Invasion of Astro-Monster/ Monster Zero/ Godzilla vs. Monster zero

    Invasion of Astro-monster is a unique entry in the series because it was a co production between TOHO and the American distributor United Productions of America(UPA). The film featured American Actor Nick Adams in both versions. Adams would record his dialog in English and for the Japanese version his lines would be dubbed over.  Both versions are identical except for the title change and some alternate music is used. 

     Two Astronauts investigate the newly discovered planet X. They run into aliens who say their planet has been made inhabitable by Monster Zero which turns out to be Ghidorah.

They ask to Borrow Godzilla and Rodan to fight the monster. The humans agree in exchange for the secret to cure all disease. The Aliens transport Godzilla and Rodan to Planet X where they fight Ghidorah. Ghidorah flees again, and Godzilla does a victory dance.

When the humans play a record with the secret to cure disease, it turns out to be a demand that they turn over control of the Earth to Planet X. The aliens unleash Godzilla, Rodan, and Ghidorah upon the Earth by controlling them with electromagnetic waves. The humans develop a device to disrupt the alien's control. They also discover the aliens have a weakness to sound, and exploit it. Godzilla and Rodan take on Ghidorah again. All three fall into the ocean and Ghidorah runs away to space. Yes I know he's a bit of a coward.

    The film is very much a Science Fiction film.

The beginning doesn't even feel like a Godzilla film, but a sci fi film of the 60s. It is only time that Godzilla has left earth. It also marks the first time in the series aliens have tried to conquered the earth. The astronauts Fuji and Glenn played by Akira Takarada and Nick Adams have some great chemistry together.

They're the first to become suspicious of the aliens. There's a whole subplot involving Fuji's sister and how he treats her like a child. He dislikes her boyfriend who is an inventor, but he actually invents the device that defeats the aliens. This leads to some humorous moments between Glenn and Fuji when discussing the situation. Glenn has a romance with one of the aliens who was sent to spy on him, but she falls for him which leads to her death. Whether you call in Invasion of Astro-Monster or Monster Zero, this is a great entry in the series that took it to new heights.

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster

    Ghidorah. the Three Headed Monster marked the start of Godzilla's hero phase. The film takes place after Mothra vs Godzilla, and brings back Mothra. This time it's back to one stating one of the twins died.  The film also brings in Rodan , a giant Pteranodon, who had its own movie in 1956. The big introduction is that of Ghidorah ( Ghidrah in US edit), a flying three headed dragon that spits electricity. Ghidorah went on to become Godzilla arch enemy, and appeared in 6 films spanning all 3 eras. Some of the cast from the last movie also returns, but playing different characters which was common for these films.

  The plot is Police Detective Shindo is assigned to protect princess Selina Salno of Selgina. Her plane is destroyed by political assassins who want control of her country before it reaches Japan. 

 Meanwhile, a meteor shower occurs which gets the attention of the scientific community. The princess turns up proclaiming to be a prophetess from Venus( Mars in the English dub).

She predicts that Rodan will rise from Mount Aso and warns that a ship must not sail because it will be destroyed. Sure enough, Rodan rises from Mount Aso and Godzilla destroys the ship.  The Princess says her planet was made uninhabited by a Giant Monster called Ghidorah and that monster is coming to Earth. During this time Godzilla and Rodan just continuously duke it out. Ghidorah comes out of one of the meteors. The government decides to ask Mothra for help who plans to attempt to get Godzilla and Rodan to team up. Mothra attempts to convince Rodan and Godzilla to put their differences aside. At first they refuse to cooperate. Mothra decides to take on Ghidorah himself, but is no match.

Godzilla and Rodan show up and they take on Ghidorah together. There is an epic fight highlighting all of their abilities.

In the end, Ghidorah flees. Regarding the princess, the assassins make another attempt, but Shindo stops them and the princess returns to normal.  

       The fight is very well choreographed. Each monster uses its strength, and they even use team tactics. Such as Mothra riding on Rodan's back.

   This film marks when the monsters started to gain human characteristics. When Mothra confronts Godzilla and Rodan, He sprays them with his silk to get their attention. When Godzilla gets sprayed, Rodan has a chuckle. When Rodan gets sprayed, Godzilla laughs his ass off. During this scene they have a conversation in monster language translated by the Shobijin( Mothra's tiny fairies) We learn that them attacking humans is not just instinct, but bitterness towards  humans for what they have done to them and the earth.   

