Rating: 2/5
A pilot named Shoichi Tsukioka guides a fishing trawler to a school location. Another pilot, Koji Kobayashi, has engine trouble and has to land. Tsukioka goes to rescue him from Iwato Island.
There, they witness Godzilla fighting another monster — an ankylosaurus they dub Anguirus.
With the inventor who stopped the first Godzilla dead, the government struggles to determine a way to stop this second Godzilla.
I prefer my kaiju movies in black and white — it feels more grounding than the colorful sequels.
That said, this movie does itself no favors by showing footage from the first Godzilla. This movie still has some good set pieces — car wrecks, explosions, and Godzilla following flares into the ocean.
Also, this movie set the standard for the following Godzillas — monsters fighting monsters. Some of the fights look like two action figures being smushed together, though.
Also, Anguirus is dead halfway through, so the movie has trouble figuring out what to do. The characters try to find one of the pilots a wife or something — I glazed over.
This isn’t an exciting Godzilla movie, but it isn’t the worst kaiju I’ve seen.