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Monster Mondays: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

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Nami Kunigami (Barbara Lynn), an Azumi priestess in Okinawa, has a vision that a giant monster will come and bring destruction.  Shortly after that, Masahiko Shimizu (Kazuya Aoyama) finds some mysterious metal while exploring a cave.

Archaeologist Saeko Kanagusuku (Reiko Tajima) meets Keisuke Shimizu (Masaaki Daimon), Masahiko’s brother, at another cave where ancient artifacts have been discovered.  There is a statue of the Azumis’ monster protector King Caesar and a prophesy warning that a monster will soon come to destroy the world, but two other monsters will rise up against it.

Professor Hideto Miyajima (Akihiko Hirata) identifies the metal found by Masahiko as space titanium.  Saeko is attacked by an intruder who wants the statue, but the intruder is driven away by Keisuke.

Godzilla appears at Mount Fuji and begins a rampage across Japan, but Anguirus arrives and attacks him, something that is unusual since Godzilla and Anguirus are friends.  Godzilla defeats Anguirus, sending the spiky monster fleeing for his life.

As Godzilla is attacking an industrial area, a second Godzilla arrives.  The second Godzilla blasts the first with his atomic ray, and the first Godzilla is revealed to be Mechagodzilla wearing a disguise.  Godzilla’s and Mechagodzilla’s energy rays collide, causing an explosion that knocks an injured Godzilla into the sea and damages Mechagodzilla.

It is soon discovered that Mechagodzilla is controlled by alien invaders from the Third Planet of the Black Hole.  Professor Miyajima, his daughter Ikuko (Hiromi Matsushita), and Masahiko are captured by the aliens and Professor Miyajima is forced to repair Mechagodzilla.  Keisuke and Saeko transport the statue back to Okinawa by ship so they can awaken King Caesar to fight Mechagodzilla, but are attacked again by an alien trying to steal the statue.  The alien’s attack is unsuccessful and he is fatally shot by INTERPOL agent Nanbara (Shin Kishida).

Eventually, the aliens launch Mechagodzilla again but the statue is used to awaken King Caesar.  King Caesar confronts Mechagodzilla and fights bravely, but isn’t strong enough to overcome the robot.  Just as it seems all is lost, Godzilla appears and joins forces with King Caesar against Mechagodzilla.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is an improvement over the previous two Godzilla films.  Stock footage seems to be limited to a few still images in Nami’s vision and a brief car explosion.  The plot is very fast paced, with the King Caesar statue acting as MacGuffin and much of the film’s action is built on attempts to keep or steal it.  The Third Planet of the Black Hole aliens are ape-like and disguise themselves as humans.  When killed, their disguise melts away revealing their true form underneath.  The film almost feels like a fusion of James Bond and Planet of the Apes with Godzilla, and it is a fun mix that keeps the viewer engaged in both the monster and human action.

Despite this, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla still shows the impact of a tight budget in its special effects sequences.  Nami’s vision consists of images involving Ghidorah rather than Mechagodzilla and is composed of stills taken from other movies.  Also, a rather silly and cheap looking second Godzilla costume is used for some scenes, usually the disguised Mechagodzilla.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla doesn’t really have much to say, but it does touch on some major cultural and historic issues regarding its Okinawa setting.  The Ryukyu Islands used to be under the control of the Ryukyu Kingdom and were their own nation.  At that time, the people of the Ryukyu Islands had their own distinct culture and languages.  The Satsuma Domain in Japan brought the Ryukyuan kings under their control in 1609 and the Ryukyu Islands were eventually annexed by Japan in 1879, turned into Okinawa Prefecture, and the Ryukuan people were assimilated into Japanese culture and language. 

When Mechagodzilla first appears in Japan disguised as Godzilla, Nami’s grandfather Tengan Kunigami (Masao Imafuku) prays that he will destroy the people of Japan for trying to conquer the Azumi people. This brief moment in the film hints at the history of Okinawa and how it went from independent nation to becoming part of Japan.

Also tying into the Okinawan setting of the film is King Caesar, who is based on the Shisa, stone statues that are common in Okinawa.  Unlike Mechagodzilla, who is loaded with weapons, King Caesar is only able to reflect energy beams back at his attacker with his eyes.  This has the effect of making King Caesar feel greatly outmatched by Mechagodzilla, which makes sense given the prophecy early in the film that two monsters will be needed to stop Mechagodzilla.  This is somewhat undermined, however, in that Godzilla is pretty much able to finish off Mechagodzilla on his own.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla was released in Japanese theatres on March 21, 1974.  Toho had the film dubbed into English in Hong Kong and Cinema Shares released Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla theatrically in North America in 1977.  They initially released the film as Godzilla vs. the Bionic Monster, but a threat of legal action from Universal Television over the title, due to their own The Bionic Woman television program, caused Cinema Shares to change the name of the film to Godzilla vs. the Cosmic Monster.  A few edits were made to the film for its North American release to remove some of the violence and swearing.

Toho’s uncut and dubbed international version of Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla with onscreen titles changed to English became the standard version released in North America during the VHS era.  In 2004, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment released Toho’s international version of Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla on DVD, and viewers could choose to watch it with the original Japanese audio or Toho’s English dub.  This release is now out of print.  The original Japanese version of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, with Toho’s English dub as an alternate audio option, is currently available as part of The Criterion Collection’s Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 Blu-ray set.

