My second disappointing kaiju movie in as many weeks, Godzilla vs. Gigan seems to pretty much ignore the previous instalment in the series to get back to the Monster Island plotting that allowed Godzilla and friends to remain gathered together in the one place to be handily called upon when needed.
This time around, aliens are wanting to secretly colonize Earth. They take human form, hiding their actual insectoid appearance, and end up making use of Gigan and King Ghidorah in their plans to destroy the human race, which leads to a predictable third act that puts Godzilla in the heart of the action.
Whether it was due to this feeling like a step backward after the previous movie, or due to the action scenes being slightly mishandled, Godzilla vs. Gigan is one of the lesser movies in this enduring series. The tone never feels properly set, with the shape-shifting alien plot strand ripe for some darkness and thrills offset by the comparatively juvenile Monster Island moments, there's somehow no real stakes in the big battles, and none of the main characters feel well-rounded enough to really care about. There's just nothing here for viewers to "hold on to", which is a failing from director Jun Fukuda and writers Takeshi Kimura and Shin'ichi Sekizawa (who were both tasked with coming up with story ideas that were then blended together).
The main cast members are Hiroshi Ishikawa, Yuriko Hishimi, Minoru Takashima, and Tomoko Umeda, but we all know that the main cast members are actually Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Gigan, and, this time around, Anguirus. Everyone, and every kaiju, does what they need to do, and there are individual moments that hint at how enjoyable this could have been, but they're generally unable to elevate the material.
It would seem that every subsequent instalment in this series leads to me writing ever-shrinking reviews, but there's nothing new to say. I don't want to spend too much time being critical of a template that others may still appreciate and retain a fondness for, especially when my own reaction may be based as much on my own mood when viewing the films as it is based on the films themselves, but there's certainly a notable difference in quality between something like this and one of the more fun instalments, whether aimed at general audiences or skewed towards a younger viewer demographic.
Will anyone come along to tell me how wrong I am about this one, or is it generally maligned by all? I'll just have to wait and see, but I'll be interested to find out if anyone can convince me to revisit and re-evaluate this one day. Because I can't see myself even remembering it within a month or two.
3/10
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