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| Saturday, October 18, 2008 08:19 PM |
| (Last updated on Monday, October 20, 2008 11:06 AM) | | On the Viewer - Godzilla Raids Again |
 by Fëanor |
We've seen a lot of giant monster movies, but somehow never the direct sequel to the original Godzilla - Godzilla Raids Again. The DVD we rented offered us the option of either the American version or the Japanese version, and given the horrible experience we had recently with the American version of the original Gamera, we chose the Japanese version. Like the original Godzilla, Godzilla Raids Again is surprisingly focused a great deal more on the human characters than it is on the monsters. Admittedly, it introduces the monsters quickly enough. As it opens, we meet a couple of pilots who fly spotter planes for a fishing company, locating schools of fish from above and directing the fishing fleet to them. One of the pilots has engine trouble and is forced to make an emergency landing on a remote, rocky island. The other pilot follows him and finds him, and that's when they discover they're not alone on the island: Godzilla's there, too, and he's in the middle of fighting a new monster they've never seen before, whom the humans will eventually name Anguirus, after the dinosaur he resembles. (As a side note, it's interesting to see how giant monster fights have evolved over time; in this movie, Godzilla and Anguirus face-off as if they're wrestlers, standing up, pushing against each other, and shuffling back and forth. It's pretty funny-looking.) The pilots get back and explain what they've seen. The scientist from the first movie, played again by the inimitable Takashi Shimura, is asked what can be done to stop the monsters, and he essentially responds: "Nothing! We're screwed!" Thanks, Doc. Anyway, soon enough the monsters show up in Osaka where they have a huge battle, causing terrible destruction to our heroes' fishing company. Eventually Godzilla wins (quite definitively, too!) and, job done, he wanders off. Then for a while the movie seems to forget about monsters altogether and becomes a drama about the relationship between one of the pilots and the woman who works the radio at the fishing company. The other pilot, meanwhile, is looking for advice on finding a lady love of his own. Finally the movie remembers it's about monsters when Godzilla is found again on a frozen island north of Japan. The spotter pilots foolishly get involved with the attempt to defeat Godzilla, and one of them is killed. But his death is not in vain, as it gives the remaining pilots an idea of how to stop Godzilla once and for all.
Godzilla Raids Again is definitely not my favorite Godzilla movie, but it's got a decent story with a surprisingly affecting human drama at its heart. Plus it's great to see the first movie that introduced a monster opponent for Godzilla to fight, and it's great that that monster is Anguirus, who's one of our favorites. Yes, we have favorite giant monsters. Shut up! |
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