Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

[Lord Gappa]

Hopefully if there is a sequel to the LP film they'll actually take time to actually MAKE IT instead of rushing it in about 3-5 months.

[Tohosaurus]

Hopefully if there is a sequel to the LP film they'll actually take time to actually MAKE IT instead of rushing it in about 3-5 months.

I think we could rest assured on that. They've taken time with other successful movies' sequels. The Batman trilogy comes immediately to mind.

[Gojira-Fan]

Two guys in rubber suits battling it out was almost unheard of.

You act as though it was a ground breaking ingenious idea

GUYS
GUYS
WHAT IF
GUYS
WHAT IF WE GOT A RUBBER SUIT
AND ANOTHER RUBBER SUIT
AND
GUYS
WHAT IF
THEY FOUGHT

Well, it may not be the most ingenious idea ever, but I feel that (seeing as monsters fighting is a huge part of the Godzilla series) the first Godzilla movie where Godzilla fights another monster is important.

[TokyoVigilante]

Inspired by my recent exchange concerning Godzilla x Megaguirus, I decided to re-visit my least favorite Showa film to see what was up with that.

Godzilla Raids Again is a frantically slapped together cash-in follow up to a deeply personal film that expressed one mans concerns about the Nuclear Age. GRA's "Get it while the gittin's good" philosophy shines through in every facet of the production; light stands can be seen, the shallow and pedestrian human story, sequences are dragged out seemingly to pad time, and the special effects are rougher then even the "make it up as we go along" Gojira's.

It lacks of the depth to be considered artistically satisfying ala Gojira or Mothra, but it lacks the energy and efficiency of later films to be just an entertaining action movie. GRA is just an overall weak and dull film. But it does have some good points;

- The film is very much aware of Gojira and does a good job of hammering home that without the Oxygen Destroyer, they cannot stop Godzilla and seeing that come from Dr. Yamane himself really amping up the overall tension of the film.

- Hiroshi Koizumi is doing a damn fine job as Shoichi Tsukioka with what little he's given. Props to him, while the rest of the cast is serviceable.


This brings me to two points;

It's well accepted that Kobayashi killed himself to stop Godzilla...really? Because it just looked to me like he got struck by the heat ray and crashed his plane. Unless there's some official Toho paperwork on the matter, I'm calling BS on the "Kobayashi killed himself" interpretation on the grounds that I doesn't make any sense.

Secondly, I maintain that GRA did not begin the "Godzilla fights another monster" plot formula and seeing the film again only strengthens that conviction; the standard formula is for a final grand showdown at the end to decide who is the top monster, while in GRA, the battle between Godzilla and Anguirus is effectively the entire second act of the movie, leaving the final showdown to be between Godzilla and the air force. Infact, this is often a complaint I've been people draw on the film, but I'm beginning to think that that is unfair, as it's assuming that this film is working under the same rules of the films that would come after it.

It's even in the title; "Godzilla Raids Again". This is Godzillas return and he's the true threat, the draw, the point, and the focus of the film. Anguirus exists almost exclusively as a half-time show and to show-off how mean and nasty Godzilla is and isn't given equally billing. GRA could exist just fine without Anguirus and would have the same movie.

But, I digress. The movie is easily the weakest Showa film.

[Tamura]

It should be remembered that Motoyoshi Oda was a prolific B-movie director and that the film was intended to be shown opposite TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE during its original American release. This was never meant to be a film on the same level as GODZILLA '54.

[TokyoVigilante]

Curious, then.

What started that formula. This is the first Rubber suited monster fights another rubber suited monster movie that I'm aware of. This is the earliest example we have of Godzilla fighting another monster. If not the first, it is the prelude to it.

Though, I would argue that the granddaddy of "monster-vs-monster" movies would be King Kong. While Kong does not fight any monsters in the climax, he certainly fights a whole mess of things on Skull Island.

King Kong vs. Godzilla is what started and popularized the formula that we know today.

