Movie: (1966): Searching for his brother who was lost at sea, a guy and his pals wash up on an island, guarded by crab-shrimp monster Ebirah, where some sort of evil paramilitary group has built an installation, unaware that Godzilla is asleep in a cave nearby. The brother turns out to be on an island nearby worshiping Mothra. Got all that?
First shown: 2/2/91
Opening: Joel reads “The Velveteen Rabbit” and does all the voices
Invention exchange: Joel shows off his mind-controlled guitar, while the mads have doggie chew toy guitars.
Host segment 1: J&tB sing “The Godzilla Genealogy Bop”
Host segment 2: Joel succumbs to space madness and begins building very bad models
Host segment 3: Despite Joel’s warning, Crow and Tom spoof the Mothra twins, only to meet Mothra on the Hexfield!
End: J&tB discuss famous sayings actors didn’t actually say and look through some “Cool Thing contest ” entries; the Mads consider a corporate re-think
Stinger: Everyone bows down before Mothra
(144 votes, average: 4.36 out of 5)
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• There’s no avoiding comparing this week’s episode to last week’s, since they’re both Godzilla movies. This one isn’t quite the classic last week’s outing was, but it’s still lots of fun. The plot is a little more confusing, but I chalk that up to the editing by Film Ventures International. All the host segments are worth at least a few laughs, and the riffing is solid throughout.
• This episode is not yet commercially available (and seems unlikely to ever be).
• What’s the name if this movie? It was “Gojira — Ebira — Mosura: Nankai No Dai Ketto,” in the original Japanese (translation: “Godzilla — Ebirah — Mothra: The Great South Seas Duel”). But it had other names in various incarnations, including “Ebirah, Horror Of The Deep” (also “Ebirah, Terror Of The Deep” ) when it was released in England, “Big Duel In The North” (also “Big Duel In The North Sea”), “Ritorno Di Godzilla” (“The Return Of Godzilla”) when it was released in Italy and, for some reason, “Frankenstein Und Dis Ungehauer Aus Dem Meer” (“Frankenstein and the Monsters from the Sea”) when it was released in Germany. Frankenstein?
• For the first time since Joel admonished Crow a few episodes back, he again goes for the Lloyd Bridges “By this time my lungs were aching for air” riff.
• For some reason J&tB wait for the FVI credits to be over before entering the theater. Was this something contractual, I wonder?
• This is our first FVI title. For those who don’t know, Film Ventures International was a company that obtained the rights to films after the copyright expired, and then re-edited and re-marketed the film (sometimes under a different name, sometimes not). We’ll get more FVI titles next season. By the way, the clips used during the opening credits are from “Son of Godzilla.”
• Callbacks: “Rock climbing!” (Lost Continent) “You and your friends the only creeps in this joint.” (Wild Rebels) “Linda!” (Women of the Prehistoric Planet?)
• Just for the record, what Joel is reading in the opening segment is nothing even remotely like the real “Velveteen Rabbit.”
• As the characters sneak into the installation, it’s another classic case of a bad guy’s building with hallways that have structures that stick out from the walls, making sneaking around easier. Only in the movies.
• Local reference: Somebody mentions Trip Shakespeare, a Minnesota-based band some BBI staffers knew.
• Joel actually sort of acts during segment two. Not that Joel isn’t performing all the time on the show, but let’s face it, Joel Robinson the character is not that far removed from Joel Hodgson the guy. But in this scene he has to actually act like he’s kind of crazy. He does a good job, I think!
• Then-current reference: Bhopal. Kind of a dark riff.
• I thought the “Karl Malden’s nose!” line of the “Godzilla Genealogy Bop” was just a non sequitur, but this time I noticed a little random throw-away riff where they observe that Godzilla has a nose a lot like Karl’s, which I guess is where that line came from.
• Incidentally, the “Godzilla Genealogy Bop” is one of those songs some fans forget, but it’s quite a lot of fun.
• That’s Mike as the voice of Mothra, of course, in segment 3.
• It seems like they wanted to have the Mothra prop blink, but couldn’t come up with a mechanism, so they sort of shaded the light that was shining on his eyes. Didn’t really work.
• Another then-current reference: “Cocooning,” was one of those short-lived buzzwords that arose when the 200-channel cable universe arrived and just about every movie you could think of was on VHS, so people supposedly stopped going out and just stayed home taking in entertainment in their “cocoon.” Wikipedia says it was coined by none other than Faith Popcorn, who was later parodied by the Brains.