Monster Mondays: Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)

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Nuclear testing close to the Aleutians has had a major geological impact on the Pacific region, including on Monster Island.  Also feeling the effects of nuclear testing is the undersea kingdom of Seatopia, which decides to release their god, a giant insect monster Megalon, to punish the surface dwellers for the destruction caused to them.

Inventor Goro Ibuki (Katsuhiko Sasaki) has created Jet Jaguar, an advanced humoid robot.  The Seatopians take control of Jet Jaguar and use it to lead Megalon around Japan.  Megalon is eventually taken to Tokyo, where he begins destroying the city.  Goro manages to regain control of Jet Jaguar and sends him to Monster Island to get Godzilla.  In response, the Seatopians contact M Space Hunter Nebula and ask them to send Gigan to help in their battle against the surface people.  

Jet Jaguar reaches Monster Island and informs Godzilla about Megalon.  Jet Jaguar then flies back to Japan ahead of Godzilla and locates the insect monster.  Goro finds he has lost control of Jet Jaguar, who suddenly grows to giant monster size and engages Megalon in combat of his own free will.  While Jet Jaguar and Megalon are fighting, Gigan descends from space and joins the fight.  Just when it seems like Megalon and Gigan will destroy Jet Jaguar, Godzilla arrives and a tag-team monster battle ensues.

Godzilla vs. Megalon is my pick for weakest Japanese Godzilla film.  Its story feels simplistic, the production feels rushed, the film is padded with stock footage, and its giant creatures are some of the most anthropomorphized ever in a Godzilla film.  And yet, I still can’t say I dislike the movie, or that it isn’t a fun watch.  Godzilla vs. Megalon remains a very enjoyable film despite its issues.

A new Godzilla suit was constructed for this film, reportedly built in only a week.  In keeping with his more anthropomorphized character, the design was made a bit cuter than previous Godzilla suits, with big eyes and puffy dorsal fins.  It is a far departure from the nightmarish nuclear horror that the character started as in Godzilla (1954), but I have to say I really like this design.  This suit would also be used in Toho’s superhero television show Zone Fighter (1973) during Godzilla’s guest appearances in the show.  The next two Godzilla films, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) and Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975), would also feature this Godzilla suit, albeit with some alterations that make him look less cute.

Like Hedorah and Gigan before him, Megalon is among the more outlandish foes Godzilla has faced.  Despite being a giant beetle-like insect, it only has four limbs, and its arms end in drill bits that rotate in a physics-defying way to allow the monster to rapidly burrow underground.  Still, Megalon can look very impressive when shot from the correct angle, and the way he is able to hide underground and spring out on his enemies is a fun battle tactic that is well executed by the special effects crew.

But it is Jet Jaguar, the size-shifting artifically intelligent robot with a grill-grin across his face, who is the real star of the movie.  Not only does he have his own theme song, but Jet Jaguar is at the heart of the plot, first being hijacked by the Seatopians to lead Megalon on its rampage of destruction across Japan, and then being taken back under the control of his inventor to get Godzilla.  In the final act of the film, Jet Jaguar suddenly becomes artificially intelligent, choosing on his own to grow to giant monster size and go into battle against Megalon while Godzilla is still making his way to Japan.  Despite the lack of logic behind Jet Jaguar’s actions and abilities in the film, the character has proved enduring, appearing in video games, toy releases, and the anime series Godzilla Singular Point (2021).

Though it is mostly light entertainment, Godzilla vs. Megalon is clearly attempting to say something about the negative effects of nuclear testing.  The nuclear testing in the film creates geologic disruption across the Pacific region, causing earthquakes on Monster Island and in Japan.  It also impacts Seatopia, with Seatopian Emperor Antonio (Robert Dunham) saying that a whole sector of the undersea continent was destroyed.  Unfortunately any attempt to criticize nuclear testing is somewhat undermined by the fact that Godzilla, a creature that is also the result of nuclear testing, thwart’s Seatopia’s retaliation against the surface people.  Also, Seatopia strangely chooses to attack Japan instead of the nations which actually conducted nuclear testing in the Pacific, like the United States or France.

Godzilla vs. Megalon was released in Japanese theatres on March 17, 1973.  Toho had the film dubbed into English in Hong Kong and Cinema Shares released Godzilla vs. Megalon theatrically in North America in 1976.  A few edits were made to the film for its North American release, though seemingly after the initial theatrical release but while it was still showing.  Godzilla vs. Megalon was everywhere on home video during the VHS era, though only in edited down dubbed versions rather than uncut.

Godzilla vs. Megalon did not see an official DVD or Blu-ray release in North America until Media Blasters released the original Japanese version of the film in both formats through their Tokyo Shock division, same as Destroy All Monsters(1968).  This 2014 release also had Toho’s English dub as an audio option.  Also like the aforementioned Destroy All Monsters release, some copies of the film ended up on the market with extra content that had not been approved by Toho. This release is now out of print.  The original Japanese version of Godzilla vs. Megalon, with Toho’s English dub as an alternate audio option, is currently available as part of The Criterion Collection’s Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 Blu-ray set.

