BLOOD WORK: THE SAGA OF THE KING OF THE MONSTERS ~ PART 8: SON OF GODZILLA (1967)

1967 was the year of the kaiju for the world. The popularity of kaiju films was at an all-time high in 1967 that every major film studio in Japan produced their own kaiju epic. Nikkatsu Studios released GAPPA ~ THE TRIPHIBIAN MONSTER (reminiscent of GORGO). Shochiku Studios released THE X FROM OUTER SPACE, Daiei Studios released GAMERA VS GYAOS, and Toho Studios released KING KONG ESCAPES and SON OF GODZILLA. Even South Korea threw their hat in the game releasing YONGGARY, MONSTER OF THE DEEP. With the original ULTRAMAN series playing on television too, 1967 must've been a kaiju fan's paradise.

SON OF GODZILLA was directed by Jun Fukuda with special effects by Tsuburaya protegee Sadamasa Arikawa. The film also featured an all-star cast with Tadao Takashima, Akira Kubo, Akihiko Hirata, Kenji Sahara, and Yoshio Tsuchiya. Also starring in the film was jungle beauty Bibari Maeda as Riko in her only Godzilla series appearance. The eighth film in the franchise is notable for many aspects including bringing more giant insects into the Toho kaiju roster (in addition to Mothra and the Meganulons) and giving us Godzilla's adopted son, Minilla a.k.a. Minya.

THE PLOT

A secret United Nations research team travels to an uninhabited island to conduct a series of experiments aimed at controlling weather patterns. While there they discover that the island isn't as uninhabited as they thought. Giant praying mantises roam the jungles. A baby Godzilla hatches from an egg and calls out to the adult Godzilla. Just when things couldn't get any worse a giant spider called Kumonga appears. The research team needs to leave the island before they are killed by all the kaiju and the key to their salvation rests on them completing the experiment.

THE GOOD

Giant Insects. Toho had done other insect-like kaiju in the past with Mothra and the Meganulons (the latter from the 1956 film Rodan) but neither of them were as complex to execute as the Kamacuras or Kumonga. Much of the American monster movies from that time or a decade earlier were filled with giant insects like the giant ants from THEM (1954), THE DEADLY MANTIS (1957), TARANTULA (1955), THE BLACK SCORPION (1957), and others. With the exception of Mothra, it's interesting that Toho rarely used insect monsters in their films. The most likely reason for this was probably due the incredible difficultly of bringing such characters to life in an effective and convincing way. Kamacuras and Kumonga are really only showcased in this film and are the major highlights for many reasons including the rarity of seeing kaiju sized insects in a Toho film.

Art by Yasushi Torisawa

Puppet Masters. As mentioned above, the most significant reason why a giant praying mantis or giant spider rarely appeared in tokusatsu films was due to the logistical nightmare of realizing them on screen in a believable way. There's a reason why Toho's monster movies were wildly successful around the world. They were well done films. To achieve the same level of realism as their previous films Kumonga and the Kamacuras had to be 100% marionettes. Imagine having eight or more puppeteers working the strings on one kaiju, each person having to sync their movements with the others to achieve realistic motion. When watching this movie the kaiju look realistic and their movements are fluid. It's staggering to think about the level of success Sadamasa Arikawa achieved in bringing these insects to life, especially Kumonga. It is also quite telling of the difficulty the technicians endured in that both Kamacuras and Kumonga rarely appeared in other films.

Art by Yasushi Torisawa

Jungle Epic. Son of Godzilla taps into a new genre for the series, Jungle movies. Son of Godzilla creates a fun and dangerous atmosphere. Masaru Sato's score exemplifies this feeling of a wilderness safari mixed with wonder and terror as the monsters appear. Bibari Maeda as Riko fulfills the Tarzan character role placing a fresh gender-swap on the archetype, not to mention being visually appealing. The previous Godzilla film in the series, Godzilla Vs the Sea Monster, was the first these island-setting films in the series. Son of Godzilla, while essentially repeating locales, differentiates itself from Sea Monster through the balance of tones mentioned above and fully embracing the jungle film genre.

Art by Yasushi Torisawa

THE BAD

The Son of Godzilla. Up until film eight one could be in denial of the fact that Godzilla films were downshifting from adult horror/disaster films to children's monster movies despite a few obvious signs. With Son of Godzilla there was no denying it anymore. The franchise had now fully embraced the children's entertainment shift thrusting Minya in our faces. Take this however you want, either good or bad, Godzilla was now a protector. Personally Minya is my least favorite kaiju in Toho's roster. Does Minya hurt the movie though?

No. Minya is part of a well balanced film. The Kamacuras and Kumonga are among some of Toho's creepiest and more skin-crawling kaiju. Minya on the other hand provides a counter-balance in his chubby toddler-like way. Having a toddler of my own now, Son of Godzilla connects with me in a way it never has before. Portrayed wonderfully by 'Little Man' Machan, with a surprisingly accurate anthropomorphic kaiju-suit design reminiscent of real-life toddlers, Machan captured that real life child-like wonder at the world. Personally what once was viewed with disdain is now perceived in a new light. I loved this film as a child, I've spent probably the last ten years not giving the film much thought and even disregard it outright by virtue of Minya's presence, and now I love it again.

Art by Yasushi Torisawa

Basically the last paragraph was a long winded explanation of how I once saw Minya as nothing but a detriment to the series and now my point of view has been altered. I guess he's not so bad. Having a child of my own to compare with, 'Little Man' Machan nailed it.

THE VERDICT

The giant bugs that typified 50's and 60's American horror films finally make their way to Japan (Yes, there was Mothra but Mothra isn't your average giant insect. More on that later). Embracing the classic jungle movie esthetics, complete with their (female) Tarzan character, Jun Fukuda delivers a well balanced film with remarkable special effects. Top it off with an all-star Toho cast making Son of Godzilla a wonderful film all around.

Art by Yasushi Torisawa

Toho shifts Godzilla naturally to a softer protector using a child kaiju as the catalyst, rather than forcing the change from destroyer to savior. Godzilla's change to a hero has been gradual over the last four films and now it seems he has finally made the complete transition.

Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10

Category: Transcendence

(a film enjoyed by both the adolescent and adult Godzilla fan)

Note: I watched my original Video Treasures VHS tape from 1987 before reviewing this film as I prefer the AIP english dub to the international english dub present on the dvd (now out of print). The AIP english dub is far superior to the english track on the dvd and it is my hope that the AIP dub will one day surface on dvd or blu-ray.