Halloween 2022's Godzilla-Maniapalloza Extravaganza #8...For the Love of Godzilla.
All Hail, the Monster King!
Director
Jun Fukuda
Cast
Akira Kubo - Maki GoroBibari Maeda - Saeko Matsumiya
Tadao Takashima - Professor Kusumi
Yoshio Tsuchiya - FurukawaHiroshi Sekita, Seiji Onaka, & Haruo Nakajima -Godzilla
Machan - Minilla
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.
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.
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| 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.
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| Minilla is confronted by a Gimantis somewhere on Sollgel Island. |
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 :)
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