Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

For the discussion of Toho produced and distributed films or shows released before 1980.
User avatar
Dv-218
Futurian
Posts: 3725
Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2018 4:18 am

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by Dv-218 »

More or less my feelings about it too. It's not a film I can really bring myself to dislike because of how much it shaped the franchise going forward but at the same time there is really nothing to write home about plot wise- and watching it side by side with G54 really makes the drop in quality apparent lol.
To it's credit I will say that the movie does manage to conjure up some eerie visuals from time to time albeit most of those seem coincidental due to shoddy editing.

User avatar
ShinGojira14
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5340
Joined: Thu Dec 21, 2017 9:08 pm
Location: Under the Wild Montana Skies

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by ShinGojira14 »

67 years ago today, the best Showa Era Godzilla film besides the original was released. Happy birthday, Godzilla’s Counterattack.
"William Knifeman! AH! AH! AH!"

Resized ImageResized Image

User avatar
JAGzilla
Sazer
Posts: 11817
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 6:45 pm
Location: Georgia

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by JAGzilla »

^ You're a bold kid, ShinGojira14. A bold kid.

This movie... if I'm being honest, it really is pretty bottom of the barrel within the context of the G franchise, badly sandbagged by its pacing. I love it anyway, though, for all the unique qualities it brings to the table. There's no other Godzilla film like it, in a whole range of interesting ways. And even the problems lend a certain charm.
"Stop wars and no more accidents. I guess that's all I can ask." -Akio

User avatar
Moth
G-Grasper
Posts: 1473
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 9:04 am
Location: Somewhere in hell

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by Moth »

ShinGojira14 wrote: Sun Apr 24, 2022 8:08 am 67 years ago today, the best Showa Era Godzilla film besides the original was released. Happy birthday, Godzilla’s Counterattack.
TALK THAT TALK KING. LET YOUR NUTS HANG.
Chris55 wrote: Godzilla: Green bikini edition
Major sssspielberg! wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 11:24 am Yeah, I saw The Room thinking it would be fun and got stuck behind a guy yelling "EAT HIS ASS" the entire movie. It was awful.
Jomei wrote: Wed Nov 29, 2023 6:13 pm It sounds like Yamazaki has delivered the Extra Large KINO Pie with extra Gojironi.


:Mothra61: sticking out your gyatt for the rizzler :Mothra61:

edgaguirus
Keizer
Posts: 8563
Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 1:25 pm

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by edgaguirus »

Happy 67th anniversary. I haven't seen the film lately, but I may tonight.
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made.

The strength of the vampire is that people will not believe in him.

User avatar
Spuro
Keizer
Posts: 9532
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2011 10:34 pm
Location: Monster Island

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by Spuro »

So, um... just got back from the theater.

Is it just me, or did
Spoiler:
Top Gun: Maverick
just rip off this movie? Or is it just a wild coincidence?
eabaker wrote: You can't parse duende.
Breakdown wrote: HP Lovecraft's cat should be the ultimate villain of the MonsterVerse.

User avatar
UltramanGoji
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 17719
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2010 11:40 am

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by UltramanGoji »

Spuro wrote: Sat Jun 18, 2022 6:56 pm So, um... just got back from the theater.

Is it just me, or did
Spoiler:
Top Gun: Maverick
just rip off this movie? Or is it just a wild coincidence?
...what?

There was not a single second in my mind whatsoever of GRA when watching that movie, genuinely baffled by this conclusion.
Image

User avatar
Spuro
Keizer
Posts: 9532
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2011 10:34 pm
Location: Monster Island

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by Spuro »

UltramanGoji wrote: Sat Jun 18, 2022 7:51 pm
Spuro wrote: Sat Jun 18, 2022 6:56 pm So, um... just got back from the theater.

Is it just me, or did
Spoiler:
Top Gun: Maverick
just rip off this movie? Or is it just a wild coincidence?
...what?

There was not a single second in my mind whatsoever of GRA when watching that movie, genuinely baffled by this conclusion.
Guess you haven't watched Raids Again in a while then, huh?

Image

"The best way to trigger an avalanche is to aim here. But it's a very difficult maneuver, you understand? We'll fly in from here, fire the missiles, then pull up into a steep climb. The first danger is Godzilla's atomic breath. The second is not pulling up in time, and hitting the peak. Avoiding both will take nothing short of a miracle."

GRA was all I could think about during that scene. It's the exact same aerial maneuver, also described as a miracle. It was weird as hell watching this movie and recognizing that scene from one of the more obscure Godzilla flicks.

