Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)

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General		Extras
Category	Fantasy	Trailer-Godzilla series trailers x 4, but none for this film Trailer-Eastern Eye trailers x 6
Rating
Year Of Production	2001
Running Time	105:06
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Shusuke Kaneko
Studio Distributor	Toho Company Madman Entertainment	Starring	Chiharu Nîyama Ryudo Uzaki Masahiro Kobayashi Shirô Sano Takashi Nishina Kaho Minami Shinya Owada Kunio Murai Hiroyuki Watanabe Shingo Katsurayama Toshikazu Fukawa Masahiko Tsugawa Eisei Amamoto
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual
RPI	?	Music	Akira Ifukube Kô Ôtani

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     After devastating Tokyo in 1954 Godzilla disappeared for fifty years except for a possible attack on New York in 1998. Now, fifty years after the attack on Tokyo, an American nuclear submarine has been destroyed in the Pacific and miniature deep sea submarines sent to investigate the wreckage see on their monitors a giant monster that could be Godzilla. Meanwhile, TV reporter Yuri Tachibana (Chiharu Niiyama) is investigating a story about the legendary sacred beasts of Japan based on sightings and unexplained events around the country. When it is confirmed that Godzilla is indeed alive and again going to land in Japan, the defences are entrusted to Admiral Tachibana (Ryudo Uzaki), who is Yuri’s father. Yuri continues to follow the story of the legendary beasts which proves to be all too true when the monsters Baragon, Mothra and Ghidorah awake and join together to attack Godzilla. But it appears that all their powers, plus the new weapons of the military, may not be enough to stop Godzilla.

     As can be seen from the synopsis above Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (Japanese title Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Gidora: Daikaiju sokogeki) completely ignores the two dozen or so Godzilla films that followed the first in 1954 except, strangely, the American 1998 film, and again restarts the franchise. The film’s director and cowriter is Shusuke Kaneko; this is his first involvement in a Godzilla film but he is an experienced monster film director with movies such as Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995) and its sequels to his credit. This was Kaneko’s first, and only, film in the Godzilla franchise but he brought with him to this project special effects director Makoto Kamiya and composer Ko Otani, with whom he had worked on Gamera. The only one of the creative team for Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack versed in things Godzilla was cinematographer Masahiro Kishimoto, who had previously shot Gojira vs Mosura (1992), Gojira vs Supesugojira (1994) and the excellent Gojira vs Desutoroia (1995).

     Yet while Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack may not be much on Godzilla lore, it is not only an innovative and exciting Godzilla film but also a good film in general. This is due to a number of factors including a better script than usual, human characters that are more than cardboard cut outs, stirring music and some spectacular creature action.

     While Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack ignores five decades of Godzilla films, in its own terms its plot makes a lot of sense, even giving Godzilla a new and different motivation. Godzilla is not the fierce force of nature as in the past; instead Godzilla represents the tortured souls of all those killed during WWII in the Pacific, both Japanese and Allied and he has come back to Japan after fifty years because the Japanese people have forgotten the agony of those killed during their years of peace and prosperity. The script also makes the people, not the monsters, central to the story. Harking back to the first Gojira (1954), Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack shows human suffering as people are injured and killed by the creatures, both accidentally and deliberately. The character of Yuri is also more believable than usual and Chiharu Niiyama does a good job; we actually care about her and her interactions with her father are poignant and well played. The music of Ko Otani is also excellent; it can be quite subtle in places but is suitable epic during the creature fights.

     Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack takes its time to get the creature action going, concentrating initially upon the search for Godzilla and the mystery surrounding the legend of the guardians of Japan. But when the monster action starts it is energetic and beautiful to look at: the night sequence where Godzilla and Mothra fight on top and around the city with lights, fire and explosions makes excellent use of the widescreen frame and is one of the best creature fights I have seen in some time. Mostly the action utilises models and men in suits and looks pretty good; CGI is used mostly only to enhance the fires and explosions which is perhaps just as well as when CGI is used for the monsters, such as Ghidorah around 78:05, it looks far more unconvincing that the models and men in suits!

     Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, the third in the rebooted Godzilla Millennium series, is a total reimagining of the Godzilla franchise which may not please some. But, as a stand-alone film, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is stirring, spectacular and exciting, one of the best Godzilla films for some time as well as a good film in its own right.

Video

     Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the original theatrical ratio, and is 16x9 enhanced.

     This is a great looking print. Detail is sharp and crisp, colours deep and natural. Some sequences, such as the night battle where Godzilla and Mothra fight on top and around the city, is beautiful to look at with the deep black background, the lights of the city, the brightness of the flames, Godzilla’s breath and explosions and the colours on Mothra’s wings showing to good effect. Indeed, blacks throughout the film are excellent, shadow detail great, skin tones natural, brightness and contrast consistent.

     I saw an occasional speck but otherwise the print was without artefacts.

    Subtitles in American English are in a yellow font. They were timely but did have more spelling and grammatical errors than usual, such as “who resists here father” at 33:30.

    The video is spectacular.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Audio is a choice between Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 or English Dolby Digital 5.1, both at 448 Kbps.

     I listened to the Japanese audio and sampled the English. Effects in both were similar and the US voice acting was not too bad for once.

     Dialogue was clear and had separation and reasonable clarity. The surrounds are used very aggressively throughout the film for music, engines, weapons, explosions, creature noises and the rears were utilised for a number of panning effects such as helicopters and Mothra’s wings. The sub-woofer gave great support to the music, the explosions, the destruction of buildings and especially the thump and rumble of Godzilla’s feet, which shook the room.

     The score by Ko Otani was excellent, quite subtle in places but suitably epic during the creature fights. Good use is also made of the original Godzilla March composed by Akira Ifukube.

     Lip synchronisation was reasonably good in the Japanese audio track, but not perfect, and approximate in the English dub.

     An aggressive and exciting audio track.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Godzilla Trailers

     Godzilla (2:51), Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (0:44), Godzilla vs Megaguirus (1:18) and Godzilla 2000 (1:04).

Eastern Eye Trailers

     These trailers are divided into two sections. Live action trailers are Eastern Eye Promo Reel (2:21), Throne of Blood (3:46) and The Hidden Fortress (3:48). Anime trailers are Ghibli Collection (3:13), Gad Guard (1:31) and Niea_7 Collection (1:36).

     There are stand-alone versions of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack in Region 1 US, which adds a French dub and has only trailers for other films as extras, in Region 2 Japan (but with no English subtitles), and Region 3 Hong Kong. The Region 4 stand-alone version is no longer available.

     While there have been various box sets of Godzilla films released in Region 1 and 2, there is no equivalent of our Region 4 Madman complete “Millennium Series” collection elsewhere as most box sets include a mix of films from the various Godzilla series. This Region 4 box set is the pick for English speakers.

     Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, the third in the Godzilla Millennium series, is a total reimagining of the Godzilla franchise. That said, it is not only an innovative and exciting Godzilla film, but also a good film generally with a better script than most, human characters that are more than cardboard cut outs, stirring music and some spectacular creature action.

     The video and audio are excellent; trailers are the only extras, but nothing more is available elsewhere.

     Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, is included in the Madman 6 disc box set Godzilla Millennium Series along with Godzilla 2000 (1999), Godzilla vs Megaguirus (2000), Godzilla v. Mechagodzilla (III) (2002), Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003) and Godzilla: Final Wars (2004). The box set for a RRP of $39.95 is a fabulous way to stay in touch with “the original monster of mass destruction” 50 years after his first appearance.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall