Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

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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Destroy All Monsters (1968)

This is cinema. This is joy. This is a contender for the most deliriously fun kaiju movie of all time, although I am saying this with a number of other great films still to check out. Destroy All Monsters feels like a joyous celebration of a cornucopia of wonderful movie creations. Some may be critical of the fact that it doesn't really feel like a proper movie, but those people are simply not fans of joy.

All of the monsters on Earth have been housed peacefully in a location known as Monster Island. There are various safeguards in place, and the situation is being closely monitored. Everything changes when the monsters manage to overcome the safeguards though, heading off for a stomp and a stamp through some major cities. This is all down to a race of aliens who want to give Earth a major headache, and things will culminate with one other famous monster being brought along to join in with the fighting.

I have known people who are happiest when they are viewing films without having to think about reviewing them, mainly because they can just sit back and enjoy the film without thinking about how they will critique it after. I have never had that problem, but that's mainly due to the fact that sometimes I just put my critical faculties to one side. Some films need a lot of exploration, some need to be discussed in an ongoing conversation that brings up the positive and negative aspects, and some are just an absolute blast that should be viewed as an absolute blast. Destroy All Monsters falls into the latter category.

There are some human actors, of course, but they're even less consequential than usual. They do what they have to do, and move the plot forward, but this is all about Godzilla and co. Whether they are being shown just chilling out on Monster Island, smashing up some cityscapes, or fighting against a common enemy, they are as full of personality and life as they have been in any of their previous movie appearances. Nothing really matters, aside from the chance to spend time in the middle of all of these wonderful creations.

Ishirô Honda is the man at the helm once again, and he also helped to write the screenplay with Takeshi Kimura. You couldn't really ask for safer hands on the wheel, and they know exactly how to make use of all of the monsters without moving them too far away from how they have come to be viewed as the movies have progressed to more lighter and family-friendly fare. If you want fierce beasts then you'll need to look at other eras of these films. This is all about the cuteness, as far as I'm concerned.

I could easily watch this on a loop, and it sits up there with the very best kaiju movies. I am pretty sure that many will agree with me, but for those who don't like their creature features to be quite so wonderful and silly . . . there are dozens more to opt for instead.

9/10

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Son Of Godzilla (1967)

Sometimes, quite often actually, I watch movies that are a lot of fun, but prove to be very difficult to consider reviewing. But part of the reason I watch many movies is to also review them. Son Of Godzilla is one of those movies. I had a blast with it. I'm not sure how much I have to say about it though. Let's give it a go anyway.

Written by the prolific Shin'ichi Sekizawa and less prolific Kazue Shiba (this is the second of only two screenplays that they worked on), what you have here is a kaiju movie that feels even more aimed at children as the last one I recently watched. Some may view that as a bad thing, but it depends on what kind of Godzilla movie you want on any given day. I enjoyed this, and I am glad that I am finally discovering it now, along with the many other kaiju movies I am finally catching up with.

The story concerns a team of scientists who are busy doing weather-related science stuff on an island. Of course, that's not all that happens on the island. There's a mysterious woman (played by Bibari Maeda) living in the jungle, some large praying mantises, a large egg set to hatch a baby Godzilla, and some kind of giant spider that should be avoided. All of these elements come together as a reporter (played by Akira Kubo) finds himself in the middle of a bigger story than anything he could have imagined. Oh, and Godzilla is due to turn up, of course.

Director Jun Fukuda returns to this long-running movie series with an instalment that clearly revels in the variety of creatures and adventures available. The script may be silly, but it's also undeniably fun, and often feels more like a Jules Verne adventure than a Godzilla movie for most of the runtime. I understand why that may displease some, but I loved it.

Both Maeda and Kubo are decent human players in the middle of the madness, and joined by some familiar faces (including Tadao Takashima, Akihiko Hirata,  and Yoshio Tsuchiya), and they react convincingly enough to the parade of wonderful creatures who end up on the island alongside them.

The style here is cute, as opposed to anything approaching fearsome or realism, and I can't say that I mind cute being the aim when a story involves both giant praying mantises and a giant spider. While it's all safe and clearly fake, it's also still easy to appreciate as something put together by people working hard to put a variety of practical effects onscreen in a way that captivates and entertains younger viewers. Very young viewers might still get a bit scared by a couple of scenes, but most should be just fine, and there's no maximum age limit on enjoying this kind of thing, thankfully.

6/10

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Ebirah, Horror Of The Deep (1966)

In my ongoing journey through some of the classic kaiju films, and the word classic is being asked to do a fair bit of heavy lifting there, I have already grown accustomed to being a bit disappointed. The highs are really high, but there have been quite a few low points, especially over the past few weeks. Ebirah, Horror Of The Deep, also known as Ebirah, Terror Of The Deep, is not a low point. In fact, it's a new favourite, and I'm sure that many fans of these movies will already be exasperated every time I offer an opinion that is ridiculously late to the kaiju party.

The story concerns a group of men who steal a yacht. One of them has recently had a brother go missing at sea and he's determined to find him. They end up on a mysterious island, controlled by terrorists, and the waters surrounding the island are home to, as if you couldn't guess already, Ebirah, a creature that looks very much like a giant lobster. Perhaps Godzilla can be called upon to help. Or maybe another one of the gigantic creatures that we've encountered in previous movies.

Written by Shin'ichi Sekizawa, this is a fun adventure film that feels more like Mysterious Island at times than a standard Godzilla movie (and it's worth noting that Big G only really appears for a short period of time during the third act). While the characters are as forgettable as usual, as individuals, there are at least various factions interacting with one another. Yata (Tôru Ibuki) is the missing man, Ryôta (Tôru Watanabe) is his brother, the terrorists are standard baddies, and Daiyo (Kumi Mizuno) is a young woman trying to maintain her freedom on an island that has been turned into a prison. Sekizawa does well to keep bringing things back to these main players, ultimately allowing them to interact with one another until it's time to bring on the monster battles.

Director Jun Fukuda does a decent job, although the island setting means that he doesn't have the opportunity to show any truly impressive destruction, there is no major cityscape to be stomped on here. He keeps everything moving well enough though, helped by the plotting of Sekizawa's screenplay, and proves to be a very solid stand-in for/successor to the legendary Ishirô Honda.

There's no point in mentioning the performances of the cast members. They do what is needed, and Mizuno once again adds some glamorous beauty to the proceedings, but they're really just moving set dressing until the big beasties come along, and those big beasties will keep the fans happy. Godzilla is a delight when onscreen, but Ebirah is definitely one of my favourite creations from the list of many supporting kaiju that I'd never previously heard of. It looks impressive and dangerous, and the practical effects team all work hard to make it feel like a plausible oceanic threat.

A real joy from start to finish, even if it could have done with a bit more screentime for Godzilla, this is one I am glad to have finally seen. And I'd happily rewatch it any time.

8/10

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