d motorofficial f motor_mag^145THE GT-R USED TO REPRESENT TECH
AT ITS MOST CUTTING EDGE. IT DOESN’T
ANYMORE. IT NEEDS TO AGAIN
Tim Keen
THE HISTORY OF GODZILLA mirrors the history of Godzilla. The
earliest incarnation of Godzilla emerged from the Japanese Skyline a
decade after the earliest incarnation of Godzilla stomped all over the
Japanese skyline. Both were distillations of twin Japanese passions –
science fiction and science fact. One Godzilla was a post-W W2 mutant
that would go on to become a legend, the other a post-W W2 mutant that
would go on to become a legend. And back then, neither was even called
Godzilla, but the evolution into the king of the monsters had begun.
Those early Godzillas were sophisticated for their day, and still possess
a retro-futuristic coolness that turns heads today. But they have about
as much in common with the Godzilla we know today as a 300-metre
CGI megafauna has in common with a man in a rubber suit kicking over
cardboard buildings.
The Godzilla that made the rest of the world sit up and scream in terror
came decades later, when technology finally caught up to its creators’
ambitions. In 1989, Godzilla shocked motoring critics with its brutal
speed, driven by astonishing new technology, and enraged onlookers – or
a pack of arseholes, depending on who you ask – in Bathurst, who were
somehow affronted that the fastest car should win. And in 1998, Godzilla
shocked movie critics with its brutal unrelenting boneheadedness, driven
by astonishing new CGI.
Both Godzillas were at the technological cutting edge of their time, and
shifted the whole game downfield when the rest of the world realised how
far behind they really were. But what we didn’t know at the time was that
Godzilla was also at the cutting edge of another modern trend: the reboot.
Think back, back into the mists of time, way back into the distant
memories of 2007. The first generation iPhone was released. YouTube was
only a year old. Facebook had only just become open to the general public.And the R35 GT-R was unveiled, a demented sci-fi hypermobile that blew
minds with its face-melting high-tech all-paw performance. Nissan was
the king of the world. W ho knew what technological wizardry they were
going to come up with next? We all waited agog for the next magic trick to
emerge from behind the Nismo curtain. Turns out it was... the R35 again,
with slightly different stuff attached. Then the R35 again, with other
different stuff. Then the R35 again, and now – the R35 again.
It feels a bit like the planning meetings in the backrooms of Legendary
Pictures. “We did Batman, right? Then Godzilla. Those were great. Next
up, Batman again. Then Godzilla again. Then another Godzilla, then
another Batman, then Godzilla – can we do Godzilla versus Batman? Get
the law yers on the phone, ask if Batman can fight Godzilla.”
Now both Godzillas are being rebooted again, one fighting King Kong,
the other with new turbochargers and a carbon fibre roof. And of course
it’s amazing. It’s amazing because it was always amazing, and the Nismo
wonks have spread a little extra amazing on top, like adding chocolate
icing to a larger bowl of chocolate icing.
But it’s the same amazing. And call me spoiled, but it feels a little bit
like a shelf full of Readers Digests in the age of Twitter. It might be great
stuff, but it’s not new great stuff. And after 12 long years, even the sharpest
katana will have lost some of its cutting edge.
Sure, the venerable beast has shed some weight, about on par with Matt
Preston wearing a thinner cravat. And the engineers have tweaked the
old girl to keep her fresh. But 2007 wasn’t about tweaking. That was about
the mind-blowing new. I miss that, in this age of endless reboots. The
Lion King. The Jungle Book. Ghostbusters. Robocop. Roseanne. Hellboy.
Godzilla. And Godzilla, and Godzilla, and Godzilla. It’s time for evolution
to make another leap.