Uber-Lobster Ebirah ^ Since the late 1960s, when Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (Nankai no Daiketto) first aired on U.S. television--there was never a domestic theatrical release--the movie opened with footage from later in the film of the title's sea monster (uber-lobster Ebirah) destroying a yacht, ostensibly owned by Yata, the brother of our young protagonist Ryôta. However, it's clear that it's the same yacht later commandeered by Ryôta because its name, Yahlen, is clearly visible on the hull. The film then cuts to a dance competition, where Ryôta hopes to win a boat so he may go and rescue his lost brother. Missing is the actual opening from the Japanese version, in which the siblings' mother goes to a medium, who tells her that her son cannot be found in the land of the dead, which is what motivates Ryôta to embark on his quest. Thankfully, this Sony release offers the full-length Japanese version, in anamorphic widescreen, with a choice of subtitles or English audio. The English dub, however, is the horrendous made-in-Hong-Kong international version; it's not the superior Walter Reade-Sterling TV version (which featured Hal Linden, TV's Barney Miller, as the voice of Yoshimura, the bank robber played by Akira Takarada), since it would not have fit the full-length film.
The increasing financial hardships that had begun to plague Japanese movie studios in the mid- to late-'60s--which would eventually lead to a near-total collapse of the Japanese film industry--began to reveal themselves in the production of Sea Monster. Rather than the intricate city sets that effects director Eiji Tsuburaya had crafted so painstakingly in earlier films, most of the monster action takes place on the much sparser Letchi Island set. Still, most of the monster scenes are well directed and include a few superlative moments, such as Godzilla's attack on the base of the Red Bamboo--the military organization, presumably communist, that has enslaved the natives of Infant Island and is secretly building nuclear weapons on Letchi--and the MIG jet assault on Godzilla himself.
To this time, most Godzilla movies--and the bulk of Toho's daikaiju and science fiction releases--had been scored by Akira Ifukube. For Sea Monster, Composer Masaru Sato provided the musical score, which made for a very different experience for those accustomed to Ifukube's familiar style. Sato had scored Godzilla Raids Again (Gigantis, the Fire Monster) and The Abominable Snowman (Half Human), but his greatest claim to fame was having provided the the musical soundtracks for numerous films by Akira Kurosawa. His work for Sea Monster is highly enjoyable on its own, yet as a Godzilla movie score, it oftentimes seems too playful--particularly during the MIG attack on Godzilla. It's a rocking, guitar-driven piece, its riffs reminiscent of the Ventures. Some of the incidental music for scenes on the island has a Mondo Exotica feel, reminding one of Martin Denny and Les Baxter's lounge lizard compositions (not that this is a bad thing, said the confirmed old lounge lizard). Sato would go on to score most of the Godzilla films directed by Jun Fukuda, and while the mood his music sets deviates significantly from anything Ifukube might ever have imagined, it in its way, it certainly keeps the scores from coming across as stale retreads.
This DVD release is pretty much bare bones, with just a few trailers as extra features, but the very nice, anamorphic print of the original full-length film is certainly a coup for Godzilla completists.
Suspence realy? ^ this movie made me want to see godzilla. you wait throught the whole movie and when you get him its a prize, its like jason goes to hell in a way, you dont get him for a while and when you do its like F ing yeah!!! but its better cause its GODZILLA!!!! with mothra. i like mothra but i wish GODZILLA faught on his own. why dont they take mothra in another direction. any way. Ebirah is a kool lobster and kills every thing, accept when the red bamboo shoot yellow paint at him, what is he the green lantern? any way. its fun and realy Suspencefull and makes you hate the red bamboo and the sherizawa look alike. lol. any way get this movie if you love godzilla, or get it to do you own MST3K thing with it. I love this movie cause its fun and cheesey and who doesnt like lobster? AND OH YEAH ITS GODZILLA!!!! the bigest international super star ever. and he wont ever die. they'll just resurect him in a couple years or so, like they have don in the past.
awesome!!! ^ the title says it all. This movie is awesome! Ebirus is a rock lobster!!!!!
Godzilla and The Deadliest Catch ^ I have to say I was really excited to finally see the uncut original version of "Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster", to date my only exposure to the film came through my repeated viewing of Mystery Science Theater's riffed version of the film. Unlike the other Godzilla film featured in MST3K (Godzilla vs. Megalon), I always felt the "Sea Monster" was a decent kaiju film film, and actually one of the better of late 60's Godzilla films.
The titular Sea Monster in the film is Ebirah, a giant lobster that patrols the seas around a remote island. An island used by a nefarious para-military group known as Red Bamboo who are using the secret island to build an aresenal of deadly weapons. Using slave labor, Red Bamboo has also created a chemical which repels the deadly Ebirah, ensuring that they are the only people who can approach or depart from the island without ending up as lobster food.
Four unlikely thieves stumble into this hideout while looking for a missing fisherman. There they discover the Red Bamboo operation, and devise a plan to free the slaves. Toss Godzilla into the mix, and add just a dash of Mothra, and this is a fun little entry into Toho series.
This is actually a really fun, character driven film. The interaction between the four men and the runaway slave girl is a lot of fun. If you are hoping for tons of monster fights, or watching Godzilla flatten Tokyo, then you may be disappointed. Godzilla doesn't really make an appearance until the final third of the film, and as you can imagine his fight scenes with the water-bound Ebirah are kind of limited. Godzilla does get in a quick fight with a second nemesis known as Condra, and tackles some fighter jets as well, but the fight scenes aren't the focus of the film. Mothra, though playing a vital part, has very little screentime.
While not the best Godzilla film in the series, this is a fun entry and worth picking up for fans of the series.
A tropical vacation with Godzilla ^ There's not much to say about Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster. The plot is minimal, and revolves around a group of stowaways on a remote island who come across a hot slave girl named Daiyo and end up battling a terrorist organization that is constructing nuclear weapons for some reason. Also, there's a giant lobster named Ebirah (which is a Japanese word for shrimp...did they ever explain this?) that guards the island and ends up fighting Godzilla, who is hibernating inside a mountain (they certainly never explain THAT). Oh, there's also a giant condor that comes out of nowhere to attack Godzilla at one point.
Despite a lazy script that's rife with unbelievable coincidences and logical fallacies, Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster is a watchable, if unremarkable entry in the series. The effects budget was obviously drastically cut since the previous film, which is why most of the action revolves around the humans. Luckily, the cast features some regulars who are always fun to watch (Kumi Mizuno, Akihiko Hirata, and Akira Takarada, among others), as well as an absolutely fantastic score by Masaru Sato, best-known for his work on several Akira Kurosawa classics as well as a few other Godzilla films. Recommended for fans of the series, but others probably won't enjoy it, unless they watch the hilarious MST3K version of the film.
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