Look at the timeline of the franchise up to that point; 1954 we have Gojira. It's a BIG hit. They throw together (probably literally) a sequel that has Godzilla as the primary focus of the film, Anguirus is just the bonus-surprise-inside. He's a nobody. It's not "Godzilla vs. Anguirus" it's all about Godzilla doing some Raiding once Again.

King Kong is a good parallel to GRA; the film is titled and is about the exploits of KING KONG, but he gets into some scuffles along the way, the film is still ultimately about him and him alone. Godzillas fight with Angurius isn't much different then Kongs fight with the T-Rex in the way its handled; it's a piece of spectacle, not the point of the movie.

7 years pass, almost a decade with NO Godzilla films. Godzilla's future as a brand is uncertain and not set in stone. 1962, we get a lavish production that is a CROSS-OVER that pits the world renowned King Kong against Tohos most popular (of a handful) monster. Both monsters are given equally billing in the title, KING KONG VS. GODZILLA, both foes are given the roles of protagonist/antagonist, and the whole film is about the eventual confrontation of these two foes. This film is a huge hit (the biggest of hits infact).

2 years later, we get yet another CROSS-OVER, between another established monster (this time a homegrown one), that centers around Mothras battle with Godzilla, with the battle between the aging adult and the two Larvas being effectively the entire third act of the film as well.

This is the model that the rest of the franchise would follow, not the one that is set-up in Godzilla Raids Again.

[The Dark Uniter]

While I do credit Godzilla Raids Again for creating the monster vs monster concept, the film is not that great. Easily forgettable.

[Huan_of_Valinor]

The japanese version isn't all that bad. Not the worst movie i've ever seen but it's easily one of the weakest Godzilla movies... the goji suit is a mess, so is the plot. It does have a few high points. Angurius actually looks pretty good... Uhhhhh... I forget if there's anything else left to reccomend the movie on

oh! The score's not bad either, decent is a good word to describe it

the american version... Well, it's hysterically funny. The opening is totally unneeded, the roars are mixed up, they call the monsters by different names, and sometimes outright wrong ones. The dubbing over the film that yamane shows is some of the worst dubbing i've ever heard in any international movie (i'm taking some of jackie chan's early movies dubbed into consideration, so this is really saying something lol) .

ah banna oil, it's such a messy americanized film. If you can get the classic media dvd release of this, go for it. The commentary on the americanized version is awesome lol

[Julia Bristow]

The japanese version isn't all that bad. Not the worst movie i've ever seen but it's easily one of the weakest Godzilla movies... the goji suit is a mess, so is the plot. It does have a few high points. Angurius actually looks pretty good... Uhhhhh... I forget if there's anything else left to reccomend the movie on

oh! The score's not bad either, decent is a good word to describe it

the american version... Well, it's hysterically funny. The opening is totally unneeded, the roars are mixed up, they call the monsters by different names, and sometimes outright wrong ones. The dubbing over the film that yamane shows is some of the worst dubbing i've ever heard in any international movie (i'm taking some of jackie chan's early movies dubbed into consideration, so this is really saying something lol) .

ah banna oil, it's such a messy americanized film. If you can get the classic media dvd release of this, go for it. The commentary on the americanized version is awesome lol

I enjoyed the audio commentary for the american version of Godzilla Raids Again as it was pretty funny & informative and made the US version much more enjoyable to view

[Gojisan866]

This really is one of my favorite films of Godzilla's early days. Very underrated film. It was a lot cheesier than its prequel, unfortunately...

[GotengoXGodzilla]

The most dull and boring of the Godzilla films. Nothing interesting happens, the characters aren't likable or even that relatable and it takes forever for anything to happen. But, once things finally get somewhat interesting, the film either cuts away to something else or the it ends. The film is pretty much over after Godzilla kills Anguirus, but it feels the need to keep going, and continues to be boring. Its nothing but a quick cash in on Gojira, but doesn't even feel like its connected to that film in anyway.

For me, its the weakest entry in the Showa series.

[therealmccoy]

It seems to me that if the monster fight would have been the climax instead of the Air Force fight, it might have been better. Or maybe something like having both monsters get buried alongside each other?

