Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

We're on a bit of a Godzilla kick recently, mostly because this blog is done in almost chronological order and no other kaiju movies were being made in this timeframe. The good news is the last couple have been quite good, so hopefully we've got something to look forward to with Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. With the production crew staying almost entirely the same, Kazuki Ōmori is once again the writer and director with Big G once again being played by Kenpachiro Satsuma. This is the first movie of the Heisei series to bring back a classic Godzilla foe: this time King Ghidorah. Also, because Godzilla vs. Biollante was apparently a box office disappointment because audiences are idiots, Toho decided to make this one even more fantastical to hopefully draw in the crowd who enjoys such things. It was actually more successful, but I'd chalk this up to the return of a recognizable beast rather than time travel, but hey who really knows.

If You Haven't Seen it Before

- In the year 2204, the body of King Ghidorah is seen underwater, missing a head.

- Back in 1992, Godzilla is still weakened from his previous battle with Biollante and the ANEB, and hasn't been seen since then.

- For some reason, it seems very important to this plot that Godzilla is actually a mutated dinosaur that was created from hydrogen/atomic weapon testing.

- A UFO is also seen around this time, one of the first to be seen (or at least tracked). Investigators are greeted by the Futurians, time travelers who warn of a Japan that has been fully destroyed by Godzilla.

- The Futurians are here to go back in time to prevent Godzilla from mutating in the first place, thereby saving Japan.

- Back in 1954, we see dino-zilla kill some American soldiers before being wounded. To prevent him from becoming Godzilla, the Futurians teleport him away before he can be hit by radiation.

- Back in 1992, King Ghidorah appears and begins to destroy Japan completely. The modern humans question if this is related to them time traveling to prevent Godzilla's existence, and one has to question their intelligence.

- Now defenseless against King Ghidorah, the Japanese decide creating Godzilla is their only choice.

- Turns out the Futurians made this plan to destroy Japan so that in their time they wouldn't be beaten by Japan's economic superpower status.

- One of Futurians turns out to be a super powerful android from the future and he absolutely destroys the humans who are trying to create Godzilla. He gets reprogrammed to be helpful.

- The plan to create Godzilla fails, because he already exists! Created by a Russian nuclear submarine in the 70's, 90's Godzilla absorbs the power of the Japanese submarine and is now fully recovered from his injuries from the last film.

- Godzilla versus King Ghidorah begins! The two fight to a relative stalemate, both gaining the upper hand before losing it.

- While the kaiju fight, the humans fight to prevent the Futurians from escaping to their own time, using their new reprogrammed super-droid to absolutely wreck everyone's shit.

- With the Futurians having lost control of KG, Godzilla blasts off his middle head before also killing the Futurians himself. He finishes off King Ghidorah by Atomic Breathing him into the ocean.

- Rampaging through Japan, as Godzilla is wont to do, he is interrupted by Mecha-King Ghidorah, from the future. A robot head replacing his destroyed middle one, he's part robot but all anger.

- Carried off by MKG, Godzilla wins this fight in the ocean (far away from the mainland).

- Movie's basically over. Let's call it here.

Kaiju Notes

- King Ghidorah looks better than he ever has. His color is not as over the top as some of his earlier appearances, but it makes his golden hue appear somewhat natural. His face(s) is also specifically aggressive looking and his necks actually seem to fit onto his body, a feat none of the older suits had managed to pull off.

- Godzilla is larger in this film, his body bulking up to make him appear mightier. The effect is double-edged: he does look bigger and possibly stronger but also clunkier and chunkier.

- Mecha-King Ghidorah is hilarious. That's all. Still a fine design because it's just the already good KG design but now a cyborg.

- The kaiju fighting is relatively unmemorable. Lots of Lightning Lasers versus Atomic Breath action but not a whole lot of grit.

This movie apparently attracted controversy due to perceived Japanese nationalist themes. It's easy enough to see why: the plot is about non-Japanese time travelers going back in time to ensure that Japan doesn't become an economic powerhouse which it is apparently totally on the way to doing. That combined with the military scenes from WWII, which do distinctly leave out that Japan was among the villains of that conflict, can be combined to see that this movie is at least somewhat predicated on Japan being uniquely awesome in a way that a lot of the others in the series are not. But so fucking what? Every country thinks they're the best one, fuck outta here with this stupid concern. As an American I can confidently say that it is especially ironic for any American critic or viewer to somehow be upset about this one instance of this one theme in this one movie, given our entire output. I'm not saying it's not in this movie, but it's just... incredibly unimportant.

