Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

[Goji]

1) it seems that they had problems getting the roars and the screams of the monsters (just right).

That's only inherent in the GIGANTIS cut. The Japanese version doesn't have this issue.

please consider the time frame that the movie was made (1959) there weren't a lot high quality sxf during those years.
sorry post so long....

GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN was produced and released in 1955. The American version was released in 1959.

[edgaguirus]

I have both versions of the film, and I find GRA the better watch.

[kaiju115]

Same here, though I always hated the title Gigantis. But still, Godzilla Raids Again is still a pretty good movie.

[Rockzilla]

I like Godzilla Raids Again, but I prefer Gigantis The Fire Monster.

[Tamura]

I like Godzilla Raids Again, but I prefer Gigantis The Fire Monster.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004V8 ... dm_dp_trk1

[ZillaMaster91]

I actually liked Godzilla Raids Again. I saw it for the first time when I got the Classic Media release several years ago. For a quick cash-in sequel, it's not all that bad. It isn't as strong as the first film though, that we can all agree on. Overall, it's not my favorite, nor the best of the Showa series, but it's good in its own right.

*I often imagine the Benny Hill theme playing during the fast-forwarded footage of Godzilla and Anguirus battling in Osaka. I guilty pleasure of mine!

[edgaguirus]

That might make a funny youtube video.

[Mini-Godzilla]

I personally hold Godzilla Raids Again in my top tier of Godzilla films (competing with Invasion of Astro Monster and Return of Godzilla for that coveted "favorite sequel" title), but I can understand why the later films tend to ignore it. The film is largely overlooked by audiences anyway, and the reboots (especially the 1984 film) essentially act as loose remakes of this movie by borrowing its idea of a second Godzilla.

[bananaoil]

So how can Godzilla just return?

Whether or not it was a literal or figurative warning, Dr. Yamane states at the end of Godzilla that other monsters might appear. The film also treats its titular monster like a species of dinosaur rather than a one of a kind animal. Godzilla was an aquatic dinosaur that haunted Odo Island, and the bomb irradiated it. With this in mind, nuclear tests clearly irradiated a second dinosaur of the same species, which allows Godzilla to "just return" in any number of sequels regardless of whether or not they reference Godzilla's Counterattack.

And there's no point mentioning a sequel if you're making a film that ignores all continuity save for the original film. I don't understand your complaint.

Also, Counterattack is a ho-hum, cash in sequel with a lot of potential and too little pay off.

[Tamura]

It's interesting to read contemporary articles in trade mags from the '60s that fail to acknowledge GRA/GIGANTIS as an entry in the Godzilla series.

Check out this clipping from the May 18, 1964 edition of Boxoffice Magazine:

[Patrick Alan]

I've been lucky enough to watch the Japanese version of the film, and it was so fantastic, it seemed very differant from the rest of the Godzilla movies that followed, but then I saw the English dub of the movie.... It was so terrible, they never called Godzilla by his name, and he had Anguirus's roar.
If you can watch the Japanese film, do it ASAP, it's one of my favorites now

[Gussilla95]

I have noticed recently that a lot of people dislike this film. Now I don't know if they are referring to Gigantis The Fire Monster, which was a huge pile of bullshit, but if it is the Japanese version - why? Is it the monster battles being filmed at high speed? Is it the story? I personally find it one of the best in the series.

[GotengoXGodzilla]

I hate Godzilla Raids Again because it is the most boring and forgettable film in the franchise. The characters are dull and one-dimensional, the pacing is slow and irritating at times, and the story is uneventful for the most part, focusing on uninteresting aspects, like the prison break in the middle of fighting off Godzilla. The only semi-interesting part of the film is the fight between Godzilla and Anguirus, but that comes in the middle of the film, where the audience no longer cares about what happens after that. Something like that is great for the final fight of the film, because it's the height of excitement. By putting in the middle, it makes the rest of the film even more boring then it should be.

[TokyoVigilante]

A) Firstly, one of my main issues for a while is that it was treated like it had this depth and importance about it like Gojira for no other reason then that it was the other B&W Godzilla movie. When in fact, if you read about the background and history of the films production, it was a project conceived on the exact opposite side of the cinematic spectrum as Gojira.

B) It's often attributed with starting the "Godzilla vs." formula, when it actually doesn't at all.

C) It's just an incredibly unremarkable film, especially when sitting between two massive and important titans of the franchise (Gojira and King Kong vs. Godzilla). It doesn't bring anything new to the table, it doesn't do anything particularly well and does lots of things blandly and without alot of energy or enthusiasm behind it.

[JAGzilla]

I wouldn't say I hate it, though it's definitely one of the lower-ranked G movies for me. Bottom five material, probably. It's just very slow, dull, and forgettable. None of the characters did anything for me, the main battle shouldn't have been in the middle of the movie, the music was lackluster... there just wasn't a lot to like. That said, I've only seen it once, about a year ago. Future viewings may change my mind.

[Living Corpse]

*Rises hand*

I like it. >_>

[wrongnote85]

A) Firstly, one of my main issues for a while is that it was treated like it had this depth and importance about it like Gojira for no other reason then that it was the other B&W Godzilla movie. When in fact, if you read about the background and history of the films production, it was a project conceived on the exact opposite side of the cinematic spectrum as Gojira.

B) It's often attributed with starting the "Godzilla vs." formula, when it actually doesn't at all.

C) It's just an incredibly unremarkable film, especially when sitting between two massive and important titans of the franchise (Gojira and King Kong vs. Godzilla). It doesn't bring anything new to the table, it doesn't do anything particularly well and does lots of things blandly and without alot of energy or enthusiasm behind it.

okay, you got me there, what are you talking about?

also, i like this film. it was one of the many godzilla films i enjoyed as a wee lad and holds a special place in my nostalgic heart. may not be a great film, but it was always a lot of fun. plus, there was banana oil in the american version.

[Space Hunter M]

I perfectly understand why the film gets all the hate that it does. It does feel like an unimportant bridge between the first film and KKvsG, but I still enjoy it.

[Tamura]

"Why do I hate it?" But I don't hate it...

[TokyoVigilante]

A) Firstly, one of my main issues for a while is that it was treated like it had this depth and importance about it like Gojira for no other reason then that it was the other B&W Godzilla movie. When in fact, if you read about the background and history of the films production, it was a project conceived on the exact opposite side of the cinematic spectrum as Gojira.

B) It's often attributed with starting the "Godzilla vs." formula, when it actually doesn't at all.

C) It's just an incredibly unremarkable film, especially when sitting between two massive and important titans of the franchise (Gojira and King Kong vs. Godzilla). It doesn't bring anything new to the table, it doesn't do anything particularly well and does lots of things blandly and without alot of energy or enthusiasm behind it.

okay, you got me there, what are you talking about?

I've seen GRA claimed as a landmark or noteworthy film because it's the first film in the franchise to have Godzilla fight something. But the formula the film uses doesn't match anything that is used since. None of the films have used the formula from GRA. The formula that is used was started with King Kong vs. Godzilla, with both monsters getting top billing as worthy opponents and the plot centering around bringing them together for the final act of the film being resolved by their confrontation.

That is nothing like GRA, it's just a re-tread of Gojira for the first two acts with another monster acting as scenary. Anguirus isn't central to the plot in the slightest and is entirely inconsequential. You would have the same movie if he wasn't in it.