Godzilla and the End of the World

G-Zilla returns to rack up more collateral damage in an effort to save mankind in Godzilla at World's End, the third novel in Marc Cerasini's Godzilla series of books. After the underwhelming Godzilla 2000, which had about five different plots going on at once, this book forgivingly revolves around a single calamity. Once again dealing with a threat to all life on Earth, our worries originate from below us as opposed to above.

While 2000 only had a kaiju count of six, World's End employs a whopping ten monsters to battle over Earth's future. And the scary thing is, even though the same amount of pages are used in this book and the previous, Cerasini does a much more satisfying job utilizing the kaiju this time around, even though there were four more of them to worry about. The havoc is also spread more across the globe, rather than brief stopovers in France and Britain before focusing on the States.

Kaiju Cast
Godzilla- rises up from the ocean depths to defend Nature from those who seek to harm her.
Mothra- once more appears in a single character's dream sequence to clue her in on the true cause of the kaiju uprising.
Anguirus- a monster thought only to exist in legend, the spiked saurian defends his apparent homeland Russia from monster invaders.
Rodan- the hatchling from the previous book has done some growing up and takes up the mantle of "Defender of the Skies".
Gigan- a viscious cyborg with sharp limbs that seeks to eliminate the world's satellite communications.
Manda- a traditional-looking Chinese dragon who goes medieval in Shanghai.
Megalon- the towering cockroach with drill hands rains his lightning on South America.
Hedorah- an extremely lethal monster comprised of toxic sludge and gas, he has the ability to go airborne to spread poisonous death across the populace, or transverse the ground for a more direct approach to those who may threaten him.
Battra- a sinister looking insect monster who is a dark parallel to Mothra, both in appearance and intentions.
Biollante- the ultimate weapon employed by the mysterious warmongers to wipe out humanity once and for all. A massive plant kaiju with a monstrous maw and ever-growing vine tendrils.

Story
The story begins eight years in the past at the literal "end of the world", Antarctica. A young explorer discovers her frozen-to-death father at the bottom of a pit. After being menaced by giant plant vines, an earthquake opens up the ground beneath her and consumes both her and her father's corpse.
In the present time, America is still trying to rebuild itself after the devastation caused by Godzilla's rumble with King Ghidorah. Also, a technologically advanced flying airship called Destiny Explorer is being prepped for its maiden flight to Antarctica.
At the same time, the South Pole is hit with disaster as a giant abyss opens up from within the earth and the gigantic cyborg Gigan is set loose upon the world. It's first mission is to fly into the atmosphere and destroy all the Earth's satellites in an effort to cripple communications. Russia launches a nuclear missile in response, but all it succeeds in doing is drawing the monster to them in retaliation.
Bursting from the crust of Peru, insectoid kaiju Megalon tears up a small settlement in Lima. Burrowing up from an unfinished tunnel in China, the serpentine dragon Manda puts the squeeze on Shanghai. Each country's respective militaries fail to repel their monster threats, and it seems those countries are about to crumble when the Earth's own defenders arrive to counter the threats. Godzilla rises from the East China Sea to grapple with Manda. The spiky Anguirus surfaces from the Caspian Sea to tackle Gigan. After trying battles, both of the saurian sea monsters successfully dragged their unconscious foes into the churning waves, no longer a threat for the foreseeable future. The combined U.S. and Peru militaries manage to drive Megalon into the Amazon rain forest.
But the mysterious forces from within the earth that unleashed the previous terrors aren't finished. Launching from the Pacific Ocean and flying over Osaka, the smog monster Hedorah begins to choke out the populace with his toxic gas and sludge. The repulsive moth Battra chases the Destiny Explorer in Chile. Instinctively, Godzilla hones in on Hedorah, and Rodan's offspring arrives to fight off Battra. Both dispatch their opponents with ease.
The climax sees the Destiny Explorer fly into the earth itself through the abyss created in the South Pole, with Godzilla hot on its heels. Who or what are the unknown aggressors to mankind's livelihood? And will they be successful in their war when they play their trump card in the form of Biollante?

Analysis
In the spirit of the Showa series of films, it's great to see Godzilla and his running buddies Rodan and Anguirus fighting against the forces of evil. However they all fight solo instead of the tag team battles usually seen in the films.