The changing of the Godzilla canon is somewhat interesting, in a mostly bad way. Original Godzilla was an ancient creature (or possibly just a creature with an unknown origin) that was either waken up or created by nuclear weapons, and now we have a different origin story. Now we have set it in stone that he is a dinosaur, a Godzillasaurus, that somehow lived into the 1940's before being transformed by nuclear testing. That a dinosaur lived into the 1950's is never explained, of course, but that's relatively unimportant in comparison. I'm not sure which version of a Godzilla origin I prefer, but "weirdly long-lived dinosaur turned terrible lizard" is not really any good. It also eliminates the existence of the original Gojira, because in the new canon Godzilla didn't exist until the 70's and therefore definitely didn't attack in the 50's. It's an entirely unforced error that raises a million questions but is never really touched upon again. Did Godzilla attack in the 70's when he was created or was The Return of Godzilla actually the first time he was seen in the world? How did Godzillasaurus survive into the 1970's when he was left to die on the island? Did the two previous films happen exactly as they did despite the change in the world? Does the memory of the entire world get changed to match the new time-travel shenanigan version of events? It's just so unnecessary, and that's just the tip.

The change in the origin does bring us one moment that's entirely worth it, though: the moment when Godzilla comes face to face with the Japanese soldier that gave the command to leave him behind on the island in 1954. While the soldiers saluted and appreciated Godzilla for saving them, they had little recourse but to leave Godzillasaurus to die. The commander shed a tear as they left the helpless dinosaur, and in the modern era Godzilla sees this man once more. The lizard legitimately looks both incredibly pissed off and sad as the soldier repeats his salute and sheds another tear when he comes across his former savior. The moment when Godzilla Atomic Breaths this man in the face 50 years after their last encounter is incredible. It's the perfect combination of excellent suit acting, kaiju characterization, and using the human side of the story to create emotional bond to the story all at once.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is a mixed bag. The human elements are among the strongest they've ever been: the super-powered android is always fun and the above described human-Godzilla connection is one of the greatest scenes in Godzilla movie history so far. On the other hand, the time travel story is largely idiotic, including a real question about why they would come to Japan in the 90's at all. If the time traveler's wanted to go back in time and prevent Godzilla's creation so that Japan could be destroyed, why would they tell the Japanese about the plan at all? If they'd simply gone to the 1940's first, the Japanese would not have even had the knowledge to create Godzilla in the modern era as a way to protect themselves from the attacking King Ghidorah. Time travel often messes stories up, and this movie is no exception at all. I'm conflicted on a final judgement on this one as the general story is pretty bad, but the highs of this film are among the highest of any movie in the series yet. Plus, it gave us the enduring image of Mecha-King Ghidorah, so that's worth a little extra something. See it, bruh.

Next: Godzilla vs. Mothra!

Godzilla vs. Biollante

We're firmly in the Heisei era now, with Godzilla having returned just a few years back. Being a direct sequel to that film, this is now considered only the 3rd Godzilla event to have happened in the continuity of the Heisei films, having erased all but the first adventure of Godzilla when the series was rebooted. 

Written and directed by Kazuki Ōmori, Godzilla vs. Biollante was a film nearly five years in the making after the both good and successful The Return of Godzilla. The main man Kenpachiro Satsuma returns as Godzilla, as he will for all the Heisei era films, while the incomparable Biollante is played by Masashi Takegumi. There's not a ton of other interesting background for this one, so let's cut to the chase.

If You Haven't Seen it Before

- Working in a desert country to use Godzilla cells to turn deserts into fertile land, Dr. Shiragami and his daughter Erika are involved in a terrorist attack on the organization they are working with. Erika dies in one of the explosions.

