Following the release of Invasion of Astro-Monster, Toho decided to start working on a new King Kong movie. Originally titled Operation Robinson Crusoe: King Kong vs. Ebirah, Rankin/Bass Productions rejected it and Godzilla was added instead. After directing the previous four entries, Ishiro Honda stepped down and Jun Fukuda stepped in the director’s chair. This entry was given a much lower budget than the previous films, as Toho wanted to cut back on expenses. For instance, instead of being set in Tokyo, the setting was changed to an island in the Pacific. Also, many actors from previous Godzilla films, including Akira Takarada and Kumi Mizuno, returned to play completely different characters. Sadamasa Arikawa, who directed the special effects, noted how frustrating the experience was given the limited budget. Finally, 1966 saw the release of Ebirah, Horror of The Deep, aka Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster.
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Synopsis
Ryota (Tôru Watanabe) is searching for his brother after he’s lost at sea following a boating accident. He steals a yacht with his friends Ichino (Chotaro Togin) and Nita (Hideo Sunazuka) alongside bank robber Yoshimura (Akira Takarada). They end up stranded on a remote island being run by the Red Bamboo, led by Captain Yamoto (Akihiko Hirata). Turns out the Red Bamboo has enslaved the locals and has a monster known as Ebirah under their control. With help from a local girl named Daiyo (Kumi Mizuno), they find Godzilla trapped in a cave. Using a makeshift lightning rod, they awaken Godzilla to fight off the Red Bamboo and take on Ebirah. Soon enough, Ryota is reunited with his brother Yata (Toru Ibuki) and they try to escape the island. Mothra also arrives to save the locals and our heroes, as well as fight off Godzilla before the island explodes.
Review
Often considered one of the lesser entries in the series, Ebirah, Horror of the Deep is more a middle-of-the-road entry. Compared to King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan, Ebirah is a fairly uninteresting monster, basically just a jumbo shrimp. On top of that, Godzilla doesn’t do anything until the 50-minute mark, and even then, the fight isn’t that exciting. Still, there are some amusing moments, such as one where Godzilla and Ebirah play catch with a boulder. Also, while it’s great seeing Mothra make a return, her role in this is more or less a cameo. You can tell this was originally a King Kong movie given how differently Godzilla acts in this film. Like Kong, he’s found in a cave, awoken by lightning, and has an odd attraction to the female lead. It makes me wonder what this movie would’ve been like had the main monster been King Kong instead.
As far as the human plot goes, it’s definitely one of the more unique storylines in a Godzilla film. The addition of a corrupt paramilitary group enslaving an island’s natives is a nice touch that makes this stand out. It’s interesting how Akihiko Hirata, who portrayed Dr. Daisuke Serizawa in the original Godzilla, once again dons an eyepatch. Here, he plays a villain and gives a solid performance, and Kumi Mizuno from Invasion of Astro-Monster does solid work. The other cast members do their jobs well, but none of them really stand out aside from those mentioned earlier. While the effects are noticeably cheaper given the reduced budget, it’s still fun watching Godzilla trample over military vehicles. At an hour and 23 minutes, the film moves at a decent pace and provides decent kaiju entertainment. Overall, Ebirah, Horror of the Deep is a flawed but enjoyable entry in the series.
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