Now that HBO Max has a veritable monopoly on the streaming rights for the Godzilla franchise, I've recently decided to go back and watch the film series. I have to say, of all of the goofy sci-fi concepts to get a facelift in the modern era, Godzilla has to exceed superheroes in terms of demanding a necessary level of reinvention. I'm not talking about the conceptual nature of the idea but rather the execution. Even though campy spandex and shoddy special effects hampered the mainstream appeal of superhero media from the 20th century, mainstream audiences were still somewhat receptive to the idea. However, getting the average person to watch two grown men fight in rubber suits? That was a tough sell back in the 80s.
The core metaphors behind Godzilla and other giant monsters are as salient as they've ever been, but finally, special effects have evolved enough to keep pace with human imagination. In some cases, the imagination of human beings conceived Godzilla-style creatures well before the invention of film. Such is the story of Bida: the African version of Godzilla.
In the video linked above, the YouTube channel Home Team History breaks down the story and key differences between Africa's Bida and everyone's favorite atomic lizard.