I don't think it was intentional on the filmmaker's part, but considering everything else that movie ripped off, you gotta wonder...
Last edited by Spuro on Sat Jun 18, 2022 8:10 pm, edited 3 times in total.
eabaker wrote: You can't parse duende.
Breakdown wrote: HP Lovecraft's cat should be the ultimate villain of the MonsterVerse.

User avatar
Gigantis
Sazer
Posts: 10492
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2018 12:52 pm
Location: Nebula of the Orion

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by Gigantis »

Spuro wrote: Sat Jun 18, 2022 7:54 pm
UltramanGoji wrote: Sat Jun 18, 2022 7:51 pm
Spuro wrote: Sat Jun 18, 2022 6:56 pm So, um... just got back from the theater.

Is it just me, or did
Spoiler:
Top Gun: Maverick
just rip off this movie? Or is it just a wild coincidence?
...what?

There was not a single second in my mind whatsoever of GRA when watching that movie, genuinely baffled by this conclusion.
Guess you haven't watched Raids Again in a while then, huh?
I watched Raids Again just last week and I'm just as confused as Ultraman.
Image

A guy who randomly stumbled upon this place one day, invested much too much time into it, and now appears to be stuck here for all eternity..and strangely enough, i do not regret it!

User avatar
Ivo-goji
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2818
Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2016 8:54 am

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by Ivo-goji »

Spuro wrote: Sat Jun 18, 2022 6:56 pm So, um... just got back from the theater.

Is it just me, or did
Spoiler:
Top Gun: Maverick
just rip off this movie? Or is it just a wild coincidence?
See I thought that movie was riffing on the trench run from Star Wars.

The way the bombs hit the compound is just like how the proton torpedoes went in the Death Star's exhaust port.
Resized Image
Kaiju-King42 wrote: Welcome to Toho Kingdom, where every conceivable opinion, no matter how outlandish or unpopular, is a possibility among the population.

User avatar
Spuro
Keizer
Posts: 9532
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2011 10:34 pm
Location: Monster Island

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by Spuro »

Ivo-goji wrote: Sat Jun 18, 2022 8:11 pm
Spuro wrote: Sat Jun 18, 2022 6:56 pm So, um... just got back from the theater.

Is it just me, or did
Spoiler:
Top Gun: Maverick
just rip off this movie? Or is it just a wild coincidence?
See I thought that movie was riffing on the trench run from Star Wars.

The way the bombs hit the compound is just like how the proton torpedoes went in the Death Star's exhaust port.
Oh yeah, it was ripping off Star Wars for sure. But that dive into the valley to hit a target followed by that miracle climb to avoid hitting the peak... that part wasn't from Star Wars.
eabaker wrote: You can't parse duende.
Breakdown wrote: HP Lovecraft's cat should be the ultimate villain of the MonsterVerse.

User avatar
UltramanGoji
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 17719
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2010 11:40 am

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by UltramanGoji »

I think you might be watching too much of Godzilla Raids Again.
Image

User avatar
Spuro
Keizer
Posts: 9532
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2011 10:34 pm
Location: Monster Island

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by Spuro »

If you say so. But the similarities are eerie, regardless of whether you remembered GRA while watching or not. And looking at the recent GRA reviews on letterboxd, I'm clearly not alone on this.

I just thought the similarities of the scenes would be fun to bring up here, and anticipated that fellow Godzilla fans would get a kick out of it. Forgive me for misreading the room.
eabaker wrote: You can't parse duende.
Breakdown wrote: HP Lovecraft's cat should be the ultimate villain of the MonsterVerse.

User avatar
Gigantis
Sazer
Posts: 10492
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2018 12:52 pm
Location: Nebula of the Orion

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by Gigantis »

Spuro wrote: Sat Jun 18, 2022 8:13 pm Oh yeah, it was ripping off Star Wars for sure. But that dive into the valley to hit a target followed by that miracle climb to avoid hitting the peak... that part wasn't from Star Wars.
OH, that part. Yeah they kind of look similar, but I feel like that's just some weird coincidence. I doubt Tom Cruise knows that much about Godzilla to have it be intentional. :lol:
Image

A guy who randomly stumbled upon this place one day, invested much too much time into it, and now appears to be stuck here for all eternity..and strangely enough, i do not regret it!