Monster Mondays: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

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Manga artist Gengo Kotaka (Hiroshi Ishikawa) is having trouble getting work, so his girlfriend Tomoko Tomoe (Yuriko Hishimi) suggests that he apply at World Children’s Land, a theme park that is under construction.  World Children’s Land is to be monster-themed, and the company wants to use Gengo’s monster ideas.

Gengo gets the job but, while walking to work one day, a woman fleeing from the building bumps into him.  She drops a tape, but gets up and runs away without coming back for it.  The woman, Machiko Shima (Tomoko Umeda), and her friend Shosako Kosugi (Minoru Takashima) find Gengo on his way home from work and tell him they are investigating World Children’s Land because her brother, Takashi Shima (Kunio Murai), went missing while working there.  They listen to the tape, but it is just strange beeping sounds.

After some sleuthing around, they discover that the people running World Children’s Land are cockroach aliens from M Space Hunter Nebula and are holding Takashi Shima captive.  The M Space Hunter Nebula aliens intend to conquer the Earth using the monsters King Ghidorah and Gigan as weapons against humanity.  The invasion begins, with Gigan and Ghidorah destroying a large part of Tokyo.  Soon, Godzilla and Anguirus arrive in Tokyo and a tag-team battle between the monsters begins to decide the fate of the world.

With the turbulence in the Japanese film industry continuing, the impact on the Godzilla series was becoming more evident. Godzilla’s outings were getting sillier and the tighting budgets were having an obvious impact on the quality of the films.  Godzilla vs. Gigan makes use of a lot of stock footage from Toho’s previous giant monster movies.  Likewise, almost the entire score consists of recycled music written by Akira Ifukube for Toho’s earlier monster films and the Mitsubishi Pavilion at Expo ‘70, which was held in Osaka.  The only new composition for the film is the “Godzilla March”, a song that plays as the film wraps up.

The main Godzilla suit used in the film is the one made for Destroy All Monsters (1968) and, after having been the primary Godzilla suit in three previous films, it is showing serious signs of wear and tear.  Thankfully a new Godzilla suit would be built for Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) and it would star in the final three Godzilla films of the 1970s.  

Sadly, Godzilla vs. Gigan would be Haruo Nakajima’s final performance as Godzilla.  Nakajima had been playing the character and other Toho monsters, such as Baragon and Gaira, since 1954.  The man in the Gigan suit opposite Nakajima, Kenpachiro Satsuma (credited as Kengo Nakayama), would take up the role as the main Godzilla actor from The Return of Godzilla (1984) to Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995).

Like Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971), there is an environmental message to this film, but it’s pretty minimal.  The cockroach aliens tell our main characters that they come from a planet that was once like Earth, but the dominant species destroyed it with pollution.  They then say Earth is heading toward the same fate.  There is also a jab thrown at humanity as a whole when the aliens say humans make great “receptacles” to hide their true cockroach form within.

Despite the silly plot, Godzilla vs. Gigan is very enjoyable if you are able to turn your brain off and let it do the driving. For the first time there is major monster gore in a Godzilla movie.  Gigan uses his stomach implanted buzz saw to cut Godzilla’s arm and Anguirus’ face, and also bashes Godzilla’s forehead in with his sickle arm.  Also, the monster action takes off at around the 49 minute mark, just a little over halfway through the film, and doesn’t let up for very long until the movie ends.

Cinema Shares released Godzilla vs. Gigan theatrically in North America in 1977 as Godzilla on Monster Island.  For this release, Cinema Shares just used the Toho provided dub recorded in Hong Kong and cut a swear word from a line of dialogue.  It also seems some monster gore was cut from the theatrical release as well, though details on how extensively the film was edited are hard to come by.

In 2004, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment released Toho’s international version of Godzilla vs Gigan on DVD.  This version had the onscreen titles changed to English, and viewers could choose to watch it with the original Japanese audio or Toho’s English dub.  The international version with the same two audio options was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Kraken Releasing in 2014.  Both the Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment and Kraken Releasing releases are out of print.  Only the original Japanese version of Godzilla vs. Gigan is currently available, and it is as part of The Criterion Collection’s Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 Blu-ray set featuring the first 15 Godzilla movies.

Monster Mondays: Godzilla vs. Hedora (1971)

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A fisherman (Yoshio Yoshida) brings an unusual tadpole-like fish he caught in Suruga Bay to Dr. Toru Yano (Akira Yamanouchi).  While Dr. Yano investigates this tadpole, a giant tadpole monster is seen attacking two boats that have collided in the bay.  Dr. Yano goes diving in Suruga Bay to try to find the monster, leaving his son Ken Yano (Hiroyuki Kawase) playing on the shore.  Both Dr. Yano and Ken are injured by the monster, receiving what seems to be chemical burns after coming into contact with the creature.

Dr. Yano discovers the tadpole-like monster can separate into smaller such creatures, or merge with others.  It also seems to grow when it feeds on toxic pollution, with no obvious limit to how big it can get.  Ken suggests naming the creature Hedorah.

Hedorah’s next form, a giant quadrupedal sludge monster, comes ashore and begins inhaling the fumes being pumped out of the chimney of a factory.  Godzilla also comes ashore and engages Hedorah in battle.  Godzilla manages to drive Hedorah back into the sea and disappears into the ocean in pursuit of the monster.

