140) Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)

Halloween 2022's Godzilla-Maniapalloza Extravaganza #15...For the Love of Godzilla.

All Hail, the Monster King!

"Titanosaurus is going to join the ranks of the killers!"

Director

Ishirō Honda

Cast

Tomoko Ai - Katsura Mafune

Katsuhiko Sasaki - Akira Ichinose

Akihiko Hirata - Dr. Shinzo Mafune

Gorō Mutsumi - Mugal
Toru Kawai - Godzilla

Kazunari Mori - Mechagodzilla
Tatsumi Fuyamoto - Titanosaurus

The year is 1975. "Terror of Mechagodzilla" marks the last Godzilla film of the Shōwa era of Japanese kaiju movies. 

It was released in the U.S. as "The Terror of Godzilla" and is a direct sequel to the last film, "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla." 

By this point in the franchise, it's all feeling repetitive. That's not to say these Godzilla movies are getting boring, nor that "Terror of Mechagodzilla" is a dull film. 

The movie begins with the fight between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla as seen in the last movie. 

Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization) agents are searching for what's left of Mechagodzilla at the bottom of the Okinawan Sea. 

Their goal is to gather more knowledge of the Black Hole alien race that built this robotic, ballistic titan. 

During their search, a new monster submerges from the deep and attacks their submarine, killing everyone on board. 

This new monster is an aquatic dinosaur-like creature called Titanosaurus.  

Interpol quickly launches an investigation into the attack. A Marine Biologist named Akira Ichinose (Katsuhiko Sasaki) helps to trace Titanosaurus's origins to Dr. Shinzo Mafune (Akihiko Hirata). Mafune is hellbent on destroying mankind. 

Investigators meet Mafune's daughter, Katsura (Tomoko Ai) when visiting the doctor's house. She claims her father is dead and that she destroyed all his notes on Titanosaurus per his request.

However, Mafune is actually alive. 

The Black Hole aliens are busy rebuilding Mechagodzilla.

Tsuda, an aide to the alien leader Mugal, played again by Gorō Mutsumi, pays a visit to Mafune to offer the service of the aliens by having Mechagodzilla fight alongside Titanosaurus in wiping out mankind. 

Meanwhile, Ichinose falls in love with Katsura. Like the love-struck fool that he becomes, Ichinose inadvertently reveals all the information Interpol has on the Black Hole aliens, Mechagodzilla, and Titanosaurus. 

But little does he know that Mugal is actually a cyborg!

Her scientist father performed a ton of cybernetic surgery on her after she was almost killed by one of his weird experiments when she was a kid. 

Now, she has Mechagodzilla's control device planted inside her. 

Godzilla takes on Titanosaurus and Mechagodzilla - two
against one - in "Terror of Mechagodzilla."

Eager to get the ball of absolute destruction rolling, Mafune releases Titanosaurus on the city of Yokosuka earlier than planned, without any say from the Black Hole aliens. 

The monster goes on a complete and uncontrolled rampage. Interpol agents figure out that they can use supersonic waves to slow down Titanosaurus. 

However, Katsura destroys their supersonic wave machine. 

Just in time, Godzilla shows up and takes down this new foe. But the dinosaur isn't completely defeated...yet. 

The aliens capture Ichinose and force him to watch as they rerelease Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus on Tokyo. 

Interpol desperately tries to fix their supersonic machine. All the while, Japanese Armed Forces try throwing all the weaponry they can at these two giants.

Godzilla returns to fight both monsters on his own, but is initially outmatched, and collapses. 

Interpol finally repairs their supersonic wave machine and use it against Titanosaurus while Godzilla gathers himself and takes on Mechagodzilla. 

Agents rescue Ichinose and kill Mafune along with a ton of other aliens, who by the way do not turn into ape-like creatures when they die like they do in "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla." 

The remaining aliens attempt to fly away in their ships. But Godzilla takes them down with his atomic breath. 
Now, all that's left is to destroy Mechagodzilla once again and finish off Titanosaurus. 

Godzilla manages to rip the robot's head off, but underneath is a backup brain to control Mechagodzilla. 

That means Katsura must be killed if Mechagodzilla is going to be defeated, unless they can find another way to take it down. Well played, Toho. Well played!

Spoiler!

They don't find another way. Katsura tells Ichinose to kill her, but he loves her too much and can't do it. Katsura then shoots herself and dies. 

Mechagodzilla goes down. Godzilla then focuses his wrath on Titanosaurus. Once the dinosaur is out for the count, Godzilla walks back into the water in a sendoff I can only describe as tear-jerking.

Gorō Mutsumi as "Mugal" of the Black Hole aliens.

Godzilla would take a ten-year rest before returning again to the big screen in "Godzilla 1985," known in Japan as "The Return of Godzilla." 

It's a direct sequel to the original 1954 film, "Gojira." It's also the first Godzilla movie in the Heisei era of kaiju movies (1984 - 1995).

With "Terror of Mechagodzilla" Toho really went out with an entertaining and well-constructed bang. 

The film's campiness is found mostly with the dorky looking space suits and face coverings the Black Hole aliens wear. They unintentionally look fish with flailing arms, like something out of a Super Mario Brothers game. These costumes are even more ridiculous as the movie treats the invading alien part of the story with even more seriousness than before. The suits are cheesier than the Xilien space uniforms from "Invasion of Astro-Monster." 

Despite that, for a sequel movie, it one-ups the previous film in a few ways. The human story manages to be captivating, though it seems like there's more human focus than in "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla." Still, that part of the story plays out well and carries the movie along solidly. I was invested in the human story just as much as I was in the monsters. I think that's thanks to the movie's strong cast.

There are several parts I love in "Terror of Mechagodzilla." 

For one thing, the monster fights all take place within the city rather than taking the match to the country hillside or barren alien planet which always seems to be the case in previous Godzilla movies. 

During one of the fight scenes, Godzilla catches on fire as he takes on two monsters by himself without any help, except from Interpol. I don't know if the costume catching fire was intentional or not, but it helps either way. 

The production quality seems better than previous films as well. 

The use of Godzilla's original theme as heard in the 1954 film works amazingly well and gives me chills. The theme plays when Godzilla makes his appearance in the movie, and it's nothing short of bad ass! 

As Titanosaurus is wreaking havoc on Tokyo, Godzilla's silhouette is seen emerging from behind a building off in the distance. The camera switches back to Titanosaurus, as Godzilla's atomic breath comes from off screen and hits him in the chest, knocking him to the ground in a huge plume of dust. The camera switches to Godzilla's silhouette as bright flashes from behind him illuminate his presence, His face slowly emerges from the shadow, and his theme starts to play. Legendary!

"Terror of Mechagodzilla" marks the end of actor Akihiko Hirata's appearances in Godzilla films. 

He was meant to return in "Godzilla 1984" as Dr. Serizawa. Unfortunately, Hirata became ill before filming commenced and died that same year. 

He plays Dr. Serizawa in "Gojira," Dr. Shosuke Shigesawa in "King Kong vs. Godzilla," Police Chief Okita in "Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster," Captain Ryui in "Ebirah, Horror of the Deep," Dr. Fujisaki in "Son of Godzilla," and Hideto Miyajima in "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla." 

Through the magic of stock footage, he also stars in "Godzilla vs. Destroyah," (1995) and "Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla" (2002). 

Hirata also has roles in other Japanese films such as "Rodan," "Mothra," and two episodes of the series "Ultraman." 

"Terror of Mechagodzilla" is a strong film in the franchise, and a great picture to end the Showa era of Godzilla movies. 

