What Made You a Godzilla Fan?

I remember watching these films as far back as I can remember on TV back in the 70s, ( I was born in 71 ), and I remember my dad taking the family to go and see the new movies at the theaters when they would come out. I remember watching the Godzilla cartoon from the early 80s. I will say he is one of my favorite monster heroes.  What made me a fan, The epic battles with the other monsters of course. The new Movies and animation just brings back all the good memories of being a kid except now they are just epic, I mean really epic. 

My venture began when I was 3 or 4 years old when I saw my first Godzilla movie which was, funnily enough, King Kong vs. Godzilla. Life as a Godzilla fan from that point on has had it's ups and downs, I drew a lot of fan art, saw as many movies in the franchise as I could which was rather difficult given the time, and even had toys of it from time to time. But in terms of fitting in because of it? Well, I kinda felt sort of left out because of it. That was until I met my still current best friend Ben Kirk, from there, I slowly became more and more comfortable, even embracive of my love for the Godzilla franchise. And that's my beginnings with the Godzilla franchise. I'm King Gargantuas, and I'll see y'all next time. ;)

Godzilla 98 was my favorite movie when I was a kid I was watching it everyday and I had a lot of toys of Zilla. I did not watch any others Godzilla movies during my childhood but my obsession for monsters and Kaiju grew up during this time. But it's just recently when Godzilla 2014 came out that I discovered the true Kaiju and Toho universe and now I'm just complitely obssessed with King Ghidorah and the others and I have no regrets ! 

My first movie was the 2014 movie when I was in 6th grade, and I loved Godzilla and other Kaiju ever since.

Oh dude , it was the way he was designed, giant monster atomic breath big spikes swims underwater, he’s a beast ! A freaking GOD he’s just always been my thing, my favorite. Just imagine anything beating him. But i think his story and design is brings me joy honesty 

What made me a godzilla fan was me watching the 1989 series it was my favorite show of all time

Actually i meant to say the 1998 series

I think for me it was my Dad who got me hooked when I was about seven. Just to see this awesome creature rampaging through Japan and battling other monsters was something that I enjoyed then and still do now. Watching the Godzilla movies is an amazing experience, particularly considering that the series, which is 65 years old this year, can show us the evolution of movies alongside the King himself. To me, seeing Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and Final Wars when I was younger had the two biggest lasting impressions, and I've been hooked ever since. 

When I was a boy I watched Godzilla versus megallon - and it had Gigan and Jet Jaguar....like how could I not love Godzilla from then on? Angirus and his call for help - and Godzilla coming to rescue his buddy, ghidora and the badassery that followed. Just the best memories.

thats not to say I didn’t always ALWAYS fall asleep during boring human parts. But I was always woke when Godzilla fights came on. 

I dreamt of a movie that would truly represent my nostalgia and love for Godzilla and then 2914 movie came out and it was awesome...but needed more! At least Godzilla was finally represented how he should be visually tho. Even if the story was “lacking”. Looking forward to KOTM. Finally a 42 year dream for me to be realized. :)

Pink here ......

Im glad to find the sight and join. The first memory of Gojira was 1962 and I couldn’t even walk. It was the 1955 version Godzilla King of the Monsters with Raymond Burr. I remember just being terrified and fascinated. I wanted to believe such things were real. As a child growing up, things weren’t ideal in my life but I could escape to my world of dinosaurs Gojira and the Universal Monsters. Every year a new offering and I devoured it. Back then, it was Friday night and Saturday morning creature features. There were no vhs or dvds. Still I have always had Godzilla toys tapes dvds etc. when I could build my library I ended up with all of the works of every Kaiju including the Grandaddy of all of them King Kong. I watch them constantly and once a year invest two weeks to bing every movie in chronological order. I enjoy fellow fan’s podcasts as long as they are not disrespectful of Gojira. I will never miss the opportunity to see a new release in a theater and get such a high seeing grown men filling a theater - with little or no children or women. I just laugh to myself and think - yeah we all get it. I love to point out the silly stuff (I am also a huge fan of Ultraman) but I truly prefer when Gojira is pissed. My favorite scene is the ending of Gojira 2000 when he is just pissed and spins around 360 degrees with his atomic breath burning the entire city.

