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Overall | Godzilla (Gojira): 50th Anniversary Edition (1954) | Godzilla vs. Mothra (Mosura tai Gojira) (1964) | Godzilla-Invasion of the Astro-Monster (Kaiju daisenso) (1965) | Godzilla: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (Gojira, Ebirâ, Mosura: Nankai no daik (1966) | Godzilla: Son of Godzilla (Kaijuto no kessen: Gojira no musuko) (1967) | Godzilla-Destroy All Monsters (Kaijű sôshingeki) (1968)

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Godzilla-Showa Classics-Volume One (1954)

Godzilla-Showa Classics-Volume One (1954)

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Released 21-Oct-2009

Cover Art

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Overall Package

     This Madman 6 disc box set Godzilla Showa Classics Volume 1 includes Godzilla: 50th Anniversary Edition (1954), Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), Godzilla: Invasion of the Astro-monster (1965), Godzilla vs. Ebirah (1966), Son of Godzilla (1967) and Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters (1968).

     Although the video and audio are only average, the original film Godzilla (1954) is a bona fide cult classic which 50 years on remains a riveting, tense science fiction experience. It also comes with a quality extra, the US English language version of the film, recut, dubbed and renamed Godzilla: King of the Monsters (1956).

     The other films are a mixed bunch in tone and content. Three of the five are hugely entertaining and great fun; Godzilla vs. Mothra (1964) has a giant multicoloured egg, a gigantic moth and two tiny singing fairies; Godzilla vs. Ebirah – Horror of the Deep (1966) features Godzilla, Ebirah, Mothra, the twin 15 cm fairies, an evil terrorist organisation with a nuclear weapon, slaves and a beautiful native girl; and Godzilla – Destroy All Monsters (1968) has world destruction, aliens, flying saucers and a massive monster all in brawl on the slopes of Mt Fuji. The other two films are lesser entrants but not without interest; Godzilla: Invasion of the Astro-monster (1965) relegates the monsters Godzilla, Rodan and King Ghidorah to supporting roles as Earth fights the aliens from Planet X ; and Son of Godzilla tries to be cute and humorous but is not as tense or interesting as it should be. All films have good video and audio for films that are over 40 years old but minimal extras.

     For a RPI of $49.95 Godzilla Showa Classics Volume 1 is a fabulous way to get to know “the original monster of mass destruction”. The total time on the case of the box set includes Godzilla: King of the Monsters. I have counted only the time of the 6 advertised Japanese Godzilla films.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Ray Nyland (the bio is the thing)
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Other Reviews NONE
Overall | Godzilla (Gojira): 50th Anniversary Edition (1954) | Godzilla vs. Mothra (Mosura tai Gojira) (1964) | Godzilla-Invasion of the Astro-Monster (Kaiju daisenso) (1965) | Godzilla: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (Gojira, Ebirâ, Mosura: Nankai no daik (1966) | Godzilla: Son of Godzilla (Kaijuto no kessen: Gojira no musuko) (1967) | Godzilla-Destroy All Monsters (Kaijű sôshingeki) (1968)

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Godzilla (Gojira): 50th Anniversary Edition (1954)

Godzilla (Gojira): 50th Anniversary Edition (1954)

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Released 21-Oct-2009

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Cult Alternative Version-Godzilla: King of the Monsters (1956)
Theatrical Trailer-Original Gojira Trailer
Trailer-Eastern Eye Trailers
More…-Godzilla (video game)
Rating Rated PG
Year Of Production 1954
Running Time 96:09
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Ishirô Honda
Studio
Distributor
Toho Company
Madman Entertainment
Starring Akira Takarada
Momoko Kôchi
Akihiko Hirata
Takashi Shimura
Fuyuki Murakami
Sachio Sakai
Toranosuke Ogawa
Ren Yamamoto
Miki Hayashi
Takeo Oikawa
Seijiro Onda
Tsuruko Mano
Toyoaki Suzuki
Case ?
RPI ? Music Akira Ifukube


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame Unknown Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (448Kb/s)
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio None
16x9 Enhancement No
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.37:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English Smoking Yes, Constantly in US version
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

     Godzilla (aka Gojira) is the “original monster of mass destruction” that rose from the sea in 1954 to devastate Japan and in so doing spawned 27 sequels and a Hollywood blockbuster. In the course of the Showa era of Godzilla at Toho studio (1954 – 1975) Godzilla changed from a threat to humankind to a protector, defending Japan from a host of original and intriguing monsters. Now with Godzilla: 50th Anniversary Edition we can go back in time to the original. As a bonus, on the 50th Anniversary Edition disc is also the English language version of the film, recut, dubbed and renamed Godzilla King of the Monsters, that introduced Godzilla to US audiences in 1956. They are quite different films.

     A number of ships are lost in fiery explosions in the Sea of Japan and the island of Ohto is subject to a typhoon like storm that some of the islanders believe was not nature, but an ancient creature they call Godzilla. The Japanese parliament commissions a team led by palaeontologist Professor Kyohei Yamane (Takashi Shimura) to go to the island to investigate. Also on the team are the Professor’s daughter Emiko (Momoko Kochi) and salvage specialist Hideto Ogata (Akira Takarada). On the island they first find evidence of abnormal high levels of radioactivity and huge footprints. Then, from behind the mountain, comes the 50 metre tall Godzilla, to terrify them before returning to the sea.

     Back in Tokyo Professor Yamane concludes that the atomic tests being conducted since the war have released Godzilla from the sea bed where he had remained since the Jurassic period. Yamane would like to be able to study the beast but the navy attacks it with depth charges which has the effect of driving Godzilla into Tokyo Bay where he comes ashore to devastate Tokyo and terrify the population. The usual weapons have no effect upon Godzilla, but Emiko has a terrible secret. Her ex-fiancé Doctor Daisuke Serizawa (Akihiko Hirata) has experimented with a special underwater oxygen depleting device that could be used to defeat Godzilla: but it also has the potential to be used by the military as a weapon, more devastating that a nuclear bomb, that could destroy life as we know it. Moral choices must be made with life and death consequences.

