Know Your Monster: 17
KUMONGA
The atomic mutant spider Kumonga appears to have been inspired by the giant arachnid that ravaged the Arizona desert in the 1955 sci-fi thriller Tarantula (our March 8 Trillion Dollar Movie, see http://callmestormy.com/2013/03/08/tarantula/). In different dubs, Kumonga is sometimes called Spiga. Exposure to a radioactive storm over the remote Sollgel Island in the South Pacific transforms him from a very big spider to a humongous one, with an estimated height of 45 meters.
It’s Kumonga’s size that makes him exceptional and magnifies the impact of his weaponry — a poisonous stinger and his razor-sharp legs. He also will try to ensnare victims in his webbing. In the 1967 movie Son of Godzilla, Kumonga first traps and pounces upon a Kamacuras, or giant praying mantis. But then Kumonga moves on to capture Godzilla’s son, Minilla. Big mistake! The Big G rushes to the rescue, and together with Minilla, they pulverize Kumonga, zapping him with their atomic rays.
This is one of the tweener movies in the Godzilla franchise — perhaps too corny for adults viewers, maybe too terrifying for youngsters. Call me a sap or a sucker, but I enjoy the scenes of Minilla blowing smoke rings while trying to get his atomic breath up to full blast strength.
Getting back to Kumonga, while he sure looks like a goner here, he miraculously recovers and returns for the omnibus Destroy All Monsters as well as more recent movies.
A fan’s tribute to Kumonga.
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Tomorrow’s featured monster: Mechagodzilla
