Godzilla Raids Again
AKA
Godzilla's Counterattack
Gigantis, the Fire Monster
(1955)
Page 2
Then Classic Media aquired it and released it on DVD, shallowing up my proudest moment (though at least I didn't pay $150 for it, like those poor suckers on Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie before it got re-released. Heh, dumbasses). Now those of us that own Godzilla vs. Megalon, Godzilla 1985, and Godzilla vs. Biollante are the lucky ones (or at least as lucky as those who have seen Godzilla vs. Megalon can be).
I still remember popping it in for the first time. I was so excited, not even a second Godzilla's Revenge could have possibly disappointed me. As I watched it, it was official, I had just aquired the greatest Godzilla movie of all time.
Maybe I was a little too excited.
Honestly, I still enjoy this film a lot. Mostly because the kaiju action is too good for me to pass up. The highlight of the film is Godzilla's first monster brawl, against his future ally Anguirus. It's weird to see Godzilla and Anguirus at each other's throats after seeing them fight side by side in Destroy All Monsters and Godzilla vs. Gigan, but the fight is fast and furious. This is my favorite fight of the entire series, not because it's first, but because of how beastial the monsters act. In one of the more infamous goofs in Toho histroy, the effect of the fight happened by accident. It was intended to be slower than normal speed for an impression of mass. Instead of over-cranking the camera, they under-cranked it, and the monsters wound up fighting in fast-motion instead. Appearantly, the effect was enjoyed and kept. I'm glad, because it makes you feel as if Godzilla and Anguirus are really going at each other with everything they've got.
Unfortunalty, as a sequel to Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Godzilla Raids Again lacks oomf. Godzilla isn't a powerful metaphor anymore, and just a monster. Not neccessarily a bad thing, but the effect is akin of going from Jaws to Jaws 2 (With King Kong vs. Godzilla acting as Jaws III and Godzilla vs. Megalon acting as Jaws: The Revenge). Both are good movies, but in different ways. Jaws was a powerful thrillride of man vs. nature, and Jaws 2 was a fun B-movie. Godzilla Raids Again is also a B-movie, and is probably the most by-the-book one the series ever produced. Those behind it didn't neccessarily understand understand what made the last film so special, they were just told to make a monster movie and labled it "Gojira" to cash in while the stakes were hot.
One-timer 'Zilla director Motoyoshi Ota seems to be less of a "director" and more of a "mass production tool." Some of the film is effective, but mostly the "Get 'er done!" vibe kind of hampers it (yes, I did a Larry the Cable Guy reference. Nobody's more ashamed of this than I). There are a lot of things that could have been achieved here if the filmmakers were interested in building upon it.
I like that there is more than one Godzilla walking the Earth. I like that the military first attempts to use their brains rather than their brawn to overcome him this time. I even like the inventive ice tomb ending. It all seems a bit half assed, but it's still likable.
The costumes are a mixed bag. Angurus looks good, and Godzilla looks creepy enough, but he has "saddlebags." That and puppet used in close-ups looks nothing like the costume. There's an overuse of the hand puppets in general, as well. During the big fight with Anguirus, we're treated to a lot of akward footage of "puppet bumping." It's like a primal and violent version of Sesame Street.
But, still, it's a better movie than the American edit, dubbed Gigantis, the Fire Monster. There, we are treated to an awful dub (Complete with pointless narration. That's just "Banana Oil!"), mixed around roars, and Godzilla has been renamed "Gigantis" (I wonder if they would have stuck with that name if they knew what a pop culture phenomenon he would become). The fact that the dub seemed to try and seperate the film from the original film is probably a contributing factor in why it was so hard to track down over the years.
Luckily, Godzilla Raids Again is now widely seen. What your opinion of it strongly depends on what you want it to be. I think it's a hoot, myself. I love these types of monster movies, no matter how generic they are.
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