Even with the corny space outfits, the movie is one of the more entertaining in the series with its fight scenes done to perfection. And it's all paced out well. Good job, Toho. 

And for the love of Godzilla, happy Halloween! 

Special Effects Director, Eiji Tsubaraya,
is considered a co-creator of Godzilla.

Actor Haruo Nakajima played Godzilla
in several films, including the first movie, "Gojira." 

139) Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Halloween 2022's Godzilla-Maniapalloza Extravaganza #14...For the Love of Godzilla.

All Hail, the Monster King!

"Stupid Godzilla! You're mistaken if you think your powers are a match for Mechagodzilla." 

Director

Jun Fukuda

Cast

Masaaki Daimon - Keisuke Shimizu

Kazuya Aoyama - Masahiko Shimizu

Hiromi Matsushita - Ikuko Miyajima

Hiroshi Koizumi - Professor Wagura

Gorō Mutsumi - Kuronuma, Black Hole Alien Leader

Beru-Bera Lin - Princess Nami

Isao Zushi - Godzilla

Kazunari Mori - Mechagodzilla
Kin'ichi Kusumi - Anguirus & King Caesar

The Godzilla franchise returns to a more terrorizing tone with "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla." A few of the previous films, namely "Ebirah, Horror of the Deep," "Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster," "Son of Godzilla," and "All Monsters Attack" leaned a little too much into the realm of dull, juvenile, or just plain weird. 

Now, Toho turns up the carnage and warfare in their 13th Godzilla film. 

Released in the United States in 1977 under the title "Godzilla vs. The Bionic Monster," it later went through a rerelease under the title "Godzilla vs. the Cosmic Monster." How many titles does one movie need? 

"Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla" marks the 20th anniversary of the King of the Monsters. And it's quite a spectacle. There's explosions and destruction galore!

The story takes place in Okinawa. A priestess named Princess Nami (Beru-Bera Lin), who lives in a warrior tribe called the Azumi, has a vision of the future in which the city is being destroyed by a giant monster. Considering Japan's history with Godzilla and other kaiju in the movies, a premonition of Okinawa destroyed by a monster is a reasonable scenario to come to. 

Keisuke Shimizu (Masaaki Daimon) and his brother Masahiko (Kazuya Aoyama) are attending the traditional Okinawan ceremony Princess Nami is performing when she has this frightening vision.

She freezes in absolute terror, and then collapses in fear. Her grandfather comes to her rescue when she relates the vision she had. And, really, what can anyone do? 

Afterwards, Masahiko heads to Gyokusen Cave where he's working as an excavator. He discovers an unusual metal that he's unfamiliar with.

He takes it to a scientist professor, Hideto Miyajima (Akihiko Hirata), to assess just what kind of metal it is. 

Miyajima is certain this metal came from space and refers to it as "Space Titanium."

Shortly after he comes to this conclusion, an earthquake strikes. 

His daughter, Ikuko (Hiromi Matsushita) comments that earthquakes have been a common occurrence in the area recently. 

Meanwhile, Keisuke and a government archaeologist named Saeko Kanagusuku (Reiko Tajima) investigate an unexplored cave in which they discover a prophetic mural along with a statue of a monster deity, King Caesar. 

King Caesar protects the Azumi royal family in Okinawa. His name is based on "Shisa," the stone lion statues derived from Chinese guardian lions.

Saeko is able to translate the text of the prophesy, which says, "When a black mountain appears above the clouds, a huge monster will arise and try to destroy the world; but when the red moon sets and the sun rises in the west, two monsters shall appear to save the people."

They take the statue, but little do Keisuke and Saeko know that two shady looking agents are following them. 

One of these mysterious guys tries to steal the statue from them, but without success. 

The prophesy begins to come true when a black cloud that looks like a mountain appears. Once it does, Godzilla emerges from Mt. Fuji. 

Though Godzilla has been tolerant of humans in the last several films, he goes on an all-out destructive rampage destroying everything in his path. 

His old ally, Anguirus reveals himself and fights him. During the scuffle, Anguirus tears off a bit of Godzilla's skin revealing glistening metal. But Godzilla attempts to kill him by trying to rip his jaw apart. 

Though seriously wounded, Anguirus survives and retreats to safety. 

Godzilla continues rampaging through Japan making his way towards Tokyo. 

And then, another Godzilla emerges! It turns out to be the real Godzilla. 

The other Godzilla is an imposter which reveals itself to be a giant robot...Mechagodzilla! 

This new foe inflicts some serious injuries on Godzilla, but Godzilla manages to get in a few blows before both titans retreat. 

Miyajima comes to the conclusion that Mechagodzilla is of alien origin based on the massive amount of artillery in bears as well as its space titanium construction. 

Keisuke and Saeko decide to return the King Caesar statue back to the temple, but while they're on the boat heading towards the Azumi temple, one of the people following them steals it while Saeko is asleep. 

When the thief is caught and tries to run from Keisuke around the boat, he's shot by a mysterious assailant. As he lays dying, he transforms into his true nature - an apelike alien creature. 

Meanwhile, Godzilla heads back to Monster Island and is struck by lightning several times which increases his energy and stamina. 

Masahiko, Miyajima and Ikuko explore the cave again where the titanium was found. They're captured by more of these apelike creatures. It turns out these aliens are from the

King Caesar takes on Mechagodzilla in
"Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla." 

 "Third Planet of the Black Hole." They're leader is Kuronuma (Gorō Mutsumi).

His dastardly plan is to use Mechagodzilla to ultimately conquer the Earth, and defeat Godzilla while he's at it. 

As luck would have it, a lunar eclipse takes place. This results in a red moon and a mirage of the sun rising in the west, thus fulfilling more of the prophesy. 

Now is the best time to awaken King Caesar. 

When the statue is returned to the temple, the priestess sings to awaken King Caesar. 

He appears from within a mountain, teams up with Godzilla, and the two battle Mechagodzilla for an ultimate showdown to save the entire world. 

The action and carnage starts around the 30-minutes mark. And when it's on screen, it doesn't hold back.

The writers knew what audiences and Godzilla fans came to see. They make it a point not to disappoint. 

Mechagodzilla can shoot missiles from his fingers, toes, knees, and can also shoot lasers from his eyes. He also spins his head around to shoot what's behind him while simultaneously shooting whatever is in front of him. 

He can also create a force field around his body. As these monsters tromp through buildings and avoid missals, it's one explosion after another.  

"Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla" seems to be one of the most ambitious Godzilla movies yet. It mixes ancient Japanese culture mixed with what was current science fiction at the time. 

In this movie, Godzilla teams up with a new kaiju titan whose history lies in Japanese myth and traditions. 

The two of them face off against the heavily weaponized robotic monster, designed by an alien race. 

When the priestess has to sing to awaken King Caesar, it goes on and on for several minutes.  

The antagonist of the movie, the Black Hole alien leader, Kuronuma, could easily fit within the rogue's gallery of James Bond villains. His appearance in a shiny silver suit with a patch of grey discoloration around his left eye makes him look like he's an agent of Spectre. His evil plans to take over the world with a giant robot also seem standard material for a James Bond movie plot. 

The story is a little difficult to get into. None of the characters are interesting enough to really care about. I think part of that is due to their being rather conventional. 

The fight between fake Godzilla and Anguirus is reminiscent of the duel in "Godzilla Raids Again."  

The initial Godzilla being evil makes Godzilla both villain and hero in one movie. 