Hedorah soon comes ashore again, this time in a round, flat flying form.  As it flies over Japan, is spews corrosive fumes, suffocating the people below it and dissolving the flesh off their bones.  Godzilla appears and attempts to stop Hedorah, but is also affected by the smog monster’s toxic fumes.

Dr. Yano discovers the only way to beat Hedorah is to dry it out.  He contacts the JSDF and instructs them to build a giant device for that purpose.  The plan is to try to get Hedorah between two electrodes and then quickly dehydrate him.

Hedorah reappears on Mount Fuji in his final form, an upright walking pile of gunk, with Godzilla close behind him.  Godzilla and Hedorah fight as the JSDF quickly puts up the electrodes, but the monsters battle their way through the electrical wires necessary to power them.  As the military tries to repair the wires, Hedorah is lured between the electrodes.  Godzilla blasts the electrodes with his atomic ray, allowing them to power up and start to dry out Hedorah.  Hedorah attempts to flee, but Godzilla flies after him, catching the toxic monster.  Godzilla brings Hedorah back to the electrodes and finishes him off, turning him to dust.

As the 1970s dawned, television was proving to be fierce competition for theatrical films in Japan, and it was beginning to have a major impact on the film studios.  Daiei Film, the company that produced the Gamera series and the Daimajin trilogy, collapsed into bankruptcy in 1971 shortly following the release of Gamera vs. Zigra (1971).  Other studios, like Toei Company, increased the amount of skin and violence in some of their films to levels above that which was permitted on television, allowing them to offer something distinctly different from what was on the small screen.  Nikkatsu Corporation, the oldest Japanese major film production company, went all in on the skin, producing almost exclusively erotic films from 1971 to 1988 in what they called their Roman Porno line.

Massive changes were underway at Toho too, but one thing that stayed the same, at least at the beginning of the 1970s, was that they were still producing Godzilla movies.  Pollution had become a major problem in Japan, and so the decision was made to have Godzilla face a monster that was the result of pollution and smog.  Godzilla vs. Hedorah is not subtle in its environmentalist message, hitting the viewer with images of people and Godzilla suffering disfiguring injuries as a result of contact or being in close proximity to Hedorah.  Human skeletons are left in Hedorah’s wake as he flies over urban areas, his pollution dissolving the flesh off anyone unfortunate enough to get caught underneath as he passes over.  In many ways, this almost mirrors Godzilla (1954) and the powerful way it made its point about radiation and nuclear weapons.

Unfortunately, Godzilla vs. Hedorah seems unsure whether it wants to be a horrific social commentary or children’s entertainment.  Ken Yano plays a key role in the film and Godzilla acts very human-like at points.  Also, near the end of the film, there is a scene where Godzilla flies after Hedorah, using his atomic breath as a kind of rocket propulsion to fly through the air.  The juxtoposition of these more childish elements alongside the graphic injuries suffered by Hedorah’s victims, including Ken himself, gives the film a very uneven tone.

Despite this unevenness, Godzilla vs. Hedorah has gone down as a cult classic.  It’s arguably the strangest Godzilla movie and is bursting with creative imagery, including dancing skeletons, people with fish heads, animated sequences, and a great multi-form monster in Hedorah.  Godzilla vs. Hedorah is not afraid to try new things for the series and is a lot of fun for it.

Godzilla vs. Hedorah was dubbed into English, including the catchy theme song, at Titra Studios in the United States and released in North America by AIP in 1972 as Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster.  Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster was released on VHS by Orion Home Video in 1989 and Simitar Entertainment in 1990.

In 2004, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment released Toho’s international version of Godzilla vs. Hedorah on DVD.  This version had English on-screen titles and viewers could choose to watch the film with the original Japanese audio or Toho’s own English dub, which had been recorded in Hong Kong.  The international version with the same two audio options was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Kraken Releasing in 2014.  Both the Columbia TriStar Home Entertainmentand Kraken Releasing releases are out of print.  Only the original Japanese version of Godzilla vs. Hedorah is currently available, and it is as part of The Criterion Collection’s Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 Blu-ray set featuring the first 15 Godzilla movies.

Monster Mondays: Son of Godzilla (1967)

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A group of scientists on Sollgel Island are conducting weather control experiments.  They keep encountering strange interference with their equipment, as well as human-sized mantids lurking in the jungle.  A reporter named Goro Maki (Akira Kubo) parachutes onto the island, and with no way to send him home, they have no choice but to let him stay for the experiment.

The experiment goes terribly wrong, causing intense heat and radioactive rain to fall onto the island.  When the radioactive storm is over, the strange mantids have grown to giant monster size.  The mantids, called Kamacuras, dig a giant egg out of the ground, which turns out to be the source of the interference that had been messing with the scientists’ equipment.  The Kamacuras break open the egg, revealing Minya, a baby Godzilla.  Godzilla comes ashore and fights off the Kamacuras, killing two of the three of them before they can eat Minya.

The scientists also find a woman living on the island named Saeko Matsumiya (Beverly Maeda).  She and Goro begin to fall in love as the scientists prepare to do the weather control experiment again and Godzilla teaches Minya to breath atomic fire.