• NOT-current reference, as Crow points out: “Thicke of the Night,” a talk show hosted by actor Alan Thicke (father of recent pop star Robin Thicke).
• Trivia: The script for this movie was actually written for King Kong, but Godzilla was substituted when rights to Kong weren’t available. What about Frankenstein?
• Cast and crew roundup: As noted in the previous episode, several of the cast of “Godzilla vs. Megalon” also worked on this. I won’t repeat all those. Special effects guys Eiji Tsuburaya and Teisho Arikawa also worked on “Mighty Jack.” Akira Watanabe worked on “The Green Slime.” The guy who wrote the score (clearly for the FVI version), Karl Michael Demer, also did the music for other FVI titles, including “Cave Dwellers,” “Pod People,” “Master Ninja I” and “Master Ninja II.” In front of the camera, Eisei Amamoto is also “Mighty Jack” and Wataru Omae was also in “Time of the Apes.”
• CreditsWatch: The whole “creative pit boss” thing is gone. “Villians” is still misspelled. Makeup lady Faye Burkholder must have tossed out some riffs that got used, because she was added to the list of writers for the first time since the KTMA era. Burkholder also gets a co-writing credit with Kevin on the “Geneaology Bop.” Mole person Sylvia was intern Robert Czech and mole person Jerry was intern Nathan Molstad. And the “Squeeky” Toy Orchestra (the people providing all the additional squeaky-toy noises during the Mads’ invention exchange) were Mike, Jef Maynard and Alex Carr.
• Favorite riff: “It’s the Mothra Graham Dance Troupe.” Honorable mention: “What a party! That last shot I saw crabs!”
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The reason for no kids as Godzilla wasnt for kids at that time but that changed in the 1970s…thanks to the Gamera films…Godzilla’s Revenge was the first of the kids…
The kid in Godzilla vs. Megalon was actually also in Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster
:-)
This is actually a excellent film, and alot of fun when you can see if in widescreen, remastered, and in Japanese.
The episode that will never be released to home video. Such a shame.
My memory is hazy, but I’m sure I saw this movie before I saw the MST3K version. Its an okay Godzilla film, but I remembered the unriffed version mostly for Mothra and the ever-present mini-preistesses.
The riffing here is solid as are the host segments. Joel acting spaced out was pretty funny as was the Godzilla Genealogy Bop.
The FVI additions to this movie and others always nostalgically remind me of the 80s and Saturday afternoon creature features. It makes these episodes seem almost like they’re broadcast right from a local UHF station. The only other episodes that bring me back to that time are the Sandy Frank films for the same reason (which actually were broadcast during the KTMA era on UHF).
>Ebirah is supposed to be a shrimp monster instead of a crab monster, I think.
>Ebi is the Japanese word for shrimp.
A Giant Shrimp!
I prefer this over Megalon. It’s just a good, fum-time episode. It’s not one I have in heavy rotation, but when I do pop it on it always puts me in a good mood. Fun movie as well. I too got a kick out of Godzilla on the throne. The jokes here were cute rather than crude, ala they way Rifftrax handles those type of scenes.
Plus I always enjoy a good Hitchcock reference… “Hey, what do ya think I am, Tippi Hedren?” – Crow as Godzilla
Likewise, I prefer this one to Godzilla vs. Megalon; it hangs together better plot-wise, but it’s still pretty dang goofy at times. (That “nuclear reactor” that looks like a flickering flourescent bulb comes to mind rapidly.) A favorite line is after the baddies decide to set the timer on nuclear to destroy the base and get away (and be eaten by Ebirah, not that they know that) is Crow’s “Oh, what was it on before, defrost?” I’ve used that more than once in the kitchen…
Also, doesn’t it seem to anyone else that the decision by the stranded folks to awaken Godzilla to destroy the bad guys involved putting a lot of faith in him? How’d they know he wouldn’t just find the folks who woke him up from his nap and have them for lunch? Giant mutant lizards aren’t necessarily great with the nuances of good vs. evil.
It wasn’t too funny. Definately somewhere within the ‘Meh’ tier. They missed out on some perfect opportunities to riff at, there was a slower pace of riffing, and I like the unriffed version much better. Probably should have done Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster instead (hence my nickname on MST3K :) )
@ 51 – Actually, it was when the films were premiered as kiddie matinees (complete with cartoon features) that Godzilla started becoming the Other Friend of All Children.
