Watching through all of your Godzilla reviews, and I also liked this one a lot! I think the spy movie elements were done really well, and it made me think that this movie would have made for a great video game - sneaking through the bad guys base while having to avoid becoming collateral damage of giant monsters would be super fun to play. I think this movie succeeded in combining the human and kaiju plots very well together, they help each other out, more or less and it made this movie much more entertaining than I expected at first. It also reminded me that in the book the first James Bond movie is based on, Dr No, which also played on an tropical island, James had to fight off a giant squid to survive. I say we need more spy action movies where the bad guys secret weapon is a giant monster instead of a orbital laser cannon or something, it's a genre combination that worked surprisingly well!
Thank you for this. And I am glad you gave it a positive review. This is actually one of my favorites. The human characters with all the spy/adventure/surf stuff are for once interesting and enjoyable. I like the two regular guys from the dance (with a 60's hot rod) who get lost at sea with a bank thief (the responsible adult! :)) and a guy who has gone a little insane looking for his missing brother. And that's just our main characters before we meet Red Bamboo and their guardian Shrimp! Sure, its all dated, but cheerfully so. One of the most colorful of the series.
Even though the monsters aren’t as big of a part in this one, I felt myself quite engaged with the humans. As a survivalist enthusiast IRL, I’m a sucker for survival stories. Stranded on an island? Classic. I had a good time watching the group try to make it out. I’ve heard this is a weaker entry in the series, and if it is, I think that says a lot about the rest since I really enjoyed this film. Great review! I agree the music is very 60s haha!
I'm delighted to see you are receptive to G vs SM's charms. It's always been my favourite Showa era Godzilla movie. Partly because it is a compendium of so many Sixties B-movie tropes. It's also practically a Scooby-Doo episode.
This movie is up there in my favourites of the series for sure, holds a special place in my heart since the mid 90’s. At my cottage my parents allowed me to bring some VHS tapes up for those boring rainy days or just any day I wanted to watch a movie, I seemed to always bring this movie with me along with a bunch of godzilla toys. I guess it’s because it’s an island setting and the water in this film always made me want to go down to the beach and swim, so I’d watch this movie, bring my toys and head to the beach! I actually used to use a pool noodle as a tail and I’d mimic Godzilla’s movements when he was about to step into the water to fight ebirah for the first time lol. Awesome movie and it gives me this warm feeling everytime I see it. :) I just found your channel I love it ! Thanks for a fun review
Godzilla actor Haruo Nakajima's favorite movie was "Singing in the Rain", so he would try to incorporate dance moves into Godzilla's movements on the downlow whenever possible. But with the addition of the dance track from Kurosawa's "High and Low", the intention is that Godzilla is dancing.
Has always been one of my favorite Godzilla movies and I've always felt that it was a nice breather at this point in the series since every entry previous was ramping up the action and the stakes with each film. The overall tone, as well as the plot of the movie revolving around a motley crew of oddball characters crossing paths, sneaking around and having to work together to escape the secret base of a bunch of organized terrorists bent on world domination definitely gave me strong Star Wars parallels. Especially Akira Takarada's character as the cynical, criminal on the run having to rising as the unlikely hero much like the Han Solo archetype.
Sorry for such a late response. I first read about this movie in a book called "Movies on TV" back in 1974 and I also envisioned some kind of giant reptile as the Sea Monster. Years later, I saw a picture of Ebirah in an issue of Famous Monsters magazine and I was amazed that I had never even considered a giant crustacean to be the opponent. The humorous caption beneath the photo read something like "Godzilla turns Ebirah into seafood salad while egged on by the child of Mothra". There are two different English dubbed versions of this film, one by Bill Ross of Frontier Enterprises in Tokyo and the other by Titra in New York. It was the latter version that played on US TV for decades and included Hal Linden, of Barney Miller" fame doing the lines for Akira Takarada. He also did Akira Kubo's line in DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. Sorry to be so long-winded. I so very much look forward to your reviews! Merry Christmas!