Soon a giant spider named Kumonga, which was sleeping underground on the island, wakes up.  It manages to catch and kill the last Kamacuras, and then ensnares Minya in its web.  Just as Kumonga is about to kill Minya with an injection of venom, Godzilla comes to the rescue.  While Godzilla and Minya battle Kumonga, the scientists try their weather control experiment again.  The experiment is a success, blanketing the tropical Sollgel Island in snow.  Godzilla and Minya defeat Kumonga and go into hibernation as the scientists leave Sollgel Island.

Son of Godzilla was one of two giant monster movies produced by Toho in 1967.  The other one, King Kong Escapes, was a co-production with American company Rankin/Bass.  Three more of Japan’s top film production companies also put out a giant monster movie in 1967: Shochiku released The X from Outer Space, Nikkatsu released Giant Monster Gappa, and Daiei released Gamera vs. Gyaos.

As King Kong Escapes was a co-production with American company Rankin/Bass, it had the bigger budget of Toho’s two monster movies of that year.  Like the budget-conscious Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, Son of Godzilla is an island-set film without any scenes of urban destruction.  Still, the special effects work in this film is plentiful and, for the most part, really well done.  The Kamacuras and Kumonga are not portrayed by suitmation, but rather are giant marionettes which, in some scenes, required over 20 operators.  Godzilla fights his enemies in the jungle and in clearings this time, instead of in the water, and the miniature island sets all look great.

The human characters are very likeable and the cast is made up of a number of Godzilla film veterans: Tadao Takashima plays Professor Kusumi, Akira Kubo plays reporter Goro Maki, while Kenji Sahara and Akihiko Hirata play scientist team-members Morio and Fujisaki.  One of the more interesting characters is Furukawa, played by Yoshio Tsuchiya, who slowly has a mental breakdown from his confinement on the island.  Beverly Maeda makes her sole appearance in a Godzilla film as the island girl who bonds with Goro Maki and Minya.

Son of Godzilla is a very light-hearted film and features some of the most anthropomorphic behaviour from a monster in a Godzilla movie thus far.  Minya was designed to be cute and entertains himself by jumping over a sleeping Godzilla’s swinging tail.  He also interacts with the human cast on occasion, such as catching fruit thrown into his mouth by Saeko.  There is also a scene where Godzilla teaches him to breath atomic fire, the baby monster only capable of blowing smoke rings at first.

One theme central to the film is parent-child relationships.  Godzilla takes care of his son, letting Minya skip over his tail, and comes to the rescue when the little monster is attacked by Kamacuras and Kumonga.  In the end, they work together to bring the giant spider down, with Minya using his atomic breath to save Godzilla, just as he had been taught by dad.

This film also has an environmental theme to it.  The scientists are attempting to manipulate the weather, turning the tropical island into a snow-covered one.  The scientists show no regard for the island’s unusual human-sized praying mantids, ignoring this new species to press forward in their attempt to play God.  This experiment goes wrong, resulting in high temperatures, a radioactive rain storm, and mutated giant mantids.  The obvious long-term goal of such experiments is to allow for better food growing conditions for us humans, something that would require the mass destruction of natural ecosystems, the first of which is Sollgel Island itself.

Son of Godzilla was released direct to television in North America by Walter Reade Organization in 1969.  The movie was dubbed into English by Titan Productions in the United States and only a few minor edits were made to the very beginning of the film.

In 2004, TriStar released Toho’s international version of Son of Godzilla on DVD.  This version had the onscreen titles changed to English, and viewers could choose to watch it with the original Japanese audio or Toho’s own English dub, which was produced at Frontier Enterprises in Japan.  This DVD is now out of print.  The original Japanese version of Son of Godzilla, with Toho’s own English dub as an alternate audio option, is currently available as part of The Criterion Collection’s Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 Blu-ray set.

Monster Mondays: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

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In a bid to boost ratings on the television programs Pacific Pharmaceuticals sponsors, company head Mr. Tako (Ichirō Arishima) sends a team to Faro Island to get King Kong.  Meanwhile, Godzilla breaks out of an iceberg and, after a brief pitstop at an Arctic military base, makes his way to Japan.

The Japanese government forbids Mr. Tako from bringing King Kong to Japan, but the giant ape breaks free from the raft he is on and heads there anyways.  Godzilla and Kong meet and Godzilla quickly makes it clear that Kong doesn’t stand a chance against him.  Kong leaves the encounter, scratching his head and with singed fur. With the two monsters heading separately toward Tokyo, the government has a barrier of high tension wires erected around the city.  The wires manage to stop Godzilla from entering Toyko, but Kong breaks through, taking strength from the electricity in the process.

Kong becomes infatuated with Fumiko Sakurai (Mie Hama) and carries her up to the top of the Diet Building.  He is then put to sleep using berries from Faro Island and Fumiko is rescued.  With Kong sedated in Tokyo, the decision is made to airlift him to Godzilla at Mount Fuji with the hope that the two monsters will kill each other. King Kong is dropped onto Mount Fuji near Godzilla and a viscious battle ensues.  Just when it looks like Kong has lost, he is struck by lightening, giving him new strength.  The two monsters battle their way through Atami, tearing apart Atami Castle, and then fall off a cliff into the sea.  Kong resurfaces, swimming away from Japan in the direction of Faro Island, while Godzilla remains beneath the waves.