  The film has some engaging human characters. Shindo has a sister ,Naoko, played by Yuriko Hoshi from the last movie. This time playing a full fledged reporter.

There is actually some great sibling moments between the two. She also serves as a caretaker for the princess giving her shelter and helping spread her message.

        This is the film where the monster brawl was born. While the plot may be bizarre, the ending definitely pays off. 

       

      

Mothra vs Godzilla

 Mothra vs Godzilla is considered by many ,including myself, to be one of the best of the series. The film matches Godzilla up against Mothra who had its own movie in 1961. While the films feature the same monster, they don't seem to follow the same continuity. This film marked the last time Godzilla was presented as a villain until the reboot in 1984.

 The plot is Mothra's egg washes up on the shore of a village.

A evil businessman buys the egg from the villagers so he can exploit it. Mothra wants the egg back, and of course he wont give it up. Godzilla show up in a grand entrance,
and wrecks havoc the whole movie. The military tries everything including electricity again. Mothra fights Godzilla,

but dies.

Her egg hatches,Which turns out to be twins, and her offspring takes down Godzilla by encasing him silk as he falls into the sea.

 What makes this film great is it has a faster pace then most of the series. Godzilla shows up sooner in the film and he just goes on a rampage throughout. The military throws everything at him including some creative tactics, but he just keeps going. This perfectly displays his invulnerable attribute. At the end of the film, Godzilla heads to an island where there are schoolchildren ,therefore, there are actually stakes in the scene which has been missing since the original. This film also feature memorable characters that you care about. The leads are News reporter Ichiro  and photographer Junko. There is some romantic tension between them, but nothing comes out of it. They both have very distinct  personalities. 

The villains are two businessmen who are fun to hate. They both get what's coming to them.  The film does have an important message in it. The island that Mothra comes from has been almost entirely destroyed due to nuclear testing, and the natives are very bitter. Ichiro, Junko, and a scientist go to the island to ask the natives to send Mothra to fight Godzilla. They first refuse, but junko convinces them by telling them not all people are responsible for what has become of their island, that the innocent are being killed. Ichiro continues on by stating humans must help one another. Therefor the film does contain a message of unity. The compositing effect are a lot better than that last entry especially when people and Godzilla are blended in the same shot. This film is definitely one that hold the attention throughout.

 The American version was titled Godzilla vs The Thing and some releases just switched the title to Godzilla vs Mothra.

Very little was actually changed for this version. Except for the dubbing, the only real difference is the scene when the American Navy fires special missiles at Godzilla. This was actually filmed by TOHO, but was cut due to it possibly being uncomfortable for the Japanese to see Americans firing upon Japanese soil less than 20 years after WW2. Overall, it is very faithful to the original version.

 Mothra vs Godzilla is definitely a high point for the series and is highly recommended to newcomers and fans alike. 

   

KING KONG VS GODZILLA: The Fight of the Century?

    King Kong vs Godzilla marked a big return for both monsters. It had been 7 years since Godzilla's last appearance and 29 years since Kong's debut. It marked the first time both had been in color. Universal was behind the Americanization and made significant changes to the film. They framed the film around a news broadcast with American actors and used music from their own library like Creature from the Black Lagoon. They also made changes to the plot such as indicating this is Godzilla's first appearance.

     The film begins when a head of a pharmaceuticals company heads a expedition to Faro island when he hears of a giant ape. Meanwhile, an American submarine gets stuck in a iceberg which turns up to the same that Godzilla was trapped within since 1955.

Of course, the American version never refers to this. Kong fights a giant octopus, drinks some berry juice that knocks him out, and is put on a raft to be taken to the mainland. The JSDF orders the pharmaceutical company to return Kong, but Kong wakes up and escapes. Both Kong and Godzilla make their way to the mainland, and we get our first encounter. Kong gets his ass handed to him due to Godzilla's atomic breath. So, he retreats.  As usual, the military takes different measures to stop Godzilla including a giant electrical fence which actually stops him. Wait. didn't they try that in the original without success?  Anyways, Kong approaches the fence and is revealed he gains strength from electricity. He goes through the whole steal the girl and climb the building tradition. The building in this case is the capital of Japan.

