Kaijûtô no kessen: Gojira no musuko (1967)

Director:

Jun Fukuda

Writers:

Shinichi Sekizawa (writer)
Kazue Shiba (writer)

Release Date:

16 December 1967 (Japan)

Genre:

Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Japan's Greatest Foe Delivers an Heir!

Plot:

Scientists experimenting with changes in weather on a tropical island get more than they bargained for when Godzilla shows up to battle humongous insects and protect his newborn child.

Plot Keywords:

Godzilla | Scientist | Island | Weather | Giant Spider

Cast

Tadao Takashima	...	Dr. Kusumi
Akira Kubo	...	Goro Maki
Bibari Maeda	...	Riko (Saeko) Matsumiya
Akihiko Hirata	...	Fujisaki
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Furukawa
Kenji Sahara	...	Morio
Kenichiro Maruyama	...	Ozawa
Seishiro Kuno	...	Tashiro
Yasuhiko Saijo	...	Suzuki
Susumu Kurobe	...	Navigator
Kazuo Suzuki	...	Pilot
Wataru Omae	...	Radio Operator
Chotaro Togin	...	Surveyor
Seiji Onaka	...	Gojira
Haruo Nakajima	...	Gojira

Also Known As:

Monster Island's Decisive Battle: Godzilla's Son
Son of Godzilla (USA)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some sci-fi monster violence.

Runtime:

USA:84 min | Japan:86 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:U | USA:PG (re-rating) | USA:G (original rating)

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

Godzilla's look transformed from a part menacing-like look into a loving father after Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster. By this time, it became obvious that Godzilla movies were now being made to suit children. In Godzilla's new look in Son of Godzilla, his eyes were made larger and his snout shorter. The shape of his head resembles that of a human head, probably, to make Godzilla less scary. The tone for Son of Godzilla was a playful and goofy tone, and Godzilla's look contrasted with it beautifully. This suit was later used in Godzilla vs. Gigan in the swimming scenes.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In several scenes the strings used to manipulate the Minya, Kamacuras and Kumonga marionettes as well as Godzilla's tail are clearly visible.

Quotes:

Fujisaki: [referring to Goro's refusal to leave] Do you still insist?
Goro Maki: Yes.
Dr. Kusumi: We don't need any publicity.
Goro Maki: Who said I was doing this for your publicity? I'm working for myself. The smell of a story...
Fujisaki: The smell of a story?
Goro Maki: Yes. The smell of a story attracts me. The readers will decide whether to read it or not. I report what I see.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Gojira: Fainaru uôzu (2004)

A pleasant surprise

Wow! I expected something along the lines of GODZILLA'S REVENGE, what I got instead was a pretty exciting giant monster film. Sure Minya does make for a few cutesy moments but I didn't feel these were overdone as badly as they could have been. Plus I thought the ending embrace was quite moving..of course it does work to take some of the hard edge off of Godzilla so some may hate it for that. I'd recommend this one mostly to older kids who love science fiction adventure stories and who won't be frightened by all the cool-looking giant insect critters. Too bad Minya and Godzilla look so thoroughly silly and goofy in comparison.