GODZILLA-THON #14 - Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Godzilla was about to celebrate his 20th birthday, and what better way than with a new movie? Director Jun Fukuda returned for his last, and arguably best, entry in the series with Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. The plot would see the return of familiar conventions to the series, namely, a nefarious alien race trying to destroy Japan. This time around they got smart and decided to build a robotic duplicate of Godzilla, assuming a tireless, mechanized version of the big beast would easily defeat him. Toho allotted this entry a bigger budget than the previous films had to work with, a necessity that I'm glad wasn't ignored because production values had been slipping since the heyday of the early-to-mid '60s. The result of all their efforts is one of the best films the Showa series has to offer. All of the classics elements that made the series so much fun are present here, with multiple monster fights, a superb score from Masaru Sato, an engaging subplot with some truly bizarre aliens, weird songs sung by strange women, and Anguirus! Who basically just shows up to get his ass kicked.

Truth be told, this was one of, if not the, best film for me of all Godzilla's movies. Period. My rankings have wavered a bit in recent years (and they certainly are as I go through the entire series again), but fans seem to all agree that this entry was a highlight of the entire run. I remember spending an entire afternoon sitting on my Aunt May's floor, back in... 1988, I think, and watching my old VHS on a loop. I just couldn't get enough of it. It's a real pleasure to see that even as an adult, I find it holds up very nicely.

In this entry, a woman has a prophetic vision that a giant monster (Ghidorah, inexplicably) will destroy a city. When a strange metal is uncovered, the men who uncovered it also find a warning about the signs that signal a monster is going to arise and destroy the world. The archaeologists take the artifacts they've found and go looking for answers. Meanwhile, Godzilla appears from Mt. Fuji and begins a campaign of terror, smashing Okinawa to pieces. His old buddy Anguirus shows up and starts attacking him, but during the attack a piece of skin is ripped off of Godzilla, revealing a shiny metal beneath... Mechagodzilla! Before he can inflict any more damage, Anguirus is beaten within an inch of his life, then Mechagodzilla brutally rips his jaw apart. Soon after, the real Godzilla shows up to see who crippled his buddy, leading to a confrontation where Mechagodzilla is fully revealed. He and Godzilla have a major battle, which ends when both sides use their beam weapon - atomic breath for Big G, laser beam for Mecha - resulting in a massive explosion that sends a damaged Godzilla into the water and short circuits Mechagodzilla's system.

While both monsters are out of action, Keisuke and Saeko bring a totem of King Caesar they found to a holy temple, hoping to have the beast awakened. Meanwhile, Prof. Miyajima (Akihiko Hirata) and others are captured by the aliens of the Third Planet from the Black Hole at their underground facility, where they try to force the professor to repair their damaged Mechagodzilla. Why space aliens would travel so far without a competent repair man is beyond me. Keisuke and a mysterious man sneak into the facility, freeing their friends, but Prof. Miyajima and two others decide to be recaptured in hopes of stopping the alien invaders. Keisuke and Saeko get the statue to a descendant of the Azumi clan, who has to perform an awesome sung prayer in order to awaken King Caesar. He awakens just as Mechagodzilla comes to attack, resulting in a fight between the two. Not long after, Godzilla - newly recharged thanks to absorbing the power of a lightning strike - arrives to help out his new buddy. The duo successfully smashes Mechagodzilla to pieces, stopping the foretold destruction of the world, before they each make an exit to get some much needed rest.

Godzilla has fought many foes throughout his history, but very few have had as much of an impact as Mechagodzilla. After his appearance here, he would go on to appear in every era of the series as an opponent. It's a damn genius idea, really. Having Godzilla face off against his equal, created by an alien race hellbent on destroying the planet. Mechagodzilla is a formidable enemy, with a vast array of attack options that do some real damage to Big G. His laser "breath" is probably on par with Godzilla's atomic flame, but then he's also got a chest cannon, missile fingers, and he can create a force field by spinning his head really fast. His introduction is one of the best in the series, totally legendary, giving him a suit of faux skin to look like Godzilla, fooling everyone into thinking he was the one responsible for the damage. And then dat reveal... One of my favorite moments in the entire series is when King Caesar and Godzilla are about to tag team Mechagodzilla, so what does he do? He takes an attack position, lines up his front weaponry on Godzilla and then spins his head around 180 degrees to combat Casesar, too. And once the action starts up, it's a frenzy.

