Godzilla: 20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know
17. Some Critics Didn't Like The Original Film
Godzilla is one of the most famous fictional characters in history. Like Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and Hamlet, it's nearly impossible to meet someone who hasn't heard of this iconic monster.
However, not everyone was blown away by the original film. The 1954 movie did make a profit and was nominated for the Japanese version of an Academy Award but some critics were left unimpressed. One infamous review stated, “Why is Japan bothering to make special effects movies? Special effects are only in the realm of American filmmaking.”
When the original film was released in the US in 1956, critics said it was "unintentionally funny" and an "unfunny bore".
Since it was a Japanese movie, you would assume Godzilla didn't do well in the Western world because it didn't translate to the American audience at the time.
But the weird thing is, the Japanese weren't that impressed either. Many critics of Japan thought the follow-up, Godzilla Raids Again, was superior to the original movie. They liked how the story was straightforward and didn't try to be deep or artistic like the last film.
Nowadays, Godzilla Raids Again is seen as a rushed cash-grab since it was made six months after the original.