Does anyone else find the concept of Godzilla genuinely terrifying?

funny, i didnt think i italasyzed that, also how do you spell that correctly?

@Frognation - Good that you came up with this topic.

Though I would very much like to agree that indeed there is more cause for us to be fearful or terrified of Godzilla given it's immensity and disastrous impact, somehow we wonder why Godzilla strikes less fear or panick than those horror films that depict demonic possessions or supernatural entities? The reason stems from the very arrogance of humans (us) ourselves.

Till today, Mankind has remained unchallenged and has emerged the apex predator of Earth, with the ability to decimate or to save entire species of animals. You will see that there are tonnes of people out there who view themselves as a superior breed that shows no respect for wildlife or the abilities of animals because of our technological superiority, intellect and weaponry. It's the survival of the fittest they say. They view themselves as entitled to feed on and to leech the resources of the Earth without consequence. 

As such, if anything is viewed as a pest, just simply kill it. Ask any person out there about this new Godzilla movie, and you will observe most of them would say things like, " I wonder how is Godzilla gonna get killed " or " the humans are gonna kill him anyway".

Strangely, nobody said anything about co-existing or respect. It all boils down to the human mindset. As long as it's not human, there's always a sure way to kill it, after all we are superior. That's the kind of thinking you get from most people out there. So in the end no matter how fearsome a creature is, people would readily dismiss it as merely cinematic entertainment, and would rather choose to fear something closer to themselves.

There is also a reason why people make movies like Godzilla. To remind people of their arrogance and the need to show some bit of respect to nature.  

Godzilla the best :D

Destoroyah-X nailed it right on the head.

I myself have asked several people this question, by giving them a little survey;

What is the best way to kill a Kaiju, aka, Giant Monster?
Most common answer was a Jaeger.

What would you do if, as a military leader, you were put in charge of defending a city from Kaiju?
Most common answer was to build a wall with bombers on stand-by. Nuke it if all else fails.

Now, what would you do if there was a Kaiju that, no matter what you did, couldn't die?
Most common answer was that a creature like that is impossible. There's always a way to kill it.

What if I told you there IS a Kaiju that can't be killed?
Most common answer was that they'd find a way to kill it.

As I said, Destoroyah-X nailed it on the head. I never mentioned Godzilla's name, to avoid this response-> Gypsy Danger would kill Godzilla in 5 seconds. Ha, yeah. Right. I suppose your lunch can kill you in 5 seconds, too?

Man, I always found Godzilla terrifying, but in an awe-inspiring manner, ironically. Because I fear him, I respect him. You can't really get much better than that. Though, to be fair, being an immortal giant that defies one's perception of the natural world has that effect on people.

@Something Real & @Devianteist: 

I'm glad to know you see where I'm coming from. I am just speaking from how I really feel about mankind's disrespect for nature and our planet Earth. Look around and see what is happening today. Hundreds of thousands of animals or wildlife are being slaughtered everyday to feed the voracious appetite of the human race not only for food but exploitation in many other ways. I do believe that humanity, despite having the ability to be sentient, has turned out to become a parasite and a cancer that's inflicting damage on the planet. 

It's at times like this that you wish a creature like Godzilla really exists to pose a challenge to humanity and to put things into balance isn't it? I think that's what the movie aims to achieve. 

You're definitely not alone on this one.  Godzilla, when handled effectively, is truly a terrifying thing to behold.  For me, seeing something that huge and unstopable is as horrifying as it is awe inspiring. 

However, at least in my opinion, what makes Godzilla, namely the King as he appeared in his original film, truly terrifying is more subliminal than visual.  One criticism often leveled against Godzilla is his lack of true motivation; in the original film, he simply appears to destroy Japan.  He lacks an overt reason for destroying, unlike most monsters of the time.  King Kong is lost afraid in the alien environment of New York, and views everything as a threat.  The Rhedosaurus of Harryhausen's Beast from 20,000 Fathams is returning to his ancestors' breeding grounds, which just happens to be New York as well.  But we don't really know what drives Godzilla.  Is it anger?  Possibly a desire for revenge, or justice?  If thats the case, revenge or justice for what?  Most critics of the time dismissed this seeming lack of motivation as laziness on the part of Godzilla's creators, but they were missing the point.  Godzilla's lack of true, clear motivation was by design.  Understanding where monsters like Kong and the Beast come from, and knowing why they are acting the way they are, makes them less terrifying and more relatable.  Once we get them, we fear them less, and often sympathize with them. 

