Welcome back to Kaiju Korner, where we celebrate all things concerning Japanese fantasy and giant monsters! This time on the monster-sized docket for all things mutated and giant-sized is Godzilla Raids Again, the first sequel to the monumental originator which would change the layout of the typical Godzilla film forever, offering the kaiju world a chance for continued creation and evolution, as well as lots and lots of close-up shots of hand puppets for all those atomic breath shenanigans!
Godzilla Raids Again is a film which is often criticized for its shallowness in the wake of Godzilla’s consequential debut, but it offers so many killer kaiju moments for cult-minded cinephiles that it is easy to smack those arguments aside and high five Haruo Nakajima, the man inside Godzilla’s suit for this outing, as he wrestles with Katsumi Tezuka (in the Anguirus suit) while three different cameras capture their quick movements thanks to a lighter suit design. The takedowns range from hilarious to rough and ready as two monsters roll out from the Japanese sea ready to declare this world as their own.
The criticism of this film being lighter than air is completely just when it comes to the human dramatic aspect, but Godzilla Raids Again is more than just a money-grab for Toho, which, admittedly, was the original intent. Thanks to the continuing work of special effects maestro Eiji Tsuburaya audiences not only get TWO badass monsters kicking all sorts of ass - including each other’s - as Osako, now the center of civilization for the ruined Tokyo, prepares for yet another round of monster madness, but we also get a path forward for a monster-sized franchise that no one had planned for.
Originally released in 1955 (but not until 1959 stateside), this quick sequel to the original film might not have its human emotions all squared away, but it absolutely offers an enticing preview of what’s to come in the kaiju kingdom as Godzilla gets seriously upset by the awakening of another monster: an Ankylosaurus (an armed dinosaur) named Anguirus and decides to march across the sea and stomp both Anguirus and Osaka right out of existence.
Let the behemoth battle begin! 
Opening with some stellar aerial footage as a Japanese pilot guides a fishing boat toward a school of Bonito, Godzilla Raids Again has a noticeable uptick in its visual quality after the success of the original film. This continues with some absolutely beautiful black-and-white backgrounds of Osaka burning and some of the gutted cityscapes, all serving up their own fair share of metaphorical analysis for people to interpret and argue over. The point is that, in spite of the quick to release purposes of the movie, this is some pretty groovy worldbuilding on a microscopic budget as houses, traffic, and high-tension wires become the playthings for these oversized baddies. Sure, Godzilla will become an earth-saving guardian in later films, but - for the purposes of this entry - he’s here mainly to chomp necks and break stuff.
It’s no wonder Toho wanted another offering, but with Godzilla’s original director, Ishirō Honda, busy on Lovetide, a romance story with war as its backdrop, a replacement had to be found. But who?! Who is going to understand the technical demands for the special effects required to pull off a sizable sequel?
Enter director Motoyoshi Oda, who had experience with special effects B-grade movies and was content to deliver whatever Toho and executive producer Iwao Mori wanted. Besides, he was happy that his film would probably be seen outside of Japan! He also understood that what they wanted was to not lose any momentum with the money Godzilla was raking in for them, so Godzilla Raids Again got the green light to be fast-tracked straight into cinemas, using some of the footage from the original film to build-up the “science” when all the eggheads get together to discuss possible options for dealing with Godzilla’s unexpected return.
What transpires is the discovery that Godzilla (or a creature like him!!!) has survived the events of the first film and, as discovered when one of the pilots crash lands on Iwato Island, there is yet another monster, also awakened by the same atomic bomb tests which created Godzilla. Now, the two monsters are locked in a deadly duel to the death. Well, not really, but the scientists can only theorize about such things like big ass dinosaurs for so long before jumping into action with bright lights, flares, and anything else they can think of to keep Godzilla and this new monster far, far away from Osaka.
Their plan works . . . until it doesn’t. Leave it to a prison escape to get Godzilla’s attention, though. Resulting in a large fireball coating the skies of Osaka, what was going smoothly in leading Godzilla away from the city goes sideways all too soon. And, thanks to that high-spiking flame shot directly into the sky, both Godzilla and Anguirus are on their way to the stressed out capital!
Starring Hiroshi Koizumi as Shoichi Tsukioka, Setsuko Wakayama as Hidemi Yamaji, Minoru Chiaki as Koji Kobayashi, Takashi Shimura as Dr. Kyohei Yamane, and Masao Shimizu as Zoologist Dr. Tadokoro, Godzilla Raids Again is a certifiable blast, lighting up both the skies of Osaka and the eyes of any audience, regardless of age. It is not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but Oda delivers a fun film which checks all of the boxes Toho needed marked. It was quick and under budget and full of a lot of interesting ideas that it doesn’t actually deliver, leaving that for other kaiju creations to tackle, but it definitely lays out a foundation that the Monsterverse films are continuing to mine for financial benefit.
Godzilla Raids Again is now on blu-ray from the Criterion Collection with a new, frame by frame, digital restoration.