- Five years later, Godzilla appears active in the volcano he was dropped in in The Return of Godzilla. Preparing for his return, the scientist Kirishima works to use the Godzilla cells to create Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria (ANEB) that can kill Godzilla by eating his nuclear energy. The downside: the cure may be worse than the disease. 

- Shiragmi, the foremost expert on Godzilla cells, is asked to help create the ANEB. He refuses, and in an attempt to keep his daughter alive in some form uses the Godzilla cells on the roses he has spliced with her DNA (keeping her alive in plant form and now regenerating plant form).

- Realizing the Godzilla cells are still in use/circulation, the terrorist organization attacks again and is successful in escaping with the Godzilla cells. Unfortunately for most of them, they are killed by writhing vines int he process.

- This creature, Biollante, makes it to the nearby lake and is a giant rose-like monster. In the meantime, the terrorists free Godzilla from his volcanic prison when a blackmail attempt for the control of the Godzilla cells and the resulting ANEB fails.

- Godzilla, headed to the nearest nuclear plant to replenish, is attacked by the military. He takes a few nasty hits and is diverted by the Super-X2, an evolved version of the superweapon that nearly killed him last time. This time, it's able to reflect his atomic breath back at him and increas its power in the process.

- Hearing Biollante, Godzilla goes to the lake and the two kaiju do battle. Barely putting up a fight, Biollante dies. She fades away into yellow energy that floats into the sky.

- Attacked once more by the Super-X2, Godzilla manages to fend it off just long enough to be lured into a trap, eventually destroying the Super-X2 before being struck by the ANEB.

- The weapon fails, however, as Godzilla is cold-blooded and the bacteria is unable to quickly replicate.

- A plan to heat up Godzilla's body, and therefore his blood, so that the ANEB can take effect is underway. In this midst of this process, Biollante returns but in a much more beastial form than before.

- Biollante and Godzilla do battle, nearly killing each other before Godzilla manages to Atomic Breath through her face before collapsing into the sea.

- Biollante says thank you as she dies, and Godzilla swims away healthily after the seawater manages to lower his temperature enough to recover from the ANEB. Movie over!

Kaiju Notes

- Biollante, in rose form, is unique just because it's such an unusual choice. Without knowing it would transform further, one has to be engaged just because it's such a non-usual design. While not as obviously scary as the evolved form, the rose form features creepy teeth that are unsettling as all hell.

- Biollante in true monster form is fucking awesome. That's it. That's the tweet.

- In more detail, Biollante's monster form is a horrific chimera of awfulness. Writhing vines with teeth and a mouth that's 50% jagged edges and 50% acid, it resembles an incredibly pissed off dinosaur but all the parts were attached randomly. Her design and actions are intended to make it clear how animalistic Godzilla is, and it really comes across in this context.

- Godzilla's teeth have been a little corrected in this film, less jagged/crooked and scary. I guess time in a volcano will straighten out your teeth if you survive. Good to know. He can also now move his snout so he can properly snarl, which is minor but important addition to the suit compared to the previous film.

- The kaiju vs kaiju action is some of the most visceral we've ever seen. Biollante's horrifying composition combined with her 2nd form's viciousness is a sight to behold. Like Gigan before her, Biollante is one of the first foes that matches or exceeds Godzilla's own penchant for violence, and that combination pays off here just as it did in Godzilla vs. Gigan.

First thing first: the most interesting story in the movie isn't actually in the script. While the A-plot mostly entails watching the military fail, the true appeal of this movie is in the subtext: Biollante and Godzilla, as well as the warning against bio-engineering. Biollante is first named when she is a giant rose creature. In this form, she calls out for Godzilla, who appears mostly non-violently. When she attacks, Godzilla destroys her relatively easily and heads back home. When Biollante appears again, she is far more beast than Rose and Godzilla is forced to kill her again. This time she thanks Godzilla. Biollante, incredibly kaiju that she is, doesn't want to be alive. Even in her non-aggressive rose form she calls out for the creature she knows can kill her and only seems to attack him to motivate him to do so. The story of a woman being forced to live in the body of a plant/monster and refusing is a story that could carry the entire film on its own but is instead relegated to reading between the lines while we watch Godzilla fight flying ships and tear down buildings while he just tries to go home. A tragic kaiju forced into existence eventually becoming a dark reflection of the monster it came from could provide an excellent juxtaposition of humanity and the monster that is Godzilla but is instead something we have to tease out ourselves. It's a failure that makes an otherwise entertaining experience remarkably frustrating at the same time.

