Godzilla 1954 Remake

[LegendZilla]

Since someone else on these forms decided to discuss the potential of a Godzilla Vs Hedorah remake of all films, I have decided to pitch my own idea of a remake. Okay, I realize that I have brought this idea up before and it's bound to trigger most of you guys, but is there at least anyone other than myself and Great MM willing to be open towards such a notion as Toho one day doing a full-on remake of the original 1954 Godzilla? I know the film itself is already a classic and rightfully so, but we all have to admit that is not perfect as the case with every film ever made. I am by no means saying that it needs to be superior to the original, but as MM suggested, what few changes do you think would be necessary as a means to improve upon other than effects?

My suggestions are :

* Include a flashback of Emiko and either Ogata or Serizawa dating and/or bonding as teenagers, since such a scene was pitched for the original film, but never filmed. Such a scene might help flesh out the characters slightly more.

* Flesh out the character of that one camera man who befriends Senkichi a bit more.

* Show one or two minutes of Yamane gaining custody of Senkichi, or at least imply it.

* Rather than getting scared off by mere fighter jets, have Godzilla leave Tokyo on his own accord.

How are those for suggestions?

[SonOfGorgo]

I once thought of an "Westernised" remake in the style of Kong '05 by Peter Jackson.
You got some interesting ideas though.

[tbeasley]

I'm glad Toho has never gone through with an exact remake... that's one thing I like about the Godzilla series, that it can go in a million different directions based on that 54 film and those events but to never retell that story exactly. In a way Toho has been 'rebooting' Godzilla before reboots were even a popular industry thing.

[LegendZilla]

I'm glad Toho has never gone through with an exact remake... that's one thing I like about the Godzilla series, that it can go in a million different directions based on that 54 film and those events but to never retell that story exactly. In a way Toho has been 'rebooting' Godzilla before reboots were even a popular industry thing.

Yeah but reboot after reboot would get tiresome after a while. Therefore, a remake will be a different route to take in order to refresh things.

[MechaGoji Bro7503]

Some things are better left unremade to be honest.

[LegendZilla]

Some things are better left unremade to be honest.

Remaking something is not inherently a bad idea.

[ToxicLove]

Some things are better left unremade to be honest.

Remaking something is not inherently a bad idea.

No but seriously, some films don't need a remake.

[Cybermat47]

A modern remake of the 1954 film? That sounds like it could be the second best Godzilla film of all time!



But yeah, with the changes in society, technology, etc., Shin Godzilla is pretty much a modern retelling of G54. It's so different because modern circumstances are so different, but some things have stayed the same - or rather, gotten worse. Just as Shin towers over Shodai, today's nuclear weapons are far more dangerous.

In the same vein, you could view G84 as something of a 54 remake. Same basics as 54 and Shin - Godzilla shows up, kills some people, goes away, comes back, uses atomic breath to kill way more people, is defeated by science. But, the message of the film is more oriented towards the audience at the time of production.

* Rather than getting scared off by mere fighter jets, have Godzilla leave Tokyo on his own accord.

Well, you could make the argument that Godzilla was leaving of his own accord, and the JASDF just happened to show up at that time. That's how I see it, anyway.

[LegendZilla]

^I was thinking about a remake set in the 50's akin to how Kong '05 was set in the 30's. Don't worry, it doesn't have to be stretched out to 3 hours.

[SonOfGorgo]

^I was thinking about a remake set in the 50's akin to how Kong '05 was set in the 30's. Don't worry, it doesn't have to be stretched out to 3 hours.

Me too. One where Godzilla attacks San Francisco rather than Tokyo.

[LegendZilla]

^I was thinking about a remake set in the 50's akin to how Kong '05 was set in the 30's. Don't worry, it doesn't have to be stretched out to 3 hours.

Me too. One where Godzilla attacks San Francisco rather than Tokyo.

Godzilla '14 was in San Francisco. Seriously, please get existing remakes/reboots out of your heads for once and get into hypothetical territory.

[GodzillaFan1990's]

The way I really see it. Shin Godzilla was basically a remake of the 1954 Godzilla movie only in the present day instead.

[SonOfGorgo]

Godzilla '14 was in San Francisco. Seriously, please get existing remakes/reboots out of your heads for once and get into hypothetical territory.

No I mean, rampage in the same/similar way as the original '54 film (or maybe in somewhere like Vancouver, or Seattle, or Portland).

The plot would be similar to the original, albeit extended and main characters' nationalities would be switched from Japanese to American (and their names switched from Japanese to western).

[Zarm]

I don't know if the character interactions and motivations would work as well in a modern western context. The dilemma of ending the relationship with Serizawa and hiding the new one in the meantime, and Serizawa's suicide at the end, seem rooted in considerations of ethics and honor that 21st century American culture would largely roll its eyes at; I also don't suspect that the final act would be action-packed enough for a modern film.

I think a remake of this wouldn't work in a modern context (either Japanese or American) because of the differences in culture and context; Shin's use of the same story structure but different plot focus and characters is the closest I think we could successfully get these days.

[Godzilla Mothra]

I'm absolutely against a remake of any kind. The closest we should ever get are RETURN and SHIN.

[LegendZilla]

Some things are better left unremade to be honest.

Remaking something is not inherently a bad idea.

No but seriously, some films don't need a remake.

I beg to differ

[ToxicLove]

I beg to differ

I said some, not all. The Blob, The Fly, The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers are 4 examples against a tidal wave of feces sadly.

[eabaker]

I beg to differ

I said some, not all. The Blob, The Fly, The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers are 4 examples against a tidal wave of feces sadly.

Although it's worth noting that three out of those four were new adaptations of literary source material. Re-considering how to adapt across media is very different from trying to take apart and rebuild something that was conceived within the same medium.

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

The Thing was much less a remake of the film as it was a more faithful adaptation of the original story.

[eabaker]

* Include a flashback of Emiko and either Ogata or Serizawa dating and/or bonding as teenagers, since such a scene was pitched for the original film, but never filmed. Such a scene might help flesh out the characters slightly more.

This kind of backstory is usually best served by "iceberg details." It's not sufficiently relevant to the narrative that we need the details explicated; we just need the most relevant details, delivered organically when they're relevant.

Flashbacks should really be reserved for those moments when, in the characters' minds, the past is becoming the present again. Flashback as an expository device often just feels labored.