These days sequels are a pale lot, for the most part. You know a sequel is going to suck when the main characters decline the option to be in the next film. Or, when they pull a Stallone or Stone and do one movie too many... That first sequel can mean a lot to the fans or lose a fanbase entirely by blowing chunks. Godzilla Raids Again not only brings the main characters back, but it introduces a new main character: Anguirus. This spiny-shelled monster reminded me a bit of Bowser without the bracelets and the bright colors. The scientific explanation is that Anguirus is an Ankylosaurus, or long lost dinosaur species that has turned up to fight Godzilla. What prompts these two to fight we'll never know and in fact, we never would know unless we happened to be flies on the shoulder of an intrepid Japanese pilot one day...

The Japanese story centers around several characters employed by a fishing company. The company sends pilots up to scout fish over the ocean and monitor the fleet. At the beginning of Godzilla Raids Again, one pilot is stranded so his friend motors out to find him. Their meeting on the island is interrupted by some earth-shaking rumbles and the two giant creatures are seen fighting. This fight concludes without a clear victory and both monsters disappear beneath the water. Not long after this, the monsters hit land and start laying waste to everything around them. It won't spoil the story to say that the final battle isn't between the monsters, but again between Godzilla and a few brave men. If you're wondering how Godzilla escaped that little death incident from the last movie, it is explained as, "another Godzilla." And how can you argue with that?

The DVD includes some neat extras like a version of the US film based on Godzilla Raids Again. I say "based on" because you just can't hold one up against the other and be sure that you're looking at the same film. The human interest story that sits underneath the monster scenes is obliterated in our domestic release. The melodrama of the first movie is toned down a tad when it comes to both good and bad outpouring of emotion. There aren't a lot of complicated human interactions in the film. One of the flyboys is a clown and the other is a good-natured fellow that all the girls can fall in love with. Guess who survives? The filming and editing is comparable to what we saw in the first movie and there are some cool stills of art from the release of Godzilla Raids Again and a documentary on the actor inside the Godzilla suit. The US translation and modification of the original is barely worth watching, but for the sake of seeing how Asian culture was bent to suit American tastes. These days we have a deep appreciation for something like Godzilla Raids Again because we're still in love with dinosaurs and we still like to see Japan torn to shreds. The battling between the monsters is done well and these scenes are some of the best. If you liked the first movie, you'll enjoy this one and the quality of this compilation is very high.