Like Mothra before it, King Kong vs. Godzilla is a light-hearted and even funny film, further cementing this new trend in Japanese giant monster cinema.  Both the human characters and the monsters have their comedic moments, with Godzilla clapping his hands excitedly and Kong blinking wildly in surprise the first time he sees Godzilla unleash its atomic breath.

Still, King Kong vs Godzilla doesn’t abandon commentary for laughs.  The primary target of the commentary this time is Japan’s television industry, which was taking off as Japan grew economically.  At the time King Kong vs. Godzilla was made, television ratings wars were leading to ridiculous publicity stunts, something which is satirized by Mr. Tako trying to bring King Kong to Japan to boost ratings for the television shows Pacific Pharmeceuticals sponsors. 

When Godzilla breaks out of the iceberg and heads to Japan, Mr. Tako becomes very envious of all the media coverage Godzilla is getting.  To him, Godzilla is stealing the publicity he wants for his own company and sponsored TV programs.  Later, when the government tells Mr. Tako he is not allowed to bring King Kong into Japan, he practically passes out.  

Even after King Kong escapes and makes his way to Japan, Mr. Tako still remains focused on the attention the monster is generating.  He completely ignores the destruction and death Kong is causing.  When Godzilla and King Kong have their first encounter, Mr. Tako is shown rooting for Kong to beat Godzilla solely because King Kong is his monster. 

Though the primary target of King Kong vs. Godzilla’s commentary is the televison industry, the film still has political overtones, albeit much more indirect ones than Mothra or Godzilla.  King Kong is America’s most famous giant monster, and Godzilla is Japan’s.  The United States and Japan had been bitter enemies less than 20 years prior to the production of this film.  Also, in 1960, the Security Treaty between the United States and Japan was revised, something which was contentious in Japan at the time.

One last thing to note is that this is the first Godzilla movie in colour, and Godzilla’s atomic breath is shown to be blue.  The blue breath is a nod to his nuclear origin, as Cherenkov radiation glows blue.  This is stated in the film and is one of the few nuclear references in the movie.

King Kong vs. Godzilla was released theatrically in Japan on August 11, 1962.  The film was a huge success there, with 12.55 million tickets sold, the most of any Godzilla movie to date.  It remains the 13th most attended theatrical film in Japanese history.

The film was dubbed and heavily edited for its North American release.  New scenes of American actors were shot and spliced into the film, though these generally consist of people talking into the camera and explaining what’s going on. These scenes bring the action to a hault, turning what was a genuinely funny and engaging satire into a bit of a chore to sit through.  The North American distribution rights have been with Universal since 1963.

The heavily altered American edit of King Kong vs. Godzilla was the only version distributed in North America until 2019, when The Criterion Collection was able to secure the Japanese cut of the film for their Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 Blu-ray set.  The American edit of King Kong vs. Godzilla is currently available on Blu-ray from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.  Both the American version and the Japanese version are available from The Criterion Collection as part of their Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 Blu-ray set featuring the first 15 Godzilla movies.

Monster Mondays: Mothra (1961)

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By Ben Dower

The crew of a ship that was wrecked on the nuclear testing site Infant Island reports meeting natives there.  An entrepreneur from the country of Rolisica named Clark Nelson (Jerry Ito) mounts an expedition to Infant Island.  He gives orders to everyone on the expedition, including stowaway reporter Zen’ichirō Fukuda (Frankie Sakai) and scientist Dr. Shinichi Chujo (Hiroshi Koizumi), not to reveal anything found on the island without his permission.

On the island, the expedition discovers not only the natives, but also two tiny women called the Shobijin (Emi Ito and Yumi Ito).  Nelson tries to capture the two tiny women, but the other members on the expedition stop him.  Nelson returns to the island after the expedition and kidnaps the Shobijin, shooting his way out when confronted by the natives.

Nelson makes the Shobijin perform live concerts, the two tiny women drawing curious people to open their wallets for a chance to see them.  What Nelson doesn’t know is that the giant god of Infant Island, Mothra, will come to rescue the Shobijin.  

Mothra arrives in Japan as a caterpillar, plowing its way through Tokyo in an incredible scene of destruction.  With public sentiment turning against him, Nelson flees to Rolisica with the Shobijin as Mothra cocoons on Tokyo Tower.

Rolisica offers military aid in the form of the Atomic Heat Ray, a kind of laser cannon that the Rolisican government believes will incinerate the cocoon and kill Mothra.  The attack goes ahead and the cocoon bursts into flame.  As the celebration of Mothra’s defeat begins, the cocoon hatches and the adult Mothra emerges uninjured.  As soon as it unfolds its wings, it takes flight toward Rolisica.

With Mothra making a beeline to Rolisica’s New Kirk City, Nelson becomes a wanted man.  He tries to escape the city, but is eventually spotted and killed by the police.  

Mothra attacks New Kirk City, blasting away buildings, cars, boats, and bridges with its powerful wings.  A symbol from the island is painted on the New Kirk City Airport runway and church bells are rung, calming Mothra.  Mothra lands at the airport and the Shobijin are returned to the giant Lepidoptera.

World War II left Japan completely devastated.  Its cities were burned to the ground, industries had collapsed, and the country was being ruled by a foreign occupier.  Japan had to rebuild just about everything from scratch, and rebuild it did.  Through the 1950s, Japan experienced economic growth and, by the 1960s, it was booming.

