Cinefantastique Online

Released just six months after the first GODZILLA film (a.k.a. GOJIRA, 1954), this 1955 effort is a weakly plotted sequel that nonetheless retains much of the mood of the original. The basic problem is that the filmmakers seem to have had little idea what to do with the film except rehash what had come before, minus the melodrama and ethical dilemma that made the original so memorable - even when the monster was not on screen. Nevertheless, thanks to impressive special effects and a serious tone, GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (a.k.a. GODZILLA’S COUNTERATTACK and GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER) is much better than the colorful but silly sequels churned out in the 1970s.

What passes for a story focuses on some characters working for a fishing company, who spot Godzilla and a new monster, Anguiras, fighting on an island where they make an emergency landing. The clashing titans head toward the coast of Japan where their battle destroys much of Osaka - including the fishing business - before Godzilla kills his opponent. The fishing company boss relocates his business headquarters to the Hokkaido branch in the north, but Godzilla heads in that direction, ultimately wandering onto a glacial island, where jet planes unleash their bombs, burying the beast under an avalanche of ice.

One might call this the “Life Goes On” Godzilla sequel: the lead characters’ connection with Godzilla is mostly a matter of circumstance, and the script has to struggle to keep them involved with the hunt for the beast. Most of the story is nearly plotless, wasting time on the personal lives of the protagonists, whose main concerns are finding a girlfriend, getting married, and keeping the fishing business afloat (so to speak). The result is some dull passages that make the audience grateful for the intrusion of Godzilla.

Neither director Oda nor composer Masaru Sato can equal the work of their counterparts, Ishiro Honda and Akira Ifukube, on the previous film. Fortunately, they do show some flashes of talent here and there, and GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN is punctuated by brief scenes and images that make it seem momentarily better than it is overall. For instance, after the defeat of Godzilla, there is a wonderful final shot of the hero shedding a tear for a fallen friend who died in the effort - a surprisingly moving moment that contains more emotion than the entirety of the 1998 TriStar GODZILLA. There are also several scenes that deliberately evoke memories of World War II, grounding the fantastic tale in a believable sense of reality that makes it monster action feel genuinely disturbing.

The highlight of the film is the special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The battle between Godzilla and Anguiras avoids the anthropomorphic action that marred later efforts, emphasizing animal-like violence. But the real standout is the conclusion among the icy mountains of the isolated island where Godzilla meets his fate. The stark black-and-white imagery has an almost expressionistic look the recalls classic Universal horror films from the 1930s, and the effects works for the fighter planes is quite improved from similar footage in GODZILLA, creating a visually stunning demise for the King of the Monsters that ranks among the most impressive scenes of this kind ever captured on celluloid.

In the end, GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN is a fairly typical sequel: not as good as the original, it reprises some familiar motifs and occasionally rises to a level that makes it stand on its own, if only for moments at a time. It is not a masterpiece that will win over skeptical non-fans, but enthusiasts for giant monster movies should find it appealing.

A leaner, meaner Godzilla clashes with Anguiras.

AMERICAN VERSIONIt took four years for GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN to reach U.S. audiences. The American distributor originally wanted to scrap the Japanese live-action footage and use the special effects as stock footage for an otherwise all-new American film. A script was even written, entitled THE VOLCANO MONSTERS. Financial problems prevented this movie from being made. Instead, the U.S. producer, apparently thinking that a new monster would sell more tickets, renamed Godzilla “Gigantis” and retiled the film GIGANTIS, THE FIRE MONSTER.Unlike GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS (1956), which deleted much footage from the 1954 GODZILLA for American release, GIGANTIS, THE FIRE MONSTER retains most of the footage from GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN. Instead, the Americanized version is padded out with stock footage. In some cases (the opening montage of rocket launches), the added footage is simply incongruous; in others (the badly done prehistoric footage), it is of a lamentably cheesy, almost Gumby-esque quality.As bad as the new footage is, even worse is the dubbing. Although the voice actors (which includes the KUNG FU’s Keye Luke and STAR TREK’s George Takei) are not bad, the script’s attempt to match the lip movement results in some ridiculous dialogue like “Banana Oil!” (a flapper era expression for “nonsense” that sounded dated even when the film was released). And for some reason, the lead character is given a non-stop voice over narration that runs virtually throughout the film, often telling audiences what they can see for themselves on the screen.Also, much of the original score is replaced with nearly wall-to-wall stock music cues, often mismatched. The final insult is that the sound effects for the roar of the two monsters are used interchangeably.Under the circumstances, it is understandable that GIGANTIS, THE FIRE MONSTER has earned a reputation as a cheesy monster movie. Viewers who have only seen the American version should take the opportunity to watch the Japanese original: it may not be a great movie, but it is clearly superior to the bastardized version released in the U.S.