It's revealed that the evil kaiju that attack humanity were created by those that dwell at the center of the world in an effort to retake the surface for themselves. Author Cerasini had to look through the back catalog of Toho kaiju and select six monsters he best felt could have been manufactured by a subterranean race of creatures. I feel he chose well, as the creatures he chose are too unnatural to have been born by normal means, although I'd like to think that Manda and Battra already existed and were being mind-controlled by "the ancient ones". Let's have a quick review of the original origins of the sinister monsters: Gigan was a weapon created by aliens from Space Hunter Nebula M. Hedorah was an alien tadpole that fell from space from a meteor and grew into a pollution-based monster after feeding on Earth's refuse. Megalon and Manda were originally gods of the undersea kingdoms of Seatopia and Mu respectively. Battra was the dark parallel of Mothra, both of whom had a serious quarrel at the beginning of time. His goal was to defend the earth, but from human threats as opposed to kaiju. Biollante was created by a scientist combining the DNA of Godzilla, a rose, and his deceased daughter.

Other problems in the previous book have been addressed, such as a smaller human cast to care about, no elaborate back stories on people who exist only to expire in a few pages, and no overpowered military beating the supposed-to-be indestructible kaiju within an inch of their lives. However, if there were a couple of parts I could still change, it would be to have the cast spend more time in the underground city, as opposed to the final two chapters. Cerasini repeatedly compares Godzilla's head to that of a cat's. The only thing remotely cat-like about Godzilla's head is his nose. He also seems to want us to believe that Megalon and Battra resemble each other, but anyone who's ever actually seen them before will wonder what he is on about. Nick Gordon returns once more in a bigger role, but it appears his character has matured since the first book as he no longer spouts off line after line of annoying remarks. There's also two small and interesting side plots about a Russian patrol ship following Godzilla in an effort to secure samples of his blood, as well as the Big G attacking a freighter to consume its plutonium cargo.

The unnamed President of the United States in the story is eerily similar to the current real-life one, George W. Bush. It wasn't intentional, as this book was published before Dubya entered office. After major crisis strikes, he fails to adequately respond to and rebuild the areas damaged. The administration is referred to as arrogant and introduces programs which will not solve the problems facing the country. They wasted billions of taxpayer dollars several times over, fuel prices rocketed, and Americans were forced to adopt new rules and regulations that adversely affected their lives. This fictional President goes on to declare a state of emergency, puts the country under martial law, and suspends the upcoming elections. Hopefully that action won't be echoed by the real President.
I can't believe I just used a review on a Godzilla book to take potshots at Bush Jr. But I'll be damned if Godzilla didn't cause as much devastation on the fictional America than Dubya did on the real one.

The exquisite front cover of the book was once again crafted by Bob Eggleton. It features Godzilla, Biollante, and the Destiny Explorer airship within the earth's icy interior. On the back cover, it appears the synopsis was made before the final story was sent to the printers. It says that Megalon attacks Russia and Gigan invades South America, but the reverse is true. Of course, this could also just be an honest mistake. I just had to point this out because I'm a prick.

There seems to be a "moral" embedded within the human portion of the story. Not one, not two, but three young female characters have been spending their lives trying to imitate their father's aspirations. It also leads to be the key faults in their personalities. So remember kids: You don't have to follow exactly in your parent's footsteps; do what you want to do with your life.

Godzilla at World's End is the best book so far, and one I would love to see in movie form.

And that's just the way it is.

Benjamin Barker: The Barber of Fleet Street

I'd like to wrap up the end of 2007 with a review of Tim Burton's latest. I saw it yesterday at 8:00 p.m. at the Providence Place Mall. If you look at the ticket stub over there on the left, you would have seen that I was lying to you, you gullible twit. Now that I have destroyed your trust in me, let's get on with the review.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, is directed by Burton and stars his regularly casted actors Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Tim's team would have been complete if Danny Elfman provided the soundtrack, but in his stead is Stephen Sondheim, who does an excellent job. I saw this movie because Johnny Depp is so dreamy I'm a big fan of Burton's work.