(And Yumi & Emi Ito’s contract was up with the studio, so we get [i]imitation[/i] Mothra priestesses, sheesh. One GZ fansite dug up MP3’s of “The Peanuts”‘s 60’s albums, so I’m one of the few fans with the Mothra Twins singing Latin-lounge hits on my iPod.)
@53 – Sea Monster and Megalon were the only two public-domain Toho GZ’s in the catalog at the time, which is why they could be shown on the show…And grabbed up by cheapo FVI weasels with different opening credits.
Sony since bought back the rights, and their DVD of “Ebirah” was one of the first times I ever saw the movie in a restored print with the right colors.
@ dsman71: Forget Joel’s hair, check out how huge Trace’s ponytail has gotten. Yikes!
“I’m turning Brooklynese I really think so!”
As I’m rewatching this experiment, I’m getting a very Rupert Grint vibe from Ryota’s grimacing, jug-eared friend, the one prone to Ron Weasley-style facial mugging. Anybody see it? (Thank you, Rifftrax, for making me watch those damn Harry Potter movies over and over…)
I’m not sure what they were going for with the “Velveteen Rabbit” bit, satirizing overly treacly children’s books maybe, but I do know it annoys the crap out of me. (Monty Python did it much better.) Tom and Crow are way out of character – as is Joel for that matter – and of course it’s nothing at all like the real book. I guess it’s all worth it for Dr F’s “entranced” face.
Speaking of Python, they make another, fuller reference to the “Sandwiches? Whatever did I leave the wife?” nacotics cop bit from Flying Circus. I guess that clears up whether that was, in fact, a reference to this sketch a few weeks ago.
Wow, I missed the Bhopal reference last time. That IS dark.
Sampo, have you SEEN Karl Malden’s nose? It resembles Godzilla more than Godzilla resembles it. :eek: And that model looks just like the Capitol Records building. (If the real building were made of egg cartons, anyway.)
So, the original idea was for King Kong to show up in a movie with Mothra and a giant shrimp monster, but that fell through so they just plugged in Godzilla. Um, so Mothra, who had already appeared in two Godzilla films, and Ebirah, a typical Godzilla antagonist were going to battle King Kong? Ooookay… Can you imagine being inside a giant, soaking wet ape suit, wrestling a giant rubber shrimp monster? How heavy the wet hair would make the Kong suit? What were they thinking?
Great episode. The lack of bone scrapingly annoying children makes for a much better movie. And what’s this? A woman? Lots actually.
The female lead who escapes and joins up with the guys struck me as a good person to be stranded on an island with. Aside from the babe factor and the obvious survival advantages of being stranded on an island with an islander, she’s smart courageous, and good hearted. Probably hadn’t had a chance to get a liberal arts education, but I think she’d pick things up quickly once she encountered them.
If Ebirah was indeed a shrimp monster then he was a genuine Jumbo Shrimp.
I’d just like to comment on how fun this season has been to watch in sequence and read the comments here. In the early 90’s I was in Jr. College and loving it (hated high school), had my own apartment that I was sharing with my best friend. I had a good girlfriend. I was taking antidepressants that were working for the first time. I had my own TV for the first time, and had discovered MST3K.
Season 4 was current, but episodes from season 2 and 3 were in heavy rotation. Watching with one or more friends late Saturday and Sunday evening with one or more friends became a routine, and MSTism’s entered our vocabulary. It was one of the better times in my life, and MST was a significant part of it. Watching all the episodes from season 2 has brought back all sorts of fun cherished memories. Thanks, and, “There’s an angry black man on line one”.
@ 46 I guess the bad guys went with lemons as the butter with secret sherbs and spices was deemed too expensive! :silly:
spel ceck plese
This is one I haven’t seen in years, don’t have many of the Comedy Channel MSTs left on tape.
What sticks in my mind from this is Godzilla “on the toilet” and the monster playing baseball. I think these were in this episode, unless I have them mixed up with another one.
Favorite riff: “You may find yourself/Living in a Shogun shack”
This is one I think I’ve seen only once before and I remember not liking it very much. Well upon re-watch I have to say, while not as grand as GODZILLA VS MEGALON (one of my all time faves), this one is really great, a top 5 of Season 2, and a solid 4/5!