The level of brutality was increased for this entry, too. While I'm not a big Gamera guy, word is that Toho felt their films needed to keep up with the blood quotient other daikaiju films had been showing. In addition to Anguirus' aforementioned jaw destruction - which shocked the living shit out of me as a kid - there are also a few scenes of Godzilla sustaining heavy damage. In one, Mechagodzilla unleashes his laser ray at Godzilla's neck, causing a crimson spray to emanate from his neck as if there were a friggin' hose in there. There's also a brief shot when Godzilla, after his first meeting with Mechagodzilla, is knocked into the sea after their beams explode, and blood bubbles up to the surface. The series had seen blood before in Godzilla vs. Gigan, but this was taking things up a notch. Personally, I don't find it necessary. These movies have played fine for years without getting gory, no need to start now. And that's coming from a hardened horror fan.

One of my favorite elements to this story has always been the aliens they used here. A favorite device of the '70s Godzilla films was not to only use aliens, but to have them be some kind of animal being in disguise - cockroaches, silver slugs, and, here, they look like rejects from Planet of the Apes when killed. It's a cool effect, watching their skin dissolve to reveal a purplish, gnarled gorilla-like face beneath. They've also got one of the most awesome underground labs ever, located in a famous cave that people can visit today. It's very much something you'd expect a Bond villain to utilize. I sometimes wonder if the Bond series had much of an influence on this series because some of the parallels are too obvious to ignore.

Godzilla got a minor facelift this time around. The MegaroGoji suit used in the previous film, Godzilla vs. Megalon, was given a new facial appearance, with the body remaining the same. Godzilla's brows were reduced a little, giving him more of a rough, almost bulldog-like appearance. The idea was to make him look less friendly than he had for the previous few films. The movie also is one of three to give Godzilla power through lighting, though this one is the most explicit. In both Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster and Gojira (1984), he's revived by a lightning storm - though in the latter there's a nuclear fallout that surely helped. Here, Godzilla, after being badly wounded fighting Mechagodzilla, retreats to an island (Monster Island?) where he absorbs electricity from a storm overhead, drinking in the electricity and causing his spines to spark furiously. Let's face it, Godzilla's powers have never been all that consistent outside of his atomic breath. I thought this was cool as anything when I was a kid, and that was probably all that mattered to director Jun Fukuda, too.

King Caesar made for a rad tag team partner. Toho took the most risks during this period, introducing many new kaiju to the series and making many famous along the way. Caesar is awesome because here was this huge dog/lion beast that can shoot lasers and he's all legendary and stuff. Some lady has to sing a song just to wake the guy up. But his character was firmly intertwined with the plot to this movie, making his inclusion in future films unnecessary. But, of course, we got him - along with many other faces that hadn't been seen in decades - in the final (as of now) Toho Godzilla film, Godzilla: Final Wars (2004). I remember that being a rough watch the first time I saw it. I'm looking forward to reviewing it for this blog, but I doubt a second viewing will sway my opinion.

Mechagodzilla is just a flat out amazing villain. There's nothing bad I can say about how he's portrayed here, his first of five appearances against Godzilla. His design is iconic, almost as much as Godzilla himself. His attacks are brutal and swift. I love how special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano modeled his movements after Kabuki, giving him a stiff gait to his walk. It looks very robotic. 

Let's talk about how wonderful Masaru Sato's final score for this series truly is, because he created one of my favorites of the whole series. The main theme is slightly playful, with notes ascending and then descending in a simple pattern that'll get stuck in your head. He adds in some intrigue, action, a little suspense... it's a rousing track with many high points. As I mentioned before briefly, a prayer must be sung in order to wake up Caesar. This song has been one of my favorite pieces of music since I was a kid. Maybe it's in the delivery or the melody - I don't really know - but it stands out as such a great piece of music. I'm so glad Toho released all of those Perfect Collection sets so that I could finally own a couple versions of it in proper quality.