They use the same berry juice to knock him out and free the girl. This is not nearly as spectacular as the original. Kong had to be beefed up to 150ft in order to be a match for Godzilla, so he is taller than the building itself. They balloon Kong to Mount Fuji where the finale begins. You see both monster's strengths. Godzilla is more brute force and Kong is more about strategy and improvisation. Finally, Kong gets struck by lightning making him even stronger.
In the end, both monster roll into the ocean, and Kong emerges victorious. Despite a popular myth, there was no duel ending. In both versions, Kong wins.

      Is this the epic showdown that was promised? This film has many issues. It has some of the worst compositing effects of the series. The Kong suit isn't much to look at. He has this very dopey look on him.

The biggest issue is the Americanization of the film. It serves no real purpose whatsoever. Unlike the original, there's no American who is directly effected by the events. Instead, the only Americans are a news reporter and a couple of scientist who just comment on the events. I find myself just fast forwarding through these parts because I just find them unnecessary.  positives is the last 10 minutes of the film where Godzilla and Kong just fight at Mount Fuji. As stated before, we get to see both of theirs fighting styles. Some effects are cheesy, but have charm to them like a moment when they look like hand puppets. As a whole, this film is not as epic as expected, but does pay off in the last 10 minutes.     

     In 2019, The Criterion Collection released a remastered version of King Kong Vs Godzilla. This version improved many of the compositing effects. Also, the original Japanese version had its US debut. This version follows a similar story minus the American footage and soundtrack.

Godzilla Raids Again

                                            

                                                   Godzilla Raids Again is the Godzilla film I've seen only a couple times, and the one I don't care to watch that often. The film was released in 1955 just one years after the release of the first and the year before Americanization of the original film was released. The movie confirms Dr. Yamane's prediction that another Godzilla will resurface if nuclear tests continue. The Godzilla in this film is the one to carry out the rest of the Showa era. The film marks the first time Godzilla fights another monster which continued throughout the series.

                                               
                                                 The film begins with a couple of pilots who find themselves on an island, where they witness a new Godzilla and a new monster, Anguirus, fighting. It is revealed that the monsters had a rivalry millions of  years earlier that continues to this day. Unlike the original, we get a clear view of the monsters right away. There's no buildup and no tension or mystery. The Godzilla suit had been slimmed down so the actor could fight, and the suit overall looks cheaper than the original. Another thing is the monsters look as if they're moving 2x the speed or something. Apparently this was due to a camera technician accidentally under cranking the camera  resulting in the action appearing faster than reality. Special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya liked the effect and decided to use it in the film. Unfortunately, this took away the effect that these are giant creatures moving. Throughout the film, Godzilla and Anguirus go at it until Godzilla bites Anguirus's neck and burns his corpse. Of course, Japan still has Godzilla to deal with. They lead Godzilla to an island and bury him in ice.

                                     
                                                   The characters in this film aren't nearly as interesting as the original. Dr Yamane makes a return briefly to merely say told you so and explain that they can't defeat Godzilla as they did before. The leads are the two pilots and one does sacrifice himself at the end, but you really don't feel anything. As a whole this film jumps far away from the tone of the original into B movie territory. The miniatures still look great, and there is plenty of destruction. There's no moment of grief in the movie as a result of the destruction. This takes away the grit that the original had.

                                                 

              As with the original, this one also has an Americanized version called Gigantis The Fire monster. It's probably the most butchered of the Godzilla series. It called Godzilla, Gigantis. It interchanges Anguirus as both monster's name. For some reason, it uses auguirus's roar for Godzilla throughout the film. The dialog is the worst part. It is just plain absurd even for an English dub. I have actually not watched this version all the way through; and when I have watched some of it, I had the commentary playing.

                                              This one surfers from straying too far from the original, but not going all out like later installments.  Just like Godzilla, the series was put on ice for 7 years for big return.

Godzilla 1954: A Comprehensive Review

                                            

                                              In 1998, I was first introduced to Godzilla.  Not the original Japanese, but the one from TriStar.

