You know that movie where the hero loses someone he loves to an act of senseless violence and so he embarks on a path of carnage and destruction to gain revenge by killing his way through a never ended succession of henchmen and lackeys on a quest to kill the people responsible for the death of his loved one and everyone who works with them? You know… all those movies that have exactly that plot? Well, Wayne was watching one of those movies — the recent film The Beekeeper — and he realized that it’s essentially just a Kaiju movie. That is to say, that there’s a whole genre of movie about an unstoppable monster on a path of destruction through an unsuspecting town… only it happen’s to be a single human being. Or at least that’s Wayne’s premise.
So, on this episode, Wayne is joined by Mav and returning guest Henry Arrambide to talk all about “the Human Kaiju”. What is it and why is it great Join us as we explore Human Kaiju films from John Wick to Taken and delve into what defines this genre, including themes of revenge and invulnerability, and how it differs from superheroes and traditional action heroes. Can women be Human Kaiju? Can Human Kaiju be villains? Listen as we try to work it out and then let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Citations and Links:
- This episode’s Call For Comments
- “JOHN WICK: Capitalism Dressed In Religious Clothes” by Danny Anderson
- Watch Wisecrack on YouTube
- Follow Henry on Twitter: @Hisabelbide
- Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme
- Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick
- Follow Wayne on Instagram: @tetroc2017
- Follow us on Twitter: @voxpopcast
- Follow us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/voxpopcast
- Subscribe to our YouTube channel
- Make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever podcasts are found and please leave us a review!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download