Thanks for the mention, Jerome. That was nice of you. Glad you liked this movie, and that you're enjoying the fun/campy turn the series took. You should get a kick out of "Son of Godzilla". :)
Fun fact this was going to be the 3rd King Kong movie from Toho, but unfortunately Toho lost the rights to King Kong. So they changed it to a Godzilla movie instead.
A little too silly for me. Godzilla appeared drunk throughout, including his preoccupation with bikini babe (understandable I suppose). Boulder tossing contest was good though.
I agree with you on this one. I realize the monsters are a little weak - the condor is awful. However, I like the human element in this film. They are interesting characters and there is even a little character growth with the thief becoming a hero throughout the movie. Not sure why it became a thing, but this movie is probably to blame for making the boulder tossing trope bad. I like this movie better than many others around this time - including the much overrated Destroy All Monsters.
Hello Jerome. This is one of my favorite Godzilla movies, so we are definitely in the minority! Yes, it's far from the most spectacular entry in the Godzilla saga, and the plot is as contrived as a Gilligan’s Island episode. However, it’s a fun and entertaining movie, which is more than can be said of many of the Heisei and some of the Millennium Godzilla films. Probably the best character is Akira Takarada as the bank robber who’s not such a bad guy once we get to know him. The better English-language dub is by Continental Distributing and was shown on TV during the 1970’s: it’s hard to find now. The bank robber was dubbed by Hal Linden of Barney Miller fame. One of my favorite exchanges: when our heroes prepare to break into the Red Bamboo base, the bank robber boasts to his compatriots “We’re going to fight using our brains,” to which Nita remarks “That sounds like a crackpot idea to me!”
This Coronavirus crisis is just getting started in the U.S. and so far, it's more of a drag than anything else. I have no idea how bad it will get. But I can't help thinking that a giant monster catastrophe would be so much more exciting!!!
Another Greeeeeeeaaaaat Review from the time Traveller! Haven’t watch it but maybe in the future. I don’t know if your a Fan of the 1960s Anthology series called The Twilight zone, would like to see your point of view and analysis on that! Anyway have a great 2008 weekend.
Thanks! I certainly am a Twilight Zone fan! I did a video about it a few years ago (ruclips.net/video/EZ_OndCS5q8/видео.html). I'd consider doing another one but I'm not sure what approach I'd take...
You made some good points but the movie can get a little slow at times even if the characters are likable and as fun godzilla is he should have been replaced with king kong since ebirah isn't that much of a threat against godzilla mothra should have a much bigger role then a cameo
At 6:49 I take it as Godzilla is saying bring it on. Cause I have nothing to lose. And honestly Godzilla doesn’t. So it’s funny to me in that sense lol
Hello Jerome. This is a version of the film from "Mystery Science Theater 3000." Thought you'd get a laugh Joel and the robots wise-cracking during the film (if the link works) www.club-mst3k.com/episodes/213-godzilla-vs-the-sea-monster D
I like this Godzilla film very much it's just one of my favorites in the series even ebirha it's the first Godzilla film that shows people being eaten by another monster ebirha was indeed a threat to anyone who tried to leave the island any monster that wants you for a meal is a threat Most people I know love lobster including my self not the other way around ha ha ha.😀😀😀
I don't like goofy Godzilla, Ghidorah has been the most painful for me thus far, but the human side of the story here in Godzilla v Sea Monster is so well done that I forgive the goofy crap. I DO love it when Godzilla rips Ebirah's claw free and makes it clap, though. Now, I really didn't like that the Infant Island chick does nothing and has no ideas, it would have been better if she'd been the clever one in the bunch, oh well.
![CHILE vs. BRASIL [1-2] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 9](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5ObJt_71AYc/mqdefault.jpg)
Watching through all of your Godzilla reviews, and I also liked this one a lot! I think the spy movie elements were done really well, and it made me think that this movie would have made for a great video game - sneaking through the bad guys base while having to avoid becoming collateral damage of giant monsters would be super fun to play.
I think this movie succeeded in combining the human and kaiju plots very well together, they help each other out, more or less and it made this movie much more entertaining than I expected at first.
It also reminded me that in the book the first James Bond movie is based on, Dr No, which also played on an tropical island, James had to fight off a giant squid to survive. I say we need more spy action movies where the bad guys secret weapon is a giant monster instead of a orbital laser cannon or something, it's a genre combination that worked surprisingly well!
