The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema's Biggest Monsters

This book was a great academic, scholarly, critical look at Godzilla, as well as the movie monsters who inspired him and others he would go on to inspire. I’ve read many books about Godzilla films, but while most of them do have a lot of factual information about the movies, I notice many of these other authors tend to spend more time on films they personally like, while neglecting critical study of others. While this book is not a film by film analysis of each Godzilla episode, the author does look at many films that others simply pass up because of personal preference with a critical, scholarly eye. For example, “Godzilla vs Hedorah” is a film that many pass over for academic discussion because many personally don’t like it, but this author talks about the movie in depth, citing many historical incidents that would inspire the film and their political impact. “King Kong” is also talked about in depth, because that came twenty years before Godzilla and was a huge inspiration for the kaiju genre. The author also talks about other films that were inspired by Godzilla like “Pacific Rim” and “Cloverfield.” So, if you’re looking for something that looks and Godzilla and kaiju films more closely in a historical and political context as opposed to what films are more popular, I highly recommend this book.

Barr examines the kaiju film genre through a variety of lenses, some of which were apparent to me, others not. One aspect that really caught me by surprise was the idea of pre- and post-9/11 kaiju films. While reading his excellent analysis of Cloverfield and the 2014 Godzilla, it occurred to me that the generations raised on 9/11 imagery were not only being presented with a different kind of kaiju film but were seeing the classic kaiju films of my youth (Godzilla, Gorgo, Mothra, etc) were seeing them in a much different light than had I. In this book, Barr not only reveals an intimate knowledge of the kaiju genre but a keen intellect in his analyses of the films and their relationship to society.

While many of the books observations do offer good insight into the Kaiju genre all too often the author's politics seem to overtake the intended content and proved distractive. Just based on the amount of content it is way overpriced as well not being worth the $10 price I paid.While those interested in film theory may find this book interesting I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to the general fandom.

A most insightful look at giant monster films and their historical and social background. Definitely some noteworthy and unique outlooks and perceptions within. Well worth a reading for those interested in the genre, although a bit expensive. As has been stated, while individual films are mentioned and discussed, this is not a film guide. One quibble: Since the book is primarily focused on Japanese films (Godzilla, Gamera, ect) why was the UK Gorgo's image utilized for the cover? That film received about two sentences mention, tops.All-in-all, an enjoyable read which opened my eyes to the deeper meanings of kaiju films!

"The Kaiju Film" places the venerable kaiju eiga on the operating table and, academic scalpel in hand, performs thoughtful and precise exploratory surgery into the internal landscape of this unique film genre. Barr examines the many cultural, historical, and political vertebrae that form the spine of the kaiju eiga genre, some familiar – atomic age anxiety – and some less so – perceived military might, particularly that of America. At all times, Barr’s intelligent and entertaining prose serves as an insightful primer on Giant Monster Cinema 101. His book is an important contribution to kaiju eiga scholarship – definitely a must-read for any self-respecting otaku.

Excellent read. As opposed to a film by film analysis, plot summary, and credit listing, which has been done very well elsewhere, this book analyses kaiju films in a socio-political historical context. This book provides a great deal of depth to a genre that is often understood in only a shallow manner. Very well researched, a brief but engaging read and a unique concept. The section on Yokai, Kabuki, Bunraku, and Noh was an excellent primer. All in all an excellent work and I hope to see more of the same.

Why would anyone publish a book about movie monsters and not print a single photo? I was very disappointed.

The book was overall good reading, but they missed one big movie and Inshiro Honda's inspiration. Ray Harryhousen's "Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" was not mentioned at all , nor was any other Harryhousen monster movie, even though "the Beast" was what inspired Honda to make "Godzilla"when he visited the USA

I'm a huge Kaiju fan and I bought this as some research reading material. I took the book on holiday with me and was very keen to get stuck in. However, I was incredibly disappointed!It reads like a University student struggling to write a dissertation about Kaiju films, running out of things to say very early on and just repeating the same sentences with the words in a different order.There is literally nothing in this book that you can't find from a Kaiju fan page or even dare I say Wikipedia! I paid £24.80 for this as well, feel completely ripped off!