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Destroy All Monsters Director: Ishirô Honda Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Letterbox Format: Color Audience Rating: G (General Audience) Running Time: 90 minutes Studio: A.D. Vision Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2000-02-22 Buy from Amazon |
 "Godzilla and the Gang."Japan is under attack again by aliens controlling Earth's monster population. The monsters wreak havoc on the major cities around the world. In a climactic fight sequence, Godzilla and the guys gang up on King Ghidorah. The pace of the film is herky-jerky. The special effects consist of actors dressed in rubbery monster suits trampling on toy sets, and awkward puppetry. If you grew up watching the many "Godzilla vs. Everybody" movies, this all-star monster tribute may be viewed as a nostalgic treat. Those who enjoyed the original "Godzilla" and "Rodan" films as grim allegories of the hazards of nuclear energy will note the change in style. Allegory became camp entertainment earlier on in the series. The grim mood of the first Godzilla flick changed to chuckle-headed charm (for lack of a better word). Typical low budget dubbing adds to the snickering humor. In fairness, this is not the fault of the original film. This movie enjoys a good reputation among loyal and true Japanese sci-fi fans. Entertainment is subjective. ;-)  "King Gidorah is dead, LONG DIE THE KING!"The monster fight at the end makes the movie worthwhile. The best part about this movie is that KING GHIDORAH DIES! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Too bad he had to be resurected in Godzilla vs. Gigan.  "Entertaining monster mayhem."Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra and just about every other monster from the pre-70's Japanese city-stomping films join forces to take on the three-headed King Ghidorah. As a curio or light entertainment this is great. But somebody looking for serious sci-fi ought to look elsewhere. The main problem with this film is the dubbed voices, many of which sound like the vocalists were treating the whole thing as a complete joke. Though the film doesn't have the dark atmosphere or thought-provoking undertones of the earlier Godzillas, it's still one of the best and most watchable of the campier films of the series, and fans of monsters will certainly have a field-day. "Great Godzilla movie, but dvd has flaws!"The movie, of course, was great. So many monsters on screen at one time. It truly is one of the best Gojira pix to come out of Japan. The widescreen presentation on DVD preserves the integrity of the film. However, take note. The DVD has flaws! No main menu, no chapter stops, no theatrical trailer, no nothing! No bells and whistles of any kind! The least they should have done was to include chapter stops so you can go right to the action and jump past the cheesy dubbed dialog. Also, having no main menu means the movie plays over and over again until you press "stop". Stupid! The only reason I give this 4 stars instead of five is the way they put it out on DVD. "Panic in the year 1999!"Here it is...the Holy Grail of all Godzilla movies! Once an elusive treasure, Destroy All Monsters is finally available in a nicely done, letterboxed videocassette. It stands as the pinnacle of achievement for the Honda/Tsubaraya/Arikawa/Ifukube/Tanaka team. Their ingenuity and inventiveness in the face of crippling economic times puts most big-budget filmmakers to shame. The scope and variety of the effects alone deserve applause. Contrary to uninformed opinion, making Godzilla films is not an easy thing to do. The story moves along briskly and, in spite of the dubbing, the performances work well. Let's get one thing straight right now; dubbing is NOT the fault of the Japanese filmmakers! So, let's give criticism where criticism is due, shall we? This film is a classic that will endure long after the latest bloated blockbuster is mildewing at the bottom of a dumpster. |