[Tohosaurus]

Inspired by my recent exchange concerning Godzilla x Megaguirus, I decided to re-visit my least favorite Showa film to see what was up with that.

Godzilla Raids Again is a frantically slapped together cash-in follow up to a deeply personal film that expressed one mans concerns about the Nuclear Age. GRA's "Get it while the gittin's good" philosophy shines through in every facet of the production; light stands can be seen, the shallow and pedestrian human story, sequences are dragged out seemingly to pad time, and the special effects are rougher then even the "make it up as we go along" Gojira's.

It lacks of the depth to be considered artistically satisfying ala Gojira or Mothra, but it lacks the energy and efficiency of later films to be just an entertaining action movie. GRA is just an overall weak and dull film. But it does have some good points;

- The film is very much aware of Gojira and does a good job of hammering home that without the Oxygen Destroyer, they cannot stop Godzilla and seeing that come from Dr. Yamane himself really amping up the overall tension of the film.

- Hiroshi Koizumi is doing a damn fine job as Shoichi Tsukioka with what little he's given. Props to him, while the rest of the cast is serviceable.


This brings me to two points;

It's well accepted that Kobayashi killed himself to stop Godzilla...really? Because it just looked to me like he got struck by the heat ray and crashed his plane. Unless there's some official Toho paperwork on the matter, I'm calling BS on the "Kobayashi killed himself" interpretation on the grounds that I doesn't make any sense.

Secondly, I maintain that GRA did not begin the "Godzilla fights another monster" plot formula and seeing the film again only strengthens that conviction; the standard formula is for a final grand showdown at the end to decide who is the top monster, while in GRA, the battle between Godzilla and Anguirus is effectively the entire second act of the movie, leaving the final showdown to be between Godzilla and the air force. Infact, this is often a complaint I've been people draw on the film, but I'm beginning to think that that is unfair, as it's assuming that this film is working under the same rules of the films that would come after it.

It's even in the title; "Godzilla Raids Again". This is Godzillas return and he's the true threat, the draw, the point, and the focus of the film. Anguirus exists almost exclusively as a half-time show and to show-off how mean and nasty Godzilla is and isn't given equally billing. GRA could exist just fine without Anguirus and would have the same movie.

But, I digress. The movie is easily the weakest Showa film.

Excellent post. I also noticed the plane sacrifice/crash contradiction between the dub and what we actually see. I don't remember if it's just an English dub issue or if it's in all versions.

[Showa Gyaos]

Does anybody get the vibe that GRA was made as a cash-in movie?

[Tamura]

Does anybody get the vibe that GRA was made as a cash-in movie?

It basically was.

[TokyoVigilante]

Precisely. Which is why I think it's futile and strange seeing people try to dig sub-text out of a slapped together cash-in film. It's aggressively forgettable.

At least with the stinkers of the other eras, everyone just kinda' accepts it and enjoys them for their badness. I don't see anyone trying to put Spacegodzilla on a pedestal next to Biollante, but Raids Again is cursed with being compared to Gojira.

[Goji]

^ I don't understand the small following this film gets either. Some of the monster stuff isn't too bad, but overall, I agree that it's an extremely forgettable "slapped together" mess. Of course, films like GIGAN are as well, but that film is FAR more enjoyable on just about every level (regardless of all the silliness).

[Legionmaster]

Of course, films like GIGAN are as well, but that film is FAR more enjoyable on just about every level (regardless of all the silliness).

Because the silliness works. It's fun. GRA is not very fun.

[Goji]

^ Exactly. GRA and MEGAGUIRUS are two films that practically put me to sleep whenever I try to watch them. Even SPACEGODZILLA doesn't have that effect on me.

[merbermaniac123]

I actually really like this movie, but I'm not really surprised that I'm in the minority. I do admit it is a little boring at parts, and I feel the characters should have been fleshed out more and whatnot, but it was pretty enjoyable. The only thing I don't really understand is the whole Kobayashi "match maker" thing. Who was the picture of in his notebook (diary? daily planner?)? Was it Hidemi or some other girl? I really have no idea, but the characters were so poorly developed anyway that it really makes no difference.