User avatar
JAGzilla
Sazer
Posts: 11817
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 6:45 pm
Location: Georgia

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by JAGzilla »

I haven't been TG:M (or the original Top Gun...) so I can't comment on the scene in question, but it would be one of my favorite references of all time if it really was a GRA reference. Who would ever expect that?
"Stop wars and no more accidents. I guess that's all I can ask." -Akio

User avatar
shadowgigan
Futurian
Posts: 3090
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2012 12:11 pm

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by shadowgigan »

JAGzilla wrote: Sun Jun 19, 2022 5:29 am I haven't been TG:M (or the original Top Gun...) so I can't comment on the scene in question, but it would be one of my favorite references of all time if it really was a GRA reference. Who would ever expect that?
Yeah, that would be insane. I hope to see Top Gun soon. I need to rewatch GRA as well.

edgaguirus
Keizer
Posts: 8563
Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 1:25 pm

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by edgaguirus »

It sounds like quite the coincidence, but if a reference, then I'm glad to see it.
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made.

The strength of the vampire is that people will not believe in him.

User avatar
Gailah 1966
Monarch Researcher
Posts: 318
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 11:30 am
Location: gog

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by Gailah 1966 »

Watched this again. It was about the 10th time in my life that I watched this movie which was not more than an average kaiju movie to me - until yesterday.

Yesterday it felt different. I managed to empathize with most of the characters. I considered this movie as a testimony of contemporary history due to the many city shots. The only thing you may recognize today is the Osaka castle which was there long before 1955 for example.
I mean if you watch a movie that old, you have imperative to consider that much things have changed. Social behavior, expression, play, camera, the representation of action and so on. Maybe I wasn´t able to consider these things earlier, maybe I was to young to recognize.

But yesterday I enjoyed this movie like never before. I had goosebumps when the dance event got interrupted by the announcement and the dark soundtrack of Masaru Sato comes in, slowly but threatening. Goosebumps when the fire in the industrial area catched the attention of Godzilla and he slowly turns around. And I even like his design with this sick teeth and eyebrows.
Goosebumps when Hidemi Yamaji was waiting for Tsukioka in the hills, she went to the window and saw a big fire in the harbour area from a distance. I felt so sorry for her in this moment. She must went through hell when you know your partner is somewhere in this chaos. There where some other, smaller but similar moments I don´t want to list them all now.

Yesterday this movie felt so fresh and new to me because I experienced new things in it. It´s hard to explain but I hope everyone of you will make such an intense experience with a kaiju movie at least one time in your life.

Now I don´t know how to handle this movie. On one side I´m looking forward to watch it again, hoping for the same experience. On the other side I´m afraid this overwhelming effect stays off the next time I watch this masterpiece (yes, I´m now convinced that this movie is a masterpiece)

What I have to admit is, that the movie looses some tension at the end (maybe the last 15 min.) but at this time I already got rewarded.

Sorry for sharing this intimate experience with one of the oldest kaiju eiga out there but I had to tell you like-minded people.


*by the way when I watched TG:M I had the same feelings about the fighter squad mission parameters. It strongly remembered me on Gigantis the firemonster.
Last edited by Gailah 1966 on Fri Mar 17, 2023 10:22 am, edited 2 times in total.
BIG FAN SURVEY 2023 --> viewtopic.php?t=34920
BIG FAN SURVEY 2020 --> viewtopic.php?t=30470
Video of 2020´s results --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUxyzsQxwa4

User avatar
JAGzilla
Sazer
Posts: 11817
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 6:45 pm
Location: Georgia

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by JAGzilla »

^ It's always great to see someone legitimately enjoy one of the underdog movies! I agree that it's really fascinating to see glimpses of the past preserved in vintage movies like these. All of these things that look so old or outdated or corny to us were fresh and new at the time, modern and cool. And so much of what you're seeing just doesn't exist anymore. Times have changed, and progress has progressed.

Also, this is exactly why I try to wait a few years in between viewings. When I revisit a movie, it'll be through older, "wiser", more experienced eyes, and it can really feel like I'm seeing the movie for the first time.
"Stop wars and no more accidents. I guess that's all I can ask." -Akio

edgaguirus
Keizer
Posts: 8563
Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 1:25 pm

Re: Talkback Thread #2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Post by edgaguirus »

Those moments you mentioned are what makes this film so effective. For one, we're seeing the kaiju through ordinary eyes, and how the life of an average person would be impacted by having to quickly evacuate in a moment's notice or wondering the fate of a loved one.

When Godzilla turns around is a gripping moment in the film. We are watching the military succeed, and hope is there, only for that hope to be dashed moments later.
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made.

The strength of the vampire is that people will not believe in him.

Post Reply