Unless he’s palling around with Minilla or Godzilla Jr., it’s hard not to see Godzilla as anything other than a 20,000-ton, fire-breathing metaphor. When used well, that symbolic weight crystalizes the terror of living in a world in which 100,000 people can have their lives snuffed out by atomic weapons.

Mental illness has become an increasingly prevalent part of on-screen storytelling. In particular, teen depression is often either a central narrative or character trait in media aimed at young adults. This is generally a positive thing, though it is certainly most powerful when the depictions are accurate.    Why is a