Review of Son of Godzilla (1967) by Carl M — 31 Jan 2013

The scientists on Sollgel Island are in for a big surprise when Godzilla returns to defend his offspring from a mutant race of giant insects in SON OF GODZILLA! SON OF GODZILLA forms the second part of Godzilla's island adventures that began in GODZILLA VS THE SEA MONSTER, and suffers from many of the same weaknesses under Jun Fukuda's direction.

It is bad enough that the goofy googly-eyed Godzilla costume found its way back onto the screen, but what is worse is the horrendous design that is used for Godzilla's son, Minilla. We see Toho begin catering towards its younger target audience by interjecting humor in to their films through Minilla, while also completing Godzilla's transition from the destroyer into the savior of Japan.

Despite its many flaws, SON OF GODZILLA features an incredibly designed and articulated set of villains in the Kamacuras, or giant preying mantises, as well as in the spindly spider, Kumonga. Like King Ghidorah, the Kamacuras would require the perfectly choreographed puppetry of an entire team of artists in order to achieve the realistic movements of the creatures, which achieve a stunning overall effect.

Godzilla's arrival on Sollgel Island is a nice touch, but few will cite this among the better sequels.