Godzilla (1954)
After seeing Minus One I had to check out the original, and things fell into place with both movies for me. Interesting with basically the same story but told from different eras. This clearly made in a time of fear from powerful technology, with the recent one having a more hopeful life-affirming tone.
I was pleasantly surprised with how well the effects sort of holds up. I feared worse, but the destruction is convincing and Godzilla is actually frightening. It being mostly night and in black and white probably helps a lot, but it was very far from the rubber suit and miniature silliness I had feared.
With over 30 more Godzilla films, I don’t know where to look next. I know some of them are a less serious, but would be happy to take recommendations. Maybe Return of Godzilla?
Rating: 4