All the standard Godzilla movie tropes continue on, with the action being the only aspect that's more intense than before...to some degree. 

The camera work is better when compared to previous movies, especially, "Ehirah, Horror of the Deep." The images are steady rather than constant close-ups, quick cutaways, and shaky camera work done in previous films, which left me wondering what I was looking at. 

One awesome scene includes a closeup of Godzilla peering over a mountain with anger clearly in his eyes. You can see that shot in the Japanese trailer. Another scene shows Mechagodzilla looming above buildings and structures burning in a conflagration of flames glistening off his metallic body. Iconic! 
King Caesar, by the way, shows up again via brief stock footage in the next movie, "Terror of Mechagodzilla" and again in 2004's "Godzilla: Final Wars." 

Toho clearly wants audiences to see Godzilla take on a titan greater than before. In that regard, the movie definitely delivers. 

138) Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)

Halloween 2022's Godzilla-Maniapalloza Extravaganza #13...For the Love of Godzilla.

All Hail, the Monster King!

"Get Godzilla! You'll find him on Monster Island!"

Director

Jun Fukuda

Cast

Katsuhiko Sasaki - Goro Ibuki
Hiroyuki Kawase - Roku-chan Ibuki
Yutaka Hayashi - Hiroshi Jinkawa
Robert Dunham - Emperor Antonio of Seatopia
Kotaro Tomita - Lead Seatopian Agent
Wolf Ohtsuki - Seatopian Agent
Shinji Takagi - Godzilla
Tsugutoshi Komada - Jet Jaguar

Imagine being this kid. 

According to wikizilla.org, the Japanese business group, Seiyu GK, which owned several grocery stores, shopping centers and department stores, held a monster design campaign called "Children's Monster University" around the end of 1971. 

Robots were quite the rage back then. There were a few of them airing in Japan such as Ultraman, Spectreman, and Johnny Sokko and his flying robot, Giant Robo. 

The campaign was sponsored by Toho Studios and Tsuburaya Productions (the studio that brought us the Ultra Series starring Ultraman.) It sounds like something I wish I could have been a part of.

Anyways, it certainly drew the attention of many young children over in Japan. A lot of submissions were entered. 

At the end of the campaign in 1972, some of those kids and their monster designs were invited to appear on a television program called "Katsura Kokinji's Afternoon Show."

The winner was to be announced on a particular episode of the "Afternoon Show" and the lucky child would see their design in the form of a costume. On top of that, Toho Studios would feature the winning monster in their next Godzilla movie.

Masaaki Sano with his picture of the monster he called "Red Alone" was that lucky winner.

And the next Godzilla movie ended up being "Godzilla vs. Megalon." 

Japanese special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano was given the task of redesigning Red Alone's appearance. Finally, Red Alone was reimagined into a robot and given a new name - Jet Jaguar. 

According to audio commentary from the DVD of "Godzilla vs. Megalon," Jet Jaguar's suit slightly resembles Sano's design with a red, yellow and blue color scheme rather than his white design.

Toho delivered on their promise and included Jet Jaguar in their next Godzilla movie, which is the 13th film in the franchise for those who haven't been following.

Not only does he debut in "Godzilla vs. Megalon," Jet Jaguar also shows up in the T.V. series "Godzilla Island" (1997-1998) as well as "Godzilla Singular Point" (2021). 

I don't know what became of Masaaki Sano, but I recently spotted a Jet Jaguar figure, part of a Toho Classic Series from Playmates, in the toy aisle at WalMart a few months ago. Evidently, Jet Jaguar is still around. Thank you, Masaaki!

In "Godzilla vs. Megalon" well...don't be fooled by the poster. Not only do Godzilla and Megalon not fight on top of the World Trade Center, but neither of them step foot into New York City. They don't even come anywhere near the United States in this story. False advertising.  

What does happen involves nuclear tests, aliens, several monsters, the Japanese military, bad guys trying to take control over a giant robot, Godzilla, and stock footage. All the ingredients necessary to create the standard formula for a Godzilla movie.  

After a second round of several nuclear tests are conducted along the Aleutian Islands, shockwaves from the blasts are felt as far away as Monster Island. 

They eventually cause the ground on Monster Island to split open. The monster Anguirus (remember him from "Godzilla Raids Again?") falls into the earth, but Godzilla narrowly escapes. 

Meanwhile, an inventor named Goro Ibuki (Katsuhiko Sasaki) is hanging out at the lake with his kid brother, Roku-chan Ibuki (Hiroyuki Kawase) and his friend and inventor colleague, Hiroshi Jinkawa (Yutaka Hayashi). While Roku-chan is out on the lake playing with a paddle boat, the water starts bubbling. 

Hiroshi and Goro rescue him just in time as the ground underneath the water opens up, draining the lake in minutes. 

A subterranean civilization called "Seatopia" has been living under the ocean floor for millions of years. And now they're making their presence known. 

The Seatopians look as though they stepped out of the Las Vegas version of ancient Greece.

These underground inhabitants, led by Emperor Antonio (Robert Dunham), haven't minded the world nor its inhabitants above them until nuclear tests horribly affected their capital city. 

Rather than submerge and tell the Japanese government to cut it out with the bombs and stop being so damn loud, they want revenge. They plan on getting it by letting their beetle-like monster, Megalon, loose on the surface. Megalon is no force to be messed with. He spits bombs and has drills instead of hands. So, in other words, Emperor Antonio wants to stop Japan's bombing by unleashing a monster who spits bombs. Take that as you will.

Meanwhile, Goro has been working on a humanoid robot fighting machine - Jet Jaguar.  

When they return from the lake, a group of Seatopian agents try to ambush the three of them and take control over Jet Jaguar. But they fail and are forced to flee. 

After Jet Jaguar is finally finished, the agents return. This time they manage to subdue Goro, Hiroshi, and Roku-chan, and gain control of their robot. 

They want to use Jet Jaguar, who can fly, to lead Megalon in destroying whatever city they choose at will. 

Hiroshi is taken as a hostage while Goro and his little brother are sent to be killed. 

The Seatopians waste no time in putting their plans into action. Megalon is revealed to the world, and Jet Jaguar is under their control. Their sights are first set on Tokyo. So, that's where Megalon goes. 

The Japanese Self-Defense Forces throw the strongest weaponry they have against this new monster, but to no avail. No surprise!

Goro, Hiroshi, and Roku-chan manage to escape alive. And Goro has a remote device he can use to regain control of Jet Jaguar. 

Megalon (left) and Gigan stand over a nearly-defeated
Jet Jaguar in "Godzilla vs. Megalon."

He sends his robot to Monster Island to ask Godzilla for help. The robot obeys, flies over to the island, and Godzilla agrees without an argument to swim to Japan and fight this new monster. 

While waiting for Godzilla to show up, Jet Jaguar decides to ignore all commands and take matters into his own hands. He grows to the same size as Megalon and tries to take him down. 

Seeing that their plans are being sabotaged, the Seatopians send a distress signal to their pals, the Space Hunter Nebula M aliens. They're the same aliens from the previous movie, "Godzilla vs. Gigan". 

They send Gigan to fight with Megalon. Together, they put Jet Jaguar through a pretty nasty beating. 

Finally, Godzilla shows up and teams up with Jet Jaguar. It gets brutal. 

The ending fight, two against two, is like a WrestleMania match before that was a thing. The two of them really start fighting dirty 

In one scene, Jet Jaguar throws Gigan into the air, and Godzilla nails him with his atomic breath. 