The American version of the film featured a few alterations for theatrical release, mostly involving the cutting of bloodletting and other violence. The title was changed to Godzilla vs. The Bionic Minster, but it had to be changed a week later when Universal, who owned the popular The Bionic Woman, threatened a lawsuit. So, the posters were pulled and the title changed to Godzilla vs. The Cosmic Monster. 

Godzilla would have one more showdown before exiting the '70s and ending the Showa era of his pictures. A decline in ticket sales, along with an energy crisis in Japan that affected TV and film productions, would see Godzilla off big screens for almost a decade. But before that, one more battle with his mechanical nemesis...

GODZILLA-THON #13 - Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)

Godzilla's return to the big screen may have come just one year later, but the production history behind Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) is quite a story. Toho decided to have a fan-submission contest (an idea that would come into play for Godzilla during his Heisei days) entered exclusively by children sometime in mid-to-late 1972. At the time, the plan was for the studio to select a new character design as a winner and then base a film around that character. The chosen entry was a robot, dubbed Red Arone, who looked a lot like Ultraman and similar robotic fighters. Toho made modifications to the design (to what degree is unknown) and rechristened him Jet Jaguar. Their plan was to have him fight Megalon, a villainous beetle who had been drawn up for consideration in Godzilla vs. Gigan, but was ultimately cut when the budget for that film proved unable to support more monsters. In a somewhat ironic twist, studio personnel concluded that Jet Jaguar would never be popular enough to carry his own movie, causing the project to be put on hold. Within a month, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka had the script rewritten to include Godzilla and Gigan, on opposing sides, and soon production was back underway. Funny how things work out.

This entry doesn't feature aliens from outside our planet but, rather, from within. The long lost civilization of Seatopia has been trapped underground for centuries, and man's undersea testing of nuclear weapons has been disturbing their society. Angered, they crack open a fissure in the Earth and release Megalon to inflict damage on the world above. Goro, an inventor with one of the coolest pads you'll see in a '70s flick, has made his most amazing creation - Jet Jaguar, a robot capable of flight, fight, and following directives. When Megalon is unleashed, Jet Jaguar is dispatched to Monster Island where he gives Godzilla the bad news on what's going down. The Big G hops into the ocean (courtesy of old Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster footage) and starts paddling his way to Japan's mainland. But Megalon is doing a lot of damage while we wait, so Jet Jaguar, in some magical way, attains autonomy, sentience, and the ability to increase his size exponentially. Yes, a robot manages to "will himself larger", as his inventor posits during the film. Really, who cares how it's possible. The movie needs him big so now he's big. Boom. Done. Jet actually holds his own against Megalon pretty well, delivering a flurry of powerful attacks that stun the beetle. But then Gigan arrives, and all of a sudden Jet Jaguar is beaten within an inch of his robotic life before Godzilla shows up and stomps a mud hole in two asses. Now we get the battle everyone has been waiting for, with Jet Jaguar and Godzilla tag teaming both Megalon and Gigan, the latter of whom bitches out and retreats to space, leaving his cohort to face this:

This, for the uninitiated, is Godzilla's infamous flying kick. Much like his actual flying abilities, as glimpsed in Godzilla vs. Hedorah, we never see him perform such a maneuver again. But, wow, would you look at that. Fuck the logistics of how this is even possible, we're seeing Godzilla delivering a flying two-footed stomp to Megalon's battered body!

Some of the fight scenes are marred by the occurrence of stock footage. Again, considering Godzilla was an afterthought to this picture, essentially co-starring in what is ostensibly his own movie, it's not unbelievable to think Toho would have used old footage to pad things out. The only problem, which is always the problem, is the suits don't match up.

Speaking of which, we get a new suit! And it was made in a week? Yep. Known as the MegaroGoji, special effects supervisor Teruyoshi Nakano had virtually no time to get his work done, leaving him with a mere seven days to give Godzilla a brand new set of skins since his last outing had the suit literally falling apart during the movie. I think he did an amazing job given the time constraints. The only hiccup reported was the eyes, which they were unable to get working properly during filming. That issue was corrected for a TV appearance Godzilla was set to make that same year. Godzilla was given a set of larger eyes, with a more pronounced brow, and a friendlier face. The suit itself appears to fit actor Shinji Takagi much snugger previous suits worn by actor Haruo Nakajima.

