Godzilla Raids Again

Godzilla's second appearance, released way back in the mid '50s, is much more in line with a classic horror film than the kitschy dust-ups that would soon follow. It's ambitious without being overzealous, tries hard despite rudimentary technical capabilities and the human subplots actually aid the monsters' storyline, rather than distracting from it. The necessity of shooting in black and white actually works to benefit the special effects. Concealed amidst a wash of inky shadow and evening murk, the tiny onslaught of toy tanks and rocket launchers seems more formidable, less obvious as a visual trick. Godzilla and his foe, the spiny reptile Anguirus, don't enjoy the same luxury. Although their battles are significantly faster in tempo and harder-hitting than in future installments, the old suits (particularly their heads) just don't hold up to close scrutiny. Looking back, the continuity is also problematic, but that's never been a strong suit for this franchise. All in all, it's perfectly enjoyable as a rather basic, single-focus disaster movie that knows where its bread is buttered. Maybe not as bold and bombastic as later entries, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Ranked: Godzilla, the King of the Monsters "Even with all our weapons and collective ingenuity, we weren't able to stop Godzilla's frenzied, radioactivity-fuelled rampage." Godzilla Raids Again was really unlucky in that it was a sequel released 6 months after the legendary debut of the King of Monsters. It was never going to surpass it or even come close to it but it is still a decent sequel. It started the Godzilla fighting other Kaiju monsters. Godzilla's first rival was Anguirus and it didn't end well for Anguirus. Way before the movie end he gets brutally killed by the King of Monster who decided from the beginning to show the world who rules the Kaiju world. I always enjoyed the design of Anguirus and I always enjoy his only battle with Godzilla because after he makes a return in Destroy All Monsters he always fights alongside his King. Anyway after that the military fights Godzilla again and it end alright. The human part of the movie is okay but the highlight of Godzilla Raids Again is the kaiju battle and destruction of the surroundings during the fight.