The human story is... mixed. Shiragami's quest to make his daughter immortal and the consequences of his bio-engineering is a really interesting story that gets almost no time in exchange for a story about the military trying to take down Godzilla using the ANEB. The young man at the central of that story is deeply, deeply incompetent, and we are forced to watch his blunder time and again over the course of the film. I don't even know his name! In his illustrious career in this movie he manages to get the Super-X2 destroyed and a colonel in the JSDF killed all in the name of hitting Godzilla with the ANEB, which doesn't even work! At the end of the movie he receives a promotion, or commendation, and it's clear that the JSDF is well and truly fucked. Given the above paragraph about the tragedy of Biollante, we're stuck instead with a movie about a terribly unskilled military commander.

Final verdict: Godzilla vs. Biollante is good, perhaps even great. But it could've been truly spectacular. It's disappointing because Biollante is a top-tier kaiju ever but is only in about 10 minutes of this film and barely gets characterization while onscreen. Each moment Biollante was directly involved was fantastic, but she gets 10% of the movie to actually shine. Military vs. Godzilla can often work either as the primary plot or the sub-plot to a monster fight, but in this case it really stands out as detracting from the heart of the movie instead of being a necessary supplemental element. While it's still worth seeing overall, I know I am going to remember this film as what it could have been rather than what it really is, and that bums me out.

Next: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah!

The Return of Godzilla

A sequel to the original and reintroduction of Godzilla to a new era, this movie ignores every Showa era film beyond the first. The assistant director from several previous Godzilla films, Koji Hashimoto, now serves as the director. Experienced suit actor Kenpachiro Satsuma takes over from Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla on a permanent basis starting here, so we can finally compare different Godzilla actors on a multi-film scale. 

If You Haven't Seen it Before

- A ship goes missing nearby a volcanic eruption right after reporting seeing something great and terrible. Days later, the ship is found by a reporter, but nearly everyone on board has been mummified by a gigantic sea louse. 

- The last survivor is shown pictures of Godzilla and realizes that the creature they saw before the ship went missing was in fact Godzilla, back from the dead. The giant sea louse that killed the crew was a mutated creature resulting from the radiation Godzilla gives off.

- Though the reporter Writes an article on the return of Godzilla, the information is held back from the public. He begins to investigate further, meeting a professor who is an expert on Godzilla.

- A Soviet nuclear submarine is destroyed off the coast of Japan after putting up a valiant fight. The Soviets blame America. The threat of nuclear war looms over the world (hey, how horrifically fitting!).

- To prevent a nuclear war from starting which would affect Japan as well as the rest of the world, the Japanese government finally reveals that Godzilla has returned for the first time since 1954.

- To fight back against Godzilla, the military has developed a weapon called the Super X. It's a "flying fortress" equipped with cadmium cannons designed to fight against Godzilla's radiation empowerment.

- Godzilla attacks, making a beeline for a nuclear reactor and ripping it out so he can feast on its delicious radiation. He is eventually distracted by a flock of passing birds and returns to the ocean.

- Godzilla's affection of the migratory patterns of birds gives the humans an idea, to use a similar magnetic field as birds as a lure for Godzilla, to keep him away from larger cities and potentially confine (or kill) him using a volcano.

- American and Soviet forces have a different plan: blow up Godzilla with a nuke. The Japanese prime minister rejects their plan due to Japan's "Three Non-Nuclear Principles."

- The good news: work on the lure for Godzilla begins, with the hope of throwing him in a volcano. The bad news: the Soviet Union have a backup plan to nuke Godzilla from space.

- Godzilla goes on another rampage, causing significant military and civilian casualties, before the plan to lure him away and/or distract him is tested. It works!

- The military attacks again, using lasers and the Super X. They manage to hit Godzilla with enough cadmium to knock him unconscious.

- More bad news: as Godzilla attacked, he destroyed some important piece of equipment and the Soviet space nuke launches unprompted. The captain of the ship valiantly tries to stop the launch but dies in the process as he ship explodes.

