Son of Godzilla
Movie, 1967, Showa era, Set in Solgell Island
Son of Godzilla is #8 of 35 in release order and #8 of 35 in chronological order in the Godzilla.
The story
Reporter Goro Maki stumbles upon scientists conducting weather experiments on Sollgel Island in the South Seas. He discovers the island is inhabited by giant mantis and a woman named Saeko who's been cast away since the death of her father. The pair soon find a helpless infant monster that Godzilla must adopt and learn to raise as one of his own.
Son of Godzilla recap
Scientists on Solgell Island test a weather-control system, joined by Goro Maki, a pushy reporter. A strange signal jams their first test, which creates a radioactive storm and turns the island's praying mantises into giant Kamacuras. The mantises dig up a giant egg, which hatches into a baby Godzilla, Minilla, whose cries were the signal. Godzilla arrives, kills two Kamacuras and adopts Minilla. Saeko, the daughter of a dead archaeologist who has been living alone on the island, befriends the baby. Godzilla teaches Minilla to roar and fight; at first he only blows smoke rings, but he learns to fire a real beam when pushed. Minilla accidentally wakes Kumonga, a giant spider, which traps him and the last Kamacuras in its web.
Son of Godzilla ending explained
Godzilla and Minilla kill Kumonga together, then hibernate as the island freezes over. The scientists finish their weather test and bury the island in snow so they can escape, and a submarine picks them up. Godzilla and Minilla hold each other as the snow falls and settle into hibernation until the island warms again. Minilla returns in Destroy All Monsters.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Son of Godzilla
Son of Godzilla is streaming on HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Apple TV and Fandango At Home.
Ratings
IMDb 5.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes 63%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, before Destroy All Monsters.
- Chronological order: after Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, before All Monsters Attack.
What to watch before Son of Godzilla
In release order, 7 Godzilla essentials come before Son of Godzilla (1967), from Godzilla (1954) to Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966).
Cast
- Tadao Takashima as Dr. Tsunezo Kusumi
- Bibari Maeda as Saeko Matsumiya
- Akira Kubo as Goro Maki
- Akihiko Hirata as Fujisaki
- Kenji Sahara as Morio
- Yoshio Tsuchiya as Furukawa
- Susumu Kurobe as Meteorological observation plane captain
- Kazuo Suzuki as Meteorological observation plane navigator
- Ken'ichirō Maruyama as Ozawa
- Seishirō Kuno as Tashiro
- Yasuhiko Saijō as Suzuki
- Chōtarō Tōgin as Meteorological observation plane radio operator
Directed by Jun Fukuda.