The style is decidedly Burton-esque, anything less would have been a letdown. It's a dark movie in style and atmosphere, aside from a daydream sequence. And Burton's trademark black and white stripe combo makes an appearance as well.

The film starts with Sweeney Todd and a young sailor named Anthony Hope arriving in London from Australia. While Hope is hopeful of finding a good life there, Todd's aspirations are different. London is where he spent most of his years, and when his sweet life soured he found himself sentenced to life imprisonment in Australia by a crooked judge who wanted Todd's wife for his own. But the former Benjamin Barker escaped and assumed the name Sweeney Todd and dedicated himself to literally taking the lives of those who figuratively took his own. Barker/Todd was a barber on London's Fleet Street, so he returns to his old shop which is now situated on top of the worst bakery in the city. The bakery's proprietor, Nellie Lovett, is an old acquaintance of his wife's, and she laments that Mrs. Barker took her own life with poison. A bit of a kook herself, Lovett lets Todd reopen his barbershop, mostly because she is attracted to him. When Todd reenters his old place of business, he finds his set of silver shaving razors hidden under the floorboards, which become the tools of his wrath. His first victim is a rival barber named Signor Pirelli, who recognizes Todd as the former Ben Barker. He declares that he will blackmail Todd, but the demon barber "cuts" off his attempt. Signor had a child lackey named Tobias, who is then hired by Mrs. Lovett after claiming he was abandoned by his now former employer.

Meanwhile, the young man that Todd returned to London with is sitting on a bench across the street from a luxurious house when he hears a beautiful singing voice. He looks to the window it came from and spies a young, pretty blonde woman. It appears to be love at first sight when they lock eyes, and as Hope goes for a closer look, the door opens and an older gentleman ushers him inside. It turns out that the man who lives there is the main target of Sweeney Todd's vengeance, Judge Turpin, and the young lady is his adopted daughter Johanna Barker. Turpin himself is interested in Johanna, and threatens Hope with death if he ever shows his face again. Undeterred, Hope plans on stealing Johanna away and goes to look for Sweeney Todd for assistance.

Speaking of the judge, he soon makes his way to the barbershop and Todd finally sees his chance at retribution. But Hope bursts into the room right before he can do the job. Turpin, upon seeing the youth, is outraged by the company that the barber keeps and storms out of the shop. Todd is enraged after seemingly losing his opportunity for payback, but his anger is quelled when Hope tells him about Johanna, whom he realizes is his daughter. They devise a plan that will see Hope entering the judge's house with a key Johanna threw him from the window, and bringing her safely to the shop.

Thinking that his chance for justice has slipped through his fingers, Todd starts to go crazy, deciding that everyone in the world deserves nothing but death. Everyone who is to enter his barbershop for a shave and a haircut will get their necks cut instead. Lovett, wondering how they will dispose of the corpses, suggests that she use them to improve the quality of her meat pies. And that's when the killing spree begins, the barbershop, and in turn the bakery, enjoying heavy business. Back at the judge's house, Turpin discovers that Johanna is packing a suitcase and realizes she is planning to escape, so he sends her away to an insane asylum until she "learns her lesson". At the brink of executing his plan, Hope sees Johanna being packed into a carriage and taken away to a location unknown to him. Wandering the streets, he is fortunate to spy her in the window of the asylum, but can not find a way inside.

When Hope returns to Todd, the barber suggests he pose as an apprentice wigmaker, as the hair of the asylum's inmates are used for that very purpose. The plan succeeds as Hope makes his way in and tells the asylum's keeper that he is looking for blonde locks. He is led to a room full of fair-haired damsels, with Johanna amongst them. He rescues her by revealing a gun and using it to hold off the warden as they escape.

Tobias, the young boy who works in the bakery, becomes suspicious of what kind of person Sweeney really is, which leads to Lovett locking him inside her kitchen to be disposed of later. There, he discovers discarded body parts all over the place and realizes the truth of the pies at last. Todd comes down to kill him off, but Tobias seemingly escapes into the sewer. At the same time, Hope and Johanna, who is dressed as a boy so no one recognizes her, enter the barbershop. Hope tells Johanna to stay there while he goes to fetch a carriage so they can escape and live together in happiness in another location. With Hope gone, Johanna hides inside the trunk within the shop when Todd returns, trailed by Judge Turpin who has decided to get clean-shaven in order to make a better impression on Johanna when he goes to see her. What will happen with all these combustible elements gathered in the same place in the film's final moments? The conclusion features a shocking revelation when a background character turns out to be a key figure in the story, as well as a dramatic end to the tale by an unlikely hero.