But Godzilla is completely different: he is beyond human understanding, as is his reason for doing what he does.  This ambiguity is, in my opinion, one of the character's greatest assets.  What people do not understand, they fear.  Godzilla simply is, and our inability to know truly where he comes from, and why he seems set on destruction, make him even more terrifying.  When, in most of the sequels, we gradually come to understand Godzilla a little more, we find it easier to empathize with him, and even side with him.  But when presented in a serious way, as he will be in the new film, the mystery of Godzilla, combined with his obveous great size and power, serve to make the creature more frightening and unique. :)

@Destoroyah-X- It's hard to find like-minded people in this world anymore. I'm glad you and I share such an opinion. We are parasites, quite so.

I once had a dream where I was right in the middle of Godzilla attack... People were screaming and clambering over one another, trying to get away. He just walked, as if he were unaware of all the insignificant people who were dying beneath his feet. I remember buildings collapsing and the air being filled with dust. The deafening mixture of screams and inhuman bellowing clogging my ears. Last thing I remember was an intense light and feeling my body disintegrate before I woke up. I was in a cold, terrified sweat.

As much as I love Godzilla... He terrifies me.

All this talk about the insignificane of Humanity to Godzilla has got me thinking....

We need a new video game that highlights this fact. Gameplay revolving around avoiding the King of the Monsters' rampage, knowing that he could appear anywhere, and you wouldn't ever be able to truly escape him, since there is no physical obstruction that could keep him away. Of course, there would have to be a reason he doesn't just ignore you, but still.

In fact, this could apply to any sort of giant monster, in a destroyed city setting where the only goal is to get to somewhere safer than your current position, avoiding a gigantic titan of a beast all the way. It could make for quite the emotional thriller!

@TheGman123- Take my currency!

@Destroyah-x

"The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control,...and not the other way around."

(Man, I love that line... )

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown” ~H. P. Lovecraft

yeah, i used to be scared of him when i was a little kid (around 5 or so)

From what I've been reading from all of you I can say for certain that this thread is by far the best in my opinion. I too believe Godzilla to be both terrifying in concept and execution in most instances. I'm glad we all seem to agree that true fear is fear of the unknowable, something far beyond anything we could ever hope to understand or best for that matter. Godzilla, to me at least, represents a creature with no motivations, no qualms, and no mercy. He is a creature that only exists to cause us suffering and needs no reason for doing so. That isn't to say the he targets us, for we pose no threat to him, but it is his very existance that paints a path of destruction through all that we have wrought - as if we were nothing to him, less than nothing. He doesn't care about us and his actions are so primal, any intent is but instinct to him and so far from any human's understanding. We can't lable him as an animal with but an animal's intellect because everything that the king is becomes so far from that concept that its impossible for it to hold any merit. Godzilla is not just an animal. To us, he is pain, loss, sadness, anger, fear, and envy. We envy him, a superior being that could go on to live a thousand more years without us and not even blink at the idea of it. We could all be killed in his wake and it wouldn't even matter, he would go on with everything else as if we never existed, that is the true meaning of insignificant and that is why Godzilla is terrifying, because in comparrison to the king we are nothing more than grain of sand on the beach, and as insignificant as a fleeting memory.

And if I haven't already said it, I am loving this thread. Good talk everyone! Can't wait till May 16th ;)

Not sure if it was mentioned, but even Gareth himself said that we as humans always have that fear of a threat, like something is coming to get us, from us being in grass huts the incarnated fear was smaller and as our huts turn into skyscrapers, the fear of that threat grows. I think he nailed it on the head.