Son of Godzilla (1967) Review
What are we doing, man? This is a candidate for the height of Showa era schlock. Just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks. It is exactly as shallow and insipid as you might expect.
»What if Godzilla got a son?« That’s the pitch, the premise — the pathetic reason why we are here. I do not like this movie. It is a slog to watch and there is nothing to really engage with — beyond the spectacle of seeing an infantilized, dopey version of Godzilla.
The premise of the movie is yet another island affair and it feels particularly cheap-looking this time. The plot revolves around a scientific expedition that is attempting to build a machine that can manipulate weather. The group — headed by the stern Professor Kusumi — are using the pacific island as a hidden test ground for the new tech. This is complicated by the tenacious journalist Maki Goro, who has (somehow) gotten wind of the project, and has travelled to the island to see what all the secrecy is about.
The reason behind the confidentiality is due to the ways in which weather manipulation could be misused. The tech even uses radioactivity — inadvertently causing some of the local wildlife to mutate and grow to gigantic sizes. As conditions on the island slowly spiral out of control, the Professor resorts to outright manipulation of his disgruntled crew to get them to stay on the island and continue working on the project.
If this sounds even slightly interesting, then I have done too good a job outlining the plot, because in reality, it is a snooze-fest. I like that there is an attempt to tie the plot into the hybris of technology that birthed the series. But it really does not go anywhere. The machinations of the Professor, Maki’s investigation and the implications of the technology — none of it is followed up on. The plot has to shift to the real star of the movie: the titular son of Godzilla.
You might ask how he fits into all this. And my honest answer is »Not at all«. For some reason, an egg has been laying dormant on the island. The movie opens on Godzilla tracking a mysterious signal that the egg is projecting. I am grasping at straws here, but the experiments on the island might have triggered an accelerated growth in the egg. Or the signal might be some sort of defensive measure — since the gigantification of the local wildlife causes it to attack the egg. No matter, Godzilla shows up, defends the egg and takes the newly born critter under its wing.
I have nothing but contempt for the creature. I am onset with rapid fatigue any time I look at this gremlin. It drains me to even think about how to describe it. It is an obvious attempt to make my cool kaiju into something cute and comedic. I can recognize that I am probably not the target audience for this, but I still struggle to accept that kids would enjoy this. Godzilla already has the capacity to be a big silly goof ball. Do kids even like this decidedly less cool creature?
The rest of the movie is taken up with slapstick sequences of Godzilla’ attempts at parenting. It culminates with a giant spider fight, because why not. In the end the researchers manage to escape from the rampaging monsters, by activating the perfected weather machine. The entire island is covered in deep snow and frost — causing Godzilla and his progeny to go into deep hibernation.
So cheers! The machine works and we managed to escape. The movie is seemingly completely uninterested in dealing with the consequences of introducing arctic weather conditions on a pacific island, but I guess this is simply not that kind of flick. And that really stabs at the heart of this movie. Despite highlighting it as a concern early on, Son of Godzilla does not actually want to grapple with the themes it leans on. The final scene is not a solemn reflection on their own hand in events, but cheers at their success. Imagine if the original movie had closed on Doctor Serizawa celebrating the effectiveness of Oxygen Destroyer. To the patent office, I guess?
Son of Godzilla is just a complete flop as a thematic inheritor of Godzilla. Even if it was never meant to be one, it fails even as lighthearted romp. It is one of the worst Godzilla movies and I would recommend to skip it for anyone, but the most hardcore fans.
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