With this period of economic renewal came a clear shift in the types of giant monster films Toho was putting out.  While the films of the 1950s had taken a serious approach to postwar traumas and increasing Cold War tensions, the films of the 1960s took a much lighter tone when dealing with this same subject matter.

Further demonstrating this shift in tone is this film’s casting.  Reporter Zen’ichirō Fukuda is played by comedian Frankie Sakai and he is given many opportunities to let his comedic talent shine.  Clark Nelson is an evil but fun villain who displays clear frustration with Fukuda’s antics, particularly on the expedition to Infant Island.

Despite the levity on display, this movie is layered in both political and religious themes.  For example, Infant Island is an inhabited nuclear testing zone, which may be a reference to the Castle Bravo H-bomb test in the Pacific that contaminated nearby inhabited islands.  Plants and fungi on Infant Island are overgrown and the natives have to drink a special juice to avoid radiation poisoning.  Interestingly, Mothra, who is not portrayed as an evil monster like Godzilla, was not created by these nuclear tests.

Rolisica is the centre of the majority of Mothra’s political focus.  While a fictional country, it has clear paralells with both the United States and Soviet Union.  Colonialism is criticized in the form of Rolisican Clark Nelson barging onto Infant Island, killing some of the natives, and enslaving the Shobijin for profit.  Rolisica protects Nelson from serious repercussions for his exploitation of the Shobijin, including after it becomes obvious that doing so puts Japanese lives in danger.  It is only after it becomes apparent that Nelson could flee to Rolisica, thus potentially leading Mothra there, that Rolisica provides military aid to Japan to kill Mothra.  Rolisica is then shown using what is essentially a type of nuclear weapon on Japanese soil in the form of the Atomic Heat Ray.  

Mothra also has significant religious themes woven through it.  The Shobijin are priestesses who sing to Mothra both in worship and in prayer.  The symbol the Infant Island natives use for Mothra is a cross with a sun behind it.  This is the same symbol that is painted on the New Kirk City Airport runway to lead Mothra to the Shobijin.  After the symbol is painted on the runway, the church bells across New Kirk City are rung to help calm Mothra.

Mothra was released in North America by Columbia Pictures.  The film was dubbed and trimmed a bit for its North American release, but is otherwise pretty faithful to the Japanese version.  This is one of the few Japanese giant monster films where I really enjoy the dubbed version.

For decades, Mothra was only distributed in North America dubbed and edited.  In 2009, Sony finally released both cuts of Mothra on DVD as part of a three Toho movie set also including both the U.S. and Japanese versions of The H-Man and Battle in Outer Space.  It is a three disk set with two versions of one film on each disk.  This DVD set appears to still be in print.  Both versions of Mothra are also available on a single Blu-ray disk in a Steelbook release from Mill Creek Entertainment.

Monster Mondays: Rodan (1956)

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Rodan starts in the small town of Kitamatsu on the southern-most of Japan’s three main islands, Kyushu.  Shigeru Kawamura (Kenji Sahara) is an engineer at a coal mine where several people have been slashed to death.  Suspicions and accusations spread throughout the town until the culprit reveals itself: a giant insect called Meganulon!

Mysteries and concerns continue to mount: a mine collapse, an earthquake, worries the nearby Mount Aso could erupt, and a UFO being seen all across the region, from China to the Philippines to Okinawa. Before long the UFO is revealed to be a pair of giant pterosaurs, which Paleontologist Kyoichiro Kashiwagi (Akihiko Hirata) dubs ‘Rodan’.  He theorizes that nuclear tests in the Pacific may be responsible for the emergence of the Meganulons and Rodans.

Jets from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) are scrambled to fight the Rodans.  After a dogfight over the skies of Kyushu, the Rodans land in Fukuoka and cause massive destruction before flying back to their nest inside the crater of Mount Aso.

The military makes the decision to bury the Rodans in the crater of the volcano.  The plan is not without risk, as the volcano could erupt as the bombs rain down on it.  Despite those worries, nearby residents are evacuated and the bombardment begins.  Mount Aso does erupt, engulfing the Rodans in lava.

Rodan was Toho’s first giant creature feature in colour, as well as the first to portray a flying monster and an insect monster.  Rodan is an ambitious special effects film, and perhaps a little too ambitious for its own good.  The special effects sometimes run up against their limits, but when they work, they truly work!

There are two standout special effects sequences in Rodan.  In the first such scene, Rodan makes a low pass over a jeep.  The jeep is swept up in Rodan’s slipstream and hurtled into a rock.  As the jeep hits the rock, it crumples up and the driver’s legs can be seen dangling out the window!

Another great special effects scene is the one involving Saikai Bridge.  Rodan dives into the water beneath the bridge to escape the fighter jets behind it, only to fly out of the water on the other side of the bridge after the planes have passed over.  Rodan swings around and flies low over the bridge, pulling it down with its slipstream.  This scene is allegedly the result of an on-set accident in which the wires holding Haruo Nakajima in the Rodan suit snapped, dropping him in the water.

Rodan is not as direct with its themes as Godzilla, but does still address concerns about nuclear testing and foreign incursions into Japanese airspace.  While Godzilla focused on Japanese anxieties around the United States, Japan was a nation sandwiched between two conflicting superpowers.  Russia is almost within spitting distance of Japan and Japan is dotted with U.S. military bases, making them a key target in a war between the two countries.  Also, in the year that Rodan was released, Japan and the Soviet Union signed the Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956, which ended the state of war between Japan and the Soviet Union that had existed since WWII but was not officially a peace treaty.  The concerns portrayed in the film about a high-speed UFO flying around the Pacific region could be interpreted as an allusion to concerns about advancing Soviet technology. 

Like Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again before it, Rodan was dubbed and edited for its release in North America.  A bit of a prologue is added at the beginning of the film to play up the link between Rodan and nuclear testing, and other scenes were rearranged, shortened, or cut out.  Some of Akira Ifukube’s music was replaced and a lot of narration by Shigeru Kawamura’s character was added.  Also, like Godzilla Raids Again, George Takei provided his voice for the U.S. dub of Rodan.  

One other major change for the U.S. version of Rodan involves the monster itself.  In Japan, Rodan is called Radon from Pteranodon, but the U.S. version swapped the vowels.  The most common reason given for this change is that there was a soap at the time with the name Radon.

Also like Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again, the American edit of the film was the only version released in North America for 50 years.  The original Japanese version of Rodan was first released in North America on DVD by Classic Media in 2008 with the U.S. cut on the same disk.  This release was a double-disk set with War of the Gargantuas, which also had both its Japanese cut and American cut on a single disk.  The North American distribution rights to Rodan are currently held by The Criterion Collection and there is no North American physical release of either cut currently in print.  

Rodan is available to stream through The Criterion Channel, though I do not know for sure which version(s) are on there.

Monster Mondays: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

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By Ben Dower

With the success of Godzilla, Toho immediately began production on a sequel.  Rather than Tokyo, this time it would be Osaka that would face the wrath of the monsters – plural.

In Godzilla Raids Again (1955), Shoichi Tsukioka (Hiroshi Koizumi) is a pilot who spots tuna for an Osaka-based cannery until he runs into engine trouble.  He manages to safely land at a nearby island where his co-worker and friend, Koji Kobayashi (Minoru Chiaki,) comes to rescue him.  While they are there, they spot two giant monsters fighting.  The monsters eventually battle off a cliff and plunge into the ocean.

Dr. Kyohei Yamane (Takashi Shimura, reprising his role from the previous film) identifies one of the monsters as a second Godzilla.  At the end of Godzilla, he had warned the government that continued nuclear testing could bring about another Godzilla.  The other monster, which has a spiky back and is quadruped, is identified as an Anguirus, a dinosaur in the Ankylosaur family that has probably also been awakened through nuclear tests.

The monsters soon make their way to Osaka and continue their battle, devastating the city.  As the monsters square off next to Osaka Castle, Godzilla gains the upper hand.  The two monsters plow through the castle and Godzilla bites down on Anguirus’ neck, killing him.  Godzilla leaves a burning Osaka, the smoke rising up above the city like a mushroom cloud.

With the cannery destroyed, Tsukioka and Kobayashi are transferred to the company’s operation in Hokkaido. While there, they become involved in the hunt for Godzilla.  Godzilla is found at a small, snow-covered island.  Kobayashi’s plane crashes into a mountain on the island, sending an avalanche of ice onto the monster.  The military proceeds to bombard the mountains around Godzilla, burying him in ice.

Godzilla Raids Again was released on April 24, 1955, a little under six months after Godzilla, and the film does feel rushed.  While Godzilla was a deep metaphor for nuclear destruction and Japan’s experience of World War II, Godzilla Raids Again largely jettisons that metaphor in favour of a more upbeat and generic monster film.

That said, there are still hints of the themes of the first film sprinkled throughout, like the long shot of Osaka burning where the smoke resembles a mushroom cloud.  Osaka is an interesting choice for the monster attack.  Like Tokyo, it was heavily bombed during the war.  The last air raid by the United States on Osaka took place on August 14, 1945 as part of a 1,000 plane final raid on Japan, an operation that went ahead despite the fact Japan was moving to surrender.  Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender the following day, August 15, 1945.

Also carried over from the first film is the military feel, with planes flying low over the city and dropping flares to try to lure the monsters away.  Scenes of civilian evacuations also evoke wartime imagery, and shots of a smouldering Osaka the day after the monsters’ attack are reminiscent of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, much like the imagery of a charred Tokyo was in Godzilla.

Like Godzilla, Godzilla Raids Again was quickly purchased for U.S. distribution.  There were initially plans to film a whole new American story for the film called The Volcano Monsters.  Toho even shipped Anguirus and Godzilla suits to the United States for the American producers to use to create their own monster scenes.

Ultimately, the plans for The Volcano Monsters fell through and instead the film was dubbed and heavily edited for its North American release.  George Takei, who later found fame portraying Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek, lent his voical talents for the English dub.  While the plot of the film is largely the same, sound effects were altered, stock footage inserted, and music changed.  The film was also retitled Gigantis, the Fire Monster. As with Godzilla, this Americanized cut of the film was the only version released in North America for 50 years. In 2006, both edits of the film were released on a single DVD by Classic Media.  

Currently, Godzilla Raids Again (Japanese version only) is available from The Criterion Collection as part of their Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 Blu-ray set featuring the first 15 Godzilla movies.