Trevor Writes

Godzilla may roar and strut and sit atop the throne as King of Monsters, with each new cinematic journey considered a major movie-going event, but for a long time he was suffering commercial drought. Never mind how creatively inspired and exciting it is to watch most Showa-era Godzilla movies; the side effect to Toho releasing roughly one every year saw dwindling box office returns. 1962's King Kong vs Godzilla still has the highest Japanese attendance record for a Godzilla film, with over 11 million tickets sold in its first theatrical run, but later installment Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966) sold only 3.45 million tickets, and Son of Godzilla (1967) even less with 2.48 million. Toho saw Godzilla as a sinking ship, so went forward with another under the intentions of making it work as a possible Final Chapter. What better way to put a cap on a decade-and-a-half series and subgenre of giant monsters attacking cities and one another than with a movie featuring all the mon...

As if sensing the series was growing stale with Invasion of Astro-Monster , Toho hired a new director to helm the Godzilla series, Jun Fukuda. 12 years Ishiro Honda's junior, Fukuda had been directing modest sized comedy and mystery films since 1959, but nothing of note to Western audiences. After making four Godzilla films in four years, Honda's entries were growing less exciting. He would still have great 'Zilla films up his sleeve, but a little distance was necessary for him to recharge. Fukuda gave the series a much needed change in direction, his films brighter, friendlier, and a more guilt-free version of family entertainment that Toho likely appreciated. Fukuda makes his presence known early in Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966), also known as Godzilla vs The Sea Monster , in a lengthy dance competition sequence. In a wide shot, dozens of men and women are shown in brightly coloured shirts dancing their hearts out, the winner of the endurance contest recei...