December 2nd: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

I’ve made it to day two, it’s a miracle! But in a way I kind of wish I hadn’t. Godzilla Raids Again (1955) does not hold a candle to the original in terms of quality or intrigue, and feels like a bit of a rush job. The follows two pilots who after having to make an emergency landing on an island off the coast of Japan discover a new Godzilla fighting another kaiju. This monster is named Anguirus, and it is now a race against time to defend Japan against two destructive beasts.

I can’t imagine this review will be very long, especially compared to my review yesterday. I just think this film is extremely bland. First to note, there has been a change in director, from Ishiro Honda to Motoyoshi Oda and I think this does have an affect on the film. I described the original film as being beautifully shot, whereas this one is just shot. I can’t remember any particular visuals that just blew me away, it just is. And now I write that down I think that is kind of my biggest criticism of the whole thing, it just is. Its never spectacular, but it also is never shoddy or badly done. It is perfectly fine. But it is lacking in weight and mood that is spilling over in the first film. Even the design of Godzilla is lessened. I’m all for changing him up a bit here and there, but I don’t think it is for the best here with him looking much slimmer and lanky. The film also struggles to capture that sense of scale and size that the first film did so well.

However, one thing that this film does have that the original doesn’t is Anguirus. Now, in terms of Godzilla foes I can’t say he is the most memorable, and even this film feels like it just throws him in there for no particular reason. Genuinely, he appears right at the beginning, they talk about him for a bit, and then he fights Godzilla about halfway through the film and dies. That’s it. He isn’t a major part of the story, and the narrative as a whole would have played out fine without his inclusion. But his inclusion is massively important for the future of this franchise, as it set a precedent and he was the first. Godzilla vs. Blank was he way forward and for that, I do give this film some modicum of praise.

If you ever find yourself wanting to watch a Godzilla film, I would recommend having this one fairly low on your list. While it is not terrible it is fairly dull throughout. I have seen it twice now and that is more than enough for me. There are several of these films I’ll be happy to watch again, but this one I am happy to have in my rear view.