And the pièce de résistance to this masterpiece of a monster fight comes when Jet Jaguar puts Megalon in a hold as Godzilla gets some distance, and then runs towards Megalon. He leaps and slides on his tail to drop kick him in the stomach. The producers must have thought they shot a scene so brilliant, it needed to be shown twice. So, they show the same shot twice. 

Jet Jaguar certainly looks like he was designed in the mind of a child. I appreciation this kid's imagination. However, Toho could have at least made his appearance not-so-laughable. He carries this dopey grin on his face which is hilarious as the fighting gets serious.

After Megalon and Gigan are defeated, Godzilla and Jet Jaguar shake hands and Godzilla heads back to Monster Island. 

Goro, Hiroshi, and Roku-chan wave goodbye to Godzilla, and don't forget to thank him for his help. 

They walk away, with Jet Jaguar tossing the kid on his shoulders. The end. 

Emperor Antonio's mustache, sideburns and hairy chest don't make him look like the leader of an ancient hidden subterranean civilization. He looks more like he was working as the set's key grip or, perhaps, the caterer and the part needed to be filled on the spot. 

He just happened to be at the right place, at the right time. So they offered him a paycheck, told him to put on a costume that was previously used in the entertainment line-up at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, and gave him the direction to "Get out there, Bob, and... earn that paycheck."

Seriously, Robert Dunham, who plays the Emperor, is no stranger to Godzilla fans. He plays the police chief of New Kirk City in "Mothra." He also has roles in "King Kong vs. Godzilla," "Mothra vs. Godzilla," and the next film "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla." 

"Godzilla vs. Megalon" follows the same formula as before while trying to turn up the fight sequence a few notches. Though film after film is formulary, writers try to be more ambitious than before to some small degree or another. That's certainly true with "Godzilla vs. Megalon."

At least the story flows well, and the effort to write something entertaining is obviously there. It gives fans what they want. 

And Jet Jaguar even has his own theme song played proudly at the end of the movie. Masaaki Sano should still be proud. 

Go, Jet Jaguar! 

137) Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Halloween 2022's Godzilla-Maniapalloza Extravaganza #12...For the Love of Godzilla.

All Hail, the Monster King!

"Look, the two space monsters. The one with three heads is King Ghidorah. And that's Gigan."

Director

Jun Fukuda

Cast

Hiroshi Ishikawa - Gengo Kotaka

Zan Fujita - Fumio Sudo

Toshiaki Nishizawa - Kubota

Tomoko Umeda - Machiko Shima

Minoru Takashima - Shosaku Takasugi

After audiences recovered from their psychedelic trip and astronomy lessons as seen in "Godzilla vs. Hedorah," writers at Toho clearly decided what worked before in the earlier films just might work again.

"Godzilla vs. Gigan," the 12th movie in the Godzilla line-up, has the parts needed to create a tried-and-true Godzilla movie. 

Released in the U.S. under the title "Godzilla on Monster Island," the English dubbed version I own on VHS is still says "Godzilla vs. Gigan."

Writers must have known that the franchise was getting repetitive. So, they continue focusing just as much on the storylines as they do on the fighting scenes. Each movie definitely has its own unique story. This is certainly true with "Godzilla vs. Gigan." But this time, the writers decided to inject the monster battle with more juice, so to speak.

It's light on the cheese (though not completely void of), and heavy on the hellish destructive terror.

The film starts with Manga artist Gengo Kotaka (Hiroshi Ishikawa) who has just been hired as a designer at a Tokyo theme park called World Children's Land. The park includes an impressive life size tower that resembles Godzilla. 

His new boss, Kubota (Toshiaki Nishizawa) wants him to design new monsters for the park.

Right away, Kotaka thinks his new fellow employees at the park are a little odd. Regardless, he has ideas for monsters based on what kids generally perceive as frightening or simply undesirable. 

For instance, he designs a "homework monster" as well as an overbearing, strict mother monster named "Mamagan." 

Though Kubota speaks a good game about world peace, he wants to create life size monsters for Monster Island through the organization that owns World Children's Land, and then destroy the island and all the monsters living there. 

The park's head chairman is a 17-year old kid named Fumio Sudo (Zan Fujita). 

When Kotaka is introduced to Sudo, he's very involved in recording star charts, including the orbit of the M Space Hunter Nebula. 

During his first day at the new job, Kotaka accidentally bumps into a young girl outside of the office building. 

Frightened, she runs off without realizing she dropped a tape reel. Kotaka hides the tape in his jacket before returning to work.

Back in the office, Sudo mentions that the girl Kotaka ran into on the street is an enemy of the peace and is plotting to destroy the park.

On his way home that evening, Kotaka is held up by the girl and a stranger. The stranger fools Kotaka into thinking he has a gun jabbed in his back. The girl demands Kotaka hand over the tape she dropped, but he passes out in fear. 

When he wakes up, he's back in his home. The girl, whose name is Machiko Shima (Tomoko Umeda) and her companion Shosaku Takasugi (Minoru Takashima), are sitting by his bed. 

It turns out Takasugi didn't really have a gun. He was using a corn cob to make Kotaka think he was armed. And they're really not thugs to begin with. 

Machiko is trying to find her missing brother, Takeshi (Kunio Murai) who was a computer tech for the company that owns World Children's Land.

She stole the tape hoping it contained a clue as to her brother's whereabouts. 

The two convince Kotaka of their story. He agrees to do some discreet investigative work around the Godzilla Tower for clues and leads.

Gigan and Ghidorah stand over a bruised, but not beaten, Godzilla in "Godzilla vs. Gigan."

Not only does Kotaka find a clue, but he also finds Takeshi locked in a room up in the Godzilla Tower. 

The three of them dig a little deeper into the history of the park, and the Tower. They start with the mysterious tape. 

Kotaka happens to have a reel-to-reel player to play the stolen tape. 

All that's on the tape, however, is nonsensical electronic noise. 

While the electronic sounds mean nothing to the three investigators, Kubota and Sudo hear it up in the their Tower.

And guess who else hears the signals from the electronic tape. Godzilla and Anguirus!

The two monsters actually talk to each other when they hear the sound. 

In the Japanese version, their communication is in the form of word bubbles. But in the English version, they actually talk. 

Godzilla senses danger, so he tells Anguirus to head over to Japan to see what the hell is going on. 

Meanwhile, digging further and further into the goings on at the children's park, Kotaka and Machiko learn that Sudo and Kubota actually died a year ago during a mountain climbing trip they took together. They're able to confirm this through a photograph. They look just like the bosses at the park.

So, if they're dead...then who are those two guys working at the children's park? In short, they're aliens who have taken the form of Sudo and Kubota!

It turns out Godzilla Tower was constructed for the sake of killing the real Godzilla. 

The aliens are using tapes like the one Machiko stole to summon and command the monsters Gigan and Ghidorah to destroy Tokyo. 

This movie mixes in the more exciting elements from previous movies. There are aliens trying to take over the planet while controlling monsters. There are monsters against monsters. There's a Scooby Doo-like plot as a bunch of unlikely people solve a mystery. And there's destruction. Lots and lots of flaming destruction. 

In the first act when Kotaka is hired at the park, he has an idea about telepathic kids who are able to communicate with the monsters, which I think is reminiscent of Ichiro from "All Monsters Attack." I'm speculating, of course. 

It goes back to a line in "All Monsters Attack" in which Shinpei, speaking about Ichiro, tells a news reporter, "Adults believe in gods, so why can't children have their own gods too, like Minilla?"