What’s all this about questioning Joel’s acting ability? Just look at his face while he’s playing those juicy rock solos during the invention exchange!
As Sharktopus @59 already beat me to, Trace’s ponytail is officially out of control. It’s moving up the back of his head. It must be stopped.
Host Segment #1 is classic, I forgot all about that song. “Steve Guttenberg of Police Academy fame”
In Host Segment #2, Crow mentions “Bucky Fuller” in reference to Epcot Center. Buckminster Fuller was an engineer, designer, futurist, and inventor, and his most famous invention was the geodesic dome, which is what Epcot is. I went to school in Carbondale, IL at Southern Illinois University and Fuller was a professor there, long before my time, from 1959-70 and the only geodesic dome home that he ever owned himself is in Carbondale. It has since fallen into much disrepair and been named a historical landmark and there are efforts to restore the building. While attending school there I went to a fundraiser/art exhibition at Bucky’s Dome (that’s what the locals call it) and it was really cool.
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To much information? Sorry, I was having a memory.
Host Segment #3, after Mothra leaves and The Bots are jumping up and down, trying to tell Joel all about it, his response is, “C’mon guys, you’re high. You’re so high.” Classic Joel and hilarious.
RIFFS AND THINGS!
After Crab-Shrimp creature smashes the boat in the opening,
Crow: “That Crab must be from Greenpeace!”
Joel: “I shattered my pelvis, I’ll never be an extra on MASH!”
When the guy who owns the boat is sitting there, holding his mouth to his hand, J&tB make inhaling noises and choking sounds. Drug humor!
Crow: “We got to find that rhythm combo. Sounds like Mothers of Invention.”
Servo: “I think it’s a goal post factory, myself.”
Crow (as GOD, about the rowboat model): “FAKEY!!”
Crow, when Godzilla is rising: “Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey.” — I say this all the time, and it might predate me ever hearing it on the show.
Joel: “No one leaves until we find out who threw that eraser, young man!”
When Godzilla awesomely rips Crabby’s arm off,
Joel: “Gimme some butter! I’m on a sea-food diet; I SEE food and I rip it out of your arm socket!”
During the closing, there is a reference to KILLDOZER. Nice!
A 4/5 triumph! YAY SEASON 2!!
*************
*************
My personal Season 2 rankings, after this serious Season 2 re-watch:
#212 GODZILLA VS. MEGALON – 5/5
#208 LOST CONTINENT – 4/5
#213 GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER – 4/5
#207 WILD REBELS – 4/5
#210 KING DINOSAUR – 4/5
#201 ROCKETSHIP X-M – 4/5
#204 CATALINA CAPER – 4/5
#202 SIDE HACKERS – 4/5
#205 ROCKET ATTACK USA – 3/5
#211 FIRST SPACESHIP TO VENUS – 3/5
#203 JUNGLE GODDESS – 3/5
#209 THE HELLCATS – 3/5
#205 RING OF TERROR -2/5
Alright, Seasons 2! Way to be!
Now bring on the awesomeness that is Season 3!
!
I agree that this episode isn’t as funny as “Megalon” but that “Sea Monster” is a better film. It’s a fun adventure romp, and it doesn’t hurt to have Akira Takarada’s coolness or Kumi Mizuno’s babeness.
My favorite riff: Joel as Godzilla, “You just opened a whole can of whoop-ass, boy!” Years before “Stone Cold” Steve Austin made it a household phrase.
One more tidbit and I will stop:
There is a big continuity error in this movie. One I’m surprised no one’s picked up on. In the beginning of the movie, when Ebriah is first attacking the boat in the storm, the ship’s name is “Yahlen.” The ship that Ryota and his friends steal (and then meet the bank robber in) is also called “Yahlen.”
Continuity? I don’t think so!!!
Okay. Will stop now.
Were there any McBeth refences during the “creeping around with bush disguises” bit. Missed oportunity.
#68, that was the company who originally distributed the film to US TV attempting to spice up the opening a little, using footage from later in the film. The unaltered film doesn’t have any continuity goof that big (other than Godzilla burying himself on an island and no one noticing, naturally).
