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Godzilla Vs Gigan 1972 Director: Jun Fukuda Number of Items: 1 Format: Color, Widescreen, Dolby Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Running Time: 89 minutes Studio: Columbia Tristar Hom Region Code: 99 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2004-10-19 Buy from Amazon |
 "My favorite Godzilla movie!"This is my favorite film in the Godzilla series. One resaon why I enjoyed this movie such much, aside from the simple, mindless fun and fast pacing, are the monster characterizations. Look a little closer and you'll realize the monsters in this movie have more personality and body language than those in most high-tech films. Godzilla speaks, I know, but that's not the merit of this film. I could only comprehend his lines after watching it for the fortieth time or so. Watching this movie, I was absorbed and felt a strange, vicarious delight. I was ad-libbing the monsters thoughts as I went on. Toho monsters are different in that repect each one is a seperate entity, with a personality unto itself. Godzilla, for example, is the headstrong defender of earth in this film. His buddy, Angillas (who resembles a cross between an armadillo and a snapping turtle) isn't as powerful but is very vigorous and relentless in his attitude. Ghidrah represents ultimate choas, evil, and havoc (as he did in his previous films), but executes his attacks in such an elegant, suave manner that he makes a good villain. His new recruit, Gigan, is a cyborg with a viscous arsenal. Despite Gigans means of mass destruction, he is innately a coward, as he will happily attack Godzilla and Angillas when they are down, but will flee when the tide turns. Also, he tries to impress Ghidrah by beating Godzilla on the head with his sythe like claws after the big G has seemingly been incapitated. The plot involves the usual enjoyably cheesy hokum about aliens who want to conquer the world by using huge monsters to do their dirty work for them. Godzilla and Angillas, of course, understand the signals sent to the monsters in outer space and promtly arrive to the scene to take matters into their own hands. Godzilla is a little bossy at first, as he urges Angillas to invesigate before he does. The battle escalates and Godzilla and Angillas step back in one scen to discuss their plans. Their method of dealing with Ghidrah is so clever and funny I wouldn't dream of revealing it. See this for yourself.  "Another Godzilla Conquer"Let's face it Godzilla movies in the 60's were made to play to the audiences fantasy of Godzilla conquering all. In this movie I will agree that the plot is pretty lame but so are most Godzilla movies. Why people watch them is for the fight scenes. I'll admit hearing those squeals for voices was pretty lame but I thought Gigan was a good monster to bring in he sure looks alot tougher than he is portrayed to be. I mean in combat the enemies(Ghidrah and Gigan) can both fly and they did not use that aspect in their attack. I've seen every Godzilla movie made and although I don't look for reviews I must say that the fight scenes are pretty good and well worth the time and effort. One bad thing about this movie is the length of time it goes before any real fighting that's why it gets 3 stars.  "I bet even Godzilla thinks Gigan is boring."Cockroach-people intend to invade the earth with the help of Gigan but are stopped by Godzilla and that Ankylosaur thing. In both of the films I've seen that contain Gigan, he never comes across as anything more than just 'another monster'. Godzilla and friend talk in silly cartoon voices and Ghidorah (looking very unwell) is thrown in for no better reason than to help the film sell. Moments of good humour early on don't justify this plotless drivel. "5 astonishing minutes with a fantastic new monster"Forget the lame "people plot" (bodysnatching alien cockroaches trying to conquer Earth from an amusement park, defeated by a cartoonist and a corncob-chewing hippie) and two silly scenes of the monsters "speaking" (it never happened in the Japanese version, folks!)...a dramatic design for the cyborg monster Gigan and a brilliant, colorfully staged 5-minute battle in a burning oil refinery are worth the price of this tape. Also refreshing is the way in which the "good" monsters (Angilas and Godzilla) are handled...Godzilla endures a crippling amount of punishment before reviving to finish the battle, and Angilas is met with (stock footage-enhanced) resistance from a maser cannon-packing Japanese regiment when he arrives. Some spectacular moments during Gigan's and 3-headed King Ghidorah's attack on civilization also help to balance a few embarrassingly crude effects scenes elsewhere. A very uneven mix, but it's one of the better Godzilla films of the 1970s, and head and shoulders above "Smog Monster" and "Megalon." Check it out! "Two thumbs Down!"Gigan was good but the toy on strings Ghidrah and the aliens and guy drawing pokadot monster thing was stupid! And also....Godzilla talks? Give me a break! It sounded like some old guy mumbling. |
