The sequel to the original Godzilla movie, Godzilla Raids Again is hardly the same as its terrifying and brilliant predecessor. The only other black and white depiction of Godzilla falls far short of the benchmark in monster movie mayhem that Godzilla (1954) set. A bit of a spoiler here, but the 1954 Godzilla was killed by Dr. Serizawa's oxygen destroyer weapon. So you may be wondering where in the hell this new Godzilla came from? It is said it was randomly awakened by more nuclear tests in the pacific, along with the new monster that would be pitted against The Big G, Anguirus, who would later reprise his role in the G series as Godzilla's main ally (despite Godzilla actually killing this version of Anguirus in the movie). Whatever the origin of this new Godzilla, he would go on to star in each successive G movie until 1975. When watching Godzilla Raids Again, you get the sense that Godzilla isn't actually playing the role of Godzilla, but rather just another Giant monster. The trademark Godzilla roar is lacking in this movie, replaced with more shrill and unpleasant monster screams. The American release of this movie was under the title "Gigantis, the fire monster." Clearly, Godzilla still hadn't become a household name yet, and this movie did little to cement that reality, with shoddy special effects, bad hand puppets, and a choppy plot. The G series could go nowhere but up from here.
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| This is what a Godzilla hand puppet looks like! |
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