- The American military saves the day by countering the Soviet missile with one of their own, destroying both before it can make it to the Japanese mainland and kill everyone.

- The missiles striking each other creates an EMP-like effect and a lightning storm, temporarily disabling the Super X (and all other power sources) and reviving Godzilla when he is struck by lightning.

- Out of cadmium, the Super X tries to fend off Godzilla but is now hopelessly outclassed. He rampages through the city, chasing it, before he managed to smash it with a skyscraper.

- The professor activates the lure to make Godzilla head toward the volcano, bringing Godzilla's rampage to an end (for now).

- Drawn to a volcano, Godzilla can't help but walk forward and falls into the lava pit. Not dumb enough to step into the mouth of the volcano itself, the military sets off preset bombs to destroy Godzilla's footing and send him directly into the volcano.

Kaiju Notes

- Godzilla looks scarier to me than he ever has before. While the 1954 version was portrayed just as violently, the eyes were a weakness of the suit that made him look a bit more doofy. The more advanced version of his eyes (and longer, more jagged teeth) used for this film makes Godzilla's return his most intimidating look yet. This extends to the direction, as Godzilla is only ever seen at night, thus making him a proper nightmare. 

- New Godzilla is also much larger than the previous, 80 meters compared to the previous 50. This is primarily so Godzilla wouldn't look small compared to the Tokyo skyline, but also contributes to making Godzilla seem like a "larger" threat. A 50,000 ton monster just hits different. 

- Perhaps because this is going back to the scary roots of Godzilla, it is important to note that this version of Godzilla is zero percent heroic or fun. Satsuma performs Godzilla as an animal running purely on instinct, and it is a very different (and awesome) version of the character that hasn't been seen in nearly 30 years.

- I respect the original Godzilla roar. It's a feat of sound engineering and impressive in its own right, especially for the time. That said, the new roar is significantly better. Sorry not sorry.

This movie features a return to form: Godzilla straight merc'ing dudes. He explicitly kills several people. At first this is primarily focused on military who are attacking him, though the collateral damage is still extreme. Once he lifts a passenger train off it's track only to simply drop it to the ground again before destroying the rest of the train (and track) it's clear that Godzilla is back to do destruction, not save the day. This is also an homage to the original film, a visual example connecting the two films as connected and perhaps even implying that this Godzilla is the same one as the first.

Besides the horror of Godzilla, the true villain of this film is the conflict between the Soviet Union and the US. The threat of nuclear war between the two drives much of the films human plot, and a Soviet nuclear missile turns out to be a larger threat than the monstrous Godzilla. It harkens back to the original Gojira: the only thing more horrific than a giant pissed off lizard who wants to kill you is nuclear weaponry. This is emphasized further when the missile manages to be destroyed without any human casualties and creates an EMP that literally turns the sky red and knocks out all power in the region. It's a scene right out of a post-apocalyptic story, inserted here as a natural consequence of nuclear bombs.

Outside of the horrors of both kaiju and nuclear weaponry, I think I may have cracked the code on the moral of the story: anti-meddling. The Japanese actually have this figured out from the start, but meddling from foreign forces complicates things significantly and almost kills millions of people. Had the Japanese been left to their devices and plans, this would have been a much simpler affair. Not without casualties, of course, but without an EMP being set off and screwing everyone over. Hell, the Super X itself managed to take out Godzilla at least temporarily, and the trouble only started after the Super X lost power and Godzilla was hit by a lightning storm (both caused by nuclear weapon use). While the nuclear strike was an accident, the simplest way to prevent an accidental nuclear strike is to not point it anywhere (fun fact: this actually works with most weapons!). Furthering the point, the missile was only pointed because the Soviet Union thought it knew better than the people most directly affected. Were it a situation where the Japanese had no plan it might be reasonable to point the biggest weapon you have at the creature, but this is a situation where the Japanese people actually have a clear and effective strategy which is nearly ruined by the meddling of foreign powers. I'm on board for cooperation, but undercutting and cooperation are... opposite.

