Crispy
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Posted: December 22, 2011 at 9:19am
So. Godzilla's a daddy. Eyes roll just at the very thought, but surprisingly, it wasn't as cheesy as I thought it would be.
Something very strange is happening on Solgell Island. Strange brain waves are coming from the middle of the island; brain waves that jam radio frequencies and, even more unsettling, are drawing Godzilla in like a moth to flame. The scientific team on the island doesn't know about any of this; they're a little busy dealing with the fourteen foot mantises and the nosy reporter that has dropped in looking for a scoop. The team is working on the ability to control climate, but thanks to interference from those brainwaves, something goes wrong and the island is hit with a radioactive heat wave, which has caused the already huge mantises to triple in size. They quickly unearth the source of the brainwaves, a huge egg buried in a hill that hatches a baby Godzilla. Thankfully, big daddy arrives in time to squash some bugs. As the king of monsters begins teaching his boy the finer points of Godzilling, such as roaring and releasing his atomic breath, the scientists relocate to a native's cave and begin planning their evacuation.
OK yeah, there's some cheese to be found here. Especially with the young Godzilla's play; at times it's a full blown slapstick comedy with scenes of the newborn slipping on a rock like a banana peel or jumping over Godzilla's tail. It's more of the same when he throws down with one of the mantises, taking rocks to the head and stumbling around all punch drunk. Likewise, his friendly relationship with the native further goes to humanize him, which I've complained about numerous times with these later sequels, but fortunately, Son of Godzilla has a saving grace: Papa G himself.
It's been a long time since I've seen this movie, and I was really worried that they would have pansified Godzilla, turning him into a lovey-dovey superdad. Fortunately, they didn't do anything like that, and he treats his son in a very animalistic way. Sure, there's definitely some paternal instinct, as he rushes to protect his son on numerous occasions, but his training sessions are absolutely no-nonsense. A few times he even threatens to lay a backhand when he gets a little too rambunctious. I'm sure today's modern hippy parents won't be amused, but I like my Godzillas mean. And after all the training sessions, it's a nice feeling watching father and son team up against the island's former top of the food chain, the giant spider, Kumonga.
I sure wasn't expecting to enjoy Son of Godzilla, but it's actually a solid flick. Definitely worthy of a spot in any fan's Godzilla collection. 6/10.
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