I became a fan of Godzilla back in early 70's and haven't looked back. I am old school though and wasn't a big fan of the 1998 movie. 2014 was somewhat better. I was looking for new member introductions,  but couldn't find it. Hello to all Godzilla fans. 

I started when 2014 first came out, I’m pretty young so that’s why I’m so late on it but then after I saw that I saw the Japanese versions and oh my god I thought dang the Japan movies were so much better, and gradually I got more hooked on to Godzilla and here I am now

i think is because of the action, the love of then making movies and of course monsters destroing cities

Well, I am think the reason I started liking Godzilla was the fact that there was these huge unstoppable creatures in the world. And that Godzilla (sometimes) would help fight of these other monsters just to save us. Now, I am a fan of all kaiju even planning to make my own kaiju one day.

Can’t explain it just I am ever since I saw King Kong versus Godzilla on channel 11 at the age of five

Can’t explain it just I am ever since I saw King Kong versus Godzilla on channel 11 at the age of five

Can’t explain it just I am ever since I saw King Kong versus Godzilla on channel 11 at the age of five

Can’t explain it just I am ever since I saw King Kong versus Godzilla on channel 11 at the age of five

Can’t explain it just I am ever since I saw King Kong versus Godzilla on channel 11 at the age of five

I've been a massive fan of Jaws and Jurassic Park ever since I was a kid. I even enjoyed the '98 version of Godzilla, which is kind of awkward to think about now :) Then Peter Jackson's King Kong came along in '05 which really upped the ante for me. It made me a fan of Kong and monster movies in general. But it wasn't until 2014 that I became a fan of Godzilla too. I watched some of the original Japanese Godzilla movies a few weeks before Gareth Edwards' film hit the theaters, and while the outdated puppet effects looked rather cheesy (for someone who grew up watching big budget Hollywood films), they were incredibly fun to watch. I instantly knew what was missing from my life :)

1.) I love dinosaurs

Back when I was a kid, I love dinosaurs, I could memorize the species and the physical characteristics of each one

2.) I love dragons

Yep got a book about several dragons

3.) Environmental propaganda

My parents told me about the importance of our environment and the problems that we will face when people damage it. 

Godzilla is the mixture of all of three, a dinosaur that breathes radioactive fire he may be wingless but that didn't stop him from being the king of the monsters. (And I don't like the scene where he uses his atomic breath to fly, nope.) Lastly, he represents nature's wrath yet he was born from mankind's arrogance 

First: because I like dinosaurs and reptiles.
But my fanaticism began with high school when I first played "Godzilla Save the Earth" in an arcade center in my town.

With “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” opening soon, there’s an excitement I’m feeling that I haven’t experienced for a long, long time.  As I’ve watched the trailers that have been released up to this point and read through various fan sites, I began asking myself why I am more hyped for this movie compared to almost any other big-budget blockbuster I’ve seen before.  That lead to me think about how I got to this point in life regarding my passion for Godzilla.

The first movie I ever saw in a real movie theater was Godzilla vs. Megalon in 1976 at Bruton Terrace IV Theater in Dallas.  As a kid, I recall staring at the movie poster while my dad purchased tickets and not being sure what to expect to see on the screen.  But, I had a strong feeling that it was going to be fun.  When the movie started, it was easy to understand what was happening.  The “bad guy” monsters were very cool looking and up to no good.  The “good guy” monsters stepped-up to the challenge and eventually triumphed while facing adversity along the way.  It was a classic story of good vs. evil, working together and doing the right thing and I LOVED IT!  Today, there are critics who view this movie as not one of the better installments in the original series, which is referred to now as the Showa series.  But for me, it was magical!

The next few years treated me to even more Godzilla adventures at the box office.  It was great looking forward to a new movie on a regular basis and that helped fuel my fandom more and more.  In 1977, Godzilla on Monster Island (now called Godzilla vs. Gigan) and Godzilla vs. the Cosmic Monster (now called Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla) were released in theaters.  Terror of MechaGodzilla came out the following year and I felt like the monster parade would never end.  However, that turned out to be the final movie of the Showa series and Godzilla would be taking a break from the box office for several years afterwards.