Johnny Depp plays the film's protagonist... er, antagonist... let's just say "title character". He starts off as an anti-hero, deciding to limit the body count only to those who wrong him. But he soon evolves into a sadistic murderer when he feels that no one deserves to live anymore, including, as he puts it, himself and his partner in crime Lovett. Speaking of Lovett, played by Tim Burton's life partner Helena Carter, she comes off as a gentler, albeit still crooked, woman who falls in love with Todd and supports his endeavors. Sympathy can be lost for her when she gets the idea of making her pies out of the victims of Todd's "short cuts", but she often laments about the needless killing of innocents and wishes to eventually marry and live a somewhat normal life with him. The Sweeney Todd character himself is quite similar to one of Tim Burton's original creations, Edward Scissorhands. Both have wild hairstyles, pale skin, show little emotion, adorn themselves in dark clothing, and play with sharp objects. But of course, the biggest similarity is that they were both played by the same actor.

My only complaint with the movie is that there was too much singing for my taste. Just about 80% of the dialog is spoken in song. The songs were good and all, it's just that it was unnecessarily much. Although I guess one can't fault the movie because it's based on a stage play. I guess you could say that this movie falls into the horror-musical genre. As for the gore content, there's nothing visceral. Just a lot of gushing blood from severed blood vessels in the neck. If you love musicals but abhor blood, you may want to stay away from this one.

And that's just the way it is.

Journey To The Center Of Oz

Frank Baum's young audience spoke again, this time clamoring to know more about the former Wizard of Oz. They also decided that no book about Oz would be complete unless it involved Dorothy. Baum answered their wishes with the next installment in his popular series, called Dorothy and The Wizard in Oz. Like the previous book, most of the adventure doesn't occur within Oz, but in the fairy land that surrounds it. Or rather... beneath it. The first land they go to actually borders The Nome King's Dominions.

And now, your main characters for this excursion into the bizarre world that can't be found on any map:
Dorothy Gale- While on a trip to visit family in California, an earthquake takes her on an unexpected detour.
Zebediah Hugson- Dorothy's second cousin who takes part in her new adventure after the buggy carrying both of them falls far below the earth's crust.
The Wizard- The former ruler of Oz accidentally enters a crack in the ground while trying to land his balloon and rejoins his old acquaintance from Kansas.
Jim The Cab Horse- Zeb's old horse who tows the buggy. He still has a lot of physical endurance, as well as a bad temper.
Eureka The Kitten- Dorothy's pet who thinks herself to be the center of the universe, although quite resourceful.
The Nine Tiny Piglets- The Wizard's pygmy pigs who are part of his magic act.

Now a brief introduction to the new lands our explorers... explore:
The Vegetable Kingdom- The deepest part of the earth where the gravity is so low, one can walk in midair. The citizens are human in appearance, but are actually living vegetables. They don't take too kindly to the meaty intruders, who they accuse of bringing down a rain of stones that damaged their glass homes.
The Valley of Voe- A beautiful country where a fruit grows that renders whomever eats it invisible. The kind people who inhabit this land can only be identified by their voices. Unfortunately, that also goes for the bears who also inhabit this land.
Country of the Gargoyles- Home to hideous monsters who doesn't appreciate trespassers in their land. The most curious quality of this place is that everyone and everything is made of wood.
The Emerald City- Although reunited with old friends, don't think the troubles are over for the adventurers.

You know, I would briefly recap most of the story, sans the final scenes, but it appears that my descriptions of the characters and locations have already done that job. But if that isn't enough to satisfy your curiosity, I guess you have no choice but to pick up a copy yourself and dive right in.

One must wonder why Toto never gained the ability to speak while he was in Oz. I guess because Baum never thought that he would continue writing about it after his first book, so he never considered giving outside animals the gift of speech until more of them started coming in.

And that's just the way it is.