Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

[JVM]

Personal reasons in my case.

I had no idea what the hell it was, couldn't locate it until the CM DVD release, it was one of my first Godzilla DVD purchases, and after a ton of personal hype over finally figuring out what the hell it was... it wasn't anything.

The only notable thing about this film is it has Anguirus in it, and a Dr. Yamane cameo I guess, but otherwise the film might as well not exist and the franchise would be barely any different.

Well, okay I guess I like the G55 suit, too.

[daftfalloutgoji]

Seriously there's this much hate for a classic showa film that started the monster fight for the Godzilla franchise. It wasn't bad at all. There is a crappier film than this. Godzilla 1998.

[JAGzilla]

^ 'Better than an abomination' isn't exactly high praise, though.

For positivity's sake, though, I will admit that there were some decent points to this. The scene where Godzilla and Anguirus first come ashore in Osaka was pretty cool. The lack of music or much sound gave it a very creepy, menacing vibe that made the monsters feel that much more dangerous.

[daftfalloutgoji]

People talk crap about really good movies and love the crappy buffalo poop fests that bore you to the point of you jumping off a bridge is more exciting than sitting around watching what you were watching.

[TokyoVigilante]

Seriously there's this much hate for a classic showa film that started the monster fight for the Godzilla franchise. It wasn't bad at all. There is a crappier film than this. Godzilla 1998.

GRA isn't a "Classic". I just explained how it didn't do anything of the sort about fighting for the franchise. Really appreciate being ignored.

[Sydney Aradi]

GRA.....where do I even start? The film does have a few positives:

1. Takashi Shimura (even though his role was rather brief)
2. Godzilla & Anguirus' arrival in Osaka with no music
3. The sped up monster action (from my perspective it gave the fight a rather fast pace at times)
4. Even though it was lacking but Masaru Sato's score (hey its better than the stock music that was in the Gigantis cut IMO)

5. Godzilla's fight with the jets on the icy island

but other than those, this film is just rather.........there. The acting isn't as good as it could be, it is rather dull when the monsters aren't on film and it tries too hard to be like the original Godzilla film especially in the first two acts.

[Gawdziller]

Really appreciate being ignored.

Oh, I haven't seen you before! Welcome to the board, newbie!

Don't hate it. Campy and fun follow up to the powerful first. I've always looked at it as the Jaws 2 to Gojira's Jaws.

[wrongnote85]

GRA isn't a "Classic". I just explained how it didn't do anything of the sort about fighting for the franchise. Really appreciate being ignored.[/quote]

don't get your knickers in a twist there bro.

GRA laid the ground work for the vs. films to come. you've got two giant monsters battling it out. just because they didn't get it "right" in this film, doesn't mean it didn't get it started. that's like saying that Man From Deep River didn't start the cannibal boom in the 70's just because it's not really like most of the other cannibal films.

[GotengoXGodzilla]

GRA isn't a "Classic". I just explained how it didn't do anything of the sort about fighting for the franchise. Really appreciate being ignored.

don't get your knickers in a twist there bro.

GRA laid the ground work for the vs. films to come. you've got two giant monsters battling it out. just because they didn't get it "right" in this film, doesn't mean it didn't get it started. that's like saying that Man From Deep River didn't start the cannibal boom in the 70's just because it's not really like most of the other cannibal films.

TokyoVigilante just explained why GRA didn't start the whole "vs." framework, and it's not because it didn't get it right.

[wrongnote85]

thanks for that.

[Rody]

To be fair, I don't hate Godzilla Raids Again. To me, 'hate' implies a very strong, hostile, or aggressive reaction to something, and I have yet to see a film which is worth spending that much energy against.

That said, GRA is my least favorite Godzilla film, because I get absolutely no entertainment from it. Even films like Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla are slightly entertaining for me, but not GRA. This movie is just completely bland. Even the monster battles are hard to watch, because of the mixed-up camera speed.

There is one plus, though; the movie is easily overlooked. It's not a big, ugly mark on the franchise like GINO or FW.

[Legionmaster]

Saying GRA didn't start the "vs." idea is like saying Isaac Newton didn't start physics. Just because they did it worse than what came after doesn't mean they weren't originators of the idea.

[Cimmerian Dragon]

I like it, always have. It's certainly a throwaway entry, but I find it fun and exciting. I understand why others find it boring, but for whatever reason, it holds my interest just fine.

The U.S. version irritates the hell out of me, though. That narration goes on, and on, and on... I'm surprised they didn't read the credits to us as well.

[JAGzilla]

Saying GRA didn't start the "vs." idea is like saying Isaac Newton didn't start physics. Just because they did it worse than what came after doesn't mean they weren't originators of the idea.

To be fair, movie monsters had been fighting each other since The Lost World, at least. GRA was just (as far as I know) the first time it happened in Japan.

[Tyler]

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

It's not perfect but me neither.

[DaikaijuSokogeki!]

The characters are among the blandest of the entire franchise, the special effects are incredibly hit-and-miss, and the pacing is abysmal. I don't even like Shimura's cameo in this either. He seems awfully bored.

[Chris55]

I don't hate it. I just skip to the monster battles.

[wrongnote85]

Saying GRA didn't start the "vs." idea is like saying Isaac Newton didn't start physics. Just because they did it worse than what came after doesn't mean they weren't originators of the idea.

we made the same analogy. i used cannibals, you used issac newton.


and that is awesome.

[Legion1979]

Godzilla Raids Again was the first "monster vs monster" film, but the cliches, tropes or whathaveyou that would define that genre didn't really come into play until King Kong vs Godzilla.

[Legionmaster]

Godzilla Raids Again was the first "monster vs monster" film, but the cliches, tropes or whathaveyou that would define that genre didn't really come into play until King Kong vs Godzilla.

And relativety and quantum mechanics didn't come into play until the 20th century, but that doesn't make Isaac Newton not the founder of physics.