Anyways, the fight scenes certainly deliver. There's a lot of action, explosions, fire, and destruction. The lighting and camera angles during some of these scenes accomplish an apocalyptical look. The flames provide most of the light which makes it look ominous. 

Other times, however, the camera zooms in close on various monsters as they flail around. It's mixed with quick cutaways which makes it hard to tell what's happening. 

During these fight scenes, Godzilla gets rather bloodied up, too. It's the first time that audiences saw Godzilla bleed. Perhaps that's fitting since this movie marks the final performance of Haruo Nakajima in the role of Godzilla, which he has played since the first film in 1954. The movie has all the best elements fans and audiences expect in a Godzilla flick. 

Ghidorah's appearance seems a little more updated with new head sculpts. And Gigan stands out among the other kaiju appearing in these Godzilla films. He looks part organic and part machine. The spikes on his chest work like a chainsaw, slicing into his opponents.  

It seems each film tries to out-do the previous one in some way or another. "Godzilla vs. Gigan" manages to succeed despite the few campy parts of the plot. 

I definitely have this film down as one of my personal favorites, despite the cringy monster dialogue. 

136) Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

Halloween 2022's Godzilla-Maniapalloza Extravaganza #11...For the Love of Godzilla.

All Hail, the Monster King!

"There's no place else to go and pretty soon we'll all be dead, so forget it. Enjoy yourself! Let's sing and dance while we can! Come on, blow your mind!"

Director

Yoshimitsu Banno

Cast

Akira Yamanouchi - Dr. Toru Yano

Hiroyuki Kawase - Ken Yano

Toshie Kimura - Toshie Yano

Haruo Nakajima - Godzilla 

Kenpachiro Satsuma - Hedorah

"Godzilla vs. Hedorah" is the oddest movie among the Godzilla films. It's even more odd than "All Monsters Attack" and the 1998 U.S. remake "Godzilla" with Matthew Broderick. At least these movies possess a clear direction.
Released in the United States under the title "Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster," this is the 11th movie in the franchise. 

And by odd, I mean more so than what's expected in yet another movie with actors in rubber costumes wrestling each other. 

"Godzilla vs. Hedorah" mixes typical Japanese sci-fi monster action with animated transitions, weird psychedelic scenes, anti-pollution propaganda, and random astronomy lessons clearly aimed at children. It's also one of the Godzilla flicks where the "King of the Monsters" is on the good side, out to save evil people from the same evil people who are trashing the earth. That is, he's saving the planet rather than destroying it. I suppose it would be strange to have a movie preaching how pollution is destroying the planet while Godzilla is also destroying the planet.
On top of all that, it's nasty with slime, sludge, and monsters getting ripped apart. And somehow, I was entertained by it all for its own sake.
In this movie, a microscopic alien called "Hedorah" has come to Earth, feeding on the planet's pollution. As there's a lot of pollution to feed on, Hedorah has grown monstrously large and taken residency in the ocean.
If that wasn't bad enough, it's also poisonous and oozes an acid. 
When Hedorah sinks an oil tanker, the Japanese military are on high alert as well as a scientist named Dr. Toru Yano (Akira Yamanouchi).
Yano takes his young son, Ken Yano (Hiroyuki Kawase) to the ocean while he goes to look for Hedorah. Ken waits on the shore while his dad dives to find this new monster. As Ken waits, Hedorah attacks Toru with acid, injuring his face.
Soon after, the public finds out that the monster exists and is a dangerous threat. 
Young Ken believes that Godzilla will help the planet by attacking Hedorah as he has visions of the King of the Monsters taking on the world's pollution head-on.
Hedorah has the capability of morphing into an amphibious form when crawling onto land so it can survive and feed on pollution. 
As Hedorah feeds on fumes produced from smokestacks at some kind of facility, Godzilla attacks the smog monster causing several pieces of this creature to go flying everywhere. 
These pieces crawl back into the ocean, grow, and reattach. As a result, Hedorah becomes stronger.
Afterwards, when the monster crawls out of the ocean, it can turn into what is called its "perfect form." It even assumes the shape of a saucer and can fly.
Hedorah kills several people in its ravenous rampage as it emits poison sulfuric gas. The death count is so numerous, and the fate of the world looks sealed for doom, some folks throw one last party at the foot of Mt. Fuji to celebrate life one last time. Of course, Godzilla and Hedorah meet up at Mt. Fuji, too, for a fight. 
Godzilla takes quite a beating, even losing an eye when Hedorah spits acid. 

Godzilla squares up with the smog monster, Hedorah.

He then douses Godzilla in a deluge of chemical slime. The King of the Monsters, bruised but not beaten, doesn't give up so easily.
Somehow, amidst all this, Ken knows how to deal with Hedorah better than anyone else. 
"Hedorah's only sludge. He can be dried," he tells his dad. And that's precisely how Godzilla defeats him.
Amidst the strange content randomly mixed in the story, "Godzilla vs. Hedorah" is still fun to watch. 

There's certainly a strong anti-pollution message, even with some "save the earth" songs, and close-up shots of garbage and crap floating in the ocean. By the way, don't eat anything while watching this movie. 

Even among its message, it doesn't feel nearly as preachy as the 2019 movie "Godzilla: King of the Monsters." That movie constantly pushes the message that evil humans have nearly destroyed Earth, and the great titans are going to save it for us undeserving creatures. The arrogant preachiness makes that movie a chore to get through. 
Perhaps the trippy factor in "Godzilla vs. Hedorah," which includes a psychedelic scene in which a guy gets drunk at a Go-Go dance club and imagines everyone in fish masks, lightens the heavy load that is the film's environmental diatribe. On top of that, Godzilla literally tears Hedorah apart. He's brutal! Pollution can't be tolerated. So, the movie delivers the titan battle that audiences and fans want to see. 
Perhaps the biggest revelation this movie left me with is that Godzilla can fly. He does using his atomic breath to create jet propulsion. It's the damndest and most hilarious thing I've seen Godzilla do in any movie. However, he certainly doesn't outperform his victory dance scene in "Invasion of Astro-Monster" (aka "Monster Zero.") I'll add here that he performs an all-out body slam move in the 2000 movie "Godzilla vs. Megaguirus."
Hidden beneath all of the random content in this movie lies the novelty and charm of Japanese kaiju films. 
If someone asked me to design a monster that lives off the smog and pollution of planet Earth, I think whatever image my mind conjured up wouldn't be far off from the appearance of Hedorah.  
This is the only Godzilla movie directed by Yoshimitsu Banno.
The images playing during the opening credits certainly feel inspired by James Bond movies, with all its sex appeal. 
In a strange way, I had fun watching this movie. I was really in it for the fight. And I didn't walk away unsatisfied.  

135) All Monsters Attack (1969)

Halloween 2022's Godzilla-Maniapalloza Extravaganza #10...For the Love of Godzilla.

All Hail, the Monster King!

"Godzilla says I have to learn to fight my own battles."

Director
Ishirō Honda

Cast
Tomonori Yazak - Ichiro Mitsuki

Hideyo Amamoto - Shinpei
Sachio Sakai - Sembayashi
Kazuo Suzuki - Okuda

Junichi Ito - Gabara

Hidemi Ito - Sachiko 

Haruo Nakajima - Godzilla

Just as the excitement among audiences and Godzilla fans tapered off from "Destroy All Monsters," Toho Studios came out with their next Godzilla movie "All Monsters Attack." And audiences surely asked themselves, "what the hell is this?"