Godzilla vs. Megalon, despite it's notorious reputation for being one of Godzilla's weakest films, was one of the most-watched entries in the United States. Not in Japan, though, where it was one of only two Godzilla films to sell under a million tickets (the other being Terror of Mechagodzilla). In the U.S., however, it had a respectable theatrical release in 1976 thanks to an infamous marketing campaign which saw Godzilla and Megalon fighting atop the World Trade Center, just as King Kong did that same year. The following year, it had a cable premiere on NBC, hosted by John Belushi in a Godzilla suit, in a prime-time slot. The major downside to that presentation: the network cut the film down considerably so that it fit into a one-hour slot. Ouch.

Toho had been pitting Godzilla against an ever-increasing roster of memorable, unique monsters that fans have been admiring for decades. But none up to this point had proven to be quite as difficult as when he looked into the mirror. Up next, the Big G meets his robotic counterpart... 

GODZILLA-THON #12 - Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

After the "disaster" - according to producer Tomoyuki Tanaka - that was Godzilla vs. Hedorah, work was swiftly underway to produce a new Godzilla film that hewed closer to the tried and true formula. Rather than allow someone else new to the series to have creative control, Tanaka brought back director Jun Fukuda, who had already enjoyed moderate success with his two previous Godzilla pictures Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster and Son of Godzilla. This entry, Godzilla vs. Gigan, would be the first of three pictures in a row he did for Toho. Gone were heavy messages and social commentary; this was to be a return to the plot lines that Tanaka felt worked best: alien invasion and mind control, featuring a roster of top monsters. The script went through a number of changes before deciding upon exactly who those monsters would be, with names like Varan and Rodan in the mix at one point. There was also talk of drafting some new kaiju into the fold, giving Godzilla some new adversaries to combat. Eventually, the screenwriters settled on having Godzilla team up with his old buddy, Anguirus, who just had a new suit made for 1968's Destroy All Monsters. On the opposing side, the golden space dragon, King Ghidorah, would be paired up with a new villain, the cybernetic, cosmic, cyclopean, curved-claw chicken from outer space, Gigan.

The aliens this time around are human-sized cockroaches who assume the form of people that have recently died. They operate a massive playground known as World Children's Land, where a massive Godzilla tower has been erected as the centerpiece control tower. Their plan is to use a series of "Action Control Tapes" to manipulate space monsters King Ghidorah and Gigan to destroy the Earth so they can inhabit it because their home world is dying. Gengo, a freelance artist who gets a gig with the company, stumbles upon one of their tapes and plays it, drawing concern from Godzilla and Anguirus on nearby Monster Island. After the two have a conversation - yes, a monster conversation - Anguirus decides to go investigate, drawing the fire of the military upon arrival. So, he takes off back to monster Island to let Godzilla know something is going down and Earth needs their help. Ghidorah and Gigan enter our atmosphere and promptly begin to smash everything in sight just before Godzilla and Anguirus arrive to challenge them. The fight eventually moves back to World Children's Land, where the aliens have concealed a massive laser inside the Godzilla tower. This weapon seriously neutralizes Big G, and just when it looks like he may be down for the count Gengo and his crew of hippie radicals send an elevator full of explosives up the tower, annihilating the controls and every alien inside. With the laser death ray compromised, Godzilla regains his composure, confers with Anguirus, and then proceeds to deliver a crate of whoop ass to both Ghidorah and Gigan, forcing them both to retreat back to the cold vacuum of space.

