Japan Movies

Godzilla , King of the Monsters

The legend of Godzilla starts here. A mysterious monster is destroying ships and island villiages in the Pacific Ocean. A Japanese island and his freinds investigate, and soon find out that a giant aquatic dinosaur is heading for Tokyo. The monster, named Godzilla after an old legend, arrives in Tokyo Bay and begins making nightly raids into the city. All military might is useless, but there may be a scientist who has an invention that can save Japan. Moody, and meticulously made, Godzilla set the bar for all monster movies that followed. And there were a lot.

Versions: The American version deleted quite a lot of material and inserted copious footage of Raymond Burr pretending to talk to the original Japanese actors. This cut is widely available in the US. The original Japanese cut may be found at Video Daikaiju.

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo, Barry's Temple of Godzilla.

Godzilla Raids Again

In his second outing Godzilla fights another giant dinosaur, this one called Anguirus. This movie started the trend of pitting Godzilla against other giant monsters, but otherwise it isn't an improvement over Godzilla, King of the Monsters.

Rodan

Honda's followup to Godzilla, King of the Monsters was filmed in color and has even better special effects. A miner finds a giant flying dinosaur deep underground. The creature reaches the surface and begins eating people. Then the first animal's mate shows up and the two monsters destroy a city before the Japanese military figures out how to destroy them.

Mysterians, The

Aliens from Mars set up a base in a secluded place in Japan and declare that they want women. The Japanese government doesn't take kindly to this, and a war of super-weapons is joined.

One of the alien weapons is a giant robot mole named Moguera. It appears early in the movie and is destroyed by conventional military tactics, making it practically unique in the Toho pantheon of monsters. At the film's climax a couple of Moguera robots are seen briefly.

Varan the Unbelievable

You know what's really unbelievable? That this B&W snore fest was made by Toho four years after Godzilla, and two years after Rodan. It's a real step backwards for the Japanese monster movie.

A village in a remote part of Japan worships a god named Varan, and forbids people to approach a certain mountain. Scientists from the outside arrive in the area, ridicule the villagers, approach the mountain, and then almost immediately get trampled by a giant lizard. The lizard then flies to Tokyo Bay (this scene was cut from the American version of the film, which actually reduced the level of unbelievableness) and hangs out while the humans have interminable conversations about how large a shell will have to be to pierce Varan's hide. Then it's discovered that Varan will eat a flare if he sees one, so they put a bomb on a flare and before you can say "Taco Bell," Varan is dead from a really bad case of gas.

The special effects aren't much of an improvement over Godzilla, let alone Rodan. There is no human interest in the story, unless discussions about artillery interest you greatly. Varan is a neat design, though he looks pretty skinny when he stands up. Maybe that's to sell us a bit more on the 400-ton lizard gliding around. But the movie fails to interest, and that's why Varan only appeared in Destroy All Monsters after this.

Prince of Space

This feature is probably edited together from a Japanese TV series or serial. Alien warlord Phantom from Krankor invades Earth, only to be opposed by Prince of Space, an apparently normal bootblack who wears a silly ray gun-proof costume and has his own spaceship. Unlike the similar Starman series, no explanation is given for where Prince of Space gets his technology. When Prince of Space returns Phantom's favor and invades Krankor he has to kill a giant monster, basically a 300 foot tall fat guy with big ears.

Mothra

Mothra introduces another classic monster to the genre. Scientist find an island that has been covered in radioactive fallout, with mutations including tiny telepathic twin girls and a giant egg. The girls are kidnapped, and the egg hatches into a huge larva hell bent for Tokyo! The special effects are particularly good this time around, especially once Mothra becomes a full grown insect. Mothra is also noteworthy for being the first kaiju with good intentions.

Gorath

While “Gorath” would make a great name for a monster, it isn’t the name of the monster that has a small role in this science fiction thriller from Toho.

Scientists spot Gorath, a planet many times the size of the Earth, heading straight for a collision with our world. The authorities come up with a plan for survival that is surprisingly logical: Because Earth is much smaller than Gorath, they decide to move Earth out of the way rather than try to destroy or divert Gorath! Giant engines are built at the South Pole and our planet is mobile.

A complication arises when a giant animal destroys the base that controls the engines. The increased temperature thawed a huge walrus, which has the unlikely name of Magma according to Japanese sources. Our heroes fly to the site in a futuristic plane and blast the wayward beast from the air with ray guns, killing it.

