Gigantis, el monstruo de fuego

Perhaps the real reason why "Godzilla Raids Again" is not as popular as the first film of the series is because most people are more familiar with the butchered and dubbed English version titled "Gigantis the Fire Monster". However, when you look at that disaster of a film and compare it to Toho's original Japanese version, with no dubbing, no narration, no music or sound effect changes, you have one of the best 1950s monster movies. "Godzilla Raids Again", or "Godzilla's Counterattack" as its original title literally translates, is a flawed film. But like the first Godzilla, it's an allegorical classic. It symbolizes a different kind of horror that wasn't expressed in the first film.

The original 1954 classic "Godzilla" symbolized the horrors of nuclear war and the way that it can ultimately change the lives of people forever. "Godzilla Raids Again" focuses on a different perspective. It symbolizes the struggles of people still trying to adapt to life after a war and recover and try to resume their normal lives again. Godzilla and his very first opponent, Anguirus, are like weapons of war. They strike, cause enormous damage, leave ruins, and the people have to rebuild and try to get back on line again, until the weapons of war come back to attack them again. And the people still live in fear of the atomic bombs and other nuclear weapons, for they have brought back more horrors from the past and continue to bring them upon the world. While "Godzilla Raids Again" is nowhere near as powerful and allegorical as the first film, it is still one of my favorite Godzilla films. But once again, only in its uncut and undubbed print.

The English language version of the film is just another example of why you should never tamper with somebody else's film. It is an example among other Godzilla films and also Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West", in which the American distributors cut the film down until it wasn't as compelling. When "Godzilla Raids Again" was distributed, they tore the film apart and changed it all. The most horrendous dubbing of any Godzilla film was put in, there was a lot of narration that ruined the original feeling of the film's atmosphere. But what was worst of all, they changed the monsters themselves. Godzilla's name was changed to Gigantis, his dark, chilling roar was changed to Anguirus' roar most of the time. A lot of the great sound effects of the monsters as they fought in Osaka were replaced, as was Masaru Sato's original music score. It was replaced with stock B-music and for what reason, I do not know why. A lot of other sound effects were changed as well. In the original print, Godzilla's death ray creates a loud, destructive kind of sound. But in the dubbed version, for reasons unknown, it was replaced with a wispy sound effect, like a leak in a hose.

Ignoring the existence of "Gigantis the Fire Monster", the special effects used in "Godzilla Raids Again" are very fine for the age. Unfortunately, they weren't as good as the Japanese Academy Award-winning effects presented in the first Godzilla film. At times, Godzilla's head and neck seemed too slender and the hand-operated puppet used in the close ups is just plain not good-looking. However, the suits used for Godzilla and Anguirus in their epic, realistic battle in Osaka looked fantastic! And what I loved most about this battle, is that it was a traditional, physical fight. The monsters bite, claw, and slam each other like real animals. Unlike in the future, when the monsters would mostly just bump into each other and fight with "beam wars". Godzilla's death ray is more like a last resort kind of weapon, something he uses when he's got a sense of victory, and spends the rest of his time biting and clawing at Anguirus, who performs the same actions. And unlike in the English version, the monsters don't continuously roar at each other, they mostly growl and snarl when fighting and roar once they have a brief stand-off every now and again.

But still, "Godzilla Raids Again", while it's an amazing monster film, has its flaws. Mostly, it's the fact that the monsters of the film do not have a whole lot to do with the story. In fact, Anguirus screen time ends after the first third of the movie is over. Maybe, he could have been used a bit longer for a more effective first appearance into the series. Godzilla himself, while the main plot point of the story, doesn't get as much screen time and scenes as he should get. The storyline just strays from him after the battle for too long and he doesn't really get anything else until the ending of the film.

But that doesn't mean a whole lot. Yes, "Godzilla Raids Again" is not the most action-packed Godzilla film there is. But it is, in its original version, one of the best monster movies there is. It presents a great symbolic message and should be examined by everybody for this reason. It is a dark compelling film, not as great as the first Godzilla film, but definitely one of the best.