Thank you for this. And I am glad you gave it a positive review. This is actually one of my favorites. The human characters with all the spy/adventure/surf stuff are for once interesting and enjoyable. I like the two regular guys from the dance (with a 60's hot rod) who get lost at sea with a bank thief (the responsible adult! :)) and a guy who has gone a little insane looking for his missing brother. And that's just our main characters before we meet Red Bamboo and their guardian Shrimp! Sure, its all dated, but cheerfully so. One of the most colorful of the series.
Even though the monsters aren’t as big of a part in this one, I felt myself quite engaged with the humans. As a survivalist enthusiast IRL, I’m a sucker for survival stories. Stranded on an island? Classic. I had a good time watching the group try to make it out. I’ve heard this is a weaker entry in the series, and if it is, I think that says a lot about the rest since I really enjoyed this film. Great review! I agree the music is very 60s haha!
I'm delighted to see you are receptive to G vs SM's charms. It's always been my favourite Showa era Godzilla movie. Partly because it is a compendium of so many Sixties B-movie tropes. It's also practically a Scooby-Doo episode.
This movie is up there in my favourites of the series for sure, holds a special place in my heart since the mid 90’s. At my cottage my parents allowed me to bring some VHS tapes up for those boring rainy days or just any day I wanted to watch a movie, I seemed to always bring this movie with me along with a bunch of godzilla toys. I guess it’s because it’s an island setting and the water in this film always made me want to go down to the beach and swim, so I’d watch this movie, bring my toys and head to the beach! I actually used to use a pool noodle as a tail and I’d mimic Godzilla’s movements when he was about to step into the water to fight ebirah for the first time lol. Awesome movie and it gives me this warm feeling everytime I see it. :) I just found your channel I love it ! Thanks for a fun review
Oh, this would be a great rainy day movie! Fun and adventure on an island with monsters... perfect. Thanks! :)
Godzilla actor Haruo Nakajima's favorite movie was "Singing in the Rain", so he would try to incorporate dance moves into Godzilla's movements on the downlow whenever possible. But with the addition of the dance track from Kurosawa's "High and Low", the intention is that Godzilla is dancing.
Loved it. Not sure how I missed this Godzilla movie.
Good point that the characters aren't a team of experts. Also good points about scenes being made for King Kong.
Has always been one of my favorite Godzilla movies and I've always felt that it was a nice breather at this point in the series since every entry previous was ramping up the action and the stakes with each film. The overall tone, as well as the plot of the movie revolving around a motley crew of oddball characters crossing paths, sneaking around and having to work together to escape the secret base of a bunch of organized terrorists bent on world domination definitely gave me strong Star Wars parallels. Especially Akira Takarada's character as the cynical, criminal on the run having to rising as the unlikely hero much like the Han Solo archetype.
Sorry for such a late response. I first read about this movie in a book called "Movies on TV" back in 1974 and I also envisioned some kind of giant reptile as the Sea Monster. Years later, I saw a picture of Ebirah in an issue of Famous Monsters magazine and I was amazed that I had never even considered a giant crustacean to be the opponent. The humorous caption beneath the photo read something like "Godzilla turns Ebirah into seafood salad while egged on by the child of Mothra". There are two different English dubbed versions of this film, one by Bill Ross of Frontier Enterprises in Tokyo and the other by Titra in New York. It was the latter version that played on US TV for decades and included Hal Linden, of Barney Miller" fame doing the lines for Akira Takarada. He also did Akira Kubo's line in DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. Sorry to be so long-winded. I so very much look forward to your reviews! Merry Christmas!
This was always one of my favs.
Im glad there are others who like this movie. Obviously its not the best but I grew up with a VHS copy of it so I have DEEP nostalgia for this entry.
Thanks for the mention, Jerome. That was nice of you.
Glad you liked this movie, and that you're enjoying the fun/campy turn the series took. You should get a kick out of "Son of Godzilla". :)
Mothra always brings a fairy tale element of Fantasy to every film She's a part of and that's what makes this one Great for me.
I liked the cheesiness....it was okay for its time.
Fun fact this was going to be the 3rd King Kong movie from Toho, but unfortunately Toho lost the rights to King Kong. So they changed it to a Godzilla movie instead.
A little too silly for me. Godzilla appeared drunk throughout, including his preoccupation with bikini babe (understandable I suppose). Boulder tossing contest was good though.
I agree with you on this one. I realize the monsters are a little weak - the condor is awful. However, I like the human element in this film. They are interesting characters and there is even a little character growth with the thief becoming a hero throughout the movie. Not sure why it became a thing, but this movie is probably to blame for making the boulder tossing trope bad. I like this movie better than many others around this time - including the much overrated Destroy All Monsters.
Hello Jerome. This is one of my favorite Godzilla movies, so we are definitely in the minority! Yes, it's far from the most
spectacular entry in the Godzilla saga, and the plot is as contrived as a Gilligan’s Island episode. However, it’s a fun and entertaining movie, which is more than can be said of many of the Heisei and some of the Millennium Godzilla films. Probably the best character is Akira Takarada as the bank robber who’s not such a bad guy once we get to know him. The better English-language dub is by Continental
Distributing and was shown on TV during the 1970’s: it’s hard to find now. The bank robber was dubbed by Hal Linden of Barney Miller fame. One of my favorite exchanges: when our heroes prepare to break into the Red Bamboo base, the bank robber boasts to his compatriots “We’re going to fight using our brains,” to which Nita remarks “That sounds like a crackpot idea to me!”
I love Godzilla vs The Sea Monster.
Not CITIZEN KANE, but I liked it
This Coronavirus crisis is just getting started in the U.S. and so far, it's more of a drag than anything else. I have no idea how bad it will get. But I can't help thinking that a giant monster catastrophe would be so much more exciting!!!
Great review, JW...👍
Soo good. Underrated 🤓
I definitely enjoyed this movie myself
Did you review War of the Gargantuas yet? I have to see that.
Nope, not yet.
Another Greeeeeeeaaaaat Review from the time Traveller! Haven’t watch it but maybe in the future. I don’t know if your a Fan of the 1960s Anthology series called The Twilight zone, would like to see your point of view and analysis on that! Anyway have a great 2008 weekend.
Thanks! I certainly am a Twilight Zone fan! I did a video about it a few years ago (ruclips.net/video/EZ_OndCS5q8/видео.html). I'd consider doing another one but I'm not sure what approach I'd take...
Jerome Weiselberry 404 Error”
Oh bother. The close parenthesis was not supposed to be part of the hyperlink. Sorry about that. ruclips.net/video/EZ_OndCS5q8/видео.html
You made some good points but the movie can get a little slow at times even if the characters are likable and as fun godzilla is he should have been replaced with king kong since ebirah isn't that much of a threat against godzilla mothra should have a much bigger role then a cameo
It was fun
At 6:49 I take it as Godzilla is saying bring it on. Cause I have nothing to lose.
And honestly Godzilla doesn’t. So it’s funny to me in that sense lol
If you thought this one was weird and different, wait till you see Godzilla vs. The Smog Monsters. By far the weirdest one.
Hello Jerome. This is a version of the film from "Mystery Science Theater 3000."
Thought you'd get a laugh Joel and the robots wise-cracking during the film (if the link works)
www.club-mst3k.com/episodes/213-godzilla-vs-the-sea-monster
D
I like this Godzilla film very much it's just one of my favorites in the series even ebirha it's the first Godzilla film that shows people being eaten by another monster ebirha was indeed a threat to anyone who tried to leave the island any monster that wants you for a meal is a threat Most people I know love lobster including my self not the other way around ha ha ha.😀😀😀
I don't like goofy Godzilla, Ghidorah has been the most painful for me thus far, but the human side of the story here in Godzilla v Sea Monster is so well done that I forgive the goofy crap.
I DO love it when Godzilla rips Ebirah's claw free and makes it clap, though.
Now, I really didn't like that the Infant Island chick does nothing and has no ideas, it would have been better if she'd been the clever one in the bunch, oh well.
first