The American version of the film cut all shots of Magma, yet included most of the shots of the main characters flying to the area and shooting at it. What the American producers wanted viewers to think they were shooting at remains a mystery.

King Kong vs. Godzilla

A turning point in the evolution of our favorite radioactive dinosaur, King Kong vs. Godzilla marks the beginning of such movies as elaborate, colorful fantasy romps instead of dark, brooding disaster films. The plot is pure puff pastry: Corporation sends expedition to remote island to harvest rare berries. Expedition finds berries, island natives, and King Kong. Expedition brings back berries and Kong as a souvenir.

Of course, Kong gets loose and begins loping around Japan, much to the consternation of Godzilla, who has chosen the exact same minute to do the exact same thing. Rather than playing together and making mankind miserable, they proceed to tear hell out of one another. One might think it would be a lopsided match -- one whiff of Godzilla's fire breath should set the big fuzzball alight -- but the odds are evened when it turns out that Kong thrives on electric current, while the big G can't stand the stuff. Good, goofy fun, even when watching the butchered U.S. cut, which removes large portions of dialogue and plot.

Note: despite what you may have heard or read elsewhere, there are no "alternate endings" for this film. A more complete examination of the rumors regarding different outcomes from the King Kong / Godzilla deathmatch can be found at the Urban Legends Reference Pages.

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo.

Atragon

The undersea Mu Empire declares themselves the rulers of the world. Who can resist their super-science? Only a rogue Japanese naval captain who has secretly built a flying battleship known as Atragon! Can the Japanese government find him and convince him to fight the invaders?

Even though Toho Studios specialized in giant monster movies, the monster in this movie is one of the weakest parts of the production. Manda, a giant Chinese dragon, appears only briefly, and isn't very convincing.

Dagora, The Space Monster

Ever wanted to see a heist-film-turned-giant-monster-movie? Well, you could watch Godzilla vs the Sea Monster, but there's also Dagora, the Space Monster. When detectives go looking for a missing truck of diamonds, they don't find jewel thieves, they find 100-foot-long jellyfish monsters with tentacles and a hunger for anything made of carbon. (So technically, it's "space monsters," plural, but who keeps track?) Does your diamond insurance cover "ingestion by alien?"

Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster

King Ghidorah falls to earth and can only be opposed by three already established monsters: Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan. This sprawling story has destruction, huge battles, and lots of spy intrigue. It also has a hilarious real-sounding-but-made-up country called Selgina and conversation between the various monsters, who can understand each other's roars.

Godzilla vs. Mothra

Probably the Godzilla film. Mothra's egg washes ashore in Japan, causing a general ruckas as the Cosmos Twins, a greedy tycoon and Mothra herself try to posess it in one way or another. And then Godzilla shows up, just to ruin everybody's day. The special effects in this installment of the the series would not be equalled until the 1990s.

Versions: The American version is largely the same as the Japanese version. It even includes an extra scene of the U. S. Navy shooting missiles at Godzilla. It's currently out on DVD and video from Classic Media. The Japanese version can be found on video.

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo, Barry's Temple of Godzilla.

Frankenstein Conquers the World

Frankenstein's immortal heart spawns a creature in Hiroshima after the city is atom bombed. Twenty years later the monster is captured by three scientists studying radiation. When the monster escapes the scientists have to hunt it down, a process complicated by Baragon, an underground dwelling dinosaur also terrorizing Japan.

The ending of the film originally had Frankenstein fighting a giant octopus, but it was cut. War of the Gargantuas is a sequel to this movie.

Giant Monster Gamera

When Daiei Studios saw how much money Godzilla was making for Toho, they created their own franchise with a giant fire-breathing turtle named Gamera. This first film in the series is straightforward, with borrowings from The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and some of the early Godzilla films particularly obvious. The main innovation Giant Monster Gamera added was that a kid named Toshio was a main character, leading to a tradition of short-pants wearing kids who would plague giant monster movies for years to come. The special effects are okay, but not up to the same standards as the Godzilla movies of the same time. The American version cut some scenes and added 24 minutes of footage with English speaking actors. Both versions are available on video from Neptune. The movie was also seen on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo.

Godzilla vs. Monster Zero

Aliens offer to help us with our monster problems by taking Godzilla and Rodan to their planet to fight King Ghidorah. The twist is pretty easy to predict these days, of course. The aliens are lying and soon all three monsters, under alien control, are trashing Japan.

