Editor’s Note: Great news, Godzilla fans! Freeline Media’s movie critic, Mike Fried, reviews all the coolest Godzilla movies! Have you seen them all?

By MIKE FRIED

GODZILLA- THE SHŌWA ERA

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Monsters”

If anybody knows anything about me, the first thing they know is I love movies and the second thing they know is I think that the greatest franchise there ever was (and ever will be) is the Godzilla franchise. Starting out as an allegory about the nuclear age, the 1954 original film contained many themes about nuclear radiation and the evil propagated from it. And many of the other kaiju films of the era, as well as Toho’s other science fiction films, dealt with the issue of radiation.

And it was a grand design. In 1954, Japan was only nine years out from having two atomic bombs dropped on their country, so Gojira had tremendous import and, along with Seven Samurai, saved Toho from bankruptcy.  

Toho never really intended for Godzilla to become a franchise that would still be active after 70 years. They made the original film because of the success of the movie, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms in 1953. Had that movie not been successful, it is doubtful that Gojira would’ve been greenlit.

But it was. And Gojira was born. And while it took Godzilla over 70 years of hard work and destruction, he finally came away with an Academy Award, which shows that hard work and dedication do pay off, even if there are a few missteps along the way.  

And with Godzilla Minus Zero, the much- awaited sequel to the Oscar Winning Godzilla Minus One (scheduled to hit theaters in time for Big G’s 72nd birthday), I thought it was worthwhile to do a deep dive into the first era of Godzilla — the Shōwa era, which represented the reign of Emperor Hirohito from 1926-1989. And while The Return of Godzilla in 1984 is technically a Shōwa era film, it has been always handled as a Heisei era film because it marked a return to a darker, meaner Godzilla.  

As an aside, I am also going to discuss the movies Rodan and Mothra because their presence loomed large in later Godzilla films.  

So, here we go!   

GODZILLA/GOJIRA (1954)

*****

Fishing boats explode in the middle of the sea. High radiation is detected. The people of Odo Island suffer death and damage during a tropical rainstorm. Some believe it is the legend of Godzilla. During a government investigation, Godzilla shows itself, unearthed by nuclear testing. When Godzilla comes ashore in Tokyo it is up to Professor Yamane and Dr. Serizawa to figure out a way to defeat Godzilla. Serizawa has a horrible way to get rid of Godzilla, but doesn’t want to use it. In the meantime it is up to the Japanese Army to try and defeat the monster. But they are mostly helpless, allowing Godzilla to trample through Tokyo.  

Not only is this the best Godzilla movie ever made, it is one of the best Japanese movies ever. It takes its subject seriously (H-Bomb testing and radiation, not monsters) and the addition of acclaimed actor Takeshi Shimura adds a strong level of gravitas to the film. It is a serious movie, aside from one small moment of comic relief provided by Shimura himself. 

We have director Ishiro Honda to thank for this. He directs with a steady hand and keeps the movie serious when it could have devolved into camp.  

Sure, it’s a guy in a rubber suit but the story is compelling and there is something comforting in the notion that all of the imagery are practical and there are very few special effects. The model makers went into overtime on this one. George Lucas has cited the miniature work on this film as an inspiration for his similar work in Star Wars. 

The score by Akira Ikufube is riveting and pulse pounding. 

I can’t help watching this movie several times a year because it is just that good. It was a favorite of Akira Kurosawa and Martin Scorsese and it is a favorite of mine — in my top 4 of all time.   

GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (1955)

****

It’s Godzilla. 

And he raids again. 

Well, not really — you don’t come back from an Oxygen Destroyer. And as Professor Yamane said in the original Gojira, “I can’t believe that Godzilla was the last of his species. If nuclear testing continues, then someday, somewhere in the world, another Godzilla may appear.”

And the motherfucker was correct. 

Not only is a second Godzilla spotted, there is another monster, Anguirus and as the two approach Osaka, fighting, we get ready for more destruction. 

And boy is it fun. 

Not only does one of Japan’s greatest actors, Takashi Shimura, reprise his role as Yamane, Hiroshi Koizumu joins the Toho monsterverse and he would wind up appearing in many other films — as well as a relative rogue’s gallery of Toho players who show up on screen from time to time as comfort food. 

And it’s so funny how the book that the scientists used is a kid’s book published by the American Museum of Natural History 

The human story is not as good as in the original film (Ishiro Honda was obligated to another movie when the first one came out to great acclaim so was not available for the sequel) but the monster battles and the rampant destruction of Osaka offsets that handily — the Osaka Castle destruction scene is among the best of the Shōwa era.

GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS!  (1956)

*** 1/2

This movie is like my sons. I didn’t really like them, but being underfoot they grew on me – only kidding, children!

That’s how I feel about this Americanization of the original classic, which was dubbed entirely into English but with new scenes filmed with Raymond Burr as an American journalist – named Steve Martin!! – that is cleverly spliced into scenes in the original film.

While I initially thought that this Americanized version of Godzilla was an abomination, it has slowly grown on me as a great way to introduce a Japanese film to American audiences that weren’t ready for foreign films in the 50s. 

Still nowhere near the quality of the original version, especially as it lacks the heart of the original,  it is still watchable, even if it is laughable at some points.

RODAN  (1956)

****

Rodan, while being one of Toho’s Big Four classic Kaiju, is like the bastard child of the bunch. I mean, no one can come close to Gojira. That is a given. And while Mothra and King Ghidorah come close they still aren’t the Big G, although they have carved out quite a niche for themselves. Rodan is unfortunately a volcano-borne pterodactyl whose only power is to fly around cause buildings to crumble with his sonic wing pressure.  

And the 1957 introduction to Rodan is just not as impactful as the introductions to the other three. There are these big bugs in a mine that has flooded and they turn out to be the larva of the meganulon (that would later have a bitchin’ battle with Godzilla). One of the men gets trapped in the cave but is later found wandering with amnesia. 

All of a sudden a Japanese Air Force pilot sees a UFO flying at supersonic speed. The amnesiac gets his memory back and says he saw a giant egg from which a giant bird emerged. Finally, Mount Aso erupts and we finally get some true Rodan action but it takes a while to get to that place. 

Well, my friend Joe Dante calls it one of the 50 worst horror movies of 1962 and I didn’t know there were that many horror movies in that year, period.

What it is, though, is a film for kaijumaniacs like me. It doesn’t have the gravitas of 1954’s Gojira or even the menace of 1955’s Godzilla Raids Again. The cave set design and matte paintings are absolutely outstanding creating a real world building that would be a hallmark of Toho Kaiju films .

But what it does have is a steady hand from director Ishiro Honda, a great score by Akira Ifukube and some really well done Tokusatsu effects as well as establish the familiar stable of actors that would populate these films for the next three decades and which would set the template for how the future Toho Kaiju films would look. It also has the true feel of a 1950s B sci-fi movie- and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. 

MOTHRA  (1961)

*****

Along with the original Godzilla and Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster, this movie ranks as absolutely one of the best of the Shōwa era. It is a crowning achievement for director Ishiro Honda. While Gojira is a cautionary tale about the use of nuclear weapons, this is one about man’s avarice and greed.  

A scientific expedition to Infant Island — which is irradiated from atomic bomb testing — takes place after shipwreck survivors are found who are unaffected by the radiation because they drank a red berry juice given to them by the natives. While the expedition is lead by the Roliscan government (Get it? Russian and American!) it is underwritten by business magnate Clark Nelson who has ulterior motives. While on the island, the expedition finds two women, only 12 inches tall, called Shobijin (Mothra’s fairies) who are in communication with an unknown entity named Mothra. When Nelson kidnaps the Shobijin and makes them into centerpieces of an entertainment show, they sing their song and a large larva named Mothra races towards Tokyo. When it gets there it turns from a larva into a full blown moth bent on destruction until the Shobijin are returned.  

This movie works because the excellent cast treats the subject matter in earnest. Comedian Frankie Sakai is tremendous as the stowaway reporter, Zenichiro and he brings a tremendous amount of funny energy to his role. Kyoto Kagawa is terrific as Michi, the photographer who befriends the Shobijin. But it is the American born Jerry Ito who excels as the slimy Clark Nelson and Toho/Honda regular Hiroshi Koizumi as Dr. Shinichi Chujo ( a role he would play again in 2003) that really powers this film. In addition the Ito twins, who sang professionally as the Peanuts, are wonderful as the Shobijin. And Takashi Shimura is terrific as the Perry White like newspaper editor that keeps yelling at Zen and Michi.  

The special effects and miniature work by Eiji Tsuburaya are beyond compare. The fairies are only 12 inches tall and they are seamlessly interwoven into the production and did not interact with the cast but were rather composited into the film. The fictional New Kirk City is wonderfully destroyed by Mothra. Mothra’s design is beautifully rendered and the film almost has the Skull Island feel from the original King Kong with the mysterious natives who worship the creature. 

Ishiro Honda’s direction is superb and the scenes are staged with gusto. Sure, it’s a Kaiju film but Honda imbues it with a strong sense of humanity. Shinichi Sekizawa’s screenplay explores themes such as the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as the effect of colonial uncaring superpowers on smaller countries. Still, it’s not treated too seriously but you can see the themes present. And Honda has a lot of fun with the script, especially in the characters of Zen and Nelson. The breaking dam scene is especially riveting. 

And the music, especially the fairies’ song is absolutely iconic. People who haven’t seen the film have somehow heard the song. 

It’s an outstanding introduction to the creature that would first be an enemy of Godzilla and then an ally. 

For so many reasons, WATCH THIS!

KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1962 Japanese version, 1963 U.S. Version)

Japanese version **** 1/2

American version *** 1/2

A giant pharma company goes to a remote island to steal King Kong for research purposes, but they get more than they bargained for when King Kong goes on a rampage and a reawakened Godzilla decides to mix it up, leading to a spectacular battle. 

Marking the first time both Kong and Big G are in widescreen and in color, this film also marks a departure from prior films by upping the campiness of the film. 

What really stands out are the scenes on Faro Island with the native (sexy) dance and that song which I can’t get out of my head and Kong’s fight with the giant octopus which is a nice throwback to the 1933 film. In addition the scene with Kong at the National Diet Building is absolutely outstanding (although not as mean a feat as climbing the Empire State Building) as is the final fight near Mt Fuji and the wonderful destruction of Atami Castle. And this Kong loves to get hammered on some red juice that the Faro Island natives put together. There’s a tremendous scene where Godzilla threatens a crowded railroad train and it’s so good in vivid color. There’s even a King Kong-Fay Wray kind of thing going on. 

The human cast is also excellent. Tadao Takashima and Yu Fujuki are terrific as the two main heroes of the story. They work for the goofy Pharma President, wonderfully portrayed by Ichirō Arishima, who was known as the Japanese Chaplin and who does his best to one-up Robert Armstrong’s Carl Denham. Old faithful Kenji Sahara is on hand as Kazuo, an inventor, who helps save the day. Mie Hama and Akiko Wakabayashi who would later co-star in You Only Live Twice are on hand as the love interests. And no Godzilla movie would be complete without Akihiko Hirata (the original Dr. Serizawa). 

Ishiro Honda continues to direct with a steady hand – especially well done in the crowd sequences- with the aid of Eiji Tsuburaya’s great special effects and miniature sets, especially the scene where the army is digging a huge pit to trap Godzilla- it’s like Tonka trucks gone wild. Akira Ifukube’s score is also rousing and tremendous. 

Interestingly, this movie got its start from an idea by Willis O’Brien where Kong would fight an enlarged Frankenstein monster. He gave it to someone untrustworthy who passed it on to Toho and it got retooled for Godzilla. And, thankfully so. The movie was so popular that it reinvigorated the Godzilla franchise after a 7 year absence.  

It’s a fast paced, fun movie with an absolutely terrific sense of humor. And to all of those naysayers, what do you think you’re going to get with a movie called King Kong v Godzilla. It’s a marvelous Tokusatsu effort that appeals to both grownups and their children equally.  It’s so goofy but it is so well done.

It’s terrific. 

Like I mentioned, there is also an American version which was released in 1963 so I must address it.

It’s not a bad film even with the Americanization – it’s really more unnecessary than bad. 

There are actually some things that work better than the Japanese counterpart 

But the Japanese version is way better

I mean, in this version the paleontologist looks at the same dinosaur book I gave to my kid as a three year old 

My biggest problem is that the failure to use Akira Ifukube’s electric score and, worse, replacing it – especially the Godzilla theme – with music that sounds like it comes from the Westerns archive of Universal Pictures, hurts the movie tremendously 

A special note for you CRITERION COLLECTION fans – it is an absolute shame that the Japanese version is relegated to a crappy copy on the Shōwa Box set rather than a fully remastered copy on the main discs. Rights issues caused a problem so the lesser US version gets the remastering treatment – oh well. 

MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA  (1964)

*****

Godzilla is nowhere to be found after his run-in with King Kong but some fisherman find a giant egg. And a greedy businessman buys the egg to create an amusement park around it but reneges on the payment to the fisherman. Unfortunately it is Mothra’s egg and she wants it back. The Peanuts (Shobijin) beg for the egg to be returned but to no avail. And then Godzilla reawakens and everyone needs Mothra to reclaim her eggs and save Japan. 

This is a classic of the Shōwa era Godzilla films. It is a film rife with humor and action. Featuring a bunch of Honda/Godzilla regulars like Akira Takarada, Hiroshi Koizumi, Yu Fujiki, Kenji Sahara, Jun Tazaki, Yoshifumo Tajima as well as the return of Emi Ito and Yumo Ito as the Shobijin, it feels like a reunion. My only critique is that Koizumi plays Professor Miura as opposed to the Professor Chujo character he played in Mothra, but they are essentially the same characters. Sahara is perfection in his first totally bad human role and spent time with obnoxious real estate agents as a customer in order to imitate their pushy behavior. 

This film is also notable for the last film in the Shōwa era where Godzilla is a malevolent being. He would become a savior in the next film, Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster and fight alongside Mothra and Rodan. 

The film is notable for the fact that Eiji Tsuburaya had to not only build miniature sets but also had to build sets that were eight times the normal size so that the Peanuts could interact with the actors and the sets and look tiny. I call them the Peanuts because that was the name of the singing group that the Ito twins had during this time. 

Ishiro Honda is at the top of his game. Just the scene of Godzilla’s reappearance is worthy of the entire film but there is so much more. He fully respects the characters, both human and Kaiju and it shows. There’s humor galore along with wanton destruction. He does a terrific job with crowd sequences and the compositing work mostly looks seamless.  

And we get deep into the Tao of Mothra. The Peanuts inform us that Mothra will never truly die because she lays a lot of eggs and a new Mothra with the same sensibilities will be borne from these eggs. 

It’s pretty funny how the bad guys get their comeuppance early on so that the main fight between Mothra and Godzilla can take center stage. And, oh what a fight it is. Considering that all that Mothra does is fly around and spit some silly string, Honda and screenwriter Shin’Ichi Sekizawa had to get creative and they absolutely did. Sekizawa was the guy Toho used when they wanted a “fun” project and this certainly fits the bill. Mothra’s wings flapping create a windstorm that even Godzilla is not impervious to. And it’s interesting how the editing of this sequence was done as Mothra’s scenes were sped up to show the wings fluttering and Godzilla’s movements were slowed down to show immense speed (yes, of course, like the Six Million Dollar Man!)

The final battle is just a case of Kaiju delight.  

One of the best installments of the Shōwa Era. 

GHIDORAH, THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER  (1964)

*****

This movie is the shits — this is one of the big three, Gojira (1954), Mothra (1961) and this one. But unlike Gojira which was a Kaiju movie that was a solemn meditation on nuclear war or Mothra which was an excellent exciting movie but aimed at kids, this movie has EVERYTHING. And when I say everything, I mean everything. Every random thought that Shin’Ichi Sekizawa had was thrown into this movie. 

And it works so well. 

There are global heat waves. There are meteor strikes. There’s a lovely princess from Selgino coming to Japan and she has been assigned police protection. But she receives some brain waves that tell her to leave the plane mid-flight which she does (rapid decompression had not been invented yet) and then the plane explodes. She reappears claiming to be from Venus and claiming that Rodan will reappear from Mount Asa. She is befriended by a reporter whose brother who was supposed to guard the princess before she blowed up and who is dating the professor who just happens to be investigating one of the meteor strikes. But once the princess appears, her uncle – who orchestrated the assassination attempt- sends chief assassin Malness to complete the job. Meanwhile, the Peanuts are back performing on a television show and are warned not to travel back to Infant Island. And it’s good thing they heed the warning because Godzilla destroys the ship they would have been on. And Godzilla and Rodan fight each other, rampaging through the countryside. Remember the meteor that Professor Miura was investigating? From this meteor, a giant creature with three long heads emerges. This is King Ghidorah. And he’s a total badass. And he mixes it up so Mothra comes to join the fight. 

Like I said, this movie has EVERYTHING. 

For me, this movie encapsulates everything that is perfect about the Kaiju genre. It has a plot line that strains credulity and it has great action sequences. It’s insane in all the very best ways. As a kid, this was my favorite Kaiju film because of the fact it was like a Battle Royale. The only thing missing was a steel cage. Had I seen this first as an adult I might not have liked it as much. But memories are things to be cherished, especially good ones.  

Ishiro Honda is at the top of his game with this movie. He doesn’t let logic get in the way because this is a sci-fi film and he leans into this strange brand of goofy seriousness that is a trademark of Kaiju films. Eiji Tsuburaya’s special effects reach a peak with this film and the combination of miniature usage of Kaiju action really amps up. The Mount Fuji set itself took 12,000 hours to build at a massive 1/25th scale. 

And the cast is one of the best in the Shōwa era. Yosuke Natsuki as Detective Shinto and Yuriko Hoshi as his reporter sister are terrific. The great Hiroshi Koizumi reprises his role as Professor Miura and Akiko Wakabayashi is excellent as the Princess. The Peanuts – Emi and Yumi Ito – return for their final appearance as the Shobijin. Toho stalwarts Akihito Harata and Kenji Sahara, along with the great Takashi Shimura, round out the cast.  

And what a great cast it is. 

The film was rushed into production because Toho’s big release, Kurosawa’s RED BEARD, fell behind schedule. But Honda pulls it all together and delivers some of the great battle scenes in Kaiju films, scenes that would influence future such films.  

And this is the film that started Godzilla’s transition from bad guy to protector of Japan – at least for the remainder of the Shōwa era. Honda was against this route, feeling that silly stories detracted from the serious issues that could be presented in the films but Toho was paying the bills. Producer Tanaka regretted the decision which is why The Return of Godzilla in 1984 made him a bad ass again. 

This movie is perfection from beginning to end but the last 30 minutes are just jaw dropping and despite whatever technical problems they had with the monster suits what shows up on screen is entertaining as hell. 

INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER (1965)

**** 1/2

A race of people named Xilliens who look like the new wave band Devo, are from Planet X and they wish to borrow Godzilla and Rodan to fight a terrible creature known as Monster X but which turns out to be King Ghidorah and the Xilliens are intent on taking over planet Earth.  

Nick Adams takes over the American role coveted by Robert Dunham (who made a splash in the Toho sci-fi film Dogora and who was positioned as a potential franchise star but that didn’t work out) since he was a name actor in the States and he’s terrific. He is Astronaut Glenn Amer (short for American?) who is partnered with Astronaut Fuji played by Akira Takarada and they are hurtling to a newly discovered planet in the solar system named Planet X. Meanwhile inventor Tetsuo is approached by Miss Namikawa of a toy company to sell his invention, an alarm that emits an ear-splitting siren but she disappears before paying him. Of course, Tetsuo is involved with Fuji’s sister because of course. Toho needs to tie the story lines together. 

Lookit, with very very few exceptions, in my book when there are multiple Kaiju, especially Kaiju of the Big 4, I’m a sucker for that type of movie. So getting the gang back together (minus Mothra) from the previous year’s Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster gives me wood (just checking to see if you’re still reading this).  

Contemporary reviews didn’t like it so much but I liked the blurb on the Criterion Channel which says “This retro romp, featuring American star Nick Adams, stands as a high point in the Shōwa Godzilla series.” And it does, despite the behind the scenes drama.  

Ishiro Honda was under contract through this film and despite the fact that he was the biggest moneymaker for Toho Studios he was told his contract would not be renewed but he would negotiate his contract on a per film basis. If he was an American director in America he would have had his choice of projects. Toho did not act honorably. In addition, screenwriter Shin’Ichi Sekizawa grew tired of writing these films and longed for more (although he would return). 

Finally there was disagreement between Honda and special effects maven Eiji Tsuburaya about the inclusion of the Godzilla dance in this film. It was based on a “shê” gag pose from a manga that was popular at the time. Imagine, if today’s Godzilla did the “dab” pose. But the producer Tomiyuki Tanaka overruled Honda’s objections and Honda was too much of a gentleman to express disagreement with his friend Tsuburaya. And, unfortunately, this would be the second to last time that Honda, Tsuburaya and composer Akira Ifukube would all work together on a picture, which is a shame because they were the backbone of a film production team that got the message and knew what they had to accomplish. Honda’s crowd scenes, Tsuburaya’s special effects and Ifukube’s score always combined to create something special. 

The acting is, for a Kaiju film, above average. Nick Adams really had a blast doing this film and it shows, unlike Russ Tamblyn after him who was openly derisive. If only Adams did not die prematurely he would have made more Toho films. I mean, most people don’t know this but the year before this movie was released Adams was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor!!!! He brought a lot to the film especially in his interactions with Akira Takarada, Kumi Mizuno and Akira Kubo. 

The logistics of the action are well thought out – despite being an over the top monster movie – and there are a couple of nice rope-a-dopes thrown in for good measure. 

And even if it’s goofy as shit, it is total fun.

EBIRAH, HORROR OF THE DEEP (1966)

****

While many have disdain for this film, I am of the belief that it is a top notch effort in the series.

Four men steal a boat and get caught in a storm where a giant lobster destroys the boat but luckily the men wind up on an island near Japan. There is a super secret spy base on the island for an organization called the Red Bamboo and the island cannot be escaped from because of the giant lobster. While the Red Bamboo make heavy water for weapons of mass destruction, the Inhabitants of Infant Island are being kidnapped by the Red Bamboo in order to make a yellow liquid called X-1 that repels Ebirah. And as dumb as this sounds, it becomes an extremely important plot point. Luckily Godzilla slumbers inside a mountain on the island. How he got inside the mountain is anyone’s guess. 

Preposterousness upon preposterousness (tennis with a giant rock, anyone?) combined with a good sense of humor makes for a thoroughly entertaining story. Many Toho regulars including Akira Takarada and Akihiko Harata from the original Gojira are present, along with Kumi Mizuno, Jun Tazaki and Hisaya Ito, giving a nice nostalgic feeling while the bad guy lair is definitely inspired by the James Bond movies. Seriously, it is straight out of Dr. No.. 

And yet, this is the first film in the series directed by Jun Fukuda who couldn’t stand the assignments and always gave his films a “minus grade” as he did not like the input from Toho and producer Tomoyuki Tanaka. He even went so far as to hire Masaru Sato as composer after being told to hire Akira Ifukube.  

But a lot of the fun in the movie is provided by Takarada who plays a thief named Yoshimura who has special skills. Breaking into the Red Bamboo lair with a lock pick is a testament to either his skills or the lack of security set forth by the bad guys. Needless to say, there is a lot of skulking. Shin’Ichi Sekizawa’s script is very playful and is definitely inspired by 007, even down to how the good guys awaken Godzilla.  

It combines native dancing vibes from King Kong v Godzilla with its infant island scenes which means, of course, that Mothra is around as well. And a whole bunch of citizens of Infant Island have been captured by the Red Bamboo to be used a slave labor. Damned Red Bamboo. So they are hoping Mothra will be of some help as well. 

One of the downsides is that the Ito sisters, known as the Peanuts are no longer playing Mothra’s little Shobijin fairies and the replacements, Pair Bambi, are soulless. The other downside is a tonally different score that devolves into what sounds like Dick Dale surf rock at one point. But, then again, the movie has a very playful quality to it so it kind of fits. 

Oh well.  You can’t have everything. 

A fun outing, nevertheless.

SON OF GODZILLA (1967)

*** 1/2

Routinely derided, this movie has a lot more going for it than a lot of people give it credit for. First of all, while the Kaiju portion of the movie is sorta like the Godzilla version of King Of The Hill with Big G saying “That boy ain’t right” about Little G, aka Minilla, the movie really succeeds because of the human plot line with a lot of the Shōwa regulars who have a great collegiality with each other. The production design is excellent and the miniatures are outstanding. However, the movie was made for kids but is not anywhere near the drop off in quality as the groaner All Monsters Attack. And the score by Masaru Sato is very playful indicating the lighthearted tone of the film. 

The monster effects are good and given the island setting there’s more opportunities to add additional creatures such as a giant Mantis.  

Director Jun Fukada does a great job directing Ishiro Honda regulars Tadao Takashima, Akihiko Harata, Kenji Sahara, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Akira Kubo and newcomer Bibari Maeda, who, was only 19 years old when making this movie is hubba hubba, a total biscuit. Fukuda does a good job of showing how a bunch of scientists on an island for a long period of time, away from civilization, can go crazy. In addition, there’s great special effects when the experiments go awry, causing the Mantises to grow much bigger. 

Despite an early appearance in the film, Godzilla does not show up in earnest until about 30 minutes into the film in order to protect Minilla who is annoying as hell, but not as annoying as he was in All Monsters Attack. Still, punch in the throat annoying. 

But I can see why this is a low rated entry – this totally goes into the realm of kid’s fare – and is too totally playful compared to its predecessors. Still, there are a great deal of Kaiju battles which keep this interesting.  

Fun fact: Akira Kubo’s character, Goro Maki, was the name of the unseen scientist who predicted Godzilla in 2016’s Shin Godzilla. 

Strange Fun Fact: Upon its released on home video in Italy during the 70s, the movie was presented as a sequel to the British monster movie Gorgo (1961), with even the title being changed to “Il ritorno di Gorgo” (The Return of Gorgo). The Japanese actors’ names were inexplicably changed to “John Wembley”, “Keny Sahara”, “Dick Kennedy” and “Charles Simon”, and the directorial credit was given to Ishirô Honda instead of Jun Fukuda.

This should be watched even though it signaled the beginning of the end of Shōwa quality.

DESTROY ALL MONSTERS  (1968)

*****

Seriously, aside from the earlier Toho Kaiju efforts this is the real deal and the template for Legendary’s Godzilla:King of the Monsters. Great direction, terrific story and action make this a compelling watch. My only complaint is that in this movie, as in other Shōwa films, the Japanese military has such bad aim. Loads of ordnance are fired but none seem to hit their target. 

It is set in 1999 and takes a page from 2001: A Space Odyssey — which came out a year earlier — in terms of the ease of futuristic situations such as videophones from the moon and trips to the moon on a daily basis. In this movie, all of the known Kaiju monsters are located on Monster Island and cannot leave because of countermeasures. 

But this one has aliens named Kilaaks who look a lot more pretty than the Xiliens from Invasion of the Astro-Monster (at least in human form) and Ishiro Honda and Takeshi Kimura, co-screenwriter, have developed a James Bond-y spy movie kind of feel to the Kilaaks on earth. And of course these dirty Kilaaks say they want a negotiated peace but we know better, don’t we?

And those damned Kilaaks have negated the earthly countermeasures allowing no less than 11 kaijus to be released into the world creating maximum carnage.  

Yeah it’s silly but it is so much fun and that’s the point that I think that’s many critics of the franchise overlook, especially when it comes to the Legendary Monsterverse – and even 1998’s US Godzilla. The creativity and quality may vary but when we watch these movies aren’t we watching it for the destruction. 

Are people expecting a monster movie directed by Kurosawa or Scorsese? Maybe they are. If so, they are definitely overreaching.

I’m certainly not. I like the sense of humor like when Kenji Sahara says “we may be vaporized at any moment. Let’s have a cup of coffee and relax.” Pretty damn good. 

And Ishiro Honda is one of my absolute favorite directors because he is the father of the modern disaster film. And in this movie he excels. There is some masterclass framing in some of the sequences. And the miniatures are better than ever. The pan of monster-ravaged Tokyo is reminiscent of post-atomic bomb photos from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

And a return to early form by composer Akira Ifukube – echoing his first movies – makes this one to watch. Further , filled with Toho/Honda regular actors, this movie is a delight – and, as it turns out, the very best of the late 60s Kaiju movies. 

ALL MONSTERS ATTACK  1969

2/5

Ichiro Miki is a highly imaginative but lonely latchkey boy growing up in urban and polluted Kawasaki. Every day he comes home to his family’s empty apartment. His only friends are a toymaker named Shinpei Minami and a young girl named Sachiko. Ichiro is constantly tormented by a gang of bullies. To escape his loneliness, Ichiro sleeps and dreams about visiting Monster Island where he meets Minilla who also feels bullied. 

Almost the lowest point of the series (the lowest is the next film Godzilla v Hedorah) and I only watch it because it has a good heart and it’s in the criterion box set I purchased and I am a completist but I don’t know what Toho was thinking. 

Supposedly they wanted to do a cartoon and that fell through but because of the popularity of Destroy All Monsters they decided to make another film on the cheap.  Eiji Tsuburaya wasn’t even used in this film but was credited – presumably because of the extensive stock footage from Destroy and other films- and this is one where Ishiro Honda was fully involved and therefore must shoulder all the blame. 

Especially for Minilla talking!!!! d’oh

And the shame of it is that the initial story – a young boy named Ichiro being bullied- had definite “I Was Born, But” Ozu vibes and would have made a wonderful picture if Toho gave Honda more money to work with. 

The only saving grace is that the movie is 69 minutes long and stars franchise regulars/favorites Kenji Sahara and Yoshifumi Tajima. 

You know it’s gonna be bad when you read the opening song lyrics via subtitles 

Go- Go- 1 2 3

3 4 5 6

3 4 5 6 7 8

Gya-

It’s the monster street (march)

Firmly blowing everything away

Go-Go-Godzilla blows his radioactive fire

Mi-Mi-Minilla too

Po Po Po Po

Bang! Crash!

Bang! Crash!

They destroy everything

Sorry, forgive me

Life is hard for us too

Go- Go- Gya-

The monsters are crying

Why is the earth so hard to live in

Godzilla was also surprised

Mi-Mi-Minilla is trembling too

Bang! Crash!

Bang! Crash!

They destroy everything

Megaton, smog and exhaust

They are real monsters!

Oy vey 

GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH  1971

1.5/5

I cannot understand the 3.5 overall rating for this film, an environmentally conscious film that left me unconscious. The fact that this was Roger Ebert’s favorite Godzilla film shows that Roger wasn’t always right. Japanese critics generally ignored Godzilla vs. Hedorah, but those who did review it unanimously panned it

For good reason – I mean, Hedorah literally projectile shits on Godzilla.

Even the theme music seems to be mocking the audience. See the lyrics below. 

The movie has different tonal shifts and its opening sequence is a copy of Bond movie openings and then it switches to groovy, psychedelic affair in which environmental songs are sung in a go-go bar.  And then there are animated interstitial sequences that are just so out of place.  To further underscore the insanity of this film is the absolutely horrific score- the worst Kaiju score in the Shōwa era. 

This movie was so bad that first time director Yoshimitsu Banno was fired from the franchise by longtime producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, who was hospitalized during production (I’m guessing it was from seeing the early rushes) squelching any chance of a planned sequel.  Thank God.  

The biggest mistake Toho made was to dumb down the movies for kids. The fucking animation sequences are also out of place – Spielberg did it better with Mr. DNA. 

This is actually the low point, and it’s worse than All Monsters Attack even though Godzilla is on screen the most. And it’s a shame because the ending is pretty darn good – but getting there? Forget it.

And the opening song lyrics are actually WORSE THAN ALL MONSTERS ATTACK

Islands… fish… where’ve you gone?

Dragonflies… butterflies… where’ve you gone?

Mercury, cobalt, cadmium

Lead, sulfuric-acid, oxidants

Cyanogen, manganese, vanadium

Chromium, potassium, strontium

Filthy polluted oceans, filthy polluted air

Living things will no longer exist

Fields… mountains…

Become silent

On the Earth there is nobody

Nobody around who can cry

Return! Return! Return! Return!

Green… blue skies… return!

Return! Return! Return!

Blue seas… return! Return!

Return! Return! Return! Return!

Life… the Sun… Return!

Return! Return! Return! Return! Return!

Fuck me 

1.5/5

GODZILLA VS. GIGAN  (1972)

****

Aliens from outer space (where else would they be from?) who look like cockroaches when they are not impersonating humans, plan to conquer the Earth by using space monsters Gigan and King Ghidorah which are being controlled from inside an amusement park in which the main building is a replica of Godzilla. It is up to Godzilla and Anguirus to defeat their evil plan, aided by a Manga artist and his friends. 

Major Kaiju action saves the day and proves that it is possible for the franchise to come back from the abortion that was Hedorah.  

I’d even consider rating it higher but the dialogue bubbles when Godzilla and Anguirus were talking to each other were ridiculous.  I mean maybe when Godzilla says “”move it” then “faster” then “come on” in rapid succession as the two are swimming from monster island to the Japanese mainland if instead of Anguirus saying “Ok!!” he said “shut the fuck up – I heard you the first time”, I might have given this another half star. 

It is, notably, the first movie in which Godzilla bleeds, even though he ain’t got time to bleed. It is also Haruo Nakajima’s final role as Godzilla since he started playing Big G in 1954. The music consists of recycled score music composed by Akira Ifukube but I give the filmmakers credit for- they chose the best, most evocative movie music in the Godzilla canon. And, as a first, they use Ifukube’s iconic main theme when Godzilla gets hurt. 

The Kaiju fight scenes are so well done that it almost looks like it’s curtains for Godzilla. 

Until it isn’t. (I don’t consider this a spoiler because the Toho playbook says Godzilla can’t die). 

It’s also another one of the Godzilla films in which corporate intrigue, in this case alien corporate intrigue, which makes for a societal statement about the evils of capitalism. And aliens. And cockroaches that will inherit the Earth.  

Still, lots of fun.

GODZILLA VS. MEGALON  (1973)

***

An underground civilization called Seatopia unleashes a monster called Megalon against the earthlings as retaliation for all of the above-grounders nuclear testing. 

While one of my fellow letterboxers loves this movie for the Godzilla horizontal tail slide (as do I) I am even more impressed with the nicely executed James Bond sci-fi spy aesthetic that the film exudes and the whole Seatopia concept is straight out of Bond’s Dr. No and You Only Live Twice. 

It’s certainly more geared to kids so it gets goofy but the overall effect is still lots of fun. And despite the fact that it was considered a kids’ film so the budget was slashed, the effects team did a remarkable job with their miniatures, although of you are steeped in Godzilla like I am you can tell which parts of the action sequences are stock footage. 

While the film was pretty much ignored in Japan, this was well received in the United States as it was shown as in an edited version as part of a primetime event on NBC hosted by John Belushi. Sadly, this is now considered “lost”.

I am glad, though, that this is the last movie in the Shōwa era with a bug as the bad guy. And Gigan returns primarily because the writers were out of ideas. 

I only feel bad for Robert Dunham who plays the head of Seatopia because he was on the verge of having a bigger career in potential spin-offs of Dogora, but that didn’t come to fruition so he is relegated to wearing a gold trimmed toga with a crown on his head – and it’s not even a full crown; it’s more like a tiara with a thingy extending out from the front. 

But the big thing is that this movie introduces the Ultraman ripoff Jet Jaguar as the size changing friendly robot that helps Big G fight the bad guys. 

It is goofy as hell but it is still good fun.  And the best thing about it is that it goes by super fast, quicker than you can criticize it and doesn’t try to be more than it is.  

Watch it by yourself or with the kids or with the grandkids. It’s actually the best film to introduce the series to the kiddies. 

GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA  (1974)

****

What a great way to begin the ending of the Shōwa era, as this was Godzilla’s 20th Anniversary film and the penultimate film in the Shōwa Era, by introducing a villain that would become legendary in its own right. 

An Okinawan priestess has a vision of civilization in ruins. A student scientist finds space titanium in a cave. An archaeologist finds a chamber filled with artifacts and a prophecy warning that a monster will try to destroy the world. A statue of a King Caesar, a large monster, the stuff of legends is found with the prophecy. Meanwhile Godzilla surfaces near Mt. Fuji and ravages the countryside. Anguirus tries to fight Godzilla but is injured and has to leave. Meanwhile, the real Godzilla shows up and uncovers the other Godzilla to be a mechanical Godzilla, more specifically MechaGodzilla. And, of course, it’s controlled by Space Aliens, this time from Black Hole Planet No. 3 (who thinks of these names?) and a man of mystery who comes between everyone. 

This film is certainly an improvement over Godzilla v Megalon which wasn’t hard to do and it has quite an ambitious screenplay which was something that we hadn’t seen in the Shōwa era since the early days. 

Masaru Sato’s original score is terrific and the appearance of not one, not two , but three – count ‘em – THREE members of the Godzilla Royal Family, that is to say Akihiko Harata, Hiroshi Koizumi and Kenji Sahara just add to this film’s Fanboy factor. It is also poignant as this was the second to last Godzilla film that Harata would appear in (and his last nice guy role) because of his untimely death from cancer ten years later. And Harata, Sahara and Koizumi were the backbone of core group of actors who were in a lot of the Toho sci-fi and Kaiju films since the arrival of Godzilla. 

Jun Fukuda was simply not the director that Ishiro Honda was and it shows. And yet the movie is still supremely entertaining. The fight scenes between Godzilla and MechaGodzilla are loads of fun and there is very little stock footage used because, well, the MechaGodzilla hadn’t been used before. And the final battle is particularly good. Godzilla’s appearance for the final battle is cinematically fantastic. 

MechaGodzilla was influenced by the Mecha-Kong in King Kong Escapes which led to some funny developments. In the German release of the film, MechaGodzilla is referred to as King Kong. 

But there is even a historical context in Shin’Ichi Sekizawa’s script. During the Cold War there was tension between Japan and Okinawa as the latter houses American military bases. As Okinawa’s King Caesar and Godzilla team up to fight MechaGodzilla, this is evidence of an olive branch of cooperation if you will. Heady stuff for a Kaiju film. 

The production design is terrific and the special effects are really good, especially the compositing which shows little or no remnants when humans walk by MechaGodzilla’s feet when he is at the base.

It’s a terrific entry that sets up the equally terrific sequel and final film appearance of Godzilla until ten years hence. 

Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)

****

As a sequel to 1974’s Godzilla v. MechaGodzilla you’d think that there would be a continuation of characters but nope. That’s not the Toho way. While a couple of the actors appeared in both films, notably Akihiko Harata, they play different characters.  

Interpol agents search for the remains of MechaGodzilla but their submarine is destroyed by a large underwater dinosaur. Meanwhile the aliens from Black Hole Planet 3 are back. And they have found an earthling in the person or Dr. Shinzo Mafune, a disgraced scientist who turned his back on his fellow humans when, 15 years earlier, he claimed that not only did he find a new dinosaur species, Titanosaurus, but that he would control it as well and he was laughed at and banned from academia. And now he seeks his revenge. His daughter, Katsura, who was transformed into a cyborg by the aliens after being injured in one of her father’s experiment claims Shinzo is dead. But he isn’t. He is working to control not only Titanosaurus but to also resurrect MechaGodzilla 2 as well so that the aliens may complete their takeover of the planet Earth. 

This film was definitely the way to end the Shōwa series on a high note.  The addition of Titanosaurus was well thought out and the action is nonstop and the storyline is terrific. The costume design is outstanding and, in some instances, quite funny. Katsura’s fake tiddies are quite nice even if they are obviously rubber, and surprising for what is ultimately a film marketed to children.

The underwater miniature work is top notch and the scenes between the submarines and the Titanosaurus are nicely executed. The Kaiju attack scenes, especially MechaGodzilla’s destruction of Tokyo and the resulting explosions are so well choreographed and Honda shows that he can still direct the big scenes, especially those with hundreds of extras vacating Tokyo. And the arrival of Godzilla is so well done, aided by Akira Ifukube’s terrific original score which brings a solemnity to this final chapter of Shōwa. The big fight between the three main characters amid the rubble of Tokyo is perfection. And the shot of Godzilla on fire? That was a stunt mishap that was kept in the final film because it looked so good. 

I find it funny that Goro Matsumi again plays the Supreme Leader of the Aliens, obviously a twin of the one that died in the 1974 film but given their true nature it kind of makes sense. And the Supreme Leader spanking his minions who did not properly do his bidding is hysterical.  

Ishiro Honda’s swan song, it serves as a testament to his great career, especially after having ushered Godzilla through his infancy.  He would go on to be an uncredited director on his good friend Akira Kurosawa’s late career films. And chewing the scenery is longtime Godzilla actor Akihiko Harata who was supposed to be in the first Heisei film but unfortunately died of cancer.  He overacted – in a good way – in this one as Mafune as much as his performance as Dr. Serizawa in the original Gojira was a masterclass in understatement. 

But here it is, a bittersweet goodbye to two Godzilla icons. Three, if you count a friendly Godzilla who would not reappear until almost thirty years later in Final Wars. 

Such a fun film!

Farewell Shōwa!  

Michael Fried has no formal training in movies, except having watched over 26,000+ movies — if not more — in his 60-plus years on this planet, starting with Goldfinger as his first cinema experience. He knows what he likes and he knows what he doesn’t like, and it’s quite often different from the conventional wisdom. He knows that the best franchise is Godzilla and he loves action movies and comedies. He has not been nominated for any awards except some boring insurance awards which has no applicability to movies (with the possible exceptions of Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity and John Cassavettes’ Big Trouble). He is part of a team that won the 1980 SUNY Albany Trivia content by correctly guessing the question, “Who played the president of Klopstockia in Million Dollar Legs?” So he has that going for him, which is nice.

Contact Mike at moviemike3@yahoo.com and mike.fried@yahoo.com.