Although new movies weren’t showing at the theater any more, my desire for Godzilla was kept alive throughout the early 80s with the annual “Monster Week” of movies shown on WFAA Channel 8, the local ABC affiliate, during the summer.  Those five afternoon days of various Godzilla or related flicks was something all my friends and I looked forward to seeing every year.  There was also the occasional Saturday broadcast of a Godzilla movie on one of the area’s independent channels, usually KTXA Channel 21.  Looking through The Dallas Morning News’ TV guide every Sunday and circling the dates and times for Godzilla movies became a ritual.  I was on a mission to see every Godzilla movie ever made.  When none were scheduled, I felt let down but never discouraged.  After all, there was always next week. 

The movies weren’t the only way I experienced the world of monsters.  The bible of all monster books at the time was “Godzilla” written by Ian Thorne.  This 50-page masterpiece published by Crestwood House featured stories and pictures about Godzilla and other monsters that could not be found anywhere else.  It was available at the Pleasant Grove Branch of the Dallas Library near my house and I checked-out this book over and over again.  There were many times when I returned it, watched the librarian check it in, and then immediately checked it out again.  As much as I loved Godzilla, I didn’t want to pay library late fees! 

That book taught me about several Godzilla movies I never knew existed.  Growing up, my family and most of the people we knew didn’t have cable TV.  And, in 1983, there was no such thing as Blockbuster Video yet.  So, if the movies did not show on local broadcast channels, then I wouldn’t be able to see them.  One day, I learned that a cable station called The Movie Channel would be hosting a Godzilla-thon in a few weeks.  They would be playing all the movies I had never seen as part of their broadcast.  I feverishly asked everyone I knew who had cable TV if they also had The Movie Channel.  Unfortunately, none did.  I knew I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away, so I got creative.  I opened up the Yellow Pages and contacted various motels in the Dallas area to find out which had that channel.  I found a few and compared prices to stay there the day of the Godzilla-thon.  I picked one and then told my dad about my plan.  I gave him enough money from my allowance and grass mowing earnings to cover the cost of the room for the day.  I could tell he thought it was strange and probably a waste of money but he knew I was determined.  So, on a lovely Saturday morning, we drove to a motel near US 75 and Walnut Hill Lane in north Dallas to watch Godzilla.  Although most of the day consisted of me sitting at the foot of the bed watching TV, it stands out as one of the best days of my childhood.    

While watching Godzilla movies is wonderful experience by itself, my friends and I were able to relive the action with a variety of toys, too.  In fact, the first toy I ever purchased at Toys R Us was a rubber 5” bendable Godzilla figure.  You can still find those on eBay sometimes.  I know because I’ve looked.  The pinnacle of all Godzilla toys at the time was the Shogun Warriors Godzilla figure.  My brother and I were the lucky recipients of several of these over a few years since we tended to break the red lever for his fire breath, lose his rocket hand or accidentally crack the yellow toes.  Thus, replacements were needed.  There were countless battles with this Godzilla toy facing off against an assortment of plastic army men, tanks, rockets, etc.  All that was needed was a flat surface and some imagination, and then the battle was on!  When I was 11, I received the Shogun Warriors Rodan figure for my birthday.  My bedroom saw many battles between these two beasts, with Godzilla winning most of the time.  Throughout my teen years, Rodan hung from my ceiling suspended by string, always waiting patiently for the next battle to begin.

When movies and toys didn’t do the trick, we became the monsters ourselves!  Much time was spent learning how to mimic Godzilla’s lumbering walk, Rodan’s wing movements, Megalon’s drills, Gigan’s hooks, Ghidorah’s heads, MechaGodzilla’s finger missles, Jet Jaguar’s karate moves , etc.  Our alter egos played out in backyard battles between neighborhood kids almost every weekend.  But, as hard as we tried, I don’t think any of us ever quite mastered the voices and sounds of the monsters.  Although, some have come close!

