I began my Gojira journey when my ma put the original 1954 classic on the telly, and I watched Godzilla rampage through Tokyo. Back then the King of Monsters was a metaphor for the Atomic age and Japan’s way of telling us how terrifying Nagasaki and Hiroshima were. Since the black and white classic I entered the Showa and Heisei eras, watching my favorite Kaiju battle his foes and defend earth from the likes of Ghidorah, MechGodzilla, Gigan, Megalon, and more. I was gleeful when Godzilla found a reluctant mate named Biolante (she played hard to get), love Godzilla’s grandson and true enemy SpaceGodzilla, heartbroken when Destroyah destroyed Gojira, and found the Millenium era of films medicore. I enjoyed Broderick's US attempt, and the sequel cartoon series. I loved the new anime of Godzilla on Netflix (mini series, three parts), I enjoyed the Godzilla 2014 US reboot, but I adore King of Monsters (2019)!
I will say King of Monsters had the best combo of mythos, Kaiju fights, emotional impact, and realism. I am also thrilled for the unexpected message in the film This truly is King of the Monsters and captured what we Kaiju love while making it relevant to a new generation. I was so fanboy when I heard Godzilla’s original theme reborn and the sound of Ghidorah near the climax. This is the Gojira film to unseat, and I doubt Godzilla vs King Kong (2020) will for me.
I want to say I was mystified that this film has major Biblical imagery and a message:
Ghidorah is a three headed dragon that is called the Star who fell from heavens in the film, alluding to Satan, “Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child,” (Revelation 12:3, 9, 13). Ghidorah is a hydra with multiple, and so is Satan in Revelation (Revelation 12:3). Ghidorah projects lightning from his three mouths, Jesus says Satan fell like lightning, “He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:8). Ghidorah is gold and Satan is encased in gold, “You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire,emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings” (Ezekiel 28:13), and commerce, “In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you,O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.” (Ezekiel 28:16). Ghidorah is incased in ice, Satan in the inferno of Dante’s Infeno is in the seventh level of hell, which is frozen and icy. Godzilla destroys Ghidorah with mighty flames if fire, same way Jesus destroys snd will destroy Satan “By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you,” (Ezekiel 28:18), and “Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. The Final Judgment ” (Revelation 20:10)
Godzilla dies because of man’s oxygen weapon/sin, and then a scene of Ghidorah on volcano gloating over Gojira’s death features the cross; symbolism that Godzilla is a Christ figure allegorically. Mankind kills Godzilla, just as Mankind killed God incarnate (John 19). Then later Godzilla is in a tomb at Atlantis, there he lies waiting to be resurrected, just as Jesus was in the tomb and rises from the dead (John 19, 20) Godzilla rises again. Gojira resurrects and defeats Ghidorah and becomes King of the Monsters, an allusion to King of Kings (Revelation 19:16). Mothra who is a gigantic moth is another symbol of resurrection, like the Butterfly and it mentioned, “How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth!” (Job 4:19). Rodan is a bird monster that emerges from a volcano and when he flies a violent wind stirs and he leaves a trail of flames in his flight, “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:2-4). The Holy Spirit is described as bird like, “As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him.” (Matthew 3:16).
Godzilla fights for mankond, just as Jesus fights for us.
Kenwantabe tells everyone to have faith in Godzilla, like we say have faith in God.
At the end all the Monsters bow before Godzilla, just as every knee shall bow before Jesus the Lord God, “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phillipains 2:10-11).
Mother Earth and Titans (Greek Mythos) are mentioned, but don’t be fooled, that’s a cover to make the main message tolerable to people. Just as The Matrix Trilogy had all philsophies and religions, but the Christian message was most prominate; so it is with King of Monsters! I never thought I would see the Gospel in a Godzilla film!
So go see it and enjoy the Kaiju fun and the deeper message we all know so well.
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