Godzilla vs. Monster Zero is pretty silly by any standard, but it is fun. You have to love the aliens' fashion sense and light-up saucers. There's more than enough monster action, and the cast features lots of faces familiar to anyone who watches Japanese fantasy.

Daimajin

A feudal Japanese warlord subjugates a small town, only to run afoul of the town's protector, a giant statue that comes alive when the local priestess prays to it. The first of three films featuring the vengeful statue, Daimajin has the most elaborate effects and a neat twist: after the warlord has been dispatched the statue turns on the town itself.

Gamera vs. Barugon

Gamera returns from space, just in time to fight Barugon, a giant chameleon who hatches from an opal. This is probably the last time the original Gamera movies even pretended to be entertainment for anything but the smallest children. However, the gory monster violence on display here would only get worse in later films. This movie was dubbed for U.S. TV by AIP.

Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster

Spunky dance contestants find themselves aboard a hijacked boat while searching for a friend lost at sea. The boat has been stolen by a bank robber on the lam, but at least he’s useful when they stumble upon a mysterious island whose natives have been enslaved by a terrorist syndicate! Godzilla and Mothra guest-star in this campy tale of intrigue which also happens to feature a giant shrimp monster that does the terrorists’ bidding. Classic ‘60s story and style.

Those of us with a weakness for giant monsters will find this a particularly enjoyable film, despite the ruinous condition of the Godzilla suit and the fact that Godzilla's presence kind of takes a back seat to the human action. Recommended for those parties when the non-initiated ask to see a Godzilla movie.

Review: Stomp Tokyo.

Return of Daimajin

Three kids travel over a mountain range to get Daimajin to help their village. The last film in the series adds the somewhat unwelcome element of kids to the Daimajin mix, but it's still suitably downbeat.

War of the Gargantuas, The

A semi-sequel to Frankenstein Conquers the World, this movie features two hairy giants loose in Japan. The brown one, Sanda, is freindly to humans, while the green one, Gaira likes to eat humans. While Sanda tries to get his giant brother under control the Japanese army decides that the only good giant monster is a dead giant monster. Obviously made with U.S. in mind (hence Russ Tamblyn in the main character), War of the Gargantuas still has more than it's share of surreal moments, especially the musical number thankfully interrupted by Gaira.

Wrath of Daimajin

The feared Daimajin defends one town from being conquered by another one. Expect (like all the Daimajin films) an hour of samurai drama followed by twenty minutes of a giant statue stomping buildings flat. This movie includes the very striking image of the Daimajin parting a lake to get at the bad guys.

Gamera vs. Gyaos

In the third Gamera movie, our favorite giant turtle takes on flying monster that shoots a powerful cutting beam from its mouth and can spray fire retardant gas from its chest. Of course there's a little kid and Gamera saves him. Also, humanity shows much more creativity in trying to dispose of Gyaos than in practically any other giant monster film. This movie was dubbed for U.S. TV by AIP.

Gappa - The Triphibian Monsters

A poor imitation of Godzilla, Gamera, and Gorgo. The natives of Obelisk Island worship a giant monster, because when you're stuck on an island with a monster, it's not like you have a choice. Unfortunately, some outsiders come and muck things up by stealing the monster's baby. Will the mama monster come to kick the crap out of Japan? What do you think?

Substandard costumes, effects, and acting ruined what could have been perfectly good fun. Skip it and watch another Godzilla movie instead.

Review: Stomp Tokyo.

King Kong Escapes

If you expect the plot of this one to make any sense at all, you're barking up the wrong gorilla. Super-secret government employee Madame X (Mie Hama) has hired Doctor Who (Eisei Amamamoto) -- no, not that Doctor Who -- to procure the rare Element X. Doctor Who's plan to do so involves a giant robot based on sketches of King Kong, a rumored giant ape on the island of Mondo. Unfortunately, the MechaniKong robot can't function under the intense radiation emitted by Element X, so there's another government grant down the tubes.

Like all good (or rather, evil) scientists, Doctor Who has a backup plan -- he'll just hypnotize the real Kong into mining the stuff for him! Of course, it's all going to come down to fisticuffs between Kong and MechaniKong. A mixed Japanese and American cast (the film was produced by Toho and Rankin-Bass) and an actual budget make this one well-funded international fever dream. Supremely entertaining without a shred of dignity.

Reviews: The Unknown Movies

Son of Godzilla

Godzilla finally has a reason to smoke! On a remote island scientists find Godzilla and new member of his species, recently hatched from a egg. The scientists run some weather experiments which result in giant insects that threaten the other monsters. No city stomping in this one, but the giant insect puppets are very impressive.

