It's not surprising that a hit film like "Gojira" would spawn a sequel, even back the 50's. But do you think there was a single person who saw that there would be, depending on which films you include, almost thirty of them in the next 60 years?
Godzilla 1955, from the immediate sequel to the 1954 classic, is from the film "Godzilla Raids Again". It's pretty much the original film's ugly little cousin, and in essence, the same applies to this suit. The film feels more B-rated, cheaply made and cashing in on the success of the original much like "Son of Frankenstein" or whatever ludicrous cash-ins Hollywood was doing with monster films in those days. But, the film is under-appreciated for two things: it started the trend of Godzilla fighting another giant monster (which is still going strong 60 years later) and it also has given us one of the most unstoppable Godzilla's ever put in the films.
For all his physical...strangeness, Godzilla 1955 was a monster that could not be stopped. He tore through Osaka and another monster, and without the Oxygen Destroyer or the brilliant scientist who used it to stop the first Godzilla, there is just no long-term plan of success for mankind here. There is just absolute hopelessness throughout the film in regards to defeating this Godzilla. The ending, which unlike the sad but hopeful closure of the '54 film, feels strictly like a compromise this go around.
Of course, despite not even a whole year since the first was in theaters, this Godzilla looked a little different. After the complaints of how heavy the first suit was, and the fact that this film demanded fight scenes, the costume was toned down and made more lean. The actor was way more mobile and wasn't as physically grueling--relatively speaking. The cutback also made for a lankier, less hostile looking version of the monster king that X-Plus has captured flawlessly.
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| Godzilla had major stretch marks coming off his workout regime |
The sculpt matches the goofy-ferociousness of the suit. And yes, it does have both of those traits. He looks happy, but those fangs are no joke and actually pretty sharp (as are his claws of course). His spines are very jagged and match the film inch by inch. The tail is different than most Godzillas and is spot-on as well. The legs are lankier and thinner but appear "baggy" to be suit-accurate. He's got his karate fight stance thing going on..his exact fighting stance he has as he prepared for Anguirus' attack in the movie. Speaking of, as old as it is, the fight scene in "Godzilla Raids Again" is one of the most brutal, violent battles in kaiju movie history.
I mentioned the pose before but I love how identifiable it is. X-Plus knows how to cepture the spirit of the beasts in vinyl. To non-fans, many of these poses may look silly. But this series has changed so much with the times and X-Plus deserves credit for embracing it like with even their flamboyant figures like their 30cm '68 and 25cm '75.
The paint is pretty much all black and grey to match how he appears in the film, just as they did with the 1954 figure. Whereas we know the original Godzilla costume was actually brown, I don't know if that was the case for 1955. I think I'd assume that it was the first film where he was his charcoal grey color--something that would remain mostly the same over the span of 60 years. If true, that is another thing this film set in place for it's successors.
I can't stress enough how weird the face looks, but it truly is spot-on to the movie. I can pick this guy out from any collection in America and know exactly which movie this figure is from. The suit had that exact goofball look. It almost looks like an amateur puppet or like somewhere around the molding process something didn't set well. He's got the big puppet eyes and the overbite. The truth is, this Godzilla is generally frowned upon among fans (shocker I know) but I got to give it to X-Plus they totally got it right.
As with the other 30cm figures, Godzilla '55 is about 12 inches too. He's definitely a tad thinner than the traditional Godzilla suit and looks like he's been hit by a little TOO much radiation compared to his peers. But I think he looks downright awesome next to the other incarnations on a shelf and totally legit next to the 1955 Anguirus. If you have one you should definitely own the other--they look like they were made to be posed against each other. As for this guy by himself, I have to say X-Plus earned another 5 out of 5. Great sculpt, business-as-usual paint apps, and a neat dynamic pose. He has the shelf presence that you expect to get for a triple digit figure as well.
Size Comparison:
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| 30cm Godzilla 1955 and 30cm Godzilla 1954 |
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| 30cm '55, 30cm '68', 30cm '64, Dunk '84, and 30cm '62 |
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