Home Video Distributor: Criterion
Available on Blu-ray - October 29, 2019
Screen Formats: 1.37:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Audio: Japanese: LPCM Mono; English: LPCM Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; 8-disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
Toho Studios followed the enormous success of the original Godzilla with this sequel, efficiently directed by Motoyoshi Oda as a straight-ahead monsters-on-the-loose drama. An underrated standout among the Showa Godzilla films, Godzilla Raids Again introduces the monster-versus-monster format that would dominate the remainder of the series, pitting Godzilla against the ferocious, spiny Anguirus as the kaiju wreak havoc in the streets of Osaka in a series of elaborate set pieces that succeed in upping the ante for destruction.
Video
Criterion’s frame-by-frame digital restoration is presented in glorious black-and-white, while some of the budgetary restraints are noticeable here, the film has been painstakingly remastered for the best HD quality possible from the source material. Masao Tamai’s cinematography is brilliantly realized with great attention to the glory of Tokyo’s destruction and the crackling textures of cityscape to seascape. Obviously, most of the destruction occurs with cheap miniatures and the wires on the planes and the toy monster are, at times, more than visible. Detail is consistently impressive and the clarity of the picture is superior to the previous releases. The source print is also nicer; being bold and dark in tones and spot-on in texture. There also appears to be less damage to the print which always makes for a better experience when watching. In fact, I noticed no scratches, hisses, or pops on the negative while watching.
Audio
With two audio tracks: a rather flat Japanese LPCM 1.0, for Godzilla, and English LPCM 1.0, Criterion presents a package worth earning for the film content alone.
Supplements:
There are EIGHT blu-ray discs, all considered special edition collector’s sets, included here. Criterion Collection gives us 15 films PLUS a lavishly illustrated deluxe hardcover book featuring an essay by cinema historian Steve Ryfle, notes on the films by cinema historian Ed Godziszewski, and new illustrations by Arthur Adams, Sophie Campbell, Becky Cloonan, Jorge Coelho, Geof Darrow, Simon Gane, Robert Goodin, Benjamin Marra, Monarobot, Takashi Okazaki, Angela Rizza, Yuko Shimizu, Bill Sienkiewicz, Katsuya Terada, Ronald Wimberly, and Chris Wisnia. Along with the upgraded picture thanks to these transfers, this set is a MUST-OWN.
On top of the lavishly designed book, there are interviews with crew members, an interview with Alex Cox about his love for the series, interviews with the original composer, and lots of looks at unused Toho special effects. Overall, a great haul for this magnificent creature.
Commentary:
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See Special Features.
Special Features:
- Honda and Banno
- Handcrafted Artistry
- Launching Jet Jaguar
- Man of Many Faces
- Music is Always Simple
- Toho Unused Special Effects Complete Collection
- Trailers
The box set includes:
- High-definition digital transfer of Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1956), the U.S.-release version of Godzilla Japanese-release version of King Kong vs. Godzilla from 1962.
- Audio commentaries from 2011 on Godzilla and Godzilla, King of the Monsters featuring film historian David Kalat
- International English-language dub tracks for Invasion of Astro-Monster, Son of Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs. Megalon, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, and Terror of Mechagodzilla
- Directors Guild of Japan interview with director Ishiro Honda, conducted by director Yoshimitsu Banno in 1990
- Programs detailing the creation of Godzilla’s special effects and unused effects sequences from Toho releases including Destroy All Monsters
- New interview with filmmaker Alex Cox about his admiration for the Showa-era Godzilla films
- New and archival interviews with cast and crew members, including actors Bin Furuya, Tsugutoshi Komada, Haruo Nakajima, and Akira Takarada; composer Akira Ifukube; and effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai
- Interview with critic Tadao Sato from 2011
- Illustrated audio essay from 2011 about the real-life tragedy that inspired Godzilla
- New English subtitle translations
- Trailers
- A lavishly illustrated deluxe hardcover book featuring an essay by cinema historian Steve Ryfle, notes on the films by cinema historian Ed Godziszewski, and new illustrations by Arthur Adams, Sophie Campbell, Becky Cloonan, Jorge Coelho, Geof Darrow, Simon Gane, Robert Goodin, Benjamin Marra, Monarobot, Takashi Okazaki, Angela Rizza, Yuko Shimizu, Bill Sienkiewicz, Katsuya Terada, Ronald Wimberly, and Chris Wisnia
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MPAA Rating: Approved.
Runtime: 78 mins
Director: Motoyoshi Oda; Ishirô Honda
Writer: Takeo Murata; Shigeaki Hidaka; Shigeru Kayama
Cast: Hiroshi Koizumi; Setsuko Wakayama; Minoru Chiaki
Genre: Action | Drama
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote: "Even with all our weapons and collective ingenuity, we weren't able to stop Godzilla's frenzied, radioactivity-fuelled rampage."
Distributor: Criterion
Official Site: https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/2648-godzilla-the-showa-era-films-1954-1975
Release Date:
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: May 21, 1959
Synopsis: Scout pilots for a fishing company are startled to discover a second Godzilla, whose battle with rival monster Anguirus threatens to destroy Osaka.