     As a film, Godzilla builds the tension slowly as the creature is seen only briefly after about 20 minutes and again after 40 minutes before the all out destruction of Tokyo commences approximately half way through the film. Clearly, the effects are very dated and obvious; there are model trains, boats, planes, vehicles and buildings and a man in a suit stomping on scale models but there is still a charm to seeing it done for real and in camera that no amount of slick CGI can overcome. This is about people, and the evils of atomic weapons: the scene that follows Godzilla’s destruction of Tokyo, in which the victims in hospital, including children, record high levels of radioactivity must have resonated with the Japanese audience only 9 years after the nuclear attacks upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended World War II. And with the emphasis on characters, motivation and choices, the ending of the film is still poignant. Fifty years on Godzilla remains a riveting, tense science fiction experience that ends with a plea from Professor Yamane to stop nuclear weapons testing, or run the risk of creating other “monsters”.

     The US version of the film runs only 78:55. It re-edits and partially redubs the original film, adding another character in American reporter Steve Martin (Raymond Burr), through whom the film is narrated. The film is substantially changed: the order of scenes is changed and Martin is edited into many scenes, resulting in often awkward audio and video splices between the original and new material. Further, the emphasis on Martin lessens the roles of Ogata, Professor Yamane and especially Doctor Serizawa so that we lack insight into their motivation and sacrifices. The US version also leaves out the plea against nuclear weapons testing, or references to the US nuclear attacks upon Japan. It is worth a look, if only to see how Godzilla was introduced to American audiences in 1956.

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Transfer Quality

Video

     The original version of the film is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, the original ratio being 1.37:1; the US version is in the original ratio of 1.33:1, neither are16x9 enhanced. Neither is a particularly good print; both have almost continuous scratches, both vertical and horizontal, dirt marks, large and small artefacts, reel changes, missing frames (such as 27:14) and frequent grain.

     This is a black and white film and here there are also issues in both versions. Contrast is variable, often poor and dull, and shadow detail quite indistinct. For example, in some of the scenes of the devastation of Tokyo very little detail of the Godzilla suit can be seen. Blacks are barely acceptable. The new sections filmed for the US version have slightly better contrast and blacks, but not much.

     Lip synchronisation in the original Japanese version is occasionally off. The less said about the US version lip synchronisation the better.

     The English subtitles for the Japanese film are in a clean white font in American English. Other than American spelling there are no obvious spelling or grammatical errors.

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

Audio

     Audio for the original film is Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 448 Kbps. Dialogue is clear and the sound effects are what one would expect of a 50 year old mono track, although the deep thumps of the unseen Godzilla’s tread work well. There is occasional distortion (e.g., 82:20-40) and some hiss but the audio is acceptable. The music varies: it can support the film well but can occasionally feel inappropriate, such as a light air as they close in on Godzilla!

     The US version has English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 Kbps) or Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224 Kbps) as options. Neither is very good. The 5.1 lacks separation and depth and in fact the 2.0 mono is a better choice. It does have some satisfying rumbles and the cannon is better than the Japanese track, but the English track has far more hiss and crackle, especially after the 29:53 mark, that is quite distracting.

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

Extras

     The quality extra is the whole second film Godzilla King of the Monsters (78:55 min). The rest of the extras are:

Original Theatrical Trailer (2:51)

     Plenty of scratches, dirt marks and crackles on the audio.

Eastern Eye Trailers

     Included: the Eastern Eye Promo Reel, (music only, 2:21), which features Bichunmoo, The Eye, Avalon, Bangkok Dangerous, Seven Samurai, Infernal Affairs and Princes Blade, and trailers for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (0:44), Godzilla 2000 (1:04) and Hidden Fortress (3:47). Both Godzilla trailers are in Japanese without subtitles or translations of the Japanese captions.

Godzilla (video game) (0:37)

     Godzilla video game promotion.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    There have been a number of versions of the film released in Japan, the US and Europe as well as an earlier release in Australia. Perhaps the best is the Region 1 release that has both editions of the film, audio commentaries on both plus a couple of featurettes. The Region 2 UK release has only the original version, but includes an audio commentary and a couple of featurettes. From screen captures I have seen, both have better video, with better brightness and contrast, than our version. The Japanese Region 2 has the original version, and a commentary but neither are subtitled. Other than the Region 1 release, Region 4 is the only region to get both versions of the film.

Summary

     Fifty years on, Godzilla is still a riveting, tense science fiction experience and this 50th Anniversary Edition DVD is an opportunity to revisit the original classic film that spawned an industry. While the video and audio are not all that great, the film comes with a quality extra: the English language version of the film, recut, dubbed and renamed Godzilla King of the Monsters, that introduced Godzilla to US audiences in 1956.

     Godzilla: 50th Anniversary Edition is included in the Madman 6 disc box set Godzilla Showa Classics Volume 1 along with Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), Godzilla: Invasion of the Astro-monster (1965), Godzilla vs. Ebirah (1966), Son of Godzilla (1967) and Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters (1968). For a RPI of $49.95 this is a fabulous way to get to know “the original monster of mass destruction”.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Ray Nyland (the bio is the thing)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Review Equipment
DVDSony BDP-S350, using HDMI output
DisplayLG 42inch Hi-Def LCD. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderNAD T737. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
AmplificationNAD T737
SpeakersStudio Acoustics 5.1

Other Reviews NONE
Overall | Godzilla (Gojira): 50th Anniversary Edition (1954) | Godzilla vs. Mothra (Mosura tai Gojira) (1964) | Godzilla-Invasion of the Astro-Monster (Kaiju daisenso) (1965) | Godzilla: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (Gojira, Ebirâ, Mosura: Nankai no daik (1966) | Godzilla: Son of Godzilla (Kaijuto no kessen: Gojira no musuko) (1967) | Godzilla-Destroy All Monsters (Kaijű sôshingeki) (1968)

PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Godzilla vs. Mothra (Mosura tai Gojira) (1964)

Godzilla vs. Mothra (Mosura tai Gojira) (1964)

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Released 15-Feb-2006

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Science Fiction Alternative Version-US Version of Godzilla vs. Mothra
Theatrical Trailer-Original Godzilla vs. Mothra Trailer
Gallery-Poster
Trailer-Madman Trailers
Rating Rated M
Year Of Production 1964
Running Time 83:53
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Ishirô Honda
Studio
Distributor
Toho Company
Madman Entertainment
Starring Akira Takarada
Yuriko Hoshi
Hiroshi Koizumi
Yu Fujiki
Emi Ito
Yűmi Ito
Yoshifumi Tajima
Kenji Sahara
Jun Tazaki
Kenzo Tabu
Yutaka Sada
Akira Tani
Susumu Fujita
Case ?
RPI ? Music Akira Ifukube


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame Unknown Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s)
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
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

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

     A typhoon devastates the Japanese islands, bringing destruction and, floating ashore, a massive blue / yellow egg. The egg is purchased from local villages by entrepreneurs Kumayama (Yoshifumi Tajima) and Jiro Torahata (Kenji Sahara) who plan to use it as an exhibit in their theme park that is currently under construction. Also interested in the egg is Professor Miura (Hiroshi Koizumi), who would like to study it for science, and reporter Ichiro Sakai (Akira Takarada) and his photographer girlfriend Junko Nakanishi (Yuriko Hoshi). Then suddenly twin 15 cm high fairies, Shobijin, (Emi and Yumi Ito) appear on the scene speaking and singing in unison. They are the tiny guardians of the egg; they reveal it to be the egg of the giant moth like creature Mothra from the south sea island of Infant where Hydrogen bomb weapons testing had taken place. The typhoon had washed the egg from the soil of Infant Island and the fairies want to take it back. Kumayama and Torahata of course refuse to give up such a potential lucrative exhibit, but Ichiro and Junko try to help without success. So the fairies, regretting the greed of humans, return disappointed to Mothra and Infant Island.

     Then out of nowhere and without warning Godzilla rises from the soil and begins to destroy the surrounding towns. Military weapons are useless; electric fences and tanks fail, people panic. It is decided that Ichiro, Junko and Professor Miura will fly to Infant Island to try to persuade Mothra to return with them to fight Godzilla. When they arrive the natives are hostile; they had been betrayed by the people who had then H-bombed their island, so are in no mood to help the outside world. But Junko successfully persuades the fairies to intercede with Mothra. Back in Japan, Mothra and Godzilla fight until Mothra, fatally weakened, dies. As Godzilla rampages, the blue / yellow egg hatches into two giant larvae who attack Godzilla with web like spray. Can they prevail against the beast and save Japan and the world from Godzilla?

     If the above plot summary sounds silly, it is! This is really two separate films. The first 30 minutes concern the egg of Mothra and the greed of humans. Then, without preamble or explanation, Godzilla appears and we have Godzilla vs. the military until the climactic battle between Godzilla and Mothra and then the larvae and Godzilla. The human characters are basically onlookers, there to bookend the creature action sequences and provide explanation (such as it is). None have any character. The special effects are also quite ludicrous; puppets, model army tanks that melt like the plastic they are, a man in a suit stomping model houses, lots of back projection, and it is hard to be serious about a giant moth puppet taking on a fire breathing huge dinosaur. Or said dinosaur being chased and assaulted by two giant moth larvae! And did I mention the red painted south sea islanders? Yet there is certainly a charm about these hokey effects that does seem entirely fitting to B grade monster movies of the 1960s.

     In spite of, or maybe because of, the silliness Godzilla vs. Mothra is hugely entertaining and a whole lot of fun. It is also certainly whimsical – what else can one say about two tiny singing fairies. It may not make much sense, but why should one look for sense in a monster movie? Just enjoy the spectacle and the entertainment.

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Transfer Quality

Video

     Godzilla vs. Mothra is presented in a ratio of 2.35:1, the original theatrical ratio, and is 16x9 enhanced. While obviously the back projection and matte paintings lack sharpness (just look at any scene involving the fairies), this print is quite good. Other scenes have good clarity, colours are natural and skin tones good. Blacks are fine and shadow detail acceptable for a 40 year old B movie. There is mild grain and minor film artefacts but nothing distracting to spoil the enjoyment of the film.

     Lip Synchronisation is occasionally off but not too bad.

     The English subtitles are in a yellow font in American English. Given this spelling, I did not notice any other obvious spelling or grammatical errors. Some of the subtitles went too quickly to read, and on one occasion only flickered briefly then was gone. However, one could always get the gist of what was being said – most of it is not very important anyway.

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 at 448 Kbps and Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps. The film would have been released with a mono track and in truth this was the track I preferred. While the 5.1 has some separation, there is only very infrequent use of the surrounds for pans and in fact the track sounded quite thin in many sequences, whereas the mono track was more robust, better rendering both Godzilla’s roars and the boom of the tank cannons. However, the mono track did suffer from very occasional distortion, something the 5.1 did not. I still enjoyed the mono better.

     The music by Akira Ifukube is sparingly used but does effectively support the on screen action.

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

Extras

US Version of Godzilla vs. Mothra (83:53)

     Unlike the US version included on the Godzilla / Gojira disc this is not a re-edited version of the film. Rather, it is essentially the same film (except for a couple of inserted scenes where, for example, American ships are added to a sequence) dubbed into English and with English titles and credits. It is not presented in 2.35:1 but is cropped substantially and looks to be in a ratio closer to 1.85:1, and is not 16x9 enhanced. It is also in much worse shape than the original Japanese version as it exhibits consistent dirt marks, some scratches, variable contrast and some scenes look as if they were filmed through a gauze. Audio offered is a choice of English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 Kbps) or 2.0 mono (224 Kbps). Of minor interest.

Original Theatrical Trailer (2:09)

Poster Gallery

     8 colourful Japanese film posters.

Madman Trailers

     Trailers for other films from Madman. Included is Son of Godzilla (2:35), Breaking News (2:02) and The Grudge (2:08).

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

     There is a Region 1 version that has both versions of the film with similar video and audio as ours, but includes an audio commentary by Godzilla experts that is apparently quite informative and entertaining. Older US Region 1 and Region 0 versions include only the US version and are non-anamorphic. The only extra of note in the Region 2 Japanese disc is an audio commentary by actor Kenji Sahara, but there are no English subtitles. A win to Region 1 due to the commentary.

Summary

     It is hard to take seriously twin 15 cm high singing Japanese fairies, hokey special effects, a giant moth puppet taking on a fire breathing dinosaur, or said dinosaur being chased and assaulted by two giant larvae! Godzilla vs. Mothra has all these and more but is a whole lot of silly fun. It is presented on a DVD with good video and audio and the US version of the film as a substantial extra.

     Mothra vs. Godzilla is included in the Madman 6 disc box set Godzilla Showa Classics Volume 1 along with Godzilla (1954), Godzilla: Invasion of the Astro-monster (1965), Godzilla vs. Ebirah (1966), Son of Godzilla (1967) and Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters (1968). For a RPI of $49.95 this is a fabulous way to get to know “the original monster of mass destruction”.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Ray Nyland (the bio is the thing)
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Review Equipment
DVDSony BDP-S350, using HDMI output
DisplayLG 42inch Hi-Def LCD. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderNAD T737. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
AmplificationNAD T737
SpeakersStudio Acoustics 5.1

Other Reviews NONE
Overall | Godzilla (Gojira): 50th Anniversary Edition (1954) | Godzilla vs. Mothra (Mosura tai Gojira) (1964) | Godzilla-Invasion of the Astro-Monster (Kaiju daisenso) (1965) | Godzilla: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (Gojira, Ebirâ, Mosura: Nankai no daik (1966) | Godzilla: Son of Godzilla (Kaijuto no kessen: Gojira no musuko) (1967) | Godzilla-Destroy All Monsters (Kaijű sôshingeki) (1968)

PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Godzilla-Invasion of the Astro-Monster (Kaiju daisenso) (1965)

Godzilla-Invasion of the Astro-Monster (Kaiju daisenso) (1965)

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Released 23-Nov-2005

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Science Fiction Theatrical Trailer
Gallery-Poster
Trailer-Madman Trailers
Rating Rated PG
Year Of Production 1965
Running Time 90:28
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Ishirô Honda
Studio
Distributor
Toho Company
Madman Entertainment
Starring Nick Adams
Akira Takarada
Jun Tazaki
Akira Kubo
Kumi Mizuno
Keiko Sawai
Yoshio Tsuchiya
Takamaru Sasaki
Gen Shimizu
Kenzo Tabu
Yoshifumi Tajima
Nadao Kirino
Kôji Uno
Case ?
RPI ? Music Akira Ifukube


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame Unknown Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

     A new planet, Planet X, has been discovered behind Jupiter and a manned space rocket with astronauts Glen (Nick Adams) and Fuji (Akira Takarada) is sent to investigate. Meanwhile, on Earth Fuji’s sister Haruno (Keiko Sawai) is dating nerdy inventor Tetsuo (Akira Kubo. He has invented a sonic device that he is in the process of selling to toy company executive Miss Namikawa (Kumi Mizuno).

     Landing on Planet X, Glen and Fuji are astonished to find a race of technologically advanced humanoid aliens led by The Controller (Yoshio Tsuchiva) living underground in fear of Monster Zero, the three headed lightning bolt emitting dragon King Ghidorah. King Ghidorah had previously been defeated and banished from Earth by Godzilla and the vulture like creature Rodan. The Controller wants permission to go to earth to capture Godzilla and Rodan and bring them back to Planet X to defeat King Ghidorah. In return, the aliens will provide Earth with a cure for cancer.

     This sounds a good deal and the authorities on Earth agree, but Glen and Fuji start to become suspicious and fear that the aliens have ulterior motives, a fear which gains substance when alien flying saucers are discovered to be already hidden beneath a Japanese lake. Nevertheless, an agreement is reached and Godzilla and Rodan are successfully captured and transported to Planet X where they defeat King Ghidorah. However, the tape of the promised cure for cancer turns out to be an ultimatum from the aliens calling for total submission by the Earth, or else the Earth faces destruction. It seems that the capture of the monsters was a ploy by the aliens to get all three under their control; if the Earth does not capitulate Godzilla, Rodan and King Ghidorah will be let lose on a path of destruction. As Glen and Fuji look for a solution, Miss Namikawa turns out to be not quite what she seems while it may be that Tetsuo’s invention could just be the weapon needed to defeat the aliens.

     Godzilla: Invasion of the Astro-monster aka Kaiju daisenso: Kingughidora tai Gojira aka Godzilla vs. Monster Zero is more Earth vs. Flying Saucers than monster movie with Godzilla, Rodan and King Ghidorah in support roles only. They feature in a couple of good action sequences, but these are quite brief and the majority of the film concerns the ambiguous (at least initially) relationship between Earth and the aliens. American Nick Adams was brought in to give the film more international appeal, but in truth the human actors are not all that interesting and they were saddled with a silly script. The special effects are quite primitive; model space rockets, cars, tanks and buildings look like, well, models, and the aliens seem most unthreatening in unflattering grey jump suits. However, the monster effects are vastly better that in Godzilla vs. Mothra made the year before. There the monsters were quite static and stiff: here they are much more mobile and flexible and the three heads of King Ghidorah are particularly good. As well, there remains a charm about these special effects that seems entirely fitting in a B grade monster movie of the 1960s, a charm that is totally lacking in more recent, CGI dominated, Hollywood films.

     Godzilla: Invasion of the Astro-monster may be a lesser entrant into the Godzilla canon, with not nearly enough time spent on the monsters, but it is still a lot of fun and does not take itself seriously. Godzilla’s victory jig after defeating King Ghidorah is a hoot! Put your mind in neutral and just enjoy the spectacle

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Transfer Quality

Video

     Godzilla: Invasion of the Astro-monster is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the original theatrical ratio, and is 16x9 enhanced. While outdoor scenes, back projection and matte paintings lack sharpness, scenes filmed on the set are sharp and have good contrast. Blacks are fine and shadow detail acceptable for a 40 year old B movie. Brightness and skin tones vary occasionally and colours are garish (most likely a deliberate choice), with minor colour bleed in some scenes. There is mild grain and occasional film artefacts but nothing to spoil the enjoyment of the film. In fact, it looks very good.

     American Nick Adams is obviously speaking English and has been dubbed into Japanese, and it shows. Otherwise, lip synchronisation is OK.

     The English subtitles are in a yellow font in American English. There are minor spelling errors and some of the subtitles went by too quickly to read properly.

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 at 448 Kbps and Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps. Either is acceptable although neither is exceptional. The 5.1 has some separation and reasonable clarity but is recorded at a lower level and sounds quite thin in many sequences. The mono track seemed to be more robust, better rendering the creature roars and effects, but did suffer from a muted hiss on occasion, something the 5.1 did not.

     The music by Akira Ifukube is sometimes quite obtrusive, such as a bright and breezy cue when the military is about to attack the monsters that lowers the tension of the scene. On other occasions it is effective.

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

Extras

Original Theatrical Trailer (2:16)

    Interestingly, the trailer has American Nick Adams speaking English while the rest of the cast in the trailer speak Japanese.

Poster Gallery

     5 colourful Japanese film posters.

Madman Trailers (7:34)

     Trailers for other films from Madman. Included is Madlax Volume 2 – The Red Book, Seven Samurai and Howl’s Moving Castle.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

     There is a Region 2 Japanese version with an audio commentary by actor Yoshiro Tsuchiya but neither the feature nor commentary is subtitled. The US Region 0 disc is non-anamorphic. Region 4 is the best choice for English speakers.

Summary

     Godzilla: Invasion of the Astro-monster is more Earth vs. Flying Saucers than monster movie with Godzilla, Rodan and King Ghidorah in support roles only yet it still has interest and is quite entertaining. The film is presented on a DVD with good video and audio and minimal extras.

     Godzilla: Invasion of the Astro-monster is included in the Madman 6 disc box set Godzilla Showa Classics Volume 1 along with Godzilla (1954), Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), Godzilla vs. Ebirah (1966), Son of Godzilla (1967) and Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters (1968). For a RRP of $49.95 this is a fabulous way to get to know “the original monster of mass destruction”.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Ray Nyland (the bio is the thing)
Monday, March 29, 2010
Review Equipment
DVDSony BDP-S350, using HDMI output
DisplayLG 42inch Hi-Def LCD. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderNAD T737. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
AmplificationNAD T737
SpeakersStudio Acoustics 5.1

Other Reviews NONE
Overall | Godzilla (Gojira): 50th Anniversary Edition (1954) | Godzilla vs. Mothra (Mosura tai Gojira) (1964) | Godzilla-Invasion of the Astro-Monster (Kaiju daisenso) (1965) | Godzilla: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (Gojira, Ebirâ, Mosura: Nankai no daik (1966) | Godzilla: Son of Godzilla (Kaijuto no kessen: Gojira no musuko) (1967) | Godzilla-Destroy All Monsters (Kaijű sôshingeki) (1968)

PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Godzilla: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (Gojira, Ebirâ, Mosura: Nankai no daik (1966)

Godzilla: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (Gojira, Ebirâ, Mosura: Nankai no daik (1966)

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Released 8-Dec-2005

Cover Art

This review is sponsored by
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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Science Fiction Theatrical Trailer
Gallery-Poster
Trailer-Madman Trailers
Rating Rated PG
Year Of Production 1966
Running Time 82:05
RSDL / Flipper RSDL (54:14) Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Jun Fukuda
Studio
Distributor
Toho Company
Madman Entertainment
Starring Akira Takarada
Kumi Mizuno
Chotaro Togin
Hideo Sunazuka
Toru Watanabe
Toru Ibuki
Akihiko Hirata
Jun Tazaki
Ikio Sawamura
Pair Bambi
Eisei Amamoto
Hisaya Ito
Tadashi Okabe
Case ?
RPI ? Music Masaru Satô


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame Unknown Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s)
English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
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

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

     When his brother’s boat goes missing in the South Seas and the authorities refuse to search further, Ryota (Toru Watanabe) more or less steals a sail boat and sets out to conduct his own search. Also on board (accidentally) are Yoshimura (Akira Takarada), a safe cracker on the run from the police, and friends Ichino (Chotaro Togin) and Nita (Hideo Sunazuka). In a storm their boat is destroyed by Ebirah, a gigantic lobster, and the four washed ashore on an island. They discover a factory area on the island protected by electrified fences, machine gun towers and armed guards. When they rescue escaped native girl Daiyo (Kumi Mizuno) they learn from her that the factory is run by the secret Red Bamboo organisation and that natives are being brought from nearby Infant Island to work as slaves. The natives of Infant Island pray to their god Mothra for help, but the giant moth is asleep. Meanwhile, Ebirah is very much awake and protects the factory island by destroying any boat that enters the surrounding sea.

     Using Yoshimura’s lock picking skills, the five castaways enter the factory area and find out that the Red Bamboo are manufacturing a nuclear weapon. But they are discovered, and hunted by guards. On the run in a cave they stumble upon the sleeping Godzilla and make the momentous decision to awake the monster. When they succeed, mayhem results. As Godzilla battles Ebirah, and also takes the time to devastate the nuclear plant, the castaways must try to avoid the monster, free the slaves and escape the island dodging Ebirah before a timed nuclear device explodes, destroying the island and all upon it. Can the natives awake Mothra in time to help?

     Godzilla vs. Ebirah – Horror of the Deep aka Gojira, Ebira, Mosura: Nankai no daiketto which translates as Godzilla, Ebirah, Mothra – The Great Duel in the South Seas from 1966 is great fun. For a change, the human characters are quite interesting, especially safecracker turned lock-picker Akira Takarada and Kumi Mizuno as the feisty native girl. The script also contains a lot of humour, such as when Nita suggests that Mothra needs an alarm clock to wake up instead of prayers! The special effects are over 40 years old and look, not surprisingly, quite primitive, especially the model planes, boat and the model nuclear plant buildings. However, the monster effects are great for their time, especially Ebirah, and the monster fights are vastly entertaining. In one priceless sequence, Godzilla and Ebirah swat boulders back and forth between them like a tennis match! The film plot-wise is also more coherent than others in the Godzilla series, and builds to a tense and exciting conclusion amid the mayhem of monster fights, exploding buildings and native rites attempting to awake Mothra. There also remains a charm about these special effects that seems entirely fitting in a B grade monster movie of the 1960s; a charm that is totally lacking in more recent, CGI dominated, Hollywood films.

     Godzilla vs. Ebirah – Horror of the Deep from 1966 is great fun; an entertaining romp in the South Seas featuring Godzilla, Ebirah, Mothra, twin 15 cm fairies, an evil terrorist organisation with a nuclear weapon, slaves and a beautiful native girl. This is unashamed B-grade schlock – but what else could you want in your B-grade monster fare? One of the best in the series.

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Transfer Quality

Video

     Godzilla vs. Ebirah – Horror of the Deep is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the original theatrical ratio, and is 16x9 enhanced. While back projection sequences lack sharpness, the majority of the film has good clarity and contrast, blacks are fine although shadow detail is a bit hazy. The colours are quite vibrant, almost garish but skin tones are good. There is mild grain and very occasional film artefacts but nothing to spoil the enjoyment of the film. This looks very good indeed for a 40 year old B movie.

     I did not notice any issues with lip synchronisation.

     The English subtitles are in a yellow font without any obvious spelling or grammatical errors.

     The layer change at 54:14 created a slight pause on my equipment.

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 at 448 Kbps, Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps or English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps. Both Japanese tracks are acceptable. The 5.1 has some separation and reasonable clarity, the surrounds are used for music and creature effects and the sub woofer supported the explosions. I did not notice any panning effects. The film was originally shown in theatres with a mono sound mix and the track available on this DVD does a good job as well. It is robust and renders the creature roars, effects and explosions in a very satisfactory manner. The effects in the English dub are similar; the dubbed voices what one would expect.

     The music by Masaru Satô is a mish-mash of drums, spaghetti westerns, US guitar surf music and Japanese monster cues. Sometimes it works, sometimes the themes seem to belittle what is happening on screen with inappropriate jaunty airs in serious conflicts!

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

Extras

Original Theatrical Trailer (2:10)

Poster Gallery

     6 colourful Japanese film posters.

Madman Trailers

     Trailers for other films from Madman. Included is Cromartie High School Volume 1 (1:30), Howl’s Moving Castle (1:38) and Seven Samurai (4:05).

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

     The US Region 1 version has a Japanese mono track and trailers as extras. The Region 2 Japanese version includes an audio commentary by Godzilla suit actor Haruo Nakajima but neither the feature nor commentary is subtitled. Region 4 is the best choice for English speakers.

Summary

    Godzilla vs. Ebirah – Horror of the Deep is one of the best in the series. It is great fun; an entertaining romp in the South Seas featuring Godzilla, Ebirah, Mothra, twin 15 cm fairies, an evil terrorist organisation with a nuclear weapon, slaves and a beautiful native girl. The film is presented on a DVD with good video and audio and minimal extras.

     Godzilla vs. Ebirah - Horror of the Deep is included in the Madman 6 disc box set Godzilla Showa Classics Volume 1 along with Godzilla (1954), Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), Godzilla: Invasion of the Astro-monster (1965), Son of Godzilla (1967) and Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters (1968). For a RPI of $49.95 this set is a fabulous way to get to know “the original monster of mass destruction”.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Ray Nyland (the bio is the thing)
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Review Equipment
DVDSony BDP-S350, using HDMI output
DisplayLG 42inch Hi-Def LCD. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderNAD T737. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
AmplificationNAD T737
SpeakersStudio Acoustics 5.1

Other Reviews NONE
Overall | Godzilla (Gojira): 50th Anniversary Edition (1954) | Godzilla vs. Mothra (Mosura tai Gojira) (1964) | Godzilla-Invasion of the Astro-Monster (Kaiju daisenso) (1965) | Godzilla: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (Gojira, Ebirâ, Mosura: Nankai no daik (1966) | Godzilla: Son of Godzilla (Kaijuto no kessen: Gojira no musuko) (1967) | Godzilla-Destroy All Monsters (Kaijű sôshingeki) (1968)

PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Godzilla: Son of Godzilla (Kaijuto no kessen: Gojira no musuko) (1967)

Godzilla: Son of Godzilla (Kaijuto no kessen: Gojira no musuko) (1967)

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Released 25-Jan-2006

Cover Art

This review is sponsored by
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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Science Fiction Theatrical Trailer
Gallery-Poster
Trailer-Madman Trailers
Rating Rated PG
Year Of Production 1967
Running Time 82:05
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Jun Fukuda
Studio
Distributor
Toho Company
Madman Entertainment
Starring Tadao Takashima
Akira Kubo
Bibari Maeda
Akihiko Hirata
Yoshio Tsuchiya
Kenji Sahara
Kenichiro Maruyama
Seishirô Kuno
Yasuhiko Saijo
Susumu Kurobe
Kazuo Suzuki
Wataru Ômae
Chôtarô Tôgin
Case ?
RPI ? Music Masaru Satô


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame Unknown Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s)
English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
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

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

     On the island of Sollgel in the remote Pacific Professor Kusumi (Tadao Takashima) and his team of scientists are preparing a weather changing experiment when reporter Maki Goro (Akira Kubo) quite literally drops in from the sky in search of a story. With no way of leaving the island he is accepted into the team but he quickly finds that they are sharing the island with giant preying mantis type creatures (called Kamacuras in the film and Gimantis in the trailer). The team’s radio equipment is also being plagued by occasional interference, and when it happens during an experiment intended to lower the island’s temperature to below freezing it has the opposite effect, boosting the island’s temperature above 40 C and creating torrential downpours. Mudslides that result from the torrential rain uncover a huge egg. The egg is cracked by three Kamacuras revealing the son of Godzilla (never named in the film but called Minilla in the trailer), and Godzilla arrives from the sea just in time to save his son from the Kamacuras. To complete the cast, Goro discovers on the island the beautiful Saeko (Bibari Maeda), the daughter of Professor Matsumiya who had gone missing almost 20 years before. Also on the island, they learn, is a giant spider, currently asleep (called Kumonga in the film and Spiga in the trailer).

     As his son grows, Godzilla becomes a loving, indulgent dad, teaching Minilla to roar and breath fire. Cue cute baby antics; Minilla playing with Godzilla’s tail, Minilla throwing a child like tantrum when he does not get his own way. Saeko also has an affinity with Minilla, able to call to him and feed him fruit. Then when Saeko is attacked by a Kamacura, Minilla intervenes and comes off second best until Godzilla lends a paw. But the battle between Godzilla and the Kamacura awakes Kumonga and the serious battle begins. To escape, the scientists launch another weather changing experiment, this time successfully reducing the temperature on the island to below freezing and creating a massive snowstorm in the South Pacific.

     To give the film its full title Duel in Monster Island: Son of Godzilla is more Bringing up Baby than monster movie. A lot of time is spent on the humans, and they are not all that interesting. A lot more time is spent in cutesy antics by the baby Godzilla that gets rather tiresome. There are a couple of monster action sequences but they are quite brief. It is all very small scale – where in the original Godzilla Tokyo was trashed while canons and rockets roared and fighter planes raged, here it is a small base that is damaged and only rifles as weapons. The model special effects are quite primitive, such as the scientists’ base trashed by Godzilla, but the monster effects, especially the massive insects, are quite good. In contrast, baby Minilla is clearly a person in a padded suit and is not very effective.

     The tone and context of the Godzilla series of 28 films can vary tremendously and Son of Godzilla from 1967 is about as far away from the original Godzilla concept as you can get; it tries to be cute and humorous, and has few reasonable monster fights but on the whole is not as tense or interesting as it should be.

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Transfer Quality

Video

     Son of Godzilla is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the original theatrical ratio, and is 16x9 enhanced. While the back projection scenes and matte paintings lack sharpness, the rest of the film looks very good. Blacks and shadow detail fine, brightness, contrast and skin tones vary occasionally and colours are vibrant. There is mild grain and occasional film artefacts, such as vertical lines in two scenes (for example 78:21) but nothing serious enough to spoil the enjoyment of the film.

     The English subtitles are in a yellow font in American English. Except for the American spelling there were no other spelling errors and I noticed only one minor grammatical error.

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 at 448 Kbps, Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps and English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps. The 5.1 is the best I have heard so far in the Godzilla films. Dialogue was clear, it has separation and reasonable clarity, the surrounds are used for music and effects and the sub woofer did support the music. It is not particularly enveloping but is effective. The original theatrical release was in mono so we have this track on the DVD. It sounds more strident, rendering well the creature roars and storm effects, so it is also quite effective and I did prefer this track. The English dub is there if one just cannot read subtitles.

     Lip synchronisation is fine.

     The music by Akira Ifukube is sometimes quite obtrusive and includes a theme that sounds as if it is from The Arabian Nights. Sometimes it is so breezy it lowers the tension of the scene, on other occasions it is effective enough.

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

Extras

Original Theatrical Trailer (2:27)

Poster Gallery

     5 colourful Japanese film posters.

Madman Trailers

     Trailers for other films from Madman. Included is Godzilla vs. Ebirah – Horror of the Deep (2:18), Godzilla: Invasion of the Astro Monster (2:24) and Seven Samurai (4:05).

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

     There is a Region 2 Japanese version with an audio commentary by Director of Special Effects Teisho Arikawa but neither the feature nor commentary is subtitled. The US Region 1 disc has only Japanese and English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio tracks. Region 4 is the best choice for English speakers.

Summary

     The tone and context of the Godzilla series of 28 films can vary tremendously and Son of Godzilla from 1967 is about as far away from the original Godzilla concept as you can get. While it has some interesting elements, it is more Bringing up Baby than monster movie. The film is presented on a DVD with good video and audio and minimal extras.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Ray Nyland (the bio is the thing)
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Review Equipment
DVDSony BDP-S350, using HDMI output
DisplayLG 42inch Hi-Def LCD. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderNAD T737. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
AmplificationNAD T737
SpeakersStudio Acoustics 5.1

Other Reviews NONE
Overall | Godzilla (Gojira): 50th Anniversary Edition (1954) | Godzilla vs. Mothra (Mosura tai Gojira) (1964) | Godzilla-Invasion of the Astro-Monster (Kaiju daisenso) (1965) | Godzilla: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (Gojira, Ebirâ, Mosura: Nankai no daik (1966) | Godzilla: Son of Godzilla (Kaijuto no kessen: Gojira no musuko) (1967) | Godzilla-Destroy All Monsters (Kaijű sôshingeki) (1968)

PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Godzilla-Destroy All Monsters (Kaijű sôshingeki) (1968)

Godzilla-Destroy All Monsters (Kaijű sôshingeki) (1968)

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Released 15-Feb-2006

Cover Art

This review is sponsored by
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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Science Fiction Theatrical Trailer
Trivia
Gallery-Poster
Trailer-Madman Trailers
Rating Rated PG
Year Of Production 1968
Running Time 85:08
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Ishirô Honda
Studio
Distributor
Toho Company
Madman Entertainment
Starring Akira Kubo
Jun Tazaki
Yukiko Kobayashi
Yoshio Tsuchiya
Kyôko Ai
Andrew Hughes
Chotaro Togin
Yoshifumi Tajima
Kenji Sahara
Hisaya Ito
Yoshio Katsuda
Heihachiro Okawa
Koji Uno
Case ?
RPI ? Music Akira Ifukube


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame Unknown Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s)
English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

     It is 1999 (which must have seemed a long way away in 1968). Mankind has established a base on the Moon and flights between the Moon and Earth are common. All the Earth’s monsters, including Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, Anguirus and Gorosaurus have been gathered up and confined on Ogasawara Island (Monster Land) controlled by various force fields. A team of scientists lead by Dr Otani (Yoshio Tsuchiya) and the newly arrived Kyoko (Yukiko Kobayashi) monitor and study the monsters. Then, suddenly, communications to the island are lost and the monsters are free and begin attacking major population centres including Moscow, Paris, London and New York. The crew of space ship SY-3 on the Moon, captained by Katsuo (Akira Kubo) are called upon by Dr. Yoshida (Jun Tazaki) to go to Monster Land to investigate. There they find the scientists brainwashed and under the control of an alien queen (Kyoko Ai ) from the planet Kiraku (a hitherto unknown planet between Mars and Jupiter). It also seems that all the monsters wrecking havoc upon Earth are now being controlled by the Kirakus, who deliver an ultimatum calling for the Earth to surrender.

     However, Earth fights back. First an alien base is found under Mt Fuji, but the attacking army units are driven away by Godzilla. Then, by tracking signals, it is discovered that the monsters are being controlled through a relay station hidden within a crater on the Moon. Katsuo and the SY-3 are dispatched to the Moon where they successfully destroy the relay station freeing the monsters from alien control. Instead, Earth takes over control of the monsters and directs them to attack the aliens’ Mt Fuji base. Not to be outdone, the Kirakus bring in the big gun – the 3 headed space monster King Ghidorah! What ensues is the monster rumble of all time when Godzilla, Minilla, Rodan, Anguirus, Manda, Baragon, Mothra, Kumonga, Gorosaurus and King Ghidorah go head to head, tooth to tooth and claw to claw on the slopes of Mt Fuji. At stake is the freedom of the Earth from alien control.

     If Son of Godzilla, made the previous year, was a distinctly small scale production, the team of Godzilla stalwarts who had been together on the original Godzilla in 1954, Tomoyuki Tanaka (Producer), Ishiro Honda (Director), Akira Ifukube (Music) and Eiji Tsuburaya (Special Effects), pulled out all the stops for this production. Godzilla – Destroy All Monsters aka Kaiju soshingeki has more monsters, more destruction, more fights; it was, in fact, intended to be the final Godzilla movie in the series. But while Godzilla did walk again, this 1968 film was indeed the last collaboration of the four aforementioned creators.

     Godzilla – Destroy All Monsters was a fitting climax to the Godzilla series. While the human cast are, again, not all that interesting, the action sequences are wonderful. The special effects are still quite primitive; model space rockets, cars, tanks and buildings look like, well, models, the female aliens look more like Las Vegas (clad) showgirls and the 1960s garish costumes in prime colours of red and yellow now look dated and silly. However, the monster effects, while still obviously models or men in suits, seem completely appropriate and charming and some of the sequences, such as the destruction of Tokyo by Godzilla, Rodan and the long necked dinosaur Manda with explosions, buildings crashing and rockets whizzing are some of the best and more inventive sequences in the entire series. And this is before we get to the fabulous monster on monster action on the slopes of Mt Fuji. Welcome to the original, awesome WMD! There is also, perhaps unintentional, humour in the film. For example, just after Moscow, London, Paris and New York have been trashed by monsters, a scientist in Tokyo warns a reporter seeking a story that “you must not create a panic”. Yes, right!

     Godzilla – Destroy All Monsters is a fabulous climax to the series. It is colourful, exciting, action packed and a wonderful romp and if some of the plotting does not really bear scrutiny the film is such a wild ride it is hard not to be swept along. Totally enjoyable.

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Transfer Quality

Video

     Godzilla – Destroy All Monsters is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the original theatrical ratio, and is 16x9 enhanced. While back projection and matte paintings lack sharpness, on the whole the film has good contrast, acceptable sharpness and blacks, shadow detail and skin tones are excellent for a 40 year old B movie. Colours are garish (very 1960s) with minor colour bleed in some scenes. There is mild grain and a few film artefacts but nothing to spoil the enjoyment of the film. In truth, it looks very good indeed

     The English subtitles are in a yellow font in American English. I did not notice any spelling or grammatical errors.

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 at 448 Kbps, Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps, or English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps. Either Japanese track is acceptable although neither is exceptional. The 5.1 has some separation and reasonable clarity but in fact is recorded at a lower level and sounds quite thin in many sequences. The film was released in theatres with mono audio and we get this on the DVD. Indeed, the mono track seemed to be more robust, better rendering the creature roars and effects, and I actually enjoyed this track better. The English dub is poor.

     Lip synchronisation is occasionally off.

     The music by Akira Ifukube is sometimes obtrusive, such as a bright jaunty cue when the military is about to attack the monsters that lowers the tension of the scene. There is also a cue that sounds very James Bondish! On other occasions it is effective.

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

Extras

Original Theatrical Trailer (2:22)

Trivia Section

     Four silent text screens of interesting facts about Godzilla films in general and Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters in particular.

Poster Gallery

     5 colourful Japanese film posters.

Madman Trailers (7:34)

     Trailers for other films from Madman. Included is Son of Godzilla (2:35), Godzilla vs. Ebirah – Horror of the Deep (2:18) and Seven Samurai (4:05).

Censorship

    There is censorship information available for this title. Click here to read it (a new window will open). WARNING: Often these entries contain MAJOR plot spoilers.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

     There is a Region 2 Japanese version with an audio commentary by assistant director Seiji Tani but neither the feature nor commentary is subtitled. The US Region 1 and Region 0 have only the English dubbed version and non-anamorphic. Region 4 is the best choice for English speakers.

Summary

     Godzilla – Destroy All Monsters is a fabulous climax to the series. It is colourful, exciting, action packed and a wonderful romp, and it is hard not to be swept along for the ride. The film is presented on a DVD with good video and audio and minimal extras.

     Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters is included in the Madman 6 disc box set Godzilla Showa Classics Volume 1 along with Godzilla (1954), Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), Godzilla: Invasion of the Astro-monster (1965), Godzilla vs. Ebirah (1966) and Son of Godzilla (1967). For a RPI of $49.95 this is a fabulous way to get to know “the original monster of mass destruction”.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Ray Nyland (the bio is the thing)
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Review Equipment
DVDSony BDP-S350, using HDMI output
DisplayLG 42inch Hi-Def LCD. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderNAD T737. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
AmplificationNAD T737
SpeakersStudio Acoustics 5.1

Other Reviews NONE