The Return of Godzilla is... great. Bringing Godzilla back to the roots and letting him serve as the antagonist reminds us of the metaphor and menace the character was created to be. It is a little bit overly long than is needed but excellent suit acting, a coherent (and relatively simple) plot, and the true commitment to the tone of the film make this one worth seeing for sure. Godzilla actually being scary again is a sight for sore eyes, and this is coming from someone who appreciates the versus movies as much or even more than the "Godzilla fucks up Japan" films. Because Godzilla moved from villain to hero over ten years during the Showa era I assume the same will happen here, but I am curious what that progression will look like with a new generation of filmmakers (and audience). If you want a jumping on point for Godzilla movies, this is an excellent one. It doesn't look or feel as dated as the original and you get to experience a version of Godzilla much more in line with the original.

Next: Godzilla vs. Biollante!

Pulgasari

zLet's get out of Japan for the first time in a long time! We're talking about Pulgasari, a North Korean kaiju film from 1984. That might strike you as strange, but let's continue. The background on this film is... a lot. The director, Shin Sang-ok, was a famous and popular director from South Korea who was kidnapped by North Korean agents in the 70's in an attempt to elevate North Korean cinema. Pulgasari was the last of these films made by Shin, and a remake of a lost film from the 60's based on the same legend. There's not space enough here to talk about the kidnapping saga, but needless to say the making of this film is predicated on some absolutely buck-wild events.

The wackiness of the background of this film doesn't end there, however, as the main actor of Pulgasari, the titular character? Kenpachiro Satsuma, a veteran of Godzilla movies and the suit actor for Godzilla himself in the upcoming Heisei era of Godzilla films. In fact, the first of the Heisei Godzilla movies came out before Pulgasari, so Satsumsa went from being cast as Godzilla, to making a North Korean kaiju film with a director who was kidnapped by the state, to playing Godzilla in subsequent films. That's not as wild as literally being nabbed by a country to elevate their country's cinema, but it is a strange turn of events all its own that seemed worth mentioning.

If You Haven't Seen it Before

- In a small village ruled by a horrible tyrant, a local blacksmith tries to keep the army from taking his village's farming and cooking tools, without which they'll be unable to live (literally). He is imprisoned. 

- Before he dies of starvation, he creates a figure and prays to the gods that they will make the figure a living creature that protects people and saves humanity.

- The adorable Pulgasari predictably comes to life and begins to eat all things metal his tiny self can get ahold of.

- As the tyrants soldiers come by to further torment the villagers, the ever-growing Pulgasari begins to eat their weapons and bite their faces, finally beginning a proper resistance. Pulgasari is now human-sized, having begun his life just a few days before while fitting in the palm of a hand.

- The newly inspired rebels, supported by Pulgasari, invade the local tyrants' palace and kill him.

- The king, of whom the corrupt and terribly tyrant was but a representative, must crush this new rebellion. Unfortunately for him, Pulgasari keeps growing stronger and bigger as they bring weapons for him to eat.

- The king does manage to capture and execute the leader of the rebellion, and threatens to kill the blacksmith's daughter (with whom Pulgasari has a bond) if Pulgasari does not surrender himself.

- Sacrificing himself for his greatest friend, Pulgasari subjects itself to fire and explosives as the king's men try to kill him. This fails and they reap some heavy consequences by dying in a brutal fashion.

- The evil army apparently, finally, manages to kill Pulgasari by setting a trap and burying him alive. The evil army begins to win this war, executing the leader of the rebellion and having already captured the blacksmith's daughter.

- The blacksmith's daughter escapes and is out for vengeance! She revives Pulgasari using her blood and he returns to finally finish off the evil king.

- After smiting the king, Pulgasari is regarded as a hero by his people and they allow him to eat their weapons (as they no longer need them).

- Insatiable, Pulgasari continues eating, eventually progressing to their cooking and farming tools just like the original tyrant that started this all. 

- The blacksmith's daughter, Pulgasari's best friend, realizes he cannot control himself and will lead to the death of them all when he eats all of their metal tools.

- She hides herself in a giant metal bell, ringing it to draw the attention of Pulgasari. As he prepares to eat the bell with her inside, she prays that he will leave this earth with her.

- Having eaten the person who gave him life, Pulgasari turns to stone before shattering.

