Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

[NebulaMSpacehunter]

BANANA OIL

[DrKaiju1954]

I like Gigantis because its a americanization,its cheesy,the title is badass,and of course "Banana Oil!".

[TokyoVigilante]

Forgettable is the keyword. When you're jammed between Gojira and King Kong Vs. Godzilla (combined with being incredible mediocre on most levels) then you tend to get lost. It really doesn't add anything to the franchise, other then Anguirus (who could've been introduced in DAM or even Godzilla vs Gigan just fine).

[Xx_The_Masquerade_xX]

i don't hate this movie, but it isn't a good one neither. There wasn't enough Godzilla, Aside from the battle with Anguirus an Godzilla being covered in Ice at the very end there really isn't any point in watching it. The only thing ill give it respect for is it being the first film starting the (Vs) era of Godzilla which would continue until this very day.

maybe a 1.0 out of 5.0

[Arbok]

While I find Godzilla vs. Megalon to be the worst entry in the franchise, I would probably sooner watch it over Godzilla Raids Again.

The problem with this film is that it's just so boring. The Godzilla vs. Anguirus bout is interesting, but it happens far too soon. Once it's over, there is next to zero reasons for watching it. What are you left to look forward to? The underdeveloped love triangle? The slow paced Godzilla snow waltz until he gets buried?

I will be honest that I saw this movie in the theaters at a convention, and actually walked out after Anguirus died. To be fair, it was a late showing and it was double billed, but its still the only Toho movie that can tout having left me with the urge to just leave while it was still running.

[Mini-Godzilla]

While the U.S. dub/re-edit is laughable, the original release is a solid if weaker follow-up, much in the vein of Jaws 2 or Rocky II. It doesn't really add much to Godzilla's mythology, but it does introduce a new dinopponent in Anguirus, starting the shift to VS daikaiju flicks. The fight scenes are far more believable than those that follow (I love the sped-up shots, even if they were accidental), and the continuity nods to Gojira are much appreciated.

[gojira012]

What was the point of the USA renaming Godzilla Gigantis

[Mini-Godzilla]

To pretend that it was a new, different monster. Audiences didn't care.

[Ethan]

And as a result, the film bombed.

[TitanosaurusFan]

The dubbing of the American version.......god did it sound cartoonish and horrible.The change of Godzilla's name to Gigantis was pointless and giving him Anguirus's roars made it worse.And then theres the addition of how Godzilla and Anguirus were created in the U.S version followed by stock footage and a generic sci-fi explanation for how the monsters were created and when finally,footage of Godzilla appeared on Dr.Yamane's projector,the eerie mood of the original scene was destroyed by talking and music while the japanese version had only footage of Godzilla's attack and there was no sound or music,just footage, and it set a good atmosphere for the scene.

[HedorahLives]

This sequel was really close to the look and tone of Gojira, but it didn't have the heart. Part of Gojira's point was the monster's devastation and how it effected the Japanese people. In GRA, the first scene in Osaka after Godzilla's raid is a bunch of people standing around, cheerfully talking about how they'll just rebuild. It robs the movie of any emotion it might have. Even Kobashi's death seems...not necessary. Why not just say "hey, we should try burying Godzilla in an avalanche" instead of killing himself to get the story's hero to figure the strategy out?

All that said, the monster stuff was really good and the portrayal of Godzilla and Angurius here probably has more in common with the Heisei era than what the Showa films would end up being. More animal, less anthromorphic. I'm also a sucker for black and white monster movies. The whole bit with turning the lights out and trying to flare Godzilla away that's ruined by Angurius blindsliding everyone? Classic.

A mixed bag to be sure, but a good entry to the franchise.

[GodzillaXGomoraFight]

Akira Ifukube's score during the battle between Godzilla and Anguirus in my opinion was one of the highlights of the movie. It was extremely dark and it intensified the match slightly

[Mini-Godzilla]

WHOSE score?

[GodzillaXGomoraFight]

Akira Ifukube's score during the battle between Godzilla and Anguirus in my opinion was one of the highlights of the movie. It was extremely dark and it intensified the match slightly

Uh dude, Akira Ifukube didn't do the score for Godzilla Raids Again. Masauru Sato did.

Was it? O well than, I thought that Masauru Sato did a good job

[jdownham]

Recently, I watched both the Japanese and Americanized versions of the first sequel to Godzilla. The original Japanese version is definitely superior. I give it 3 dorsal fins. The American version is a grade B monster flick typical of the 1950s, when giant bug-eyed monsters menaced the drive-ins. So it has nostalgic value. For a long time, this was one of the "lost" Godzilla movies. I remember it airing on the Disney channel years ago (Yeah, the Disney channel actually onced aired Godzilla movies!). What do you all think of this film? Was it as much of a drop in greatness as, say, Son of Kong?

[therealmccoy]

All in all, I guess it depends on which version you see. I'm mixed, because there are things I like about both. I don't really think it was a big drop in greatness, but it really wasn't that great of a movie anyway. The whole "Anguirus family" thing and referring to the first Godzilla as an Anguirus didn't help much. The music in the dub was awesome. The only music that was worth a damn in the original was Godzilla's appearance. Yeah, the dub was a B-movie, but the original wasn't much better, so it couldn't have hurt it that much.
I'm 29, but I don't remember Disney showing Godzilla. I'm probably too young. Ahhh...the good old days...before everybody started bitching about violence on TV.

[Gojira-Fan]

This movie is really sub-par. Unlikable, flat characters. A stupid romance sub-plot. Pretty poor pacing, all made this movie pretty unlikable.

Although it did invent the monster fight, which is a plus. And the special effects are good. Also, I like the musical score.

And the dub is even worse.

[Goji]

I'm 29, but I don't remember Disney showing Godzilla.

Disney did actually play several Godzilla films in the late 80's into the early 90's. The video generated title card for GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (that replaced the original GIGANTIS one) was first seen on the Disney channel, IIRC. Disney would also air GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER, SON OF GODZILLA, GHIDRAH, and KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (with the smoking sequence with omitted).

[Tohosaurus]

The movie is pretty dull IMO. What helps it from being a total failure in my book are some pretty nice fight scenes with Godzilla and Anguirus.

[TokyoVigilante]

A watered down retread of Gojira with another monster thrown it. Bland, boring, and utterly forgettable.