A chief complain about this film is that it relies too heavily on stock footage, which is absolutely true. This was Teruyoshi Nakano's second film as special effects supervisor after Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971), but there was only so much he could do with the limited budget this film was afforded. It's confusing as to why so much stock footage was utilized because they clearly had the required costumes for the shoot. It isn't like Ghidorah was added in using the power of film editing; the suit was on set! There are clips from numerous productions spliced in, including Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Invasion of Astro-Monster, Destroy All Monsters, and even non-Godzilla properties like Rodan and War of the Gargantuas. Needless to say, the fight scenes often appear to have been hastily cobbled together. It's bad enough to do this because Godzilla fans will immediately notice the suits aren't matching up between shots, but a couple fights foolishly use daytime footage during a nighttime battle, and no amount of color correction can fix such a glaring, gaping hole. And, again, Toho's actions here only hurt the film. The suits for all four monsters were on set, ready to shoot, so why not just do whatever you can with what you've got? The tag team battles that were shot for this film came off beautifully, featuring some of the best multi-monster mayhem since Destroy All Monsters. This would be the last time the SoshingekiGoji suit was used as the hero costume for a film, having previously appeared in the prior three pictures. The suit was in a state of disrepair, likely why so much footage was reused for this film, and in some scenes you can clearly see pieces of it are coming undone and looking a bit shoddy. Godzilla even appears to be sporting the eye injury he received from Hedorah.

Speaking of the battles, this is the first entry to show Godzilla bleed when attacked. Previous special effects supervisor Eiji Tsuburaya resisted the urge to show open wounds, fearing it would scare many of the young children who had become fond of Godzilla. Nakano clearly didn't share the same sentiment - he had no qualms with temporarily blinding Godzilla in his fight against Hedorah, and here he allows Gigan to draw blood twice. Even Anguirus isn't safe, running headfirst (kind of a stupid move) into Gigan's power-saw stomach. Having seen the film dozens of times as a kid and an adult, I can see where both special effects men were coming from. It was terrifying to see Godzilla bleed when I was a youngster, my mind immediately drawing the conclusion that he was going to be killed since nothing else had made him bleed in the past. Now, older & wiser, I find it simply imbues the film with extra tension that hadn't been employed before. There's a dreadful sense that Godzilla & Anguirus might be defeated by these cosmic scoundrels, though in the back of our minds we all know nothing is taking Godzilla down.

This would be the final time that legendary actor Haruo Nakajima donned the Godzilla suit. He had been toiling away under every iteration of the suit since its inception, masterfully perfecting his craft to add a sense of graceful power to Godzilla's movements. The end of his tenure marked almost 20 years of embodying Japan's most famous monster.

Also making his final appearance: King Ghidorah, who would remain dormant on movie screens until his rebirth nearly 20 years later, in 1991, when he was once again pitted against Godzilla. 

Akira Ifukube "returned" to his scoring duties for this entry. "Returned" is in quotations because the entirety of his work is re-purposed from his efforts on other Toho films, not just pre-existing Godzilla tracks. Only the most eagle-eyed, hardcore fans would be able to tell, though, since Ifukube had a tendency to reprise his most common themes throughout the series, making it nearly impossible to know if a piece of music was new or old. Tanaka did state that he wanted this film to be a return to form for Godzilla, and using his trademark themes was a surefire way to see that happened.

Godzilla didn't continue his upwards ascent after this film as Tanaka had planned, because the next in the series is often considered one of the worst right alongside All Monsters Attack. Released the following year, Godzilla vs. Megalon is another entry that shoehorns Godzilla into a pre-existing story, uses stock footage, and is usually credited with the public's perception of Godzilla as a form of children's entertainment and nothing more. 

GODZILLA-THON #8 - Son Of Godzilla (1967)

Godzilla had been well on his way to becoming a children's icon starting around the release of Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965), with Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster (1966) doing even more to soften the Big G's image so he could appear less threatening. Director Jun Fukuda, who helmed that entry, clearly had no qualms with making the big brute more loveable. Fukuda's next foray into the series would make Godzilla his least intimidating incarnation yet by giving him a son. Minya, or Minilla (a portmanteau or Mini-Godzilla), is easily one of the most divisive kaiju to appear in the films. You either love him or absolutely hate everything about him. In some ways, he is the Jar Jar of this universe - bumbling, well-meaning, always annoying no matter what he's doing, slightly cute, slightly revolting. The series certainly lost an appreciable amount of credibility by so blatantly pandering to kids. But at this point, kaiju films were losing their luster in theaters, so Toho really had no other option but to try marketing to an undiscerning crowd. There needed to be some kind of shake-up to the series, which was part of the reason director Jun Fukuda and composer Masaru Satoh were brought on board. Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka wanted to see how another creative team could handle bringing Godzilla to life. The two films Fukuda made before director Ishiro Honda and composer Akira Ifukube were brought back (for yet another "final" film) are unique in their own right in many ways. Each takes place on an island locale, the human drama is small in scale and surprisingly engaging, and Godzilla takes on a much more protective role. While it's hard to argue the quality didn't dip after Honda's run with the series, fans can readily admit Fukuda's entries are a lot of fun to watch.