Released in the U.S. under the title, "Godzilla's Revenge," this is the tenth Godzilla movie. Its premise is certainly unique to say the least. By "unique" I mean cheap and poor. All the stock footage used in "All Monsters Attack," most of which comes from the previous "Ebirah, Horror of the Deep" and "Son of Godzilla" gives it that cheap and poor feeling. 

The film focuses on this latchkey kid named Ichiro (Tomonori Yazaki). He's often left alone in his family's apartment located in the dirty urban area of Kawasaki. 

Ichiro is a bit of a loner. He has one friend his own age, a little girl named Sachiko (Hidemi Ito), and a toymaker who lives in his apartment complex named Shinpei (Hideyo Amamoto). 

There's a small gang of kids, led by a tough boy called Sanko Gabara (Junichi Ito) in the neighborhood who tease him relentlessly.

In the meantime, Ichiro spends his afternoons after school either at home or wandering through the neighborhood. 

Despite having these two friends, Ichiro feels the pangs of loneliness. 

He spends his solitude napping and dreams about visiting Monster Island (from "Destroy All Monsters") and watching Godzilla take on the monsters there.

In his dreams, Ichiro is pals with Minilla (Godzilla's son) who can actually talk to him. 

Minilla can also shrink down to Ichiro's size or grow when necessary to fight with the other monsters.

He shows Ichiro, through stock footage, the other monsters on Monster Island. He sees Godzilla take on three Kamacuras (the giant mantises) as seen in "Son of Godzilla."

One of the Kamacuras starts chasing Ichiro. As he's trying to run from this giant monster, he accidentally falls into a giant cave. 

He's rescued by Minilla, and then the two have a little chat. 

It turns out Minilla is also bullied by a monster whose name also happens to be Gabara. What a coincidence! The kaiju Gabara looks like the offspring between Godzilla and a Godzilla's pet kitty. 

Ichiro, played by Tomonori Yazak, along with "Minilla" (Marchan)
watch Godzilla fight in "All Monsters Attack." 

Ichiro's trip is abruptly ended when Shinpei wakes him up to tell him his mom is working late so he'll have to fend for himself yet again. 

So, Ichiro goes outside to play, and bumps into Sanko Gabara and his band of young hooligans. They scare him off, and he runs into an abandon facility where he starts exploring. 

As all this is going on, police and authorities are searching for bank robbers who stole a lot of money. These robbers are on the loose and can be hiding anywhere. ANYWHERE! 

While exploring the old factory, Ichiro hears some police sirens and decides it's time to leave. But he doesn't exit without taking a few souvenirs first. Among these treasures is a wallet he found with someone's driver's license. 

Little does he know that the wallet belongs to one of the robbers. 

The robbers, meanwhile, were hiding in the abandoned facility, and figure out that Ichiro has the missing wallet. They're able to track him down in his apartment, and plot to kidnap him.

I'll remind readers at this point that this is still a Godzilla movie I'm writing about. 

That night, Ichiro has some sukiyaki for dinner with Shinpei. 

When he returns to his apartment, he lays down and goes back to dreamland. There, he and Minilla watch Godzilla (again, through the magic of stock footage) take on Ebirah, Kumonga, a giant condor, and some fighter jets.

During the fight, Gabara shows up and Minilla takes him on. 

However, he's no match for Gabara so he runs away. 

Witnessing this, Godzilla takes Minilla aside and trains him how to use his atomic breath just like we've already seen him do in "Son of Godzilla." 

Sadly, Ichiro's dream is cut short again. This time the two robbers break into his apartment and kidnap him. They think he'll make a great hostage to protect them from police. 

Ichiro calls out to Minilla for help, and then falls back to sleep while in the hands of the robbers. 

Back in dreamland, he helps Minilla fight against Gabara for an all-out victory. 

When Godzilla comes around to give props to his son, Gabara comes back for a surprise attack only to be taken down again.

Ichiro awakens from his dream. Now, he has some valuable lessons under his belt thanks to Minilla. 

He outsmarts the robbers and escapes. In no time, the police close in and take them both into custody. 

The next day, Ichiro stands up to Sanko Gabara, whereby he discovers his inner-strength and confidence. 

"All Monsters Attack" certainly stands out from the other Godzilla movies so far. I'll give it that. 

The movie obviously caters to a younger audience. It's an oddball movie, though not nearly as odd as "Godzilla vs. Hedorah." 

What makes the premise so odd partly lies in the movie's attempt to do what it did in "Destroy All Monsters" but change it around to make it distinguishable from that movie. Plus, the audience really only sees the monsters through Ichiro's dreams. 

It is the campiest of Godzilla films yet. And overall, it's a disappointing entry into the Godzilla-verse. However, I think it would be too harsh to say it's a completely terrible movie as far as storyline goes. 

I mean, there's some character development. The premise is surely relatable to the young audience the movie is aimed at. I can buy this storyline. They clearly wanted to come up with

Godzilla takes on Gabara in "All Monsters Attack."

something that children could learn from. To be fair, it's a premise I broadly appreciate. The message of facing one's fears and standing up to bullies is a respectable one.   

All things considered; it's not what audiences want in a Godzilla movie. Plus, much of the movie is stock footage. People had to pay to see reused segments of a movie they previously paid to see. Cheap!

Also, Minilla (or Minya) talks. Well, he talks through Ichiro's imagination. While I watched the Japanese version where Minilla sounds like a 65-year-old chain smoker, I've been told he sounds like Barney from "The Flintstones" in the English version. Either way, it's strange and distracting.

Regardless, this is the lowest point the series has yet sunk to. Like all shlocky movies, "All Monsters Attack" has its fanbase and defenders.

I have to hand it to the writers at Toho Studios. They really went for something utterly different from the films made before. By this point in the franchise, Godzilla has gone quite a distance from his first movie back in 1954. 

By today's standards, this entire movie would be considered one big anti-bullying PSA. 

 At this point in Toho's history, the studio was focusing more on money rather than quality. It definitely shows in "All Monsters Attack." It's also the shortest movie in the Showa era of Godzilla flicks, running at 70 minutes. 

"All Monsters Attack" is a Godzilla movie that's easy to ignore but is a must-see-to-believe movie for fans of the franchise.

134) Destroy All Monsters (1968)

Halloween 2022's Godzilla-Maniapalloza Extravaganza #9...For the Love of Godzilla.

All Hail, the Monster King!

"The major cities of the world are being destroyed, one-by-one by the monsters..."

Director
Ishirō Honda

Cast

Akira Kubo - Capt. Katsuo Yamabe

Jun Tazaki - Dr. Yoshido

Yukiko Kobayashi - Kyoko Manabe

Kenji Sahara - Nishikawa, Moon Base Commander
Andrew Hughes - Dr. Stevenson

Haruo Nakajima - Godzilla, Baragon, & Military Advisor
Hiroshi Sekita - Anguirus, Gorosaurus, & Doctor in Hospital
Marchan the Dwarf - Minilla
Teruoshi Nigaki - Rodan
Susumu Utsumi - King Ghidorah

By this time, Godzilla can only do the same thing over and over again before audiences get bored with him and his shenanigans. So, Toho wanted to make the next Godzilla movie a spectacle. And they did. 

Producers at Toho Studios decided to open the gates of chaos and let as many monsters as possible out for the ninth Godzilla film, "Destroy All Monsters."

This movie seems as though it could be the Godzilla movie of all Godzilla movies, starting with the title. There's a little James Bond feeling we saw in "Ebirah, Horror of the Deep," mixed with monsters against monsters, mixed with some of that alien sci-fi goodness we saw in "Invasion of Astro-Monster." And sitting mightily above everything in this cinematic heap is the King of the Monsters himself acting as the renowned cherry on top. 

