Kuja and "Godzilla...All Out Attack"

[Kuja]

So, I sat down knowing I was going to hate "Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack" because they'd made my favorite Godzilla villain, King Ghidorah, into a good guy. In fact, the only reason I bought it was because some Godzilla website said it was good.

105 minutes later, I'd experienced a complete turnaround in my opinion. AOA had completely blown me out of the water and then some. Why? Read on.

PLOT: Some Godzilla movies are little more that big fights with a little fluff around them. Not this one. AOA has a solid plot that can stand with the best Godzilla movies ever made. The idea of Godzilla being an avenger of all the people the Japanese killed during WWII is a new and fascinating one.

GOOD GUYS: Now, normally when you hear the words 'guardian monsters' you'd figure that they're there to protect the people of Japan, right? Wrong. The three good monsters (Baragon, Mothra, and Ghidorah) only want to defend Japan itself. They don't care one bit about the folks living there. In fact, Mothra and Baragon both make their first appearences while killing folks who dared to defile their shrines!

BAD GUY: You've seen Godzilla as a villain before, but never like this. This Godzilla is absolutely merciless. Even the original Godzilla movie doesn't quite parellel what big G does to folks in this one. He practically goes out of his way just to make sure people die screaming.

COSTUMES: First and foremost: Godzilla is the best-looking creature in the movie. In this incarnation, he has solid white eyes, which add to the aura of cruelty that hangs around him. The costume overall resembles the original moreso than most others, which makes it easy to associate Godzilla with evil. Ghidorah's looks rank second, combining his classic gold-dragon looks with stylish new flair. Mothra now resembles a giant wasp, complete with stinger, which adds to her dangerous new persona. The only cheesy-looking costume is Baragon's but it's more forgivable than some past creatures.

SFX: The CGI in this movie is GREAT. Mothra buzzing Godzilla's head looks almost real, and the CGI Ghidorah near the end looks jaw-droppingly good. Godzilla's fire is the best I've ever seen, bar none. Even Ghidorah's lighting looks great.

DUB: The dub is nearly flawless. he recreation of the actor's voices in dead-on, and the dialogue suffers almost no damage. Of course, there are a couple of bad moments, but they're quick to pass and easily forgiven.

FIGHTS: What's a Godzilla movie without monster clashes? There's two major battles in this one, and both of them are well-done. Godzilla does some pretty good ducking and seems to have the upper hand at nearly all times. The fights' ends are another plus. Baragon's death in the first battle is a tearjerker, and in the second...well, I won't give it away, but I'll just say it's great.

MUSIC: The score for AOA is so great, it might've been written by Akira Ikufube himself. The music brings out the best in every moment of the story, from Mothra's awakening to the final climactic struggle. The classic Godzilla theme doesn't appear until the very end, but even then, it's used well (trust me).

So, Godzilla fans, give AOA a try and don't be afraid of its stand-alone ideals. Take it from a guy who's had a total change of heart: this movie is great.

[SylasGaunt]

So, I sat down knowing I was going to hate "Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack" because they'd made my favorite Godzilla villain, King Ghidorah, into a good guy. In fact, the only reason I bought it was because some Godzilla website said it was good.

105 minutes later, I'd experienced a complete turnaround in my opinion. AOA had completely blown me out of the water and then some. Why? Read on.

I would have seen this coming if I'd known of your opinion. GMK is without a doubt one (and in my opinion the) best Goji film since the original.

PLOT: Some Godzilla movies are little more that big fights with a little fluff around them. Not this one. AOA has a solid plot that can stand with the best Godzilla movies ever made. The idea of Godzilla being an avenger of all the people the Japanese killed during WWII is a new and fascinating one.

Minor nitpick it's not just Japanese souls but American, Chinese, etc. Basically all the angry ghosts of WW2's pacific theater

GOOD GUYS: Now, normally when you hear the words 'guardian monsters' you'd figure that they're there to protect the people of Japan, right? Wrong. The three good monsters (Baragon, Mothra, and Ghidorah) only want to defend Japan itself. They don't care one bit about the folks living there. In fact, Mothra and Baragon both make their first appearences while killing folks who dared to defile their shrines!

Yeah I loved that.. poor Baragon.. he had spunk.