A team of scientists on a small island have been working tirelessly to conduct weather experiments designed to help cultivate currently unusable lands so that food can be harvested for the ever-expanding world population. They are alone aside from a handful of massive 7-foot-tall praying mantises. A nosy reporter shows up one day (that's some real dedication, btw) and annoys some of the men, but he's allowed to stay and become the cook after proving himself useful. The group performs an experiment that goes awry, causing a radioactive fallout to cover the island. It also causes the mantises, known as Kamacuras, to grow to an even larger size. The men follow the Kamacuras' to find them digging an egg out of a pile of rubble, eventually cracking it open to reveal a giant turkey, er, Minya, Godzilla's son. The Kamacuras' are just about ready to have a meal of Minya when Big Daddy G shows up and promptly exterminates two of the three bugs. Their other buddy wisely retreats. Now that they can spend some quality time together, Godzilla teaches his son the art of being a monster, including how to blow fire. Except Minya can only blow smoke rings unless under heavy stress, like when daddy accidentally steps on his tail. When Reiko, a native girl, mistakenly wakes up Kumonga, the giant spider, Minya comes to her aid as best he can before getting wrapped up in webbing. And his cries can only mean one thing - Big G is gonna have to step in and save the day. Which he does because that's what he always does. Meanwhile, the scientists figure out a way to make their experiment go off without a hitch just as they escape the island, covering it in a thick layer of snow that blankets a now-hibernating Godzilla and son.

Part of what makes this entry an easy watch is the return of some of the series' familiar faces. Akihiko Hirata returns, this time in the role of a benevolent scientist; and Akira Kubo, one of our lead astronauts from Invasion of Astro-Monster is back, this time as the unflappable reporter whose curiosity vexes some of the men. Even as a kid, I remember the films having a comfortable feeling because I kept seeing the same faces pop up in all the Showa entries. Hirata's presence always lends an air of gravitas to these productions, whereas Kubo brings with him a sense of wonder and confidence.

I really dug the island setting Fukuda employed for this film and its predecessor. Godzilla has stomped the hell out of Tokyo and every other coastal city by now, so why not see how he fares on one of the many islands out in the Pacific? The change of scenery gives the Big G some new grounds to literally stomp upon, as well as explaining how he comes across many of his opponents - they live there. But it isn't just the island alone that makes these installments fun; it's also Masaru Satoh's jazzy, atypical scores. His work on Son of Godzilla is very similar to his last effort, losing the pomp & circumstance of Ifukube's deadly serious scores in favor of what feels like a fun tropical romp with our favorite giant lizard.

Minya. Minilla. Godzilla's seed. When I was a kid, I assumed there was some Mama Godzilla out there somewhere, and that maybe she'd show up at the end of the film or something. When that didn't happen after a few viewings (kids sometimes think movies might end differently upon subsequent viewings; I know I did) I just figured Godzilla must be some asexual reptile that made his own egg. Maybe it got lonely being out there, with nothing to do but smash Tokyo and eat villagers. Regardless of his reasoning, he made a son. Minya looks like a buttered turkey when he hatches, so it's no wonder Kamacuras wanted to have a bite. Luckily, he's able to grow very quickly... and then just stop. Honestly, he grows to around 1/3 of Godzilla's size in no time, but when we see him again 32 years later in Destroy All Monsters he's still the same little shit. He can't even breathe fire any better. He's not intolerable or anything, but he also ain't exactly cute. Mostly, he just wanders around, gets fascinated by girls, and causes just enough mischief that Godzilla has to be roused from his slumber to whoop some ass. He only appears in 3 out of 28 films in the series, and considering Godzilla's new-found status as friend to children everywhere, it was a smart PR move to have him baby-up.