 At the time, I thought the movie was great. Little did I know,  there were 22 films already in the Japanese series. A couple of years later, I was introduced to the REAL Godzilla on the SYFY channel during a marathon on Halloween. From that point, I was hooked on the series. With all the creative monsters, and them just destroying everything in sight, what's not to love? Unfortunately, it was hard to get a hold of these films in the states. None had been released on DVD yet,and it was tough to find them anywhere. During my middle school and high school years, I lost interest in the series, most likely due to feeling that it was not cool or something. Luckily, I learned that you love what you love and that's that. Thanks to the announcement of the Gareth Edwards film, All the films finally got a Blu-ray release with the original Japanese audio. Now, I own every film.

          

                                                 The Godzilla series is divided into four eras.

Showa ,Heisei, Millennium, and the Reiwa. The Showa era ran from 1954-1975. consisting of 15 films. It eventually turned Godzilla into a good guy and most of the films were relatively light-hearted. The Heisei era ran from 1984-1995 consisting of 7 films plus the original 1954. the era was a reboot ignoring all previous films except for the original. It took Godzilla back to his roots making him a force of nature. The Millennium era ran from 1999-2004 consisting of 6 films. It's a very interesting take in that every film with the exception of two are all direct sequels to the original, ignoring all previous installments.The films explore "what if" scenarios and have various tones. Finally the Reiwa era started in 2016 with Shin-Godzilla and continues with the animated Godzilla Monster Planet trilogy. It seems that it may be taking the millennium approach in that not all films follow a continuing story, but Shin-godzilla is a hard reboot in that it does not take the original as canon. In total, there are 29 soon to be 32 films in the series spanning over 60 years along with 3 American films and a handful of Americanized versions of the original Japanese films.

    

                                                  I was first introduced to the 1956 Godzilla film in the early 2000s when I got a VHS tape of the movie. At the time I had no knowledge of the original Japanese version. I liked the film, but I didn't fully appreciate or understand the themes of the film at the time.

                                                 

                                                 Godzilla king of the Monsters starts out with a wide shot of a destroyed Tokyo. We hear the start of reporter Steve Martin's (played by Raymond Burr)

narration who is seen under ruble trying get free until passing out. This sets up intrigue into what has happened here. The film jumps back a few days and shows Steve on a plane to Tokyo in which he establishes that he has a layover in Tokyo and plans to visit an old college friend Dr. Serizawa( A scientist who plays an important part in the story) as his reason for being in Japan in the first place. It cuts to a fishing boat which is suddenly engulfed in flame. This is shot so that we don't see the monster which creates mystery for the viewer. The plot takes off when Steve is questioned by Iwanaga(an Japanese security officer) on if he saw anything due to his flight being right above the spot where the ship was sunk. Steve becomes intrigued when he hears that there have been a series of ship disaster's all reporting the same thing, A flash of light and the ocean burst into flames. Steve hears of survivors washing up on a small island and heads to the island with Iwanaga. They question a few natives on the incidents who all talk about a giant monster. During an island ceremony, we hear the first utter of the name GODZILLA. There's also a story of how the natives would sacrifice a young girl by sending her out on a raft which shows the movie's King Kong inspiration. That night, a storm comes ashore and brings with it a lot more than just thunder and lightning. The storm worsens and we're given just as much information as the characters. we are introduce to Shinkichi(an island native) who flees his house as something big is attacking. His father tries to to stop him, but with a flash of lightning the father sees what is in the storm. The house is crushed, and both him and his wife are killed. Again the monster is hidden and all we see is the destruction left in it's wake. We next see a handful of natives taken back to Japan for questioning and it is decided that an expedition must be made to the island for the truth lead by Dr. Yamane(a paleontologist). Again, Steve insists on joining the expedition. Some suspense is alluded to on the ship to the island due to every ship that has taken this route was destroyed. Here we are introduce to Emiko and Ogata who are our romance couple to stand behind and create a love triangle with Dr. Serizawa. Steve states that Emiko is engaged to marry Serizawa, but she views him as a older brother. On the island we get a much clearer view of the destruction. We get clues into the creatures origins such as radioactivity and a trilobite( an extinct worm) is found in a footprint. The town rings a bell and everyone runs for a hill and here  we get our first look at Godzilla.