The story breaks through the borders of Japan as monsters attack cities all over the world.

Oh, it's on now!

This is the brawliest of brawls in the Godzilla-verse to date. The film has, of course, Godzilla along with Minilla, Ghidorah, Mothra, Rodan, Gorosaurus, Anguirus, Baragon, Manda, and Kumonga. 

The year is 1999. The U.N.'s Science Committee previously collected all the monsters, including Godzilla, that have been wreaking havoc and destruction around the world, and placed them all on "Monster Island" located in the Ogasawara Island chain. 

There's a control center built underground which uses special technology to keep the monsters from getting off the island. It's also a research center to study these huge creatures. 

However, communications between the mainland and Monster Island are somehow cut off. And the technology keeping the monsters confined to the island is severed. 

All the monsters escape and start attacking different parts of the world.

Lots on monsters packed into one film!

Capt. Katsuo Yamabe (Akira Kubo) and his crew are ordered to fly his spaceship, Moonlight SY-3, to investigate the goings-on at Monster Island. 

Yamabe finds that the scientists, under the directorship of Dr. Otani (Yoshio Tsuchiya), have been placed under mind control and enslaved to a race of aliens called Kilaaks. 

They have control of all the monsters. 

The head of the Kilaaks demands all of Earth surrender to them, or they'll allow all the monsters to destroy humanity as we know it. 

The monsters attack cities world-wide. And Godzilla has found his way to New York City. 

The Kilaaks wants everyone's attention away from Japan so they can establish an underground stronghold at the base of Mt. Fuji. 

Once they accomplish that mission, they start attacking Tokyo.

However, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) takes control of the monsters. But little does the UNSC know that the Kilaaks have control signals underneath the moon's surface. 

Once that's discovered, the Moonlight SY-3 destroys it, returning control of the monsters to Earth. 

So, the Kilaaks go to plan C- unleashing King Ghidorah. 

They send Ghidorah to protect their stronghold at Mt. Fuji. And the monsters are sent there to attack and take down Ghidorah, the last Kilaak defense.   

"Destroy All Monsters" is certainly a Godzilla movie to end all Godzilla movies. It feels like a grand finale. In fact, it could have easily been such. But it clearly doesn't end there. It's the kind of movie that anyone in the mood for a weekend Godzilla monster movie will feel satisfied watching. And it has quite the rogue's gallery of kaiju characters. 

It was produced in the middle of a "monster boom" in the genre of sci-fi flicks, especially those from Japan. 

Anguirus first took on Godzilla in "Godzilla Raids Again" (1956). And we first saw Kumonga (also known as Spiga) in "Son of Godzilla." 

Gorosaurus is simply a dinosaur who first appears in Toho's 1967 movie "King Kong Escapes." He and Kumonga appear again through stock footage in the next Godzilla movie, "All Monsters Attack" and "Godzilla vs. Gigan" (1972). 

Kumonga shows up later in the 2004 movie "Godzilla: Final Wars."

While Baragon makes his Godzilla debut in this film, his first appearance is in "Frankenstein Conquers the World" (1965).

Baragon returns on screen with Godzilla in "Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack" (2001) as well as "Godzilla: Final Wars" via stock footage. 

Amazingly enough, his skull shows up in the movie "Pacific Rim Uprising" (2018). 

And Manda, the giant sea dragon, first showed up in Ishirō Honda's 1963 movie "Atragon." 

Like other monsters, he appears through stock footage in "All Monsters Attack" and "Terror of Mechagodzilla." Plus, he's in... wait for it... "Godzilla: Final Wars."

Kenji Sahara. who plays Moon Base Commander Nishikawa, is quite the Godzilla veteran. 

He's appeared in the first Godzilla film back in 1954 as well as in "Mothra," "Rodan," and "Frankenstein Conquers the World." 

Godzilla attacks New York City!

As far as other Godzilla films, Sahara has appeared in "King Kong vs. Godzilla," "Mothra vs. Godzilla," "Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster," "Son of Godzilla," "All Monsters Attack," "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla," and "Terror of Mechagodzilla." He then plays in a few 90s Godzilla movies - "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah," "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II," "Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla." And lastly, Sahara appears in (*sigh - do I need to say it?) "Godzilla: Final Wars."

I like "Destory All Monsters" for the shear enjoyment of the monster brawl. It definitely lays the foundation for such films later in the Godzilla-verse, and elsewhere. It hits the spot for sci-fi enthusiasts and monster fans. 

The narration if the American version, which is the version I watched, is laughable. It makes the fight seem like a wrestling match broadcast on ESPN. 

As the monsters gather at Mt. Fuji, there's a news announcer broadcasting everything.

"The beautiful weather at Mt. Fuji is in stark contrast to the tension in the air over the upcoming battle. The silent forest seems to be waiting for the monsters' charge on the Kilaak's hidden base. The defense force is stationed around the area. No monsters are in sight yet. The monsters will be led by Godzilla, Rodan, and Anguirus, but I don't see them yet. I don't... ah, I see one! Could it be one of the leaders of the group, like Godzilla? No, it's Minya! Minya is the first to arrive! However, following behind it is the monster, Godzilla. Now, I see Mothra! Godzilla is leading the pack with Mothra close behind! Next is Anguirus! Anguirus is leading a pack of monsters to my left. More are coming out. Anguirus is leading Manda, Baragon, and Gorosaurus. Kumonga has appeared! It looks like all of the monsters controlled by the Kilaaks have been brought here. I can see Rodan! It's flying from the south and is circling around both groups of monsters. It is landing behind Godzilla and Mothra. It appears that Godzilla's group will lead the attack. Godzilla himself will lead them. There's been no reaction from the Kilaaks as to what is transpiring before them so far. As Godzilla prepares the other monsters to attack, there seems to be little doubt as to who will win."

The simple story doesn't allow audiences to be distracted from what they really want to see - monster versus monster, versus monster...versus Godzilla. It definitely delivers and lives up to its title.

133) Son of Godzilla (1967)

Halloween 2022's Godzilla-Maniapalloza Extravaganza #8...For the Love of Godzilla.

All Hail, the Monster King!

"It looks like a baby Godzilla!" 

Director

Jun Fukuda

Cast

Akira Kubo - Maki Goro

Bibari Maeda - Saeko Matsumiya

Tadao Takashima - Professor Kusumi

Yoshio Tsuchiya - Furukawa

Hiroshi Sekita, Seiji Onaka, & Haruo Nakajima -Godzilla

Machan - Minilla

After the previous Godzilla movies "Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster" and "Invasion of Astro-Monster" went heavy on the sci-fi, having been filmed in the decade when space exploration and "the final frontier" was all the thing, "Son of Godzilla" takes us back to the simpler times when such films were simply man versus humongous monsters. 

The movie doesn't even take place in Tokyo. Instead, the entire story is set on remote Sollgel Island located somewhere out in the Pacific. 

It's just good ol' fashion scientists, giant praying mantises, a huge spider, Godzilla, and a baby...the same type of creature as whatever Godzilla is. 

Oh, and we have yet another journalist. Gone was the journalist in the movies mentioned above along with my last review, "Ebirah, Horror of the Deep." 

It occurred to me that the journalist in these Godzilla movies so far works as the connection between audiences and the story. They're the filter through which the watered-down science-y tech and general exposition is passed through to make sense in our audience brains. 

