In 1955, after dealing with the destruction caused by the monster known as Godzilla; the people of Japan were rebuilding their lives, and looking forward to moving on. What they didn’t expect was another Godzilla like monster to appear, along with another monster!
Since it’s debut in 1955; Anguirus has become one of the most prolific monsters in the Godzilla film series. Anguirus was the first ever monster to fight Godzilla, appearing in Godzilla Raids Again. Since that appearance though, he became something of a turncoat. Whilst originally foes, Godzilla and Anguirus quickly became trusted allies, and have on several occassions worked together to defeat a formidable foe or two. And then 30 years later, they were foes of each other once again (still, 40+ years of friendship is still pretty good going).
Ever since his first appearance, Anguirus has remained one of the most popular monsters in the series, and due to his distinctive look, is one of the most instantly recognisable in the entire Monster Movie genre. His appearances are not just limited to films though, as he has appeared in TV Shows, Books and Video Games. Anguirus has always been a personal favourite of mine too, which makes it even more sad that his last two film appearances (Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters), featured him as nothing more than a skeletal corpse……….that’s no way to treat an icon!
So whilst we wait for his next major movie appearance (hopefully not as a corpse next time), I thought it would be fun to do a list of his Top 5 movies. So without further ado; here are My Top 5 Favourite Films, featuring the Icon: Anguirus; Enjoy!
5. Godzilla: Final Wars – One day, completely out of the blue, several giant monsters appear all over the world. But just as quickly as they appeared, they disappear thanks to a group of supposedly peace loving aliens. Eventually though, the truth comes out, and so the remnants of hummanity must put their hope in a long forgotten name!
In most cases I would put this higher than the below film. But when you consider the existence of Anguirus between the two, he is somewhat lacking here (don’t worry, he’s not a corpse). This is the first film to feature Anguirus in 30 years, and whilst it’s great to see him, he does look a bit…off. There’s just something that seems a little bit off about him. From is design, to rounded features, and a brief point where he stands up on his two hind legs. It just doesn’t feel like the Anguirus we all know and love. But on the plus side, he does get more screen time than Hedorah does!
4. Godzilla vs. Gigan – An unemployed artist gets a job working for a sketchy (punn may be intended) company building a children’s theme park. He and his friends do some research, and things start going from weird, to more weird the more they found out about them!
Godzilla vs. Gigan is a very mixed film, as there’s quite a lot to like about it, but also quite a bit to get annoyed with. The film was made with an over confident approach to the use of stock footage, which creates several continuity issues. But on the plus side, the human story is very interesting, and the soundtrack is incredible. It really is an enigma. But where as the use of stock footage (and the odd scenes featuring Godzilla and Anguirus talking to each other) might cause irritation, the choice of monsters don’t. It’s a Tag-Team Match pitting Godzilla and Anguirus, against King Ghidorah and Gigan. The fight scenes are very brutal, and it’s of course the first ever film to feature Godzilla bleeding!
3. Godzilla Raids Again – Having spotted Godzilla fighting another monster on a far away island, the Japanese government takes steps to reduce the damage the two could cause, by predicting where they will attack, and evacuating the city. Things though take a much more serious turn, when they go somewhere else instead!
The second Godzilla film (which was infamously released in the United States as Gigantis, the Fire Monster), and the first to feature a fight between two monsters. One interesting tit-bit about this film (other than Godzilla’s slightly altered appearance) is how one of three cameras on the set was set at a different speed. This in turn allowed the fight in Osaka Bay area between the two to look more fluid. The fight between Godzilla and Anguirus is actually one of the best fights in the entire series, as the format for wrestling like fights had not yet been established, and in this instance, you see two giant creatures desperately trying to kill each other, making it quite possibly the most realistic fight in the series too. It’s a shame then that the fight happens smack bang in the middle of the film. But don’t let that put you off, as the ending is pretty epic too!
2. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla – A dark prophecy seems to be coming true, as strange events take place across Japan. From an Azumi priestess having a vision of a terrible monster (allbeit the wrong one) attacking the country, to the discovery of a strange statue, and even a single black cloud in the sky; what could all this mean?
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is captivating from statrt to finish. Either from it’s great story, the cool depiction of Interpol agents, the jazz like soundtrack, the violent fights between humans and green apes, or the introduction of Mechagodzilla; it’s all absolutely ace! But what about Anguirus? Well, he appears before the opening credits, roaring into the night. He then appears later on, and much like he did for Godzilla in Raids Again, here he becomes the first monster to fight Mechagodzilla. OK, the fight ends in a slightly horrific fashion, but at least he survived (although it would take him 30 years to recover…or more likely find another agent)!
1. Destroy All Monsters – All the worlds giant monsters have been collected, and placed on an island dubbed Monsterland. The place has been set up to contain the monsters, preventing any form of future breakout. So why is it then that seemingly all at once, Rodan is seen in Moscow, Gorosaurus in Paris, Mothra in Beijing, Manda in London, and Godzilla in New York?
For over a decade, Detroy All Monsters was my number one favourite movie (dethroned by Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth). It’s a seriously entertaining film, containing a science fiction based mystery involving giant monsters, and strange silver dressed female aliens. The film is not entirely focussed on Godzilla either, sure he is in the picture quite a bit, but there’s also a lot of scenes featuring other monsters, like Gorosaurus, Mothra, and of course Anguirus; who assists Godzilla in destroying a large military force, as well as the iconic momet where he is taken for a ride, courtesy of King Ghidorah. Destroy All Monsters is an amazing film, and a large part of what makes this film so great, is the decision to include several more monsters, and give them integral parts; and one of the most integral is of course…Anguirus!
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