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Article: 2.3
Date: 7/23/02
Last Update: 7/19/04
Continuity within Godzilla films has rarely
been consistent. The Showa series barely paid heed to it, but made
a effort to try and keep the films connected with small references.
The Heisei series was very different from its predecessor, with
each film working off the previous movies in the series. When Godzilla
2000: Millennium (1999) was first announced it was explained
that the movie would be part of a whole new series. One that was
not connected with the Heisei or Showa series, and the film would
pioneer a new series of films radically different from the two previous
ones. So was born the Millennium, or Mireniamu, series; a series
of films in which each movie was not forced to work off the previous
entries.
At first, producer Shogo
Tomiyama was planning for three stand alone films, and from
these three Toho would decide which of the movies to dedicate a
series about, or if the Heisei series should be revisited. This
idea, however, was aborted after a meager box office showing by
Godzilla 2000:
Millennium (1999) and Godzilla
vs. Megaguirus (2000) stumbled out of the gates, and ended
up being a box office flop. It was then discussed that the 2001
Godzilla film might mark the closure of what would have been a short
lived series. Thankfully, the film was a box office success due
to the inclusion of Mothra and King Ghidorah in the movie, and pairing
the film with a Hamataro animated feature. What followed
was Masaaki Tezuka's "Kiryu Saga", and what is being called
the last Godzilla film for a decade: Godzilla: Final Wars
(2004).
The Millennium films are not entirely stand alone,
though, and often have a connection with at least one other Toho
film. Below is a run down on the continuity seen in each Godzilla
film of the Millennium series.
Godzilla
2000: Millennium (1999): the only true stand alone
film, makes no reference to any Godzilla film before it.
Godzilla
vs. Megaguirus (2000): references an altered Godzilla
(1954), in which Godzilla is not killed by the Oxygen Destroyer.
Godzilla,
Mothra & King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
(2001): stresses the point that Godzilla has not attacked
since 1954 and makes numerous references to Godzilla
(1954), like the Oxygen Destroyer. The film also jokingly refers
to GODZILLA
(1998) in some suggestive dialogue during a scene in which it's
mentioned that a monster attacked New York a few years ago, causing
a solider to ask a contemporary if the monster was Godzilla which
sparks the famous line about this being what America claims, but
the Japanese scientists never confirmed this.
Godzilla
Against Mechagodzilla (2002): makes reference to
a slightly altered Godzilla
(1954), in which the bone fragments of Godzilla survive the
Oxygen Destroyer. Also Mothra
(1961), and The
War of the Gargantuas (1966) are mentioned as well.
Godzilla:
Tokyo S.O.S. (2003): breaking the mold from the other
Godzilla films in the Millennium series, is a direct sequel to the
previous year's Godzilla
Against Mechagodzilla. As expected, the film references
its predecessor greatly, along with Godzilla
(1954) and Mothra
(1961); in fact, actor Hiroshi Koizumi returns to reprise his role
from Mothra
as Doctor Shin'ichi Chujo. The film also references Space
Amoeba (1970) with Kamoebas, who is stated as being a mutated
variety of snapping turtle which first appeared on Sergio Island,
the island that Space
Amoeba takes place on, 34 years earlier and having attacked
in the mid-1980's.
Books have been released, however, which state that
the "Kiryu saga" actually extends far beyond what is hinted
at in the two movies. In the book Godzilla
X Mechagodzilla: Super Complete Works, released in 2002,
there is a list of kaiju who are part of the same timeline as Godzilla
Against Mechagodzilla (2002). Another book, released in
2003, called Godzilla
X Mothra X Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS Fantastic Collection
took it a step further by including a timeline of when the kaiju
attacked and also mentioned three monsters left off the material
released in 2002, being: Frankenstein, the Giant Sea Snake and King
Kong (whose absence in 2002 is understandable as books dated 2000,
and on, aren't allowed to show pictures of him or his mechanical
double). The timeline of events, leading up to Godzilla
Against Mechagodzilla (2002), is as follows:
1954 - Godzilla appears
1956 - Rodan and the Meganulon appear
1958 - Varan appears
1961 - Mothra appears
1962 - Maguma appears
1963 - Manda appears
1964 - The Dogora appear
1965 - Baragon, Frankenstein and the Giant Octopus appear
1966 - Sanda and Gaira appear
1967 - King Kong, Gorosaurus and the Giant Sea Snake appear
1970 - Gezora, Ganimes and Kamoebas appear
1987 - Kamoebas appears
Each year that a monster appears corresponds to a
movie released that year which features the same kaiju, with the
exception of Kamoebas' attack in 1987. However, this doesn't necessarily
state that each of those films is part of the "Kiryu saga"
continuity. An easily spotted example of this is the 1962 film Gorath,
which featured Maguma, as the film takes place in the late 1970's
and early 1980's and also showcased the destruction of the Moon,
which is clearly seen in Godzilla
Against Mechagodzilla (2002).
If the list is taken literal, then Frankenstein
vs. Baragon (1965) might have occurred, except with the
alternate ending in which Frankenstein battles the Giant Octopus.
Also, the Giant Octopus is absent from 1966, meaning a altered The
War of the Gargantuas (1966) might have taken place in which
the opening bout between Gaira and the Giant Octopus didn't occur.
In 1967, King Kong, Gorosaurus and the Giant Sea Snake appear, three
kaiju who appeared in the 1967 film King
Kong Escapes. However, Mechani-kong is absent from the list,
meaning either he never appeared or that the list simply left off
the mechanical kaiju, as Kiryu isn't mentioned in 2002 or 2003 in
the timeline.
So feasibly, the following films might be in the
Kiryu saga continuity: Godzilla
(1954), Rodan
(1956), Varan
(1958), Mothra
(1961), Atragon
(1963), Dogora
(1964), Frankenstein
vs. Baragon (1965), The
War of the Gargantuas (1966), King
Kong Escapes (1967) and Space
Amoeba (1970). Three images, pertaining to the timeline,
are pictured below.
Godzilla: Final Wars (2004):
What is being marketed as the last Godzilla film
in at least a decade. However, there does appear to be a wealth
of references to prior Toho films to be found in the movie, including
the collapsed star Gorath from the 1962 movie Gorath,
the Xilien from the 1965 film Invasion
of Astro-Monster, and the Gotengo from the 1963 film Atragon.
Although it's expected that the film will not be connected to any
of those, continuity wise.
Images:
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