By my early teens, there hadn’t been anything new related to monsters for several years.  But, that changed in the mid-80s with the premier of Godzilla 1985.  I was thrilled at the opportunity to see Godzilla on the big screen in a theater once again.  But, in speaking with my friends about it, I noticed things were changing.  They no longer cared about Godzilla like I did and seemed to be interested in other things.  They viewed Godzilla as childish, and even silly.  I ended up seeing the movie with just my dad at the same theater where my fascination with Godzilla began in 1976.  Looking back, I did enjoy the movie and was happy to hang a poster of it in my bedroom.  And, the ending made me sad.  But, I couldn’t help but feel the magic had somehow slipped away.  Had I finally outgrown Godzilla? 

Over the next decade, many things occurred in my life.  I graduated high school and then college, relocated to another city, started a career, got married, bought a house, etc.  In other words, I grew up.  The Godzilla movies released during this time went largely unnoticed by me.  When I had the occasion of being in a toy or movie store, I would passively look to see what Godzilla merchandise was available.  But, I didn’t recognize much of it.  Names such as Spacegodzilla and Destoroyah had no meaning to me.  I didn’t know anything about these monsters and had little desire to find out.  I did rent Godzilla vs. Biollante at a video store in the late 1990s once but feel asleep while watching it.  I didn’t like this version of Godzilla because it was too different from what I feel in love with as a kid.  As a result, I felt disappointed and didn’t actively think about Godzilla any longer.

Then, in 1998, my interest was reignited.  A big budget Hollywood version of Godzilla was coming to theaters with state of the art special effects featuring well-known American actors.  With the success of the Jurassic Park franchise, I just knew the public was ready for the next level of action with this Godzilla reboot.  There was a new book available called “The Official Godzilla Compendium” that chronicled Godzilla’s 40+ year career.  I eagerly purchased it and enjoyed reading about the classic Showa movies that I hadn’t seen in years.  Also, reading about the newer movies from the 1990s that I hadn’t seen at all and finally becoming acquainted with them.  I was the manager for the Children’s Department of a large department store at the time, and I would make sure there would be plenty of Godzilla toys, clothes and collectibles available.  I was excited about Godzilla again and it seemed many others were, too.  Then, I saw the movie.  To say it was a let-down would be a huge understatement.  I remember asking my wife’s grandmother, who saw it with us, what she thought about it.  She said, “Well, it was very loud.”  She was 100% right; it was very loud and that’s about it.  I felt embarrassed for buying into the hype and being so utterly wrong about something I believed in deeply.  Placing the clearance price stickers on merchandise that didn’t sell at the store was the ultimate punch in the gut.  Perhaps it was finally time to leave Godzilla in my childhood memories.

But childhood memories work both ways.  The Oakridge Boys have a classic song called “Thank God for Kids.”  Indeed.  Having kids of my own has allowed me to walk down Memory Lane with them and reintroduce the Godzilla I knew.  Through the 2000s, we’ve acquired most of the Showa movies and my kids have seen them all over and over again (along with the newer movies, too).  They recognize the music, they know all the monster’s names and we’ve had many mock battles in the house.  Godzilla is known to stay dormant and hidden for many years, but then comes forth when needed.  Seeing the joy and excitement on the faces of my children while watching movies that are 50 years old, or even as recent as the 2014 movie, tells me the magic remains.  And, like Godzilla himself, returns when needed. 

So, now we come to 2019 and the eve of another Godzilla movie.  “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” will be the 33^rd movie of the franchise’s 65 year lifespan.  Why do I feel this one is going to be different than all the rest?  From what I can tell so far, the movie offers a complete package of everything fans want in a Godzilla movie.  A meaningful storyline about something important with interesting characters told on a grand scale.  Plus, there’s the unique opportunity to see classic Showa monsters in a way never before featured on screen.  And, all of this is being done by a great director who is a fan of the material.  Godzilla is back in a big way and so is the coolness factor.  With this movie, an entirely new generation of kids from around the world will be introduced to Godzilla for the first time.  I wonder how many of them will be standing outside the box office with their dad, staring at a poster, and waiting to see the fun on the big screen for the first time.  I suppose time will tell. 

There may be things about the movie I don’t like at all.  But, much like when I saw Godzilla vs. Megalon for the first time, I don’t see miniature models, or stunt wires, or a man in a rubber suit.  All I see is my favorite monster, Godzilla.  Maybe some people have outgrown Godzilla, but I haven’t and I never will.  Maybe some people won’t understand everything I have written, but the true fans will.  Yes, I will be taking opening day off.  Yes, I plan to see the movie multiple times.  Yes, I have bought some of the new toys.  Yes, I still LOVE Godzilla, The King of the Monsters!        

Having seen Godzilla 2000: Millennium some while in 2001 when I was 3, shortly before sending Jurassic Park 3 in theaters, I was hooked. Next year after that, I saw Godzilla x Mechagodzilla being advertised in a Blockbuster in the Mall, and I begged my mother to get it for me. It, and it's sequel to this day remain my favorite Giant Monster movie ever. My story spans many chapters, so I'll end it here with the very beginning of my origin. PS, 1998 isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be.

A Godzilla toy i got when i was 3

Godzilla was just freaking cool and unstoppable in the old films. He was so cool.

What inspired me most to become a fan is how Godzilla unconditionally went out of his way to battle forces that threaten the existence of humanity. Long live the King!

I'm more of a Jurassic Park fan, heck Dinosaurs and Jurassic Park are the reasons I joined the site a few months ago, but I'm more excited for Godzilla King Of The Monsters than I was for Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom, and that's saying quite a lot. I know this movie won't disappoint, but I'm still wary after JW:FK. What was I talking about again? Oh yeah, why I became a Godzilla fan. Well.... I don't entirely know. I think it began with when I heard the iconic music for the first time as a kid. Later I found out where the music came from, Godzilla. I searched for Godzilla on my channels and I was lucky enough to find one of his movies, him versus the giant Meganeura kaiju, wow I can't believe I don't remember its name...... Anyways, I loved Godzilla after that, but I couldn't find very many movies. I saw the original 2 black and white movies, and I have the original Godzilla V.S. King Kong, which I haven't watched because I'm waiting to watch it before KOTM or Godzilla Vs King Kong. Honestly I'm not much of a Kong fan, much more a Godzilla fan. He was always more interesting and bad*** to me, from his roars, size, movies, origins, design, and just the atmosphere that he creates whenever he appears in his movies. Even in movies that aren't his own he commands the world to bow down to him with his mighty roar, and the world would bow to him if it could (i.e. his roar at the end of Kong Skull Island). I also watched Godzilla vs Monster Zero and a few others that I can't remember. I even watched ZILLA 1998 (that thing is not Godzilla, if treated as Godzilla she is to be forgotten, if treated and Zilla she is one of my favorite kaiju) and the animated series that followed it. When Godzilla 2014 came out, I was happy that it wasn't as bad as America's last attempt to adapt Godzilla to a new series, but it was still kinda boring and had nowhere near as much Godzilla time as it should, even the MUTOs didn't get enough screen time. And they could have done so many things to keep the kaiju from reaching the coast that it's stupid, yet much more awesome, that they "let them fight". Still, it was a step up, and it would have 2 hopefully better sequels in 5 years.... oh crap.... BUT they are only a year apart from each other.... perfect time management..... and from what I've seen of KOTM, it won't disappoint. This will bring Godzilla to life, or at least come close. This will be the bad*** Godzilla we all knew as a kid. This will be the Godzilla we dream to see in American theaters. Almost forgot about Godzilla Resurrection. I really wanted to see it but I had no idea when it came out and where to find it, I still don't know where to find a dvd!!!

Just the monsters them selves. I love all of the godzilla monsters desgins. (expect for minilla) Thats what made me a godzilla fan!

I became a fan when I was very small. I went to a haircut place for kids and they had a little tv for you to play video games while they cut your hair (cool, right?). I, being the dinosaur lover that I was, of course picked the Godzilla game they offered. 

That's my earliest memory of Godzilla. In the following years, I watched Godzilla vs. Mothra, among many, many clips on Youtube, then a few years later saw the 2014 movie.

I really got into it when I saw the first trailer for King of the Monsters. In the past eight months since then, I have watched nearly all the classics, becoming a mega-nerd in the process. I am literally dying of excitement for KotM, beyond what mere words can describe. Can't wait!