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Godzilla’s Nuclear Narratives: The 1954 Japanese Original vs. the 21st Century American Trilogy |
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| รหัสดีโอไอ | |
| Creator | Alan Marshall |
| Title | Godzilla’s Nuclear Narratives: The 1954 Japanese Original vs. the 21st Century American Trilogy |
| Publisher | Chulalongkorn University |
| Publication Year | 2565 |
| Journal Title | Communication and Media in Asia Pacific |
| Journal Vol. | 5 |
| Journal No. | 2 |
| Page no. | 1-14 |
| Keyword | Film study, Environmental communication, Comparative study |
| URL Website | https://so01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/CMAP |
| Website title | Communication and Media in Asia Pacific |
| ISSN | 2697-4428 (Print); 2630-0621 (Online) |
| Abstract | Artistic interpretations of the nuclear age can critically reflect upon, and fight against, global nuclear pollution dangers. The question I address here is whether or not the films of Godzilla are engaged in such a fight. Through fan-based and film critic retellings, as well as via corporate-sponsored previews, the purported strong ‘anti-nuclear’ and/or ‘pro-environmental’ message of the original Godzilla movie has supposedly resurfaced into the 21st century American intertextual reboots of the movie. This paper explores how the Godzilla series’ supposed anti-nuclear message is confused, problematic and also grotesquely overstated, with specific reference to: (1) the way that the original Godzilla movie ties its anti-nuclearism to a) Japanese nationalism, b) Anti-Americanism, and c) a therapeutic retelling of World War II tragedies, and (2) the way the American Godzilla reboots try to a) naturalize the nuclear cycle and b) situate the nuclear age as beneficent, manageable, and unchangeable. |