5 stars again. I actually love this movie. Its fun and still maintains a somewhat serious plot, quite unlike the Gamera movies and the 70s Godzilla films. It also has some top Japanese stars, Akira Takarada who played Ogata in the original Godzilla is great playing against type as the bank robber Yoshimura, the gorgeous Kumi Mizuno is great as Daiyo, Jun Tazaki played in Gate of Hell and Kurosawas Ran, the great Akihiko Hirato played the tragic Dr. Serizawa in the original Godzilla and was a major player in all Tohos Sci-Fi films in the late 50s and early 60s. The score is done by Masaru Sato who also scored many of Akira Kurosawas films including Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, High and Low and Red Beard. As someone else pointed out, this was originally to be a King Kong movie, but for whatever reason Toho couldn’t get or lost the rights to Kong so they subbed in Godzilla instead. That probably explains him ‘flirting’ with Daiyo and being revived by electricity(in TOHOs films Kong gains strength from electricity). Even jumping into the sea at the end is a more Kong like action.
The movie is fun (one of the first films I can remember watching in my life) but that doesn’t always mean great riffing. This is just so-so with some bright patches here and there. Middling, I guess would be the word for me, but more fun than most middling eps because of the goofy nostalgia of the film itself.
B
I remember seeing the “reaching for the red button” scene when I was a kid. It set in my memory more than anything alse for some reason.
A favorite riff for me is:
“Are you blind?!”
“I don’t think that’s funny sir but go on.”
I love season 2.
I thought this was slightly better than Godzilla vs. Megalon, but not by much.
As said in the guide, not as funny as Godzilla vs Megalon but still a very fun episode. I was watching Streets of San Francisco on MeTV recently (which is, as Crow would say, “A Quinn Martin production!!!”) and wow, they weren’t kidding about Karl Malden’s honker in the Geaneology Bop song, that thing is bulbous to say the least.
Also, I love the FVI openings with Demer’s oddly soothing, electronica-esque music. They’re so surreal and I can’t decide if they’re just lazy or actually a somewhat smart way to promote other movies in the FVI “catalog.” You have to admit, wondering “what the heck is that other movie in the opening credits??” is at least effective in getting one’s attention.
Would be the ultimate coup if Shout could get this and GvsMegalon. Probably won’t happen but hey, they figured out a way to get Gamera so ya never know…..
Film Ventures International has a very interesting history. It’s worth reading about at length, but the best part, in my opinion, is that the guy in charge, Edward Montoro, stole about a million bucks from the company in 1984 when it was in the throes of bankruptcy. He fled, and his whereabouts are unknown to this day.
Godzilla Vs. The Sea Monster fails the Bechdel Test. The only conversation between two females is when Yata’s mom consults the oracle about his whereabouts.
Regarding not entering the theater until after the opening credits, perhaps it’s as simple as they just had a creative block and couldn’t think of any riffs. A bit unlikely I admit, but possible.
Is it ever made clear who the bad guys are affiliated with, or are they like Cobra?
Brandon #13: At the end of the Genealogy Bop, Joel accidentally says movie sign instead of commercial sign.
Though he does correct himself pretty quickly.
Favorite riffs
If not for the courage of the fearless crew, the Sushi would be lost.
For once, this was a boating accident.
“They could even be cannibals.”
“That’s not funny.”
Well, when you’re driving home, you’ll think it’s funny.
Ka-Bob and Ka-Steve.
How can something sa-rong be sa-right?
It’s the Mothra Graeme Dance Troupe.
“We can use their ignorance to our advantage.”
What about your ignorance?
Get an ark. And get two of every kind of monster.
Run before they make us play outfield.
Live from Soldier’s Field, it’s Godzilla Vs. Air Force. A classic confrontation between lizard and machine.
In case of plot hole, break glass.
We are filled with shame.
Hey, those guys wrecked our float, and we’ve got to finish the parade before that nuclear explosion.
It’s a laboratory factory!
OK, first things first. I’m spearheading a committee to establish that Ebirah is quite obviously a giant lobster. It’s especially obvious if you see his entire body (which admittedly you can’t in this movie, but I’ve got a figure of him). Ebi can mean lobster, shrimp, prawn or crayfish. Admittedly, there may be some shrimp mixed in there, but he’s predominately a lobster.
Another of my favorites, but I’m a huge Godzilla fan, so that’s a given. I don’t like it as much as Megalon (I admit that Ebirah is a better made movie, but Megalon is more fun), but there’s still plenty of laughs to be had. I love all the host segments in this, especially the genealogy bop. The squeaky guitars, while funny, are ear-piercingly annoying after about 2 seconds, though.
This is the 7th Godzilla movie, and the first one directed by Jun Fukuda. I enjoy his movies, since I think he does some pretty cool monster fights. I don’t know if it was the Brains or FVI, but there’s quite a bit of Godzilla’s fight with Ebirah cut out, including Godzilla actually beating (and killing) Ebirah. Actually, this is one of the few Godzilla movies were he does kill his opponent (He kills the giant spider Kumonga in Son of Godzilla, but Kumonga returns -mostly as stock footage- in Destroy All Monsters). Actually, there’s a bunch of trimming going on here – the dance contest is way shorter, and I think they cut one of the (several) Mothra numbers.
While Ebirah eventually returns in Godzilla Final Wars (2004), he was easily destroyed by a group of super-powered humans.
The military group from this movie, Red Bamboo (I don’t think they mention the name in this dub), never shows up again, despite establishing that they are a much larger organization than this one base.
The riffers often reference Its A Wonderful Life, but they seem to do it more than usual in this episode. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that it was done soon after the Christmas season, when that movie would get lots of air time on television.
A few callbacks to Godzilla vs. Megalon in this one:
Character – Hey Ichino, what do you think of that one? The Yahlen?
Joel – It has RIGHT OF WAY! (Joel’s referencing the racecar driver in Megalon. The original line, about Jet Jaguar, is, “But as far as I’m concerned, it’s got right-of-way!”)
Servo also notices that Godzilla’s jump at the end of the movie was used in Megalon. (Servo: “Haven’t we seen this before?”) He also quotes the narrator at the beginning of Megalon during the explosion of Letchi Island in Sea Monster.
what is the deal with toho and letting this movie on dvd (and the other godzilla movie).
@schippers
lol Wow, that is crazy, I definitely need to read up more on FVI now.
Sorry, site has been giving me issues posting all day. :/
In Japan, all maritime, lacustrine, or riverine vessels in movies or other entertainment media must be named “Yahlen”. It’s a law.
Like in the US when somebody in a movie or a TV show gives out their phone number it always starts out “555-“?
It’s like that.
So, in the Japanese monster movies (“kaiju”), are the Mothra-worshippers always found on the SAME island? Or did the faith spread further? Food for thought at the very least.
Since, following its(her?) first movie, Mothra was later seen as both a moth and a caterpillar, the inference is that after one Mothra dies, a giant caterpillar cocoons itself and emerges as a new Mothra. Which means that while Christians can read about how “their” God died and returned, Mothrians can WATCH their god do it. More than once during their lifetimes. Hm.
I considered making some *theoretically* humorous remark about a fifty-foot Jesus fighting giant monsters, then remembered that there already IS a giant Jesus, even TALLER than fifty feet:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_of_the_Ozarks
Mothra has always lived on Infant Island.
The Mothra continuity can be a bit confusing. In Mothra, she changes from larva to moth form. In Godzilla vs Mothra, an older Mothra dies fighting Godzilla, but twin larva are hatched that then curbstomp Godzilla (one of his few defeats). Next is Ghidorah The Three Headed Monster, in which a larva Mothra convinces Godzilla and Rodan / Radon (the original Japanese name) to help fight King Ghidorah.
Mothras next appearance is in this movie, as a moth. She then appears in larva form still in Destroy All Monsters. I guess one of the twins from Godzilla vs Mothra cocooned, while another didn’t?
I really enjoyed the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy from the 90s. Mothra in it was SUPER powered, and had all sorts of magic beam attacks. Plus, it has Faerie Mothra, a tiny version that the Priestess twins rode.
#91 – Toho is NOTORIOUS about being VERY involved and controlling with their films. From what I’ve read, they don’t allow U.S. DVD releasing companies to clean up, modify, or alter the prints they receive in any way, nor are distributors allowed to use any dub tracks save for the international version Toho itself produces (regardless of quality).
So, I would imagine Toho will never allow the MSTed Megalon and Sea Monster eps to see the (legal) light of day, since the Brains chopped the films like crazy to fit broadcast length (and, you know, made fun of the movies).
Well, technically, it’s that Sony now owns the movie in the US (and ADV owns Megalon), so Toho won’t let us see the two then-public-domain Godzillas that MST3K was able to get on the cheap, with fake PD-ripping credits by Fuzzy Vision International.
(See related entries under “Roger Corman”, “Susan Hart”, and “Space Travelers”.)
But we got Space Travelers on the last set
It’s too bad because this is the last episode in Season 2 but this one fell into the ‘meh’ category for me. While others are relieved at the non presence of annoying kids in this one, it seems to me that annoyance really gets the writer’s creative juices flowing. Oh well, at least we had that lovely islander woman instead.
The host segments were lots of fun though. Joel’s rocker grimaces were hilarious and I now think the squeeze toy guitars were an underrated example of the Mads’ evilness. That must be what the soundtrack in Hell must be for certain individuals.
Episodes 211-213 feel like their own mini sub season. Not quite the energy of 201-210, and without much hints of the greatness to come in season 3. I do enjoy these three episodes, just not as much as the start of season 2. I’d say of 211-213, I like this one the most.
With the last three episodes of this season, it’s as if there was a little end of season burnout. The eye of the hurricane, won’t you?
Another reference to Das Weiner Man in the last host segment!
See #60 and #61 for my old comments.
Godzilla, like Gamera after him started out as a symbol of atomic holocaust and human hubris, but they got popular with the kids and became defenders of humanity with little kid friends. I wonder how the friends and family members of all the people Godzilla killed in his first movie thought of the hero worship he got later on. I think there’s a folk tale tradition in Japan of giant monsters that sometimes befriended kids that might help explain the drift in significance.
Or the fact that he’s now been named “Honorary Cultural Tourism Ambassador” of Tokyo:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-04-09/godzilla-gets-a-new-job-as-tokyo-tourism-ambassador/.86949
Could the revival by lightning be the “Frankenstein” connection?
Film Ventures International credit sequences always confused me. I didn’t know why they were there or how sometimes they had footage of other movies that only related by subject matter. Thanks to the net I’m slightly less confused.
Cornjob says:
“Godzilla, like Gamera after him started out as a symbol of atomic holocaust and human hubris, but they got popular with the kids and became defenders of humanity with little kid friends.”
Yeah, I was explaining this to someone who didn’t really understand the disparity with a Batman analogy which I think works really well. To me, Godzilla 1954, 1985, Godzilla 2014 = Bob Kane original story and concept/Frank Miller/Christopher Noth/Dark Knight Batman. Goofy, kid friendly Godzilla/vs. Mothra/King Kong/Megalon, ect. = Adam West Batman.
And then there’s Godzilla ’98 with Matthew Broderich, which on the Batman dark/serious to cheese-o-rama slide-o-meter is bottom-of-the-barrel, Joel Schumacher Batman and Robin.
Also, even though Godzilla 2014 tweaked the origin a bit (by making Godzilla and the kaiju pre-exisiting “super species” that are naturally adapted to radiation instead of implausibly “created” by radiation as it was in G ’54 and the “THEM” era where radiation was still a magical, catch-all boogeyman) and featured a “versus” plotline with the MUTO, it still felt more in line with the tone of ’54 as far as man-vs-nature goes where the monsters were 100% in charge and technology was useless against them which I really liked (and is very unique for an American blockbuster which is a genre where Uncle Sam and Johnny Hero-guy normally always find some last minute, magic bullet to prevail, I’m really glad Edwards broke away from that type of nonsense and bravado). GMK was also very dark in tone but is probably also my least favorite of the early 2000s G TOHO movies next to Final Wars. Surprised how badly Kaneko mis-fired on GMK, the whole movie just felt “off” (Godzilla was rediculously overpowered which made the fights pointless, the “war dead” storyline was weird and actually offensive), it just wasn’t polished like his ’90s Gamera movies.
And by the “war dead” story in GMK that I mentioned, for those who don’t know, in GMK, Shusheke Kaneko completely did away with the man vs. nature and cautionary anti-war themes of all of the previous movies. Instead of being an animal created by radiation, GMK featured Godzilla as a demonic, physical manisfestation of the spirits of Japanese soldiers killed during WW II venting their wrath on the country for being “too peaceful” and “complacent” in years since. I’m suprised TOHO let Kaneko feature something so downright offensive (can you imagine the outrage if say, a German fantasy movie used a similar plot device?) and bizarely political which also went against the aforementioned themes of the previous films. I’m guessing that line was changed in the International releases, heh…