X From Outer Space, The

Energy-absorbing monster kicks the crap out of Japan. Gee, never seen that movie before! The main differences here are the ultra-serious group of scientists and space pilots rushing to save the day, complete with soap-opera love triangle which we are (apparently) supposed to take seriously. '60s pop-lounge feel will put you in mind of Godzilla vs. Gigan, and the script isn't much better.

Destroy All Monsters

Destroy All Monsters was probably the last great Godzilla movie. In the year 1999, all of the world's monsters have been imprisoned on one island. Aliens release the monsters and demand all governments surrender to them. Earth's scientists release the monsters from alien control, but the aliens retaliate by unleashing King Ghidorah. The climactic monster battle is the most ambitious kaiju scene ever filmed.

Gamera vs. Viras

The fourth Gamera movie, this is the point in the series where the budgets start to decline drastically. There's a fifteen minute stretch which is nothing but stock footage from the previous two movies, and some of the city destruction is from the original Giant Monster Gamera tinted to match the surrounding color footage as well as possible. Aliens who travel around in spaceships that look like yellow and black striped beach balls decide to take over earth, but they first they have to neutralize Gamera. Luckily for the planet two Japanese boy scouts (one Asian, one Caucasian) are on the case, and stymie the aliens at every turn. At the end the aliens combine into one huge monster called Viras. This movie was dubbed for U.S. TV by AIP. It's now available on DVD as a double feature with Gamera vs. Guillon.

Gamera vs. Guillon

More or less a remake of the previous film in the Gamera series, Gamera vs. Viras. Two young children (again, one Japanese and one Caucasian) are kidnapped by a flying saucer and taken to a planet directly opposite the Earth on the other side of the sun. Gamera follows and battles the monster Guillon, who is employed by the two inhabitants of the planet to protect them.

We've seen three different versions of this movie. Neptune Video has released excellent uncut subtitles and dubbed versions on VHS. The AIP TV version has been released on DVD, though it has some violence cut from the bizarre scene where Guiron carves up a Space Gyaos. The movie was also seen on Mystery Science Theater 3000

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo.

Godzilla's Revenge

All the monster action in this movie takes place in one little kid's dream. He dreams that he flies to Monster Island, meets Minilla and helps him overcome a monster called Gabra. Then the kid applies the lessons he learned to the real world.

Gamera vs. Jiger

The Gamera series continues to wind down with this, the cheap sixth entry. Gamera fights Jiger, a mystical creature who attacks a world's fair held in Japan. This movie is mostly noteworthy for the sequence in which some children travel inside Gamera, Fantastic Voyage style. This movie was dubbed for U.S. TV by AIP.

Voyage into Space

This TV feature was edited together from episodes of the Japanese series Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot. Young Johnny controls a giant robot, which he must use to defeat monsters sent by alien Emperor Guillotine.

Yog: Monster From Space

A space probe returning from Jupiter brings back unexpected guests. But hey, guess what? Those guests are not giant monsters! Nope, they're parasitic spore thingies who take over regular Earth critters and turn them into giant monsters. Akira Kubo is, as usual, an excellent hero, but one wonders how the great Ishiro Honda could have helmed such an otherwise mediocre movie.

Gamera vs. Zigra

Gamera's original adventures ended with this stinker about Gamera and some kids foiling an invasion of Earth by an alien shark. Lots of filler shot in a Japanese version of Sea World. This movie was dubbed for U.S. TV. It has been released on video in both Japanese and English by Neptune video. The movie was also seen on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Godzilla vs. Hedorah

From this film's opening minutes, which feature the wacky '60s theme song, "Save the Earth," you just know you're not in for a normal sort of Godzilla movie. The storytelling methods here border on hallucinogenic, but the movie does include everybody's favorite short-pantsed hero Kenny. This is one of Kenny's finer moments, as he not only predicts the movements of Godzilla, but also directs a scientist in his work to destroy Hedorah, a monster whose job is apparently to spread pollution across the planet. Not looked upon kindly by Godzilla purists, it features scenes of Godzilla flying under his own power, an environmentalist cartoon, and some bizarre split-screen techniques.

Review: Stomp Tokyo.

