NOTZILLA (2019): King of the Kaiju Spoofs

Kaiju parody has been done a lot. Whether it is minor snippets of other spoof movies such as the truly dreadful ‘Spermzilla’ from Chillerama or the lovingly-crafted works of Minoru Kawasaki, their effectiveness varies on taste. While my personal favourites come from Japan with films like Outer Man (2015) or Attack of the Giant Teacher (2020), our movie today manages to add the charm from those aforementioned movies but it hails from North America. Notzilla (2019) is a film that not all will love. The comedy is quite broad but it is a lovingly crafted exploration of Kaiju cinema through a comedic lens.

I have a mixed history with spoof films in general. Even the best of the best still usually have jokes that punch down and make me feel uncomfortable. Whether it’s racism, sexism, or jokes at the expense of LGTBTQIA+ community, they have a tendency to rear their ugly head in most spoofs. Luckily for Kaiju fans, Notzilla shies away from the cheaper aspects of humour and goes for the much harder task which is making fun of the people who make those jokes.

See, in Notzilla the villain is a ridiculously over-the-top American scientist named Richard Blowheart and, as such, the movie is opposed to his classic 50s worldview, not supporting it. There is an issue I do have with Notzilla in this regard and it is a bit up to interpretation as to how you feel about it. The main character Hiro Honda speaks in broken English that did rub me the wrong way. There is a history of Godzilla parody in the west that uses this trope and, in fairness, many of these movies did have racist dubs upon them when they reached the states. Gigantis The Fire Monster (1959) is a big example of this where it did feature actors of Japanese descent performing the dub but they were instructed to do so in the broken English racist cliché. For Notzilla they do at least establish that Honda (Federic Eng-Li) is just beginning to learn English and is not a native speaker. This does not excuse the trope appearing here but there is an in-movie explanation. Asides from that, Honda is a very kind and thoughtful character; he does not want to kill the monster, which has him insulted by the toxic males who surround him.

Notzilla, whilst being a goofy spoof, does have an interesting plot with a solid through-line. The Japanese Government destroys a Kaiju and the doctor who helped them understand the creature feels an immense guilt. Professor Hiro Honda finds out that the creature laid an egg and decides to take the creature to Ohio to raise him. The egg gets thrown off the plane due to a toilet incident where it is found by a pair of American Scientists one of whom feeds the young creature beer which begins its rapid growth. The rest of the movie showcases how the military and the public react to this beer-guzzling giant creature. 

For a movie called Notzilla, the main plot has a lot more in common with Pulgasari (1985), with beer replacing metal. However, unlike Pulgasari or Godzilla, Notzilla is a peaceful creature, never killing anyone and never doing anything malicious. There is a kindness at the heart of this movie that gets you through some of the jokes that don’t land. Too often parodies tend to get really mean spirited, whereas this one is about kindness. They state multiple times that Notzilla doesn’t kill anyone, you see him take out planes, and trains but the military specifically states that he is seemingly playing, not hurting a soul. This helps to lead the pacifist angle at the heart of the film which is very true to the spirit of classic Kaiju media. Perhaps I give the film too much credit as there are plenty of fart gags and absurdist comedy but there is an undeniable theme. 

The jokes will either work for you or they won’t. There is a lot of charm to be found if you’re willing to let it wash over you, however if you find yourself not enjoying the first ten minutes then chances are you won’t enjoy the rest of it. This is a very consistent film in that the quality and type of jokes told within all feel torn from the same cloth. My favourites are the evolution of the waitress/investigative reporter who continues to shoehorn her way into every scene to a hilarious degree and one-off jokes like when the military Mime’s the field instead of mining it. All of the shots at American Machismo is a fantastic change of pace as well and leads to some truly hilarious interactions between Blowheart and the 2 and a 1/2 Star General as they both try to position themselves as the hero of the monster attack. Some of the broader attempts at comedy did not always work for me and there were a few groaners but the movie throws so many jokes at you that eventually something will hit and chances are it will surprise you.

Kaiju spoofs usually tend to skimp on the effects and purposely make them look cheesy in order to compensate for their budget whilst also poking fun at the genre. Notzilla does do this, however they did not skimp on designing the suits specifically and they play around with their effects so it is much more than a ‘lol these look like toys’ gag that we usually see. Highlights like seeing the interaction with a train like it’s a model train and catching the planes by the wires. Above and beyond all of the other effects is without a doubt the actual Notzilla suit. This suit is adorable as hell and is very charming. The unique design lends credence to the creature’s likability and you want to see him succeed. Honestly, creature creation is a thing you very rarely see done well in Kaiju parodies and this one just knocks it out of the park. 

Notzilla is a parody that has a heart and a through-line that made me forgive some of its shortcomings. The use of direct references to people like Ishiro Honda proves that this is a labor of love and there are a lot of clever effects sequences that will make you feel like you’re in the world of a Toho film from the late 70s. For a no-budget feature they replicate the effects styling extremely well. This will not blow your mind or change your life but in the world of North American Godzilla spoofs it stands heads and shoulders above the rest. It is the King of the Monster Spoofs.