In a faraway island, scientists experimenting with radioactive weather control (yes, you heard that correctly, radioactive weather control) accidentally cause huge praying mantises to grow into humongous praying mantises. The big bugs unearth and break open an egg and out pops a toad man… I mean a baby Godzilla. The full size Godzilla shows up, so the human characters including a reporter who literally drops into the movie and a cute island girl, sit around and watch Godzilla teach his son how to stand up to grumpy puppets.
QUICK REVIEW: The second of director Jun Fukuda’s cheap, juvenile island adventures, Son of Godzilla comes off as inoffensive. It also starts with a jaunty tune and seaside vistas that announce that this is a special episode of Gilligan’s island.
The humans have more depth than in a majority of Godzilla pictures (not a lot, just more) and the romance between surprisingly likeable characters is believable in a sitcom way. This may be the only Godzilla movie where I’d have been happy with more screen time for the humans and less for the monsters, though that is also due to how poor the monster action is. Godzilla is still in his Muppet, friendly-looking phase, and the Son is a blight upon world cinema. It is embarrassing to be seen watching this film when either are on sceen. The insects aren’t anything to write home about either. There is a nearly touching moment with the two Godzilloids in the snow, but that’s not enough.
Big time, adult fans of Godzilla should add a reel to my rating and catch this on free TV. Not kids though, at least if they are over five. Children will be less entertained by the humans, and more bothered by baby Godzilla (cool, this is not, and seven-year-old me who saw it many years ago wanted to hide under a rock, or hide it under a rock).