Sensibilities change, and we may never see such a seismic change as we did during the second half of the 20th century. It seemed like, as the millennium approached, the culture sped up exponentially. Technology and tastes evolved rapidly, and with them, arts and media.

The fact that one lifetime could contain the releases of movies as disparate as Metropolis and The Matrix points toward a medium taking flight over the span of comparatively few decades. No other form had developed as quickly and in so many ways as film did. While it continues to evolve to this day, it seems like the '80s and '90s presented the largest gulf separating the era's cinema from what came before it.

As commercial appetites changed, movies changed with them. A great way to compare these great movieplex mutations is to follow the course of a single franchise. Godzilla, for example, has been a franchise that keeps on giving, adapting with each successive time period and reflecting each era's mores.

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Ishirō Honda is one of the most internationally successful Japanese filmmakers of all time. Inarguably, his greatest contribution was co-writing and directing Godzilla. That movie spawned an entire series, recognized by Guinness as the longest-running film franchise in history. Honda would direct seven subsequent Godzilla movies, with his eighth and final marking his retirement in 1975.

In Honda's last interview, conducted by journalist David Milner for Cult Movies magazine, Honda looked back on how far Godzilla had come, and what made the newer Godzilla movies different from what he accomplished in 1954.

"I cannot help but notice that Godzilla films nowadays tend to focus on destruction. But in the end, it just means that, from the audience's point of view, they care less about the story and are just curious to see how the next monster will act in a rage. I think this is a sign of the times. Now, I will not negate this. It is up to the people who create the film, and I have no intention of criticizing the creators. I can only guess this is how this product called “Godzilla” sells today, whether it is well-made or not. The tokusatsu technology has progressed greatly. New visual images are being created using advanced techniques. The composite techniques have also improved greatly and are being used more and more. Aside from the Godzilla films, it seems impossible to spend big budgets on science fiction in Japan. I believe there’s a need for a leap in the actual contents of genre films as well."

Honda also challenged the more-recent Godzilla filmmakers in how they approached what the monster represented:

The way the Godzilla films are made has not really changed, including where they are filmed. The buildings are, of course, different, and I think it has gotten more difficult since I worked on these movies. The foundation of Godzilla’s existence— nuclear weaponry and its horror— remains, so it’s fine for that to be present. The issue is how that foundation is recognized and made aware. I feel that if Toho pushes a little further— such as the interaction with Godzilla as the counteraction/side effect of what humanity’s created in order to survive—t hey’ll be able to come up with a new Godzilla.