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The Kaiju Connection: Giant Monsters and Ourselves
What makes a kaiju a kaiju? What makes an ape a large ape, and why do we sympathize with some, such as King Kong, and not with others, such as Konga? And what makes a giant person become a "monster"? This book provides a new perspective on kaiju and reveals that our boundaries for the genre are perhaps not so solid.
This work focuses primarily on newer kaiju works, ranging from Colossal to Shin Godzilla to Godzilla vs. Kong, but also touches on classics such as King Kong, Mighty Joe Young, Godzilla Raids Again, and lesser-known works such as What to Do With the Dead Kaiju? and Agon.
Like our ancestors we have collectively adopted giant monsters into our culture, especially our pop culture. Within the domains where giant monsters walk, we experience the rigidity of our moral structures, and the fleeting borders of our definitions of humanity. Within the kaiju film genre rest our own assumptions about what makes a monster a monster, and, more importantly, what makes a human a human.
This work focuses primarily on newer kaiju works, ranging from Colossal to Shin Godzilla to Godzilla vs. Kong, but also touches on classics such as King Kong, Mighty Joe Young, Godzilla Raids Again, and lesser-known works such as What to Do With the Dead Kaiju? and Agon.
Like our ancestors we have collectively adopted giant monsters into our culture, especially our pop culture. Within the domains where giant monsters walk, we experience the rigidity of our moral structures, and the fleeting borders of our definitions of humanity. Within the kaiju film genre rest our own assumptions about what makes a monster a monster, and, more importantly, what makes a human a human.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2023
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December 14, 2023
Author Jason Barr tells you early on he is going to take a looser, less academic approach than he did in his “The Kaiju Film.” Further, he notes this book is about “Whatever I want.” And the movies covered? “Whichever ones strike my fancy at the moment.” That may sound like a recipe for incoherence, but instead, Barr’s consistent viewpoint produces a cohesive must-read tome.
Barr is a kaiju fan through and through, and his love of the genre informs every word. Along the way, he explores some familiar but welcome kaiju territory peppered with unexpected stopovers. These include a trio of 1950s “Giant Human” movies examined from an intriguing perspective – which of them are human, which of them are monster, and how does this happen and why?
In addition, he compares the offbeat “Colossal” with the onbeat “Godzilla vs. Kong” in terms of what they say about the present state of the genre. And then, of course, there are his candid musings about the various Kongs and Kong knock-offs. Plus his spirited defense of “Godzilla Raids Again.” Overall, Barr explores how fans interpret kaiju through a range of filters, including culture and history.
He also has a sense of humor about himself and his undertaking. For example, at one point, he warns the reader he is going to get political, then invites them to skip to the next chapter if they so desire. Moreover, he doesn’t present his conclusions as engraved dogma, but rather as impressions in wet cement.
Reading his book is like having a pleasant chat with a fellow kaiju fan as Pluto’s Godzilla Channel hums in the background. The feature it’s showing? “Godzilla Raids Again,” of course.
Barr is a kaiju fan through and through, and his love of the genre informs every word. Along the way, he explores some familiar but welcome kaiju territory peppered with unexpected stopovers. These include a trio of 1950s “Giant Human” movies examined from an intriguing perspective – which of them are human, which of them are monster, and how does this happen and why?
In addition, he compares the offbeat “Colossal” with the onbeat “Godzilla vs. Kong” in terms of what they say about the present state of the genre. And then, of course, there are his candid musings about the various Kongs and Kong knock-offs. Plus his spirited defense of “Godzilla Raids Again.” Overall, Barr explores how fans interpret kaiju through a range of filters, including culture and history.
He also has a sense of humor about himself and his undertaking. For example, at one point, he warns the reader he is going to get political, then invites them to skip to the next chapter if they so desire. Moreover, he doesn’t present his conclusions as engraved dogma, but rather as impressions in wet cement.
Reading his book is like having a pleasant chat with a fellow kaiju fan as Pluto’s Godzilla Channel hums in the background. The feature it’s showing? “Godzilla Raids Again,” of course.
Displaying 1 of 1 review