All right, just got done with essentially my first viewing of
Son of Godzilla; the only other was at 3AM in 2006, and I was too exhausted to pay any attention. Anyway, this time I found it delightful.
I won't lie and say I can't understand where the dislike stems from; this one clearly just isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. If you only like your monsters serious and fearsome, and more power to you if you do, (I was in that camp once, myself) their antics here will mostly grate on your nerves. But if you're inclined to lighten up and let them be goofy and laid back, SoG is among the best. Assorted thoughts:
- I love the intro. It gets some monster action in right away to grab the viewer's attention, and is very to-the-point: there's mysterious interference, and Godzilla is drawn to the source.
- Our cast of human characters is solid. Most just kind of do their jobs and don't leave a huge impression, but they're by no means boring. Saeko and her friendship with Minya definitely stood out. I would've preferred that Goro Maki stick to his reporter angle throughout the whole movie, though. He starts out gung-ho to get his story, but that is quickly dropped and he just sort of becomes a general brave-but-slightly-bumbling adventure hero. Would've been nice if he'd continued taking pictures and recording the whole situation; by the end, he'd have had material to dominate the front page for a week! But that's a minor gripe.
- The monsters, of course, were the real stars. Minya was fantastically realized for what he was, and I hereby renounce any negativity I've ever felt toward him. He really feels like a child, playful, curious, trying to be brave though still easily frightened. The suit actor brought a
ton of lively, believable personality to the role, and there were so many little moments that I loved. When he petulantly kicked the rock and slouched away after being told to stay back from the antenna (you could just hear him saying "aw, shucks"), his terrified confusion and inability to decide which way to run as Kumonga approaches him, his hesitant bravery as he protected Saeko from the last Kamacuras. Great stuff.
Speaking of, the Kamacuras played their roles of sinister (but not actually very dangerous) goons well. Not a whole lot to say about them, but I liked their introduction, with the glowing eyes appearing out of the dark jungle, and yes, I am also all about their theme song.
Kumonga. Wow. Not the grandest villain of the series, he can't really stand up there with the Big Bads that truly feel apocalyptic and capable of killing Godzilla. But here, for the role he had to play in this film? Nah, he was great. The puppetry that brought him to life was first-rate, I
love his foreboding introduction as we see his legs rising out of the earth, and he just looks ugly and dangerous. A very good job was done establishing his size, as we see him glaring into the cave at Goro and Saeko, and walking past the tower later. His fear factor, too, was handled well; the real impact of him was felt when Saeko broke down and screamed. That was an important scene. Women in monster movies tend to spend a lot of their time shrieking hysterically, helplessly cringing, fainting at the sight of the monster, etc. But Saeko was never like that. She was calm, confident, utterly unfazed by the monsters, getting more done for the group than anybody... until Kumonga showed up. When she starts showing genuine terror, you know this guy is bad news. And then that was borne out through his interactions with the other monsters he drops Minya and the last Kamacuras no problem, and has Godzilla on the ropes several times throughout the battle. He really is underrated in the fandom.
"Stop wars and no more accidents. I guess that's all I can ask." -Akio
and 
were never really friends.
is best girl, 
is best boy