BAD GUY: You've seen Godzilla as a villain before, but never like this. This Godzilla is absolutely merciless. Even the original Godzilla movie doesn't quite parellel what big G does to folks in this one. He practically goes out of his way just to make sure people die screaming.

Yep yep, Godzilla back the way he was originally.. only you're right they gave him an even nastier temper than he had in G'54. That scene where he nukes the fleeing civvies and the hospital scene both come to mind. Oh and the absolutely merciless beating he lays on Baragon.

COSTUMES: First and foremost: Godzilla is the best-looking creature in the movie. In this incarnation, he has solid white eyes, which add to the aura of cruelty that hangs around him. The costume overall resembles the original moreso than most others, which makes it easy to associate Godzilla with evil.

Some people don't like that particular suit.. don't ask me why though I love it.

Ghidorah's looks rank second, combining his classic gold-dragon looks with stylish new flair.

And I also feel the need to point out that the shorter necks on this one help prevent the patently ridiculous looking Ghidorah Head Flop we always got in the other films (where his heads would flop about at random in every direction)

SFX: The CGI in this movie is GREAT. Mothra buzzing Godzilla's head looks almost real, and the CGI Ghidorah near the end looks jaw-droppingly good. Godzilla's fire is the best I've ever seen, bar none. Even Ghidorah's lighting looks great.

Definite agreement here.

FIGHTS: What's a Godzilla movie without monster clashes? There's two major battles in this one, and both of them are well-done. Godzilla does some pretty good ducking and seems to have the upper hand at nearly all times. The fights' ends are another plus. Baragon's death in the first battle is a tearjerker, and in the second...well, I won't give it away, but I'll just say it's great.

Yeah, Goji's in full on Juggernaut mode in this flick.

MUSIC: The score for AOA is so great, it might've been written by Akira Ikufube himself. The music brings out the best in every moment of the story, from Mothra's awakening to the final climactic struggle. The classic Godzilla theme doesn't appear until the very end, but even then, it's used well (trust me).

Another agreement. In fact IIRC the score is done by the same guy who did the recent gamera movies (which wouldn't surprise me as it also has the same Director and SFX guy).

[Howedar]

I want pictures.

[Shinova]

I've seen GMK too before. Very, very enjoyable. Much awesome monster beating action.

And Godzilla's atom breath looks really good in that movie.

[Shadow WarChief]

I want pictures.

This is the result after Godzilla uses his atomic breath for the first time.

Impressive neh? For other tasty screen shots, go here

[Spanky The Dolphin]

You watched the dub? After all these years, we finally get a Godzilla film in the US with the original Japanese audio and you watch the fucking dub?

Heathen.

[The Yosemite Bear]

Mikie: I can;t understand the subs-but it's an obvious "Last Man Standing Rip-off"....


I wonder why I loan him my Akira Kurasawa DVD's....

I know he's my best friend in this park but sometimes I think he does this just to annoy me...

now should I loan him my DVD of "The Seven Samuria"

[Tsyroc]

You watched the dub? After all these years, we finally get a Godzilla film in the US with the original Japanese audio and you watch the fucking dub?

Heathen.

Sometimes you watch what you can get, especially when it comes to Godzilla movies.

[Tsyroc]

Mikie: I can;t understand the subs-but it's an obvious "Last Man Standing Rip-off"....


I wonder why I loan him my Akira Kurasawa DVD's....

I know he's my best friend in this park but sometimes I think he does this just to annoy me...

now should I loan him my DVD of "The Seven Samuria"

"Last Man Standing Rip-off" Couldn't he have at least said that it was a rip-off of the mutch better A Fistfull of Dollars? He isn't doing this stuff to you on purpose is he?

Before letting him watch The Seven Samuria you might want to see if he's seen The Magnificent Seven because if he has he's just going to piss you off again.

[LadyTevar]

Damn.... I need to find if any places around here rents it...

[Tsyroc]

It appears that Amazon is selling Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah - Giant Monsters All-Out Attack and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus and it looks like Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla will be out at the end of February.

I'm supposed to get alerts from them when G stuff comes out.


It still doesn't look like G 1985 (Returns), G vs. Biolante or G vs. Mecha Godzilla II have made it to DVD yet.

[Andrew J.]

So, I sat down knowing I was going to hate "Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack" because they'd made my favorite Godzilla villain, King Ghidorah, into a good guy.

It's not really a rule that Ghidorah's a villain, the rule is that he's always on the side opposite Godzilla. That's why he was a villain during the mid- to late-Showa Era, during Godzilla's good guy superhero phase. He flipped from bad guy to good guy in the course of vs. King Ghidorah, when he was transformed into Mecha-King Ghidorah.

[SylasGaunt]

Damn.... I need to find if any places around here rents it...

It may not be the case there but my local blockbuster has it.

[Kuja]

Minor nitpick it's not just Japanese souls but American, Chinese, etc. Basically all the angry ghosts of WW2's pacific theater

Err...isn't that pretty much what I said?

Some people don't like that particular suit.. don't ask me why though I love it.

I like it because it was perfect for Godzilla's role in GMK. It was sinister and evil, and it suited him perfectly.

You watched the dub? After all these years, we finally get a Godzilla film in the US with the original Japanese audio and you watch the fucking dub?

Heathen.

I watched both.

It still doesn't look like G 1985 (Returns), G vs. Biolante or G vs. Mecha Godzilla II have made it to DVD yet.

I wish they would too, esp 1985. That was the first Godzilla movie I ever saw and I have a special place in my heart for it.

It's not really a rule that Ghidorah's a villain,

I know that, but I prefer to think of him as one.

the rule is that he's always on the side opposite Godzilla. That's why he was a villain during the mid- to late-Showa Era, during Godzilla's good guy superhero phase. He flipped from bad guy to good guy in the course of vs. King Ghidorah, when he was transformed into Mecha-King Ghidorah.

MKG wasn't really King Ghidorah since he was controlled (IIRC) by a human, so it was off my radar.

[SylasGaunt]

Err...isn't that pretty much what I said?

Doh I read it wrong, my bad. Though IIRC they also speculate that the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were in there to, though I suppose if you work back far enough you could say they fit that definition.

[Andrew J.]

MKG wasn't really King Ghidorah since he was controlled (IIRC) by a human, so it was off my radar.

Even regular old biological Ghidorah was being controlled by humans in that movie; he was more like a neutral, neither good nor bad creature in his Heisei, IMO.

[Tasoth]

I'll have to look into this one. Any other suggestion on recent godzilla flicks that are good? How about Gamera versus Legion and the Third gamera film released recently?

[Tsyroc]

I'll have to look into this one. Any other suggestion on recent godzilla flicks that are good? How about Gamera versus Legion and the Third gamera film released recently?

The three newer Gamera films are good. I liked Gamera vs Legion more than the last film with Iris but they are both good.

How recent do you mean in Godzilla flicks?

Most of the 90s films are entertaining. I liked Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II and Godzilla vs Destroyah the best.

[Kuja]

I'll have to look into this one. Any other suggestion on recent godzilla flicks that are good?

As Tsyroc said, GVMG2 and Destroyah are both good. Godzilla v Spacegodzilla is fair. Godzilla 2000 is, IMO, the second best of the Shinsei series that I've seen so far. Godzilla x Megaguiras is okay. I would've liked it better is they hadn't used stutter shot so damn much during the final battle.

[Stravo]

Thanks to your recommendation Kuja, I just ordered the DVD from B&N.com and expect it in my DVD player for this weekend. I've been dying for a really good all out monster battle ala Destroy All Monsters and missed the villainous Godzilla.

[SylasGaunt]

I'll have to look into this one. Any other suggestion on recent godzilla flicks that are good? How about Gamera versus Legion and the Third gamera film released recently?

The Heisei Gamera trilogy is an excellent purchase

Godzilla vs. Destroyah is also good (and comes on a two-sided DVD with Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla which is at least watchable)

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II is good to.. Godzilla 1985 and Godzilla vs. Biollante are also reccomended though these last three are not, to my knowledge, available on DVD.

[Tsyroc]

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is pretty good as long as you don't try to make the plot follow logic. Just wait for the cool stuff.


I ordered the two most recent DVD releases from Amazon but I did see them on the shelves at Best Buy so that might be an option to someone who doesn't want to wait.

I still haven't finished watching Angel season 3 and Superman: Last Son of Krypton (the first few episodes of the animated series).