

Searches on eBay

Related searches on eBay