Godzilla vs. Gigan

For the umpteenth time aliens try to take over Earth, but this time they try to do it with an amusement park with a tower in the shape of Godzilla. This fails. So they go to their backup plan, which is Gigan and King Ghidorah. Meanwhile on Monster Island, Godzilla talks Anguirus into heading to Japan and kicking the two space monsters' butts.

The human element of this film is particularly poor, as it presents us with a cartoonist as the hero, includes some atrocious acting, and forces us to endure even more atrocious wardrobe. The monster action isn't bad, exactly, but by this movie the Godzilla suit in question had been through three outings and pieces of it fly off during some of the battles. Another cause of some disappointment is the fact that most of Ghidorah's scenes are compiled of stock footage from other movies.

Review: Stomp Tokyo.

Godzilla vs. Megalon

Godzilla vs. Megalon has many of the hallmarks of the Godzilla series: a goofy monster against whom Godzilla must fight, a little boy whom we'll call Kenny, and the gullible adults who take little Kenny so seriously that they actually believe his half-baked theories about Godzilla's motives. Unfortunately, it also has the ridiculous Jet Jaguar, an Ultraman-like robot who can not only turn his own artificial intelligence on and off, but can also "program himself in some way to increase in size."

Even that wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the film's underwhelming production values and the fact that it plays out like a toy commercial. Oh yeah, there's some plot or another about the Seatopians, who want to wipe out we surface dwellers, but you'll probably be distracted by the googly-eyed Godzilla suit, which keeps changing shape during footage from the previous film, Godzilla vs Gigan. Let this be one of the last Godzilla movies you watch, so you can hug yourself and think of happier times, when Godzilla movies were something you enjoyed.

Review: Stomp Tokyo.

Zone Fighter [TV Series, 1973]

Alien super heroes, disguised as the race car driving Sakamori family, defend earth from Garonga and his monster army. Zone Fighter was just another Ultraman rip-off, more juvenile than most, but it was produced by Toho. This meant that the TV series could draw from Toho's stable of film monsters, so Godzilla was in five episodes, Gigan appeared in one, and King Ghidorah appeared in another two.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla

If you have fond memories of watching Godzilla movies on tv on Saturday afternoons, then Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla is probably one of the films you saw. Released in the States in 1977 with an awful English dub, this movie is the stuff of which surrealistic memories are made. With the ridiculous story, hokey props, bizarre special effects, and the surprise bonus monsters hidden inside, we almost reached Godzilla Heaven with this tape in our VCR.

Part spy flick, part alien invasion movie, part Godzilla film, Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla is all about style over substance. The dialogue is ridiculous, the plot too laughable to mention, and the acting is way over the top. But it's almost guaranteed to fascinate anyone who walks into the room during a screening.

Review: Stomp Tokyo.

Terror of Mechagodzilla

Ishiro Honda returns to the Godzilla director's chair after a five year absence (he was dabbling in Zone Fighter and Ultraman episodes), bringing with him some of the class and professionalism that was missing from the series during its long, slow decline. Unfortunately, not even Honda's return could keep this film from being irrepressibly silly, nor from being the last installment in the original run of Godzilla films.

Silver-jumpsuited aliens take control of a new monster, Titanosaurus, as well as the newly-rebuilt Mechagodzilla, by installing monster control mechanisms inside a dying young human woman. If you can help us make any sense out of that, we'd be very grateful. But then, what would you expect from aliens who wear the goofiest helmets you've seen this side of Tom Corbett, Space Cadet?

Godzilla arrives to kick monster ass and take monster names, and to the film's credit, it relies very little on stock footage and actually delivers on the goods. Helping things along considerably is the fact that venerable composer Akira Ifukabe returned one last time to provide the big G with his stompin' tunes. As the swan song for the original Godzilla, Terror of Mechagodzilla is a worthy time-waster.

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo.

Gamera Super Monster

Gamera vs. stock footage! Yes, rather than film any new Gamera footage, a bunch of his old fights were edited into a movie about some female superheroes trying to stop a space pirate.

This movie was dubbed for U.S. TV, but rarely seen. The TV version cut perhaps the most interesting bits for viewers today, some brief scenes where Gamera "met" the Space Cruiser Yamato and Galaxy Express 999.

Attack of the Super Monsters

Best described as hard core drugs for small boys. Dinosaurs emerge from beneath the ground to destroy mankind and rule the Earth; only the G-Force Ripoff Team can defeat them! Originally a TV series, this mix of live-action giant monsters with animated characters is insanely loopy. The episodic nature of the TV series becomes evident as the team defeats another monster every twenