Gay for Godzilla
BAKER STREET
by Eric J Baker
The Japanese are famously ahead of the rest of us, what with their robot secretaries and automated assembly lines and soft-porn game shows. But a little-seen, underappreciated work of East Asian cinema from 1973 suggests they have long been more accepting of alternative lifestyles as well. It’s a film demonstrating that the bond between two men can be as strong as any other and that love conquers even the greatest obstacles.
The name of this unheralded art-house gem is Godzilla vs. Megalon.
Not gay MMA fighter Norifumi Yamamoto has nothing to do with this story other than being Japanese. I just figured a shirtless dude was obligatory, given the title of this post.
Yeah, I’m talking about the same movie that once served as Mystery Science Theater 3000 fodder. I am also aware that the phrases, “one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen” and “Godzilla versus Megalon,” have often appeared in the same sentence. Well, people once said those things about The Godfather,* which is now universally considered a masterpiece.
It’s time to give Godzilla his due.