TRIVIA

This is the only film in which Godzilla’s dorsal fins are not shown glowing when he shoots his radioactive breath.The Godzilla suit in GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN is somewhat thinner than in the 1954 GODZILLA, with more pronounced shoulders and a head that looks too wide when seen straight on. There is also a hand-puppet for close-ups of the head, which has a noticeably bucktooth look.This is the first film in which Godzilla squares off against another monster for a duel to the death, establishing a tradition that the series would continue for decades later.The spectacle of the two monsters charging and clawing at each other is occasionally enhanced by an accident of filming: one of the special effects cameras was set at slow speed; consequently, the footage looks fast when played back at normal speed. (This is the exact opposite of the usual process, which used slow-motion to give the rubber-suited actors a better sense of the inertia that comes with enormous size.) Although the fast-motion effect is not really convincing, it does make the huge monsters seem more aggressive and angry in their battle.

This posed publicity shot features the Godzilla suit from the previous
film and the bizarre sight of Anguiras with a flapping shell.

DVD DETAILSThe Toho Master Collection DVD (ASIN: B000MV8AJU), released in the U.S. by Classic Media, comes in a snazzy, silvery slipcase that somewhat resembles a small book, with poster art on the front, a few small photos on the back, and a nice shot of Anguiras roaring on the inside. The disc includes both the original Japanese version and the American version of the film, along with a handful of interesting bonus features: audio commentary, a featurette on suit acting, and a gallery of posters.

Both versions are presented in Dolby Digital with full screen picture, divided into twelve chapters, accessed from identical looking menus, made up of poster images from the film. The prints are in reasonably good shape, with clear picture that does justice to the atmospheric black-and-white photography; however, the American version bears some telltale signs of wear and tear: occasional scratches and speckling. The Japanese print is overall superior - although the contrast is greater, creating darker areas of the screen that sometimes obscure the action. For example, the memorable close-up of Godzilla’s eyes flicking back and forth - as he hears the soldiers trying to set a flaming blockade to trap him - is too dark to register clearly, whereas it is perfectly visible in the American print. The American version has a video-generated main title that restores “Godzilla Raids Again” in place of “Gigantis, the Fire Monster” - which makes little sense, since the dubbing still calls the monster “Gigantis.”

The poster slide show consists of seven images accompanied by the film’s main title music.

The “Art of Suit Acting” featurette consists of informative narration, provided by kaiju expert Ed Godziszewski, illustrated by numerous rare still photographs from various Japanese giant monster movies.

This short mini-documentary is filled with interesting tidbits, but it is mostly of interest to hard-core fans; more general viewers will find themselves loosing track of the various names of the numerous actors who donned rubber suits to appear as Godzilla and his many opponents.

The highlight of the bonus features is the audio commentary, which is available with the American version of the film. The majority is provided by Steve Ryfle, author of JAPAN’S FAVORITE MON-STAR. Even if you think you know everything about these films, you might find yourself learning a little. Ryfle gives the run-down on the changes made when bringing GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN to the U.S. He also drags in other friends and experts with interesting stories to tell. Stuart Galbraith IV offers some recollections of composer Sato. Bob Burns relates the time he was working at an American special effects house and accidentally stumbled upon the Godzilla and Anguiras suits, which had been shipped to the U.S. for additional shooting on the aborted VOLCANO MONSTERS project. Ryfle is completely aware of GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN’s shortcomings as a sequel (one can easily relate to his irritation when the film stops the action to dwell on some irrelevant “character development” scenes that add little to the main story), but he also deftly notes the many evocative moments that punctuate the film, raising it a level above what it could have been and making it impossible to dismiss as a mere rehash.

For decades, GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN was officially available in the U.S. only in its altered form, which fell far short of doing justice to the original and fans to seek out bootleg VHS tapes. Thanks to this new DVD, at last GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN is easily available in its original form. Despite the film’s imperfections, this DVD is a must-have for any self-respecting Japanese giant monster movie fan.

GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (a.k.a. “Gojira no gyakushu” ["Godzilla's Counter Attack"], Toho, 1955; originally released in the U.S. as GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER, 1959). Directed by Motoyoshi Oda. Written by Shigeaki Hidaka, Takeo Murata, story by Shigeru Kayama. Cast: Hiroshi Koizumi, Setsuko Wakayama, Minor Chiaki, Takashi Shimura, Masao Shimizu, Seijiro Onda, Sonasuke Sawamura, Yoshi Tsuchiya, Mayuri Mokusho.

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Mothra vs. Gozilla
• Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
• Monzter Zero