Godzilla Vs. The Sea Monster
Just remember folks, this is not a list of my favorite movies. This movie proves that. It's actually considered one of the lesser Godzilla films, and it's not particularly one of my favorites either. It's somewhere in the middle of the 28 Godzilla films in both chronology and entertainment value. The only reason I chose this Godzilla movie to put on the list is because it was the first one I ever saw, and due to that, it got me into kaiju films.
Now, for those that don't know, kaiju films are big monster movies. The word means "strange creature" in Japanese, and of course the Japanese pretty much made and have maintained the genre since the 1950s. Yes, some are pretty much as cheesy as you would think. I admit that. However, if you've seen most of the films of the 1990s Godzilla series, or of the Millennium series of the 2000s, then you would know they are nowhere near as fake-looking as they used to be. Sure, if you choose to watch the dubbed versions, the dubbing is still unintentionally funny due to the quite horrible dialogue, but most of the dvds and blu-rays now come with the original Japanese language and you watch the subtitles instead. I enjoy Godzilla films because it's like watching a wrestling match without the annoying machismo, and I don't have to look at bulked up or fat guys pretending they're hurting each other. Well, I suppose the guys in the rubber suits could be fat or bulky, but this way I don't know... And this has a better element of fantasy.
I first saw this film when I was probably around nine or so. We decided to rent some videos from the only video rental store in Tappahannock, VA at the time. It was called Master Video, which I'm sure some of the people I went to elementary school with remember. At the time, there were only VHS tapes. Now, my dad had picked out Son of Godzilla to rent, as he wanted to show it to me. (Son of Godzilla is actually the film that came out right after Godzilla Vs. The Sea Monster.) However, when we got home and put the tape in, we noticed that it was this film. We watched it, but my dad had really wanted to show me Son of Godzilla. Alas, the store didn't have it, so my dad bought the film eventually. I think that's the only Godzilla film he actually liked, as it's the only one he ever bought. I own all of them now, along with many other kaiju films. There are just some times when watching grown men in rubber monster suits beating each other up and being pelted with little fireworks is what you need to brighten your day!
Now, this film was originally not supposed to be a Godzilla movie. It was supposed to be a vehicle for the company that makes the Godzilla films, Toho, for their version of King Kong. Now, Kong already had already fought Godzilla in 1962's King Kong Vs. Godzilla, which is one of the most well-known Godzilla films to American audiences, though in my opinion, not one of the better ones. This film was supposed to be a King Kong film, and it shows. Godzilla comes alive from electricity, he throws boulders back in forth to the sea monster (Ebirah), and he shows attraction to a girl. I believe he even beats his chest a few times. Anyway, if anyone wants to start watching Godzilla films, it should not be this one. I would start with the Heisei or the Millennium series, as they aren't as goofy and have more intense battle sequences. The original Godzilla (Gojira), should be watched at some point too. Don't expect any laughs or goofiness though, as it's a very serious and dark film. One that's more about the effects of the atomic bomb on Japan than it is about fun. It's more of a horror film, and Godzilla is the baddy, as he was up until 1964's Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster, when he became an anti-hero.
I wouldn't be the same if I didn't watch this film, and even though the series isn't the best ever created, most are entertaining. You can watch them in several ways. To laugh at them, to marvel at the fine miniatures that Godzilla or other monsters promptly destroy, to become a kid again for a while... Or as I do, all of the above. And please, if you plan to take them quasi-seriously like I do, watch the subtitled versions if you can. The dubbing is atrocious for these films. But still, no dubbing can be fun. For example....
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