Son of Godzilla (1967) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Son of Godzilla
Year: 1967
Director: Jun Fukuda
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese

By the second half of the 1960s, Japanese cinema was coming to the height of kaiju (giant monster) craziness. Toho was surprisingly less interested in Godzilla and focused much of its money on Frankenstein Conquers the World and King Kong Escapes. Son of Godzilla was the second in the series to take place on an island (because Toho was too cheap to make miniature cities) and the second film directed by Jun Fukuda. 

Scientists experimenting with changes in weather on a tropical island get more than they bargained for when Godzilla shows up to battle humongous insects and protect his newborn child.  

Son of Godzilla is a bit of a 'tweener, not quite sophisticated enough for adults, but a bit too mature for children. It exists in the gray period between the rampaging killer Godzilla of the 1960s and the goofy Godzilla of the 1970s. The film features a cute tyke monster, but it also presents a serious action and adventure story. The screenwriting was obviously put into good hands with this one.

The human story forms the film’s framework and the monster on monster action takes a backseat in Son of Godzilla. This is quite refreshing as the usual smackdown can get old pretty fast if done too often.The human aspect distracts us from the much smaller budget and lack of special effects. Thankfully the actors do their part well and the dialogue is pallatable.

Unfortunately the North American theatrical market for Japanese monster films was drying up in the late ‘60s and Son of Godzilla did not get an American theatrical release. It is a shame because, surprisingly, this is not a "bad" Godzilla film. The strongest part of the picture is the music by Masaru Sato, which is perhaps the best in the series