Kaiju Notes

- Both baby and teen Pulgasari are adorable. Resembling an armadillo mixed with a bipedal lizard, he is almost a perfect union of the cute/scary scale while he's maturing.

- As Pulgasari grows, he gains horns to complement his appearance. Some might claim that looks like a demon, and they'd be right, but at least he looks like a (relatively) friendly one.

- Pulgasari's motivation, eating metal, is strange. He wouldn't make much of a kaiju in the Godzilla-verse since he lacks lasers or explosive weaponry, but in the context of helping people rebel against tyrants it's a very good fit. Though this story takes place many centuries ago, I bet a metal eating monster which appears invulnerable to most harm would fuck up some tanks and battleships too, if he wanted.

- Pulgasari does seem to be able to absorb heat and use it as a weapon, so that might actually be really useful if he were up against Godzilla. Radiation is a type of heat, right? In this movie though he uses it in one dramatic scene to absolutely fuck up some soldiers. After being set on fire and being hot, he goes to cool off in the sea. The soldiers trying to escape from him via boat are capsized and thrown in the water, and the water begins to boil as Pulgasari cools off. Holy shit.

- Satsuma brings his veteran suit acting ability to Pulgasari, making the little and big versions seem like a loyal pet to the blacksmith's daughter, who simply can't be killed and loves eating metal.

Pulgasari is not going to be gaining any points for excellent special effects or story telling. It does, however, do an effective job at telling the story it is going for. Pulgasari himself manages to look more menacing than he behaves (unless you're his enemy), which is fitting for his ultimate characterization of a relatively simple beast with an interest in helping his friends and eating metal. This simpleness contributes to his downfall, however, as he takes all the villagers metal not out of malice but out of his own desires. The human performances are broad, but Satsuma's work as Pulgasari is particularly interesting. 

As mentioned a few sentences before, Pulgasari seems more "simple-minded animal" than anything else. Even at his most menacing it often seems accidental, as in the above mentioned scene where he boils soldiers in the sea. Pulgasari himself didn't seem to have it as a plan, simply killing all of these people as a consequence of trying to cool himself down. It's brutal in effect, but seemingly innocent in intent, and it creates an interesting dynamic between Pulgasari's effect and his affect. While obviously Satsuma did not (likely) make these decisions by himself and it was likely in the script, it colors everything Pulgasari does and makes the creature himself enjoyable to watch. Even his death is a bit unclear, in that his (accidental) eating of the blacksmith's daughter either makes him choose to die or happens as a consequence of him killing the one who gave him life. Either way, the circumstances only happen because the blacksmith's daughter understands that he'll simply eat metal when he sees it, so it contributes to an interpretation of him as simple rather than malicious, or even particularly intentional in his actions.

Some have suggested that Pulgasari's arc is a critique of North Korean leadership, being a revolutionary figure who saves the people before turning to being their oppressor in a similar vein of the previous despot. While I can understand that take on a "this is what happens on paper" level, it doesn't read to me as true based on the actual film. While it's all technically true, Pulgasari's characterization (see the paragraphs above) makes it seem more accidental than intentional despotism, which is not applicable to the government of North Korea. Each choice they make is intentional and has a reason behind it far beyond Pulgasari's simple desires, so I think applying that interpretation to the movie would actually weaken it as critique of the government who kidnapped the director. Pulgasari has more in common with Daiei's Daimajin, both centered on heroic (and violent) creatures which must be brought down by the same people they helped. Adding to this that the plot is apparently based on a Korean legend, Pulgasari seems a more straight-forward kaiju film rather than a thinly-veiled takedown of Kim Jong-il.

At the end of the day, Pulgasari is more interesting than it is entertaining. It's not necessarily bad in any way, but there's nothing about it that makes a strong initial impression. In the context of kaiju movies it is very similar to Daimajin, though substituting "hunger" for "wrath" as the titular character's motivation. Pulgasari himself is a bit of a delight as a character, being somehow vacant and self-directed at the same time and charming yet menacing. It's hard to suggest one watches this for themselves, but it's also not the worst film we've seen through this blog by any means. If you're really into kaiju movies (what a weirdo, who does that?), it's worth a look-see.

Next: The Return of Godzilla!