New attitude, new look. Godzilla was bound to get an updated visage once again, especially with this entry's special effects being handled primarily by Sadamasa Arikawa, with pioneer Eiji Tsuburaya only listed as a supervisor. The alterations this time around were much more severe, with Godzilla's head in particular being remolded to look more human and less reptile. His eyes have been enlarged even further, his dorsal fins are rounded and less severe, the tail shortened, and his nose made more snub. Fittingly, he does have a more fatherly appearance than ever before. Kids may have dug the design, but it's a far cry from the apex looks provided in the early '60s. This suit was dubbed MusukoGoji, and it would appear later on in Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) during the water scenes.

The new monsters this time around have never been fan favorites. Kamacuras, a praying mantis, and Kumonga, the spider. Both monsters would eventually go on to be "featured" in Godzilla: Final Wars as alien-controlled opponents. I use "featured" in quotes because anyone who has seen that film knows each battle lasts about as long as it took to write this sentence. Godzilla has fought insects many times throughout the series, and he's scheduled to do so again with the new film coming this year. Insects are known for their ruthlessness in nature, so they make good opponents for their natural enemy - a lizard. Kamacuras doesn't have much of an attack ability, which explains how Godzilla destroyed two of them in record time. At least Kumonga can shoot webs, similar to Mothra in larva form, but that shit doesn't hold up too well to fire. And Godzilla has plenty of that.

The American version of Son of Godzilla doesn't deviate too much from the Japanese version. The major difference being that the opening pre-credit sequence featuring an airplane almost running into a seafaring Godzilla is cut. A couple of monster's get new names, too -  Kamacuras is referred to as Gimantis, and Kumonga is rechristened Spiga. The American version bypassed theaters, instead premiering on TV in 1969.

Tomoyuki Tanaka must have sensed that Godzilla was getting a bit too soft (plus box office returns were getting low), causing him to bring back the dream team of director Ishiro Honda and composer Akira Ifukube for what was intended to be Godzill'a cinematic farewell, Destory All Monsters (1968). But we all know that just wasn't true...

   

GODZILLA-THON #7 - Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster (1966)

   Another year, another Godzilla picture back on the big screen. Toho had been steadily churning out Godzilla adventures at a rate of one per year since 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla. This time around, though, the series had lost two of its core players. Director Ishiro Honda bowed out, handing directorial duties over to Jun Fukuda, who would go on to helm five films total in the series. Special effects supervisor Eiji Tsuburaya had other commitments that largely kept him off the set for this entry, leaving his duties up to Sadamasa Arikawa. Those changes aren't the major reason why Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster (1966) – or Ebirah, Horror of the Deep if you prefer - is viewed as the first (arguably) weaker film in the Showa series. Nope, the reason it's such a quizzical Godzilla film is because he was never supposed to be the star. The script was originally meant for King Kong – and was to be titled Operation Robinson Crusoe: King Kong vs. Ebirah - which would explain the more curious elements present in this picture. The real question here should be why Toho didn’t just order some rewrites so the film at least paid respect to Godzilla's legacy up to that point, though anyone familiar with Toho’s business practices shouldn’t be too surprised. We get all the familiar trappings of a Kong picture - island setting, natives, prehistoric opponents, female objects of affection, lightning rejuvenation. Oddities aside, the greatest strength of Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster isn’t the eponymous star’s presence; it’s the eclectic cast and their perilous journey to find a sibling lost at sea. Their island excursion plays out like Japanese James Bond, complete with a hidden enemy base, alluring native women, espionage, and a big, bold, brassy score. Complaints about Godzilla’s many sequels lacking a strong human element aren’t entirely unfounded, but this is one entry where the human characters are just as engaging as the Big Guy himself.

