By Steve Biodrowski

Released just six months after the first GODZILLA film (a.k.a. GOJIRA, 1954), this 1955 effort is a weekly plotted sequel that nonetheless retains much of the mood of the original. The basic problem is that the filmmakers seem to have had little idea what to do with the film except rehash what had come before, minus the melodrama and ethical dilemma that made the original so memorable - even when the monster was not on screen. Nevertheless, thanks to impressive special effects and a serious tone, GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN is much better than the colorful but silly sequels churned out in the 1970s.

What passes for a story focuses on some characters wqorking for a fishing company, who spot Godzilla and a new monster, Anguiras, fighting on an island where they make an emergency landing. The clashing titans head toward the coast of Japanm where their battle destroys much of Osaka - including the fishing business - before Godzilla kills his opponent. The fishing company boss relocates his business headquarters to the Hokkaido branch in the north, but Godzilla heads in that direction, ultimately wandering onto a glacial island, where jet planes unleash their bombs, burying the beast under an avalanche of ice.

One might call this the "Life Goes On" Godzilla sequel: the lead characters' connection with Godzilla is mostly a matter of circumstance, and the script has to struggle to keep them involved with the hunt for the beast. Most of the story is nearly plotless, wasting time on the personal lives of the protagonists, whose main concerns are finding a girlfriend, getting married, and keeping the fishing business afloat (so to speak). The result is some dull passages that make the audience grateful for the intrusion of Godzilla.

Neither director Oda nor composer Masaru Sato can equal the work of their counterparts, Ishiro Honda and Akira Ifukube, on the previous film. Fortunately, they do show some flashes of talent here and there, and GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN is punctuated by brief scenes and images that make it seem momentarily better than it is overall. For instance, after the defeat of Godzilla, there is a wonderful final shot of the hero shedding a tear for a fallen friend who died in the effort - a surprisingly moving moment that contains more emotion than the entirety of the 1998 TriStar GODZILLA. There are also several scenes that deliberately evoke memories of World War II, grounding the fantastic tale in a believable sense of reality that makes it monster action feel genuinely disturbing.

The highlight of the film is the special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The battle between Godzilla and Anguiras avoids the anthropomorphic action that marred later efforts, emphasizing animal-like violence. But the real standout is the conclusion among the icy mountains of the isolated island where Godzilla meets his fate. The stark black-and-white imagery has an almost expressionistic look the recalls classic Universal horror films from the 1930s, and the effects works for the fighter planes is quite improved from similar footage in GODZILLA, creating a visually stunning demise for the King of the Monsters that ranks among the most impressive scenes of this kind ever captured on celluloid.

In the end, GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN is a fairly typical sequel: not as good as the original, it reprises some familiar motifs and occasionally rises to a level that makes it stand on its own, if only for moments at a time. It is not a masterpiece that will win over skeptical non-fans, but enthusiasts for giant monster movies should find it appealing.

A leaner, meaner Godzilla clashes with Anguiras.

READ THE REST OF THIS REVIEW, INCLUDING DVD DETAILS AND A COMPARISON WITH THE DUBBED, AMERICAN VERSION, AT CINEFANTASTIQUE ONLINE.