And when it comes to the scientists in these atomic movies, including "Son of Godzilla," David Kalat says in his book "A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series," that the aspect of the "the mad scientist" in such films often conduct research which extends past what man knows of nature and into some realm that's considered dangerous.

"Watch enough mad scientist movies in a row and over and over again you'll hear some variation of the words, 'He tampered in God's domain, asking questions man was not meant to know'," Kalat says. (p 98)

Of course, "what man was not meant to know" is now commonplace in science fiction and often horror. It has changed and shifted as to what exactly it is man isn't supposed to know, movie by movie. But it's still there. 

The device of scientists altering nature somehow has been just as much an integral part of Godzilla movies as Godzilla himself. It's no surprise they show up here and do what they do best. Namely, they make of mess. 

In "Son of Godzilla," scientists are conducting experiments on Sollgel Island in an attempt to control the weather. 

They're visited by an inquisitive reporter, Maki Goro (Akira Kubo), who arrives to their research station unannounced and not very welcomed.    

The researchers undergo their first weather control test as they launch a remote-controlled radioactive balloon. 

However, the remote frequency is jammed by some unknown signal located somewhere on the island. 

The balloon explodes prematurely, causing mantises to grow to the size of dinosaurs and start crawling all around the island.  

Godzilla raises his hand as a warning to a defiant Minilla, the
son of Godzilla. 

In the English dubbed version, which is what I watched, they call these mantises Gimantis. In the Japanese version, they're referred to as Kamacurus. 

As Goro continues asking questions, taking pictures, and even cooking, research into these Gimantises quickly takes place among the scientists. 

They find the mantises digging up a giant egg from underneath a mound of soil. 

Soon, the egg hatches, and out pops a baby monster. It looks like it could easily be the lovechild between Godzilla and a Kewpie doll. 

Goro and one of the scientists witness this monster hatch from its egg.

Of course, Goro says "It looks like a baby Godzilla."

The scientists quickly figure out that the cries coming from baby Godzilla, known in later films as Minilla, are the cause of the radio interference. 

The experimental mishap with the balloon caused the temperatures to warm up considerably on the island, which was already under a warm tropical climate.

One of the scientists, Furukawa (Yoshio Tsuchiya) can't take the heat and seclusion. He soon starts to lose it, mentally.

Furukawa grabs a gun and starts running off towards the shore. The other scientists follow and subdue him. He collapses in the water. And when he gets back up, he and the others spot something huge coming towards the shore at a fast speed. 

It's Godzilla! He's heard the infant cries of Minilla. It's not his offspring, but Godzilla saves him after Gimantises start picking on the boy. So, who's kid is he? They never say. He thrashes these monsters and uses his atomic breath to kill two of the giant mantises.

Minilla wants to follow Godzilla around after that, but initially Godzilla takes no interest. However, he has a change of heart and takes the kid under his wing. 

He teaches Minilla how to use his atomic breath as the young monster can only blow smoke rings. He does this by stepping on his tail. He also teaches him the art of a solid, earth-quaking roar.

Meanwhile, before the scientists conducted their weather test, Goro spotted a young woman swimming in the ocean.

He tells the head scientist who doesn't believe him as he's convinced his team of researchers are the only ones on the island. 

Later, they discover the girl hiding in a tree. It turns out her name is Saeko Matsumiya (Bibari Maeda). Her father was an archeologist who stayed on the island after the Japanese pulled out of the Pacific following the last war. He died on that island seven years prior to the story. 

Saeko tells the head scientist that her mother died shortly after she was born. So, she's lived on the island since. And, somehow, she can communicate with Minilla.

While trying to save her, Minilla accidentally awakens Spiga (or Kumonga in the Japanese version) - a giant spider who lives underground. 

The spider attacks the scientists' camp as well as Minilla by shooting web all over the place. 

Soon, Godzilla stumbles his way onto the scene, and saves Minilla. Together, they attack Spiga.

The scientists are caught in the middle of the chaos. They all manage to use their weather changing experiments to create a freeze over the island while they all make their escape. 

As a heavy snow falls on the island, Godzilla and Minilla huddle together and fall into a hibernation. 

While "Son of Godzilla" was released theatrically in Japan, it went straight to television for its U.S. release in 1969.

The movie tries hard to be a Godzilla movie, with all the Godzilla feels. Sadly, Godzilla comes across as a side character. In fact, his role in the movie is like a glorified cameo. 

If Godzilla or Minilla were not in this, the story would be just fine, though still just as cliche. 

Minilla is confronted by a Gimantis 
somewhere on Sollgel Island.

The scenario is simply this. Researchers are on an island, and there's giant monsters to escape from. The atomic age of horror is saturated with these kinds of films. And they can still be fun to watch. 

Aside from the fighting, everything with Godzilla is ridiculous. The majority of his scenes involve cute moments with him and Minilla. The movie is just as interested in showing a new, softer side of Godzilla than it is showing the monster ready to take on any and every threat. The whimsical soundtrack certainly puts that image across to the audience. 

The monster movie writers over at Toho clearly keep trying to make something new with each Godzilla film. And I respect that. Even the best writers out there are entitled to a flop every once in a while. "Son of Godzilla" is that flop by this point in time.

As we're introduced to Godzilla's cute and cuddly adopted child, it's a shame this is the worst of the movies so far. 

While the story is a well-constructed story, the introduction of Minilla brings it all to a campy level.  And I mean much campier than before. He's not menacing in the least. The writers clearly didn't want him to be. In the American version, he's called "Minya." But if there's a scene in the English version where he's given a name, I missed it.

To me, the name "Minilla" sounds like a variation of mini-Godzilla, or mini-Zilla. Mini-la. 

Minilla shows up again in the next film "Destroy All Monsters" (1968), and in the film after that - "All Monsters Attack" (1969) which is also known as "Godzilla's Revenge." 

After a hiatus lasting several years, Minilla appears in the 2004 movie, "Godzilla: Final Wars." 

In "Son of Godzilla" not only does Godzilla play the role of "father of the year," Minilla also has a temper tantrum when he refuses to listen to his dad. Godzilla responds to this outburst by dragging the twerp by his tail.

The writers really bolster up the emotional tone at the end so as to pull on the audience's heart strings. I can't think of any other monster movie featuring guys in rubber suits that tries to yank on my emotions quite like the ending of "Son of Godzilla."

He also gives his boy a ride on his tail. That's some good parenting, Godzilla!

Jun Fukuda returns to the director's chair after directing the previous film, "Ebirah, Horror of the Deep." He also directed the kaiju film "Rodan." (1956). 

Actor Akira Kubo returns after playing Tetsuo Torii in "Invasion of Astro-Monster." We'll see him again in "Destroy All Monsters." 

Yoshio Tsuchiya, who stars as the Controller of Planet X in "Invasion of Astro-Monster," returns as well. Tsuchiya also stars in the second film "Godzilla Raids Again." He'll also return in "Destroy All Monsters" as well as in the 1991 film "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah." 

I've heard "Son of Godzilla" referred to as one of the worst Godzilla films out there. Others, especially young people, will find this movie cute and stuff. 

The actor, "Little Man" Machan who plays Minilla deserves much applause for his agility inside the rubber costume. I hope he scored a monstrous paycheck for his efforts. 

While some elements I appreciate, overall, I found the movie weak and laughable (though probably not in the way the writers wanted me to laugh) as a Godzilla film. For what it is, the story is laid out well. And that's really all it has going for it. 

I have to mention this review marks my 150th post on this blog! I am so happy for me :)