When Ryota's (Toru Watanabe) brother goes missing off the coast of some remote island hundreds of miles from mainland Japan, he does the sensible thing by breaking into a cat burglar's yacht with his friends, knocking the guy out, and sailing off in hopes of finding his lost sibling. They run aground on Devil’s Island and come across a militant group, Red Bamboo, which has taken over the place. Natives from nearby Infant Island (home of Mothra) are used for slave labor to produce a yellow fluid that keeps Ebirah, a giant sea shrimp (not a crab or lobster), at bay. Naturally, Ryota's brother, Yata Toru Ibuki), is there toiling away, so he and the boys break him loose. Red Bamboo sends a squadron of their troops after the men, who quickly surmise the best way to combat the troops is to wake up Godzilla, who they found nestled peacefully inside a cave. How did he even get in there? They rig up some wires to a sword, wait for a (convenient) lightning storm and soon a jolt of juice wakes the Big G from his slumber. Godzilla, likely with sleep still in his eyes, jumps right into battle with Ebirah, playing a game of volleyball using a massive rock. Maybe he was too tired for anything but stationary action? Eventually he hops into the sea and dukes it out, but Ebirah scuttles away and escapes.

Godzilla then just kind of hangs around, looking bored until he notices Dayo (Kumi Mizuno) and becomes smitten. His newfound love is interrupted when possibly his greatest cinematic foe shows up to tango: a giant condor. A giant condor he makes short work of in about a minute and change. Red Bamboo tries sending in some fighter jets, all of which meet the same fate as big bird. Sensing they’re about to lose their island stronghold, Red Bamboo’s leaders initiate a self-destruct sequence and hit the high seas… before being literally hit by a recharged Ebirah. The supersized shrimp is ready for another go-round with Godzilla, something it quickly regrets when G rips off his claws and kicks his ass down to the depths. Meanwhile, Ryota and the group manage to escape the island thanks to a surprise visit from Mothra, but the island is about to blow and everyone is worried Godzilla won’t get away in time. So, naturally, the men call out to Godzilla and warn him to leave the island. They're warning Godzilla. About an explosion. And he heeds it. Wasn't he, you know, born in fire and all that? Shouldn't matter. Maybe he just wanted to be polite and follow their advice. He is our friend now, after all.

If there’s a weak aspect here, it’s the fact that Godzilla doesn't show up until there are around 33 minutes left in the film. Prior to that, the only time we see him is when the guys stumble upon him sleeping in a tight cave. Luckily, the hour we spend Godzilla-less is a campy, kitschy romp through the jungle with a gang of colorful characters. Fukuda’s direction shows a heavy influence from James Bond films, but it never feels like a poor derivative. It’s fun and full of energy. Fukuda also wisely ties in this film with themes prevalent in the 1954 original, Gojira, by reintroducing talk of nuclear weapons. Red Bamboo uses their island hideaway as a facility for making nukes, and while the commentary on nuclear weapons isn’t heavy-handed it’s nice to have it included as a plot element. Everyone is aware Godzilla’s origin was nuclear, but few films in the series have directly addressed the impact producing those weapons can have on the planet.

The Godzilla suit used here, dubbed NankaiGoji, is reportedly the exact same one used for Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965). I say "reportedly" because the mouth looks like it's hanging open nearly the entire film, as though some damage had occurred to it and no one bothered to fix it. Toho was never much for taking excellent care of these suits anyway. Eventually, the NankaiGoji would be used as the water stunt suit for the next three sequels. If you’ve ever wondered why Godzilla’s look seems to change during the course of a film, it’s because older suits were used when G had to get his feet wet. Toho didn’t want to risk ruining their hero suits. Ebirah doesn’t get much love despite being one of Godzilla’s earliest kaiju adversaries. I guess a giant shrimp isn’t quite as compelling as a three-headed dragon or a huge colorful moth. The fights between Godzilla and Ebirah are more humorous than threatening, especially since there are no cities or civilians to smash and crush, and Fukuda seems to be having fun making a game out of two behemoths clashing. One cool aspect to their battlers is that this is the first film since the original to show Godzilla underwater, and the first to show him fighting down there. Godzilla takes a while to hit the scene, but once he does it’s more or less 30 uninterrupted minutes of mayhem, all of which culminates in a final fight with Ebirah where Godzilla rips off both its claws and taunts Ebirah by snapping them open and closed. Again, right out of Kong’s playbook but it’s hilarious to see Godzilla be such a jerk.