Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

[GodzillaSpawn]

I don't hate it at all, I kind of like the vibe it has. Though I don't watch it often, I like that it's still a dark and gritty film which deals with the Atom bomb unlike just about all the sequels after. I love when Gigantis and Anguirus first show up, on the island. Cool little scene without showing alot. I do like the Godzilla costume...the slim fit look of the original. Sure, he can look a bit goofy in the face, but also very fearsome. The arrival on Osaka without the music was definitely creepy. The fight was a brutal, savage affair which consisted of almost all fang-to-fang fighting and alot of blood. The story with the humans, while not great, wasn't too bad. I liked that the friend sacrificed himself and gave his final wishes to the two people that cared for him. And finally the attack on Godzilla with the avalanche was a cool temporary solution.

[Bluejira]

I like this movie. Anguiras never looks this good again. I like the
Godzilla suit as well. The battle is long and well done. I can ignore the relentless narration barely. Trapping G in the glacier was a logical way to end the movie since the loss of the oxygen destroyer. For the most part the actors do a good job in basically an adventure movie as opposed to the originals nuclear horror story.

[Reaper Man]

It's okay. Don't hate it, but kinda mediocre.

[Cimmerian Dragon]

^ There's a fine line between hate and love. Passions flare, bodies clash, then all of a sudden...

You're actually closer to the truth with that joke then you may realize. The part of our brain that deals with the "fight or flight" mode of survival instincts also deals with the "I'm so horny" reproducing instincts and emotions. It actually explains why some couples can go from yelling at each other like they want to bite the others head off one minute to just screwing like crazy the next.

I know, that was the joke.

I was *ahem* fraternizing for a year with a former professor of mine. Prior to the relationship, our interactions basically involved arguments and philosophic grudge-matches that lasted for an entire semester at a time. Now that we're on friendlier terms, I wonder if the antagonism was some odd way of dealing with those instincts you mentioned, or if those instincts eventually overwhelmed the antagonism.

[Living Corpse]

Pst, they were hitting on you.

[Gawdziller]

Does this mean that Dunkon and Captain A secretly desire to be lovers?

[Jacob Kaiju X]

It's pretty much a mediocre Godzilla film, to be honest. I think the only importance that this movie truly has is giving us Angurius and the idea of Godzilla fighting another monster (even though the formula would be truly established in the later movies). I did somewhat enjoy the human plot, but I also thought the movie had bad pacing at times, and setting the fight between Godzilla and Anguirus in the middle of the film instead of the end hurts it alot.

And yes, the Japanese original is superior to the Americanized version.

[Reaper Man]

Ah, banana oil!

[SpiderKing389]

Though this is an older thread, thought I'd give my two cents as it were. I don't dislike "Godzilla Raids Again". Rather, I dislike "Gigantis the fire monster".

My main gripe is with the name, Gigantis. Did the US distributors know this was a sequel to "Godzilla King of the monsters"? And if so, why change the monsters name? And another question, if they decided to change the name of Godzilla to Gigantis, why the hell did Angurius' name not get changed? Sure the pronunciation of his name is slightly off, but overall no change.

Ah, my rant is done....

[Sydney Aradi]

@SpiderKing The American producer of Gigantis (Paul Schribeman) changed Godzilla's name to Gigantis because he felt that by changing Godzilla's name to something else that he could fool everyonewatching the film would be seeing a new monster instead of a sequel to Godzilla King of The Monsters.

[Mincecraft]

@SpiderKing The American producer of Gigantis (Paul Schribeman) changed Godzilla's name to Gigantis because he felt that by changing Godzilla's name to something else that he could fool everyonewatching the film would be seeing a new monster instead of a sequel to Godzilla King of The Monsters.

Despite the obvious resemblance?

Paul Schribeman. Dumbass.

Though I will give him credit, he said he regrets it to this day.

[ScootaVaran]

@SpiderKing The American producer of Gigantis (Paul Schribeman) changed Godzilla's name to Gigantis because he felt that by changing Godzilla's name to something else that he could fool everyonewatching the film would be seeing a new monster instead of a sequel to Godzilla King of The Monsters.

I always found that odd. It's usually a norm for a movie company to capitalize on a movies success by making sequels, not by avoiding it.

[Tohosaurus]

Well for the record I have to admit I don't "hate" GRA. As with other worst Godzilla movies -IMO GvSG and AMA among them- they still are a Godzilla movie and that keeps me coming back, albeit ... rarely. lol

With that out of the way, what I DO hate is that GRA has no real messages and thus no strength as more than anything other than entertainment. Movies for just entertainment are nice, but when the movie succeeds a film that was renowned (or at least later became renowned) for its messages and allegory the successor becomes quite disappointing. But what makes it borderline unwatchable from there on out is that as just an entertainment film it's a pretty weak entry. It's a perfect example of dark without purpose failing to make the movie any better. I love dark movies, but it tried to have the serious, even dark approach that G54 had and it comes out having none of it while looking like it's trying entirely too hard.

[Gojira-Fan]

@SpiderKing The American producer of Gigantis (Paul Schribeman) changed Godzilla's name to Gigantis because he felt that by changing Godzilla's name to something else that he could fool everyonewatching the film would be seeing a new monster instead of a sequel to Godzilla King of The Monsters.

I always found that odd. It's usually a norm for a movie company to capitalize on a movies success by making sequels, not by avoiding it.

You have to put into account that the film came out in an era that lacked sequels.

While films back then could be derivative, they didn't rely on "brand-name" like they do in the now.

i.e. If a science fiction movies did well, the studio would produce more science fiction movies. Not necessarily request sequels to said science fiction movies.

[Tohosaurus]

You have to put into account that the film came out in an era that lacked sequels.

While films back then could be derivative, they didn't rely on "brand-name" like they do in the now.

i.e. If a science fiction movies did well, the studio would produce more science fiction movies. Not necessarily request sequels to said science fiction movies.

^ All of this.

Unfortunately this practice managed to ruin some movies. One still classic film example is Cleopatra, which was almost five and half hours in its full form because the original intent was for two films, not one. Fox wagged their index finger and a decent movie with a lousy sequel jammed the two together for seemingly never ending monstrosity.

[GodzillaRangerPrime]

OT, but am I the only one that feels like "Gigantis" should've been the American name for Gojira from the beginning?
I kinda like it better than "Godzilla"

Would've been better if they just kept the name "Gojira".

[Sydney Aradi]

Gigantis would've been a horrible english name as it isn't as punchy to say as Godzilla is

[Gawdziller]

They should have called him Scruffy. That's better than either name.

[Tohosaurus]

I much prefer Godzilla to Gigantis myself.

[Gojira-Fan]

OT, but am I the only one that feels like "Gigantis" should've been the American name for Gojira from the beginning?

Not trying to be a dick, but yes. I'm pretty sure you're the only one that thinks that.

Gigantis sounds so stupid.