JSTN

I live in New York and work at Tumblr.

justinouellette.com

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  I was originally going to post three frames from every Godzilla movie (of which there are 28 so far, not including the unspeakable American one) but I decided to cut it off at #15, Terror Of Mechagodzilla (1975). The 13 that were made in the ’60s and ’70s have a distinct aesthetic continuity that got totally thrown out when they restarted the franchise in 1984 for something much more drab and formulaic. The ones from this decade are awful.

  The early ones also have distinct themes that provide some small insight into the national Japanese interests of the day. The 1954 original was about nuclear jitters, and they proceed to cover the space age, environmental responsibility (contrasted with the excesses of counterculture), new age mysticism, evolving gender roles, and advancing robotics. The new ones seem pretty vapid by comparison.

  It’s been fun putting adult eyes on something I haven’t thought about since I was 13 and finding new appreciation for its complexity.

  28 Apr 2009