Son of Godzilla

Community Rating

Director: Jun Fukuda

Writer: Shin’ichi Sekizawa, Kazue Shiba

Stars: Tadao Takashima, Akira Kubo, Bihari Maeda

Runtime: 1h 24m

MPAA: PG

Released: December 16, 1967

Godzilla as a character has ranged from monstrous villain to lovable anti-hero. Jun Fukuda’s Son of Godzilla presents what is perhaps the cuddliest Godzilla to date. The end result is a fun, if not very serious film. Even still, there is a message to be delivered that helps propel the film just enough.

On the human side of things Son of Godzilla follows a group of scientists who are performing experiments with weather control. It’s their efforts that inadvertently cause scary human sized mantis creatures to become terrifying Godzilla sized foes. It’s these Mantises, called Kamacuras, that for reasons unknown begin to dig into rock, revealing an egg.

Eventually this egg cracks open to reveal a hideous creature so ugly only a mother could love it. However in this case it is father Godzilla who comes stomping out of the ocean to protect what is apparently his son called Minilla. The mantises attack the baby Minilla like a pack of bullies until they are set straight by the stern Godzilla.

What follows is an equally intriguing and cute storyline of Godzilla teaching the young Minilla how to be a proper ferocious monster. A surprisingly satisfying relationship is shown between the two. Hiroshi Sekita, Seiji Osaka, and Haruo Nakajima all do work in the Godzilla suit at various points. ‘Little Man’ Machan plays Minilla.

Meanwhile the group of scientists is decidedly less interesting to follow. Fortunately they are joined by reporter Maki Toro, played by Akira Kubo. His personality generates more interest as a lead for the audience. He discovers a beautiful woman on the island named Saeko Matsumiya. She is played by Bibari Maeda, who gives the character great warmth. Interestingly Saeko eventually develops some rapport with Minilla.

Unfortunately Godzilla and Minilla look terrible. Son of Godzilla features what could be the worst looking Godzilla ever. The cheapness with which Toho began to produce the series is very apparent here. Minilla looks bad enough to almost venture into disgusting territory. Godzilla’s face looks like a radiated pug. Most disturbingly the plot is good enough that by the end the audience can almost begin to become accustomed to these awful designs.

In contrast the marionette work in the film is quite good. This technique is used for the Kamacuras as well as an enormous terrifying spider called Kumonga. The work done to bring these creatures to life in combat agains the suitmation of Godzilla and Minilla is impressive.

The special effects used to make all of these monsters appear as if they are actually on an island with humans ranges from poor to great. Some shots look rather rushed and terrible while others blend in remarkably well. The worst occurs during a brawl between Godzilla and the Kamacuras. In it the studio becomes clearly visible at the top of the frame. This mistake completely takes the viewer out of the film for a few moments as any illusion is gone. On the other hand a shot with humans hiding in the foreground as Kumonga passes behind looks really good.

This theme continues with the setting. Some shots of the lush tropical island are absolutely gorgeous. Meanwhile obvious sound stage shots leave a lot to be desired. Drab and boring, they inspire little imagination. The sound design is fine though nothing spectacular. Masaru Sato’s soundtrack is a bit more interesting however with a fun tropical theme that matches the film well. Regrettably some grandeur is missing in it during the battle scenes.

Son of Godzilla is an interesting movie with a lot of flaws. What saves it ultimately is the message it delivers in an admittedly entertaining fashion. The movie knows it is trying to be cute and excels in that regard narratively, even if it fails aesthetically. Fortunately for Jun Fukuda and all the cast involved, Son of Godzilla is just good enough to leave a positive impression. It will be enjoyed best by lovers of the Godzilla franchise.

★★★☆☆