Not the overpowering mandate against technological advances that Gozilla was, but nonetheless a good sequel that treats the Godzilla story reverently with realistic horrors of destruction, subtle humour, and interesting characters. The movie has some pockets of slow moving action, but the finale is a beautifully filmed scene of the creature being thwarted on an island of mountains and ice. The film has a Godzilla with a different look as well as another creature with a spiked back that destroy Osaka together. Characterization, as with the first Godzilla, lends the film some seriousness and realism. The destruction scenes in particular are nicely filmed, as they show a city in fear...and then destroyed. The film lacks Inshiro Hondo's directorial flair, but is well-shot and has a nice musical score to enhance it.

This film is a decent follow up to the original film. It pretty much shows that you don't have to be a scientist or a major military figure to be a hero. The only thing negative criticism I have about it is that it tends to slow down when it gets to the scenes that feature only the human characters. However, the film really picks up steam when the fight between the two monsters begins.

Also, there is an interesting fact about this film. When it was first proposed that this film would be released in the United States, the title was for the American version was to be called "The Volcano Monsters" and it was to be written by noted schlock master Ib Melchior, the man behind such B classics as "Reptilicus" and "The Angry Red Planet", and his partner Edwin Watson. The proposed production would have used some of the footage from "Godzilla's Counterattack." The premise for the story was to involve the discovery of a tyrannosaurus (Godzilla) and an ankylosaurus (Angillas) in a cave on a remote island. The two monsters are then brought to San Francisco (the Japanese buildings would have been explained as being San Francisco's Chinatown) and then escape and start to fight all over the city. The ankylosaurus is killed during the battle and the tyrannosaurus is then left to rampage all over the city until it escapes to the Artic Circle where in the climatic battle it is covered in ice and preserved forever.

An interesting note, Melchior used several of the intended plot devices for "The Volcano Monsters" in Reptilicus, including the ending which showed the claw of another monster, which was poking out of the cave where the two monsters were found.

Another of Godzilla's species is discovered on an island, along with a spiky creature called Angilusaurus (or Angilus for short). Before long the two monsters are wrecking havoc.

Though this film was rushed out, it has the advantages of being made in the age when Godzilla films were serious-themed. The scenes in which city populations are told to turn their lights off to avoid Godzilla's attention at night are atmospheric and recall World War 2, when city lights were turned off to avoid the attention of enemy bombers. The music is haunting and the scenery, especially on the island, is suitably eerie. The film does tail away towards the end, but it's still one of the stronger sequels.

As with the original, and most other Godzilla films, the original non-dubbed version with subtitles is recommended.

I finally now have seen this the second Godzilla movie made. The first where Godzilla takes on another monster...the other monster presented is Anguirus. The story was pretty good for the most part as they make it clear in the Japanese cut anyway, that this is a new Godzilla and not the one destroyed by the oxygen destroyer. Also, this new monster is also discovered. The cities just off the coast are on alert, everything seems to go well until a bunch of prisoners escape and start a large fire (light apparently attracts Godzilla)and not only does he come, but so does Anguirus and they battle in the city. After the battle there is time to relax as Godzilla leaves peaceful like enough and the city was evacuated very well this time too. Everything is going well until Godzilla reappears in a more northern town, however at one point he is in the middle of a bunch of snow capped mountains and a plan is hatched to stop Godzilla's onslaught again. This movie could have been better though, there is a lot of filler in this movie, I am thinking they felt they needed more scenes to pad out a rather short running time film. However, with this movie coming out only six months after the original, the extra scenes had to be scenes of people rather than of the monsters. Also, the film goes on a bit to long well after the battle between the two monsters. So much so that the threat of Godzilla seems to even evaporate for a time. I also think the plane scene at the end went on to long as their plan should have to worked after they figured it out rather than going back to base to load up on missiles. However, the fight between the two monsters is rather good, and unlike the professional wrestling like quality of the next movie "Godzilla vs King Kong" in this one the monsters fighting seems to be like that of two actual animals and not men in costumes. I think this one would have been much better though if they did not rush to complete it.