Headscratchers / Godzilla (1954)

• They dump the Oxygen Destroyer in the ocean. Which is made up (mostly) of Hydrogen and Oxygen. Wouldn't an Oxygen Destroyer destroy all the oxygen in the water, turning it into pure Hydrogen?
  • It's explained in the film that the Oxygen Destroyer is a chemical that breaks down oxygen molecules within a small radius causing asphyxiation among other things. That would mean that, yes, the area would be filled with hydrogen, but it probably wouldn't be that noticeable.
    • Fridge Brilliance: All the bubbles in the water during its activation could very likely be hydrogen.
    • If it destroys O₂ molecules by breaking them up, it won't necessarily break up H₂O molecules.
  • This theory was mentioned before the creation of the first nuclear bombs, scientists feared that only one nuke could destroy the world. However this obviously is not the case because the duration and maximum output of a nuclear reaction is limited, as would be the case with the Oxygen Destroyer. Yes the OD is not a nuclear weapon but it works similarly as both are weapons of mass destruction.
• Why was Dr. Serizawa so concerned about what could be done with the Oxygen Destroyer? It only works underwater, so unless Atlantis is real, it can't really do that much damage.
  • As a survivor of one of the nuclear bomb attacks on Japan, Serizawa was deeply conflicted because he was trying to create something beneficial to the world (a clean source of energy) but as it was only half finished it was only useful as a weapon. You know, just like a nuclear bomb. He was like a Japanese J. Robert Oppenheimer, but he didn't want his invention to become a weapon like that. And if you think an "oxygen destroyer" would only work in the water ... uh, what are you breathing right now?
    • Hell, in Godzilla vs. Destroyah, one of the characters outright states that if it were used on land Tokyo would have been turned into a Mass Grave.
    • Even if it only works in the water, the heck does it make it not a super weapon. Whoever owned could just toss it into the water and voila, all the ships in the area would sink straight to the bottom.
    • Uh, ships aren't made of organic material....
    • Or use it in a lake/sea/part of the ocean that people use for fishing, kill all marine life forms and let the people of the area starve.
    • There's also the proliferation factor. Think of the aforementioned Oppenheimer's concern about the atomic bomb. Science will not only build more superweapons, they will built exponentially more destructive super weapons.
• The military constructs high-tension towers in hopes to electrocute Godzilla. It literally took them less than a few hours to build said towers when it should take a week at most to build them. The original script didn't have this, while clearly stating it should take them 3 weeks to build them.
  • For an in-universe explanation, they probably gathered as many able-bodied men as possible and as many supplies as possible to build them that fast, knowing Godzilla could very well return that following night, as he did.
  • It's way worse then you think. Transmission towers actually can take up to 10 years to build. Unless super speed exists in this universe (which kinda sucks all the tension out of any rampage scene) then it's just a plot hole. There's no explanation that makes sense.
• Why was the research team sent to Odo Island equipped with radiation detectors? Why would they be trying to detect radiation if they have no reason to believe its involved at the moment?
  • It's 1954. A new form of energy that was previously literally science fiction was unleashed on the world nine years ago and its effects are still not understood, even by the very people who created it. The nuclear testing going on isn't just about developing weapons, but also characterizing their effects. If, in this context, something weird is going on and you can't explain it, you're going to send a couple guys with radiological training and counters just in case.
• Does Dr. Yamane know about Emiko's affair with Ogata? It would seem so since he seems pretty comfortable at his house. If so, why hasn't he told Serizawa about it, a guy who he apparently views as a son?
  • Most likely. As for why he doesn't tell Serizawa, its probably for the same reason Emiko is so hesitant to do so: they know how much it will hurt him.
• Pardon me if I've missed anything, but why is Godzilla treated as if it were a 100% innocent being who only harms humans just because it has been harmed by them first? Going by the words of the fishermen, Godzilla used to terrorize the surface world just for the heck of it, and the villagers used to offer it a young girl just so that it will leave them alone.
  • Godzilla is named after the islander's local mythical monster. Godzilla is NOT the actual monster, because the myth goes back centuries, and Godzilla was just recently disturbed and mutated by the nuclear testing in the past few years.
    • I mean, according to Dr. Yamane, Godzilla is over 2000000 years old.

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