His head rises above the hill for a few second then retreats. We see large footprint left on the beach heading into the ocean showing the creatures size. Next, Yamane speaks in front of the Japanese government and reveals the creature's origins to be the result of nuclear tests. This is the first allusion to the connection between nuclear weapons and Godzilla. The JSDF tries depth charges to take out Godzilla, but Yamane believes Godzilla should be studied not destroyed. This brings up ethical Dilemmas in science. On if human life should be put at risk for the sake of scientific advancement. Of course, Godzilla is still alive, and surfaces in Tokyo Bay. The Army fist uses machine guns to stop him,but that does nothing. He enters the city and we get the first full look at him and his massive size in comparison to the surrounding structures. He enters the city and destroys a train which is a series trope and also a homage to King Kong. This is just a preview of what's to come. The next day there is a rundown of the defensive measures and we see the first of the series' tradition of citywide evacuations. Godzilla resurfaces that night.  The JSDF ups their defensive measures with cannons and a tall electrical fence around the city. We are first introduced to Godzilla's atomic breath which makes short work of the fence.

The military gets more and more aggressive bringing in tanks and plains. which is something I really liked about the film, the way they work up in their defensive measures. This scene carries more emotional weight than the typical monster movie. We see people being crushed by ruble and burned alive. The most impactful moment is a mother holding on to her child crying and accepting she cannot escape. In the Japanese version,  she says," Soon, we will be joining your father". The scene ends with the newsroom that Steve is in being destroyed with him in it bringing us back to the beginning. The whole scene is being narrated by Steve which is unnecessary. He practically describes everything we see which is a cliche in Americanized Japanese Kaiju films. We next see images of all the dead and wounded. This include radiation burns also alluding to the atomic bomb. This diverges away from typical monster movies by showing the effects of the destruction on the people. Here Steve learns from Emiko about an invention by Dr Serizawa that destroys all oxygen in water called the oxygen destroyer therefore the only weapon that could kill Godzilla. Ogata and Emiko visit Serizawa to convince him to use the Oxygen destroyer against Godzilla. He refuses at first due to the risk of it falling into the wrong hands, but agrees when he realizes that it's the only chance Japan's got. This scene has the most heartfelt moment showing a group a student singing a prayer for the world. This scene also contains the best line in the English dub that is actually better than the Japanese track. Ogata tells Serizawa in regards to his fears of his invention falling into the wrong hands, " You got your fears that may become reality and you got Godzilla which is reality". Finally, we see the final stand in which Ogata and Serizawa dive in Tokyo Bay to plant the device.

Serizawa sacrifices himself to protect the formula of the oxygen destroyer, and tells Ogata and Emiko to be happy with each other. Godzilla is destroyed, but the relief is mixed with grief due to Serizawa's sacrifice.

                                               Godzilla King of the Monster is more than just an 50s monster movie. Despite the cheesy 50s monster movie trailer,

it is an allegory for the destructive force of the atomic bomb. The film was shot at a faster camera speed in order to achieve a look of a massive creature moving, and used low camera angles. The miniatures look great. The film does look dated though for the time. It's typical of the series to be behind in film technology from American film making. For example, the CGI in some of their films typically look five years behind ours. In terms of the Americanization of the film, Raymond Burr really only serves as spectator and as a figure for American audiences can relate to. It is written in that he knows many of the original characters and they use body doubles shot from behind to give the illusion that he is in the same scene as the original cast. As a whole, the Americanization still tells the basic story as the Japanese version; and Raymond Burr while not necessary, doesn't take too much away from the original.

                                               

The original Japanese film titled Gojira was releases two years before the Americanized version in 1954. The movie didn't become available in the US til the 2000s. The film starts with the ship disaster and serves as a mystery. The plot is mostly the same except follows separate characters. Dr. Yamane serves a much more prominent role and with the subtitles you get more exposition into the event from the characters. Unlike with Steve Martin, the characters are not just going along, but have reason to be there. Major differences are additions to the destruction scenes. The biggest difference is the message about nuclear weapons is more blunt. The final line in the film said by Dr. Yamane is very effective and sets up the series for additional installments. He states if atomic tests continue, another Godzilla will surface. Which occurs just one year later.

                                                  

The original Godzilla film is more than just a B monster movie, but serious commentary on the dangers of Atomic weapons. For the Japanese, it was a way for them to speak of the horrors they experienced due to the Atomic bomb.