Director Ishiro Honda returns for the last Godzilla film of the Showa era, and while it still features space aliens intent on taking over the planet, this one feels a little deeper than some of the previous entries, by introducing some interesting characters who seem to really struggle with their natures. I’m talking, specifically about…
Tag: godzilla
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) – Jun Fukuda
These stories just get more and more out there! Delightedly so! This Godzilla adventure brings in secret Interpol agents, invading aliens, an imposter Godzilla,a new kaiju to add to the mythos, an Okinawan prophecy and a very rare non-terrestrial element, space titanium! There’s a lot going on in this one, and not a lot of…
Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) – Jun Fukuda
The dwellers of Seatopia send the drilling kaiju Megalon to the surface to destroy humanity for causing the destruction of a number of their people and their homes with the ongoing nuclear tests humanity is conducting. And despite the fact that they disappear about halfway through the film and don’t show up again, the rest…
Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) – Jun Fukuda
There are more alien problems in Godzilla vs. Gigan, which, like the previous films, combines some of the monster destruction, and kaiju shots from previous films (which causes a couple of continuity errors, but nothing to detract from one’s enjoyment of the monster mash). This time out, we join a manga artist (and honestly what…
Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) – Yoshimitsu Banno
The next film in the Godzilla series is probably the most psychedelic entry to date, and even features brief animated sequences. It also has a pretty important environmental message. The newest threat for Godzilla, and humanity, to confront is an ever-evolving, and shape-shifting creature from outer space, christened Hedorah, by young Godzilla fan (who he…
All Monsters Attack (1969) – Ishiro Honda
This entry in the Godzilla serries is unique, in that the majority of it takes place in the imagination of a young boy, Ichiro (Tomonori Yazaki). A latchkey kid, like a lot of us growing up in the 70s and 80s, Ichiro is a quiet kid (with Godzilla toys in the closet), who isn’t quite…
Destroy All Monsters (1968) – Ishiro Honda & Jun Fukuda
I’ll be honest, this is the first Godzilla movie I’ve watched that I didn’t pay attention to any of the actors or their arcs, I was just having too much fun with the monster mashing, the model work, and the way the mythology of the monster-verse has expanded to include so many creatures, aliens, and…
Son of Godzilla (1967) – Jun Fukuda
It was gonna happen sooner or later. There was going to be a classic Godzilla film that just didn’t ring my bell like the rest of the series, and as of this moment, it’s Son of Godzilla. While I enjoy all the monster fighting sequences, and even some of the goofy science outpost plot, the…
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966) – Jun Fukuda
It’s time for another kaiju throwdown as I settle in for Ebirah, Horror of the Deep. Light, funny, and goofy, the story follows a young man, Ryota (Toru Watanabe) who sets out in search of his missing brother, Yata (Toru Ibuki), who has been lost at sea. He needs to find a boat to do…
Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) – Ishiro Honda
Godzilla is back! But he almost takes a backseat to the rest of the story, which sees an expansion of the Godzilla universe by bringing in aliens, flying saucers, and seeing the return of Rodan and King Ghidorah. When a new planet, Planet X, is discovered in orbit around Jupiter, a joint Japanese/American mission is…
The Mind Reels 