The Empire State Building became the tallest building in New York City in 1931. King Kong climbed that building to make his last stand in 1933.
The twin towers of the World Trade Center became the tallest buildings in 1973. King Kong climbed those buildings to make his last stand in 1976.
On September 11, 2001, 21 years ago today, terrorists brought down the twin towers. One World Trade Center, a.k.a., the Freedom Tower, rose up from the ashes to become the tallest building in 2014.
Is the Freedom Tower ready for a kaiju movie?
What Is a Kaiju Movie?
If you’re not familiar with the word kaiju, it’s Japanese for “weird monster”. The first kaiju movie was “Gojira” in 1954. Better known as a “Godzilla” in the U.S. with English voiceovers and Raymond Burr as an American reporter.
The American counterpart to Godzilla has always been King Kong. Never mind that King Kong first appeared on the big screen 21 years before Godzilla did. The two monsters ended up battling each other twice.
The first movie was “King Kong vs. Godzilla” in 1962. A Japanese drug company brings King Kong from Skull Island to battle Godzilla at Mount Fuji. King Kong defeated Godzilla in the ocean and swam back to his home island. Godzilla was never truly dead at the end of each movie.
The second movie was “Godzilla vs. Kong” in 2021. A megacorp removes Kong from Skull Island to find the entrance into Hollow Earth. That prompt two major battles between the monsters.
- An aircraft carrier fight that leaves Kong unconscious and presumed dead by Godzilla.
- A three-way brawl with Mecha Godzilla that destroys Hong Kong.
Godzilla returns to the ocean and Kong returns to Hollow Earth.
“Godzilla vs. Kong 2” is currently in development for 2024. Will the two monsters come smashing through New York City? Probably not.
The next movie will be set in Hollow Earth and the third monster will be Space Godzilla.
The Freedom Tower
The Empire State Building was the tallest building at 1,250 feet in 1931. That record lasted until the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1973. The north tower stood at 1,368 feet and the south tower stood at 1,364 feet. When the twin towers fell on 9/11, the Empire State Building regained its title as the tallest building.
The original footprints of the twin towers became the 9/11 memorial park. The Freedom Tower got built next door and became the tallest building at 1,368 feet in 2014. The same height as the north tower. No monster has ever climbed the shiny blue glass panels of the Freedom Tower.
The most recent disaster movie, “Moonfall,” came out this year. A fun movie for having plot holes large enough for a space shuttle to fly through. The Freedom Tower stood untouched as an epic disaster swept New York City away. The Chrysler Building, built at 1,046 feet tall in 1930, wasn’t so fortunate and got tossed over to the Rockies.
A Freedom Tower Kaiju Movie
Is the Freedom Tower ready for a kaiju movie?
Maybe, maybe not. The tragedy of 9/11 still provokes strong emotional reactions in people 21 years later.
If a kaiju movie were to get made, I would like to see a remake of “It Came from Beneath the Sea”. The 1955 movie had a monster octopus wrapping itself around the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. A monster octopus could wrap itself around the Freedom Tower and give New York City a squeeze.