A '90s Godzilla Movie Was Accused Of Having An Anti-American Message

Ever since he stomped through Japan in 1954, the fire-spewing kaiju Godzilla has captivated audiences around the world for decades, sparking franchises and universes filled with other ground-shaking monsters just as tough as he is. Well, almost. Flash forward to today, and fans of Godzilla are spoiled for choice, with the likes of "Godzilla Minus Zero" (the sequel to the spectacular "Godzilla Minus One") just around the corner, as well as five American films, along with the popular Apple TV series, "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters," which also had a special appearance from the King of Monsters. 

There was a time, however, when Godzilla's actions in one of his movies didn't sit well with U.S. critics, who deemed one scene in question anti-American. The seismic scuffle with Godzilla occurred in 1991 in the movie "Godzilla vs King Ghidorah." Between squaring off against the other titular beastie of the piece, there was a sequence in which Godzilla defended Japanese soldiers from American adversaries. It was a moment that struck a nerve with critics in the U.S., who were quick to call it out.

According to Steve Ryfle in his book, "Japan's favorite mon-star: the unauthorized biography of 'The Big G'," "Entertainment Tonight" hosted a scholar of Japanese cinema, James Bailey, who said, "The last three [Godzilla] films have had a very pronounced anti-American bias about them." For the movie's director, though, he saw just another casualty for Godzilla to crush, no matter where they came from.

When news spread that Americans were unhappy with how they were being portrayed in the film, word reached director Kazuki Omori, who struggled to see the issue with the sequence in question. "Japan has been bashed by the rest of the world because it achieved such economic miracles. So I took this background into consideration in portraying Godzilla." Omori went on to add that the parties involved, playing the unfortunate U.S. casualties that got caught in the kaiju chaos, didn't see an issue.

"The American actors in the film were very happy about being crushed and squished by Godzilla, and they went home happy. So, taking all this into consideration, I don't see any anti-Americanism in the film," assured the director. Thankfully, a lot of time has passed since this minor criticism in a massive scenery-wrecking movie. Besides "Godzilla Minus Zero" on the way, Warner Bros.' expansion of its MonsterVerse franchise will continue in 2027 with "Godzilla x Kong: Supernova." That movie will once again see the King of Monsters and the King of Skull Island potentially team up to take on what many anticipate to be SpaceGodzilla.

The film will star "The Last of Us" star Kaitlyn Dever alongside Sam Neill, Dan Stevens, and Jack O'Connell of "Sinners" and "28 Days Later: The Bone Temple" fame. Speaking of "Sinners," they'll also be something of a reunion as Delroy Lindo is also set to make an appearance. You can see who and who doesn't get stepped on when "Godzilla x Kong: Supernova" arrives in theaters on March 26, 2027.