I've mentioned before that the Japanese have a tendency to reaffirm their stereotypes. But to be fair, that's not always true. I figure Godzilla is a good example. He's not cute, and his back story has anti-technology undertones.
It's also interesting how the Japanese seem to understand him in a way that Americans don't. Back in the late nineties, there were American and Japanese reboots of the franchise. Based on stereotypes, you would expect the Japanese to be the ones that miss the point by applying all the technology they can. Yet, it was the Americans who tried to make it a realistic action movie, and the Japanese who realized that its just not Godzilla unless it's a guy in a rubber suit smashing model buildings. There even seemed to be a knowing sense of irony when they pointed out it was no mere man in a rubber suit, but an accomplished gymnast in a high-tech rubber suit.
But now the Americans are having another kick at the giant mutant can, and it looks like they're taking it as over-serious as ever, with post-apocalyptic scenes and heart-tugging over-acting. I'm not sure they considered the effect of our seeing these emotional scenes of devastation like something out of a war movie, only to the be told this is a Godzilla movie.
It's especially disappointing because there's so much you could do with Godzilla in our irony-aware world. Even if you insist on a realistic CGI monster, a tongue-in-cheek interpretation could be great. Say, have a story about a down-on-his-luck Godzilla reduced to arranged fights against Gamera in derelict neighborhoods of Detroit. It could be a great retelling of Rocky. Quentin Tarantino has got to be looking for new genres; who wouldn't pay to see his monster movie?
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