dimfuture.net

Synopsis

No, none of these look like the little rapscallion who tricked us into whitewashing his fence…

Act One

After the credits, we see the handsome young Tsukioka (Hiroshi Koizumi), in his plane, looking for schools of fish for the fishing company for which he works. He talks to his girlfriend, Hidemi (Setsuko Wakayama) over the radio, as she works in the control room back in HQ; her father owns the company. Then, his less handsome best friend, Kobayashi (Minoru Chiaki) radios that he is having engine trouble, and is going down; and Tsukioka goes to look for him. Thus are Our Heroes introduced.

Tsukioka finds Kobayashi on the deserted Iwato Island. He sets down, they build a fire, and then, looking up from the crevasse they are in, they see…Godzilla. Well, a Godzilla – it is later said to be another member of the same species. Don’t say you weren’t warned! This Godzilla is battling a quadrupedal, spiky giant reptile, roughly his own size. Our Heroes express their understandable dismay about this sighting, and the monsters’ battle takes them tumbling unceremoniously into the sea.

Back in Osaka, the pair are given some dinosaur books to look through as they sit at a table with various military personnel, a scientist-type who looks like a Japanese Mark Twain (Masao Shimizu), and Doc Yamane (Takashi Shimura) from Gojira, in a unique example of a human character appearing twice in the Showa Period. Our Heroes select a picture of the spiky quadruped, and are told that it is an ankylosaurus, “Anguirus” for short, a natural enemy of the Godzilla species. Yamane – who is apparently now thought of as a colossal-monster Van Helsing, and looks none too happy about it – shows a film, of the first Godzilla putting Tokyo in its place, and tells of the Oxygen Destroyer, and its lack of availability. He suggests that if this Godzilla attacks, a “light bomb” of some sort be used to lure him away from shore, as the monster is attracted to light. It also makes him angry, we are told; maybe he’s attracted to things that make him angry. You know the type.

The military is alerted, and they begin to track Godzilla’s movements. Tsukioka and Hidemi, out dancing one night, are interrupted by an announcement over dancehall loudspeaker that Godzilla is coming, that everyone is to proceed to the shelters, and that the entire city is being blacked out so that the light-bomb may do its thing. The lights of the city are extinguished, and the movie becomes very dark. Planes pass ominously overhead. Godzilla rises from the sea, and a bunch of planes drop the light-bombs – actually a collection of slowly descending lights – further out to sea. Godzilla turns and follows them.

I’m sorry, do I know you?

Act Two

Elsewhere, Tsukioka drops Hidemi off at her father’s house up in the hills, and then he and Kobayashi head for their boss’ plant. Meanwhile, in a startlingly incongruous sequence, a bunch of prisoners being transported – presumably to shelters – escape their prison-truck, and are pursued by their guards. Some of the guards commandeer Our Heroes’ car, and the chase goes on. And on. And on and on. Finally, the hoodlums, having stolen a truck, crash it into a factory, starting a huge fire. At last, the point – Godzilla sees this fire, and turns back toward shore. Anguirus now appears as well, lumbering onto the beach. And the two monsters begin to fight.

They fight like the mean it. Buildings are crushed, the ruffians who stole the truck and apparently survived its crash are drowned by flooding water, and the magnificent Osaka Castle, in the climax of the battle, is destroyed. Finally, Godzilla gets a bloody deathgrip on Angilas’ neck, and then dumps him unceremoniously into the ocean, and lights him on fire with his radioactive breath. Godzilla, victorious, returns to the sea. Hidemi watches Osaka burn, in silence, from her hill. And Osaka is, of course, in ruins.

Oh, man, I’ll never get out of this, unless ice goes through some sort of de-solidifying process!

Act Three

Hidemi’s father, his buildings having been destroyed, transfers Kobayashi to his Hokkaido branch office. But not before Our Heroes all stand around and rib Kobayashi for his singlehood. Er. We then see Kobayashi, still a fish-scout, happy and popular in his new location. Joined by Tsukioka and Hidemi, he takes them to a surprise party populated by many old Japanese Air Defense Force friends of Tsukioka’s, including Tajima (Yoshio Tsuchiya). The festivities are then cut short because – thank Heaven – Godzilla has sunk one of the company’s boats.

Tsukioka sets off to look for Godzilla, as does the local Air Force, which just so happens to be peopled largely by Tsukioka’s old friends. Kobayashi, back at base, asks Hidemi for advice about women (!). Tsukioka finds Godzilla, and Kobayashi rushes off to join him, leaving behind his little black book; Hidemi peeks inside it, and finds only photos of Kobayashi and, um, some girl (!!).

Tsukioka tells the Air Force where Godzilla is – in a dead-end crevasse on an icy island – and suggests that they cut off his exit route. The Air Force is dispatched, Tsukioka in the back seat of one of the planes, and they proceed to shoot Godzilla a lot. Strangely, this doesn’t accomplish much. Then, Kobayashi decides, weirdly, but with resolve, to dive at Godzilla. Godzilla destroys the man’s plane with his, um, breath weapon, and it crashes into the ice above him, causing a small avalanche. This gives Tsukioka reason to grieve, but also an excellent idea. He suggests that the Air Force shoot at the ice above Godzilla. They do, and partially bury him. They then return to base to discuss the plan (!!!). Then they go back to the island, where Godzilla is climbing out of the ice, and shoot more ice down on him until he is buried completely. The end.