Godzilla stormed onto the scene with his first black-and-white motion picture in 1954. His origin is culturally and unequivocally Japanese. At first, this movie monster represented three things: war, nuclear weapons, and immense power.

History shows again and again that cataclysmic events and their aftermath never leave the consciousness—especially for the Japanese people after World War II.

But the creators at Toho Studios had no idea how this king of the monsters would mutate, seventy years later, into a colossal pop cultural icon of many meanings. In the last seventy years, Godzilla has undergone many transformations. From the fear-inducing monster to an anti-hero to guardian of the Earth, the king of the monsters now appeals to many fans all over the world. He fights off other kaiju, develops an interspecies love interest, and even knows kung-fu!

Even in the last single year, we see Godzilla show different forms and talents:

• Godzilla Minus One pitted a monstrous Kaiju in its original form—an entity of immense power and destruction set on destroying Japan.
• Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire reimagines Godzilla as the guardian of the Earth fighting along King Kong to protect his domain.

Both movies released in the last year. Both got lots of attention, one with an Academy Award and everything, the other with blockbuster movie bucks. But what are the differences between them? Symbolism vs. spectacle.

Beware colossal spoilers, especially for 2024’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

Godzilla Minus One stars the monster’s massive symbolic power

Godzilla: Minus One (2023) has everything you want in a movie: great story, excellent acting, gorgeous cinematography, and of course, a scary as all-get Godzilla.

Minus One follows failed kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) in the aftermath of World War 2. He lands his plane on the base at Odo Island. There the head mechanic, Sōsaku Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki), realizes Shikishima has deserted his post.

Now the titular monstrous creature enters the scene. The locals call him “Godzilla.” He’s the size of a four-story building, with the appearance of a prehistoric dinosaur—an elongated neck, hunched back, and fearsome jagged teeth. A spiny ridge trails from the top of his head to his tail.

In the ensuing mayhem, Tachibana begs Shikishima to use the plane’s guns and shoot the creature, but the deserter pilot is paralyzed by fear and self-preservation. Because of his inaction, all the men are killed except for him and Tachibana.

Shikisima is now haunted by his failures, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and survivor’s guilt. He returns home to a decimated Tokyo and learns his parents are dead. As Japan rebuilds, he happens to meet a young woman named Noriko Ōishi (Minami Hamabe) and an orphaned baby named Akiko. Over the next few years, Shikisima, Ōishi, and Akiko live together as if they’re a family, but he never proposes to her or give her the protection of his name. This later becomes highly significant in Shikisima’s story.

Meanwhile, Godzilla is mutated by nuclear tests performed by the U.S. government, destroying ships as the monster makes its way to Japan. Post-war politics interfere with international aid, and the Japanese government, aware of the threat Godzilla presents but not wanting to start a panic, say nothing to the public.

Shikisima takes a job of as a minesweeper, dismantling underwater naval mines left during the war. He and the crew are tasked with stalling Godzilla’s advance. They detonate a bomb in his mouth, doing some damage, but he regenerates. When Godzilla makes landfall, he destroys most of the district, and in the chaos, Ōishi sacrifices herself to save Shikisima. Now he vows revenge against the beast.

Godzilla Minus One helps viewers understand how devastating an external power can be and that you might feel helpless when faced with insurmountable odds, be it a Kaiju or some personal demon. However, the hope of the movie is that all things are conquerable and that monsters can be defeated.

Godzilla x Kong trades symbolism for spectacle: kaiju go rowr

In 2014, Legendary Pictures acquired the rights to Godzilla and other fictional creatures, including King Kong. This acquisition was intended for an American reboot of Godzilla, and other characters created and owned by Toho Studios. This led to the MonsterVerse franchise, spawning the movies Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and the latest entry, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024).

Godzilla x Kong picks up from Godzilla vs. Kong, with the great ape is learning more about hollow Earth. Hunted by other creatures, Kong falls deeper into the realm and discovers an uncharted area. There he wields off an attack by knife-wielding apes and meets their wicked leader, the Skar King, who rules the tribe with the help of an ice Titan named Shimo. He controls the Titan with a pain-inducing crystal. Kong challenges Skar King and nearly wins—until Shimo freezes his hand with frostbite.¹

In addition to monsters, Godzilla x Kong features people. But honestly, they add nothing to the plot. They talk, and they’re involved. They do some things. But apart from a Titan veterinarian who gives Kong a new tooth, and a psychic message to Jia (the lone child survivor of Skull Island’s Iwi tribe), the humans are not important.

Oh, and Godzilla kills a Titan and powers up, turning his scales pink. After that, he gets into another fight with Kong. And he runs. Yes, a megaton-huge Godzilla runs thirty miles an hour.²

The human girl Jia summons a reborn Mothra, who persuades Godzilla to fight on behalf of the Iwi. The final battle features Kong vs. Skar King and Godzilla vs. Shimo. In the end, Skar King is destroyed, Godzilla returns to sleep in Italy, and Kong becomes the ape tribe’s new ruler in Hollow Earth.

Ultimately, Shikisima and Kong both seek the same resolution

What’s the difference between these two monster movies? It’s like comparing sashimi with Jell-O. One’s food. One’s gelatin. Both are technically edible.

Godzilla Minus One is a human drama, a symbol of one man’s path to redemption as he finds his place against overwhelming odds in a post-war world. Here, Godzilla is terrifying. He is a threat, a danger, and exhibits a primal, animalistic instinct to claim his territory and displace the Japanese. The movie gives multi-layered social commentary without beating us over the head, relatable characters in whom we fully invest, with gritty and dark cinematography.

Meanwhile, Godzilla x Kong is spectacle, plain and simple. This movie doesn’t take itself seriously and stays aware of its own ridiculous premise. Because of that, one can turn off one’s mind and just enjoy this for what it is—a movie about a giant monkey and giant lizard who fight another giant monkey and giant lizard.

And he kills thousands of people, but no one cares about them.

Honestly, I enjoyed Godzilla x Kong for spectacle. It was pure escapism, like Jell-O.

Minus One, however, explores big themes that I think it lost in today’s culture wars. Instead of recognizing an individual’s pain, we overemphasize the value of groups. In the film, many people urge Shikisima to live, in direct contradiction to his job as a kamikaze pilot. He’s supposed to die for his country’s cause. But even his parents, who knew the nature of his job was, asked him to live. To come back home.

From outside the screen, you ache with Shikisima. And in real life, our real pain can feel so overwhelming, we think that no one cares about it. Yes, the Lord cares for people groups, but He sees the individual and He knows exactly who you are.

As for Godzilla x Kong, this story focuses on Kong’s vulnerability and search for family. Although the tooth-replacement scene technically added nothing to the movie, it does show that Kong can rely on the humans when he needs help. His pain was physical, but the humans couldn’t give him what he needed the most.

Scripture encourages Christians to practice this intentional community as the Church—“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”³ We weren’t meant to live alone, or to fight our monsters alone. Kong eventually found a place to belong. So does Shikisima.

Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla x Kong are both worth watching. But you’ll like them best if you know your preference—healthier raw fish, or colorful sweetened gelatin.