Godzilla’s Revenge and Godzilla Vs. Megalon have caused a huge controversy, of sorts, within Godzilla fandom. That controversy being which film is the worst out of the franchise? But in recent years, many fans have come to view this film differently…including myself. While I don’t believe I ever considered this the “worst” of the franchise, I have considered it one of the weakest for reasons I’ve stated in the PXCR podcast and for what I will mention here.Ichiro is a boy who is being picked on by a bully named Gabara. Ichiro seems to have few friends and his parents are always absent from his life due to having put in long hours to make ends meet. Living life in the very industrial (and noisy, polluted) Kawasaki is tough for a boy such as Ichiro who is trying to fit in, in a way, and prevent Gabara from picking on him.
Ichiro finds a friend in an older neighbor: toy maker, Inami. Inami is a pseudo father figure to Ichiro and looks after him from time to time. But Ichiro finds solace in daydreaming, and literally dreaming, about Monster Island and its roster of daikaiju. Ichiro befriends Minya who is also being bullied by, coincidentally(?) a daikaiju named Gabara; an ogre-looking monster that shoots electricity out of its hands. Minya and Ichiro watch Godzilla battle numerous monsters: Kumonga, Kamacuras, and Ebirah. Both seem to, not only be entertained by Godzilla’s trouncing of his opponents, but taking notes on how to stand up for oneself.
Eventually, Ichiro is kidnapped by a pair of robbers who, while striking fear in the local populace, are extremely incompetent. Ichiro gr1visits Minya and Godzilla in his dreams a couple more times. Ichiro witnesses, and assists, Minya and Godzilla in defeating Gabara. While dreaming of this, Ichiro builds up the courage to take on the two robbers and eventually leads them to the police who arrest them. Ichiro stands up to his Gabara and picks on a painter nearby by honking the horn on the painter’s motor bike which distracts the painter. The painter falls to the ground spilling paint all over himself and Ichiro and his new friends run from the painter. Ichiro’s father does his son a favor by stopping the painter, preventing him from catching up to Ichiro. In the end, Ichiro and Gabara are friends and all is well.
Despite a really low budget and tons of stock footage, Godzilla’s Revenge features a story that kids between the ages of 5 and 8 can relate to. While some fans dismiss this movie’s story as being simple (basically a story about a kid standing up to bullies), I think the story is a bit more than just a kid standing up to bullying. I believe the story is about a kid trying to find acceptance with his peers and to, in some ways, break out of a shell to become more assertive. There also is this element of a modernized Japan that has affected the family unit in a negative way where both parents are away for long hours without being able to raise and nurture their children.
Sure, the story, at times, is a bit goofy and ridiculous. But the daikaiju scenes are shown in the context of dream sequences, so that works out very well even if 80%-90% of those scenes are stock footage. Even the incompetent robbers are a stretch considering the amount of fear they induce in the community, but, for a kid’s movie, it works out perfectly.
The only part, though, that really bothers me is Ichiro’s arc at the end of the movie. He defeats Gabara, but harasses the painter; essentially becoming a bully himself. While we will never know the extent of Ichiro’s arc, one can assume he could have become a bully himself even though the film, more than likely, doesn’t want you to believe this sweet boy would become a bully. Nevertheless, it is a bit “disturbing” considering what Ichiro went through and it seems to be an almost 180 degree switch in his personality.
Anyways, even as an older Godzilla fan, I do find the story very simply, yet entertaining. The message it implies, I believe, still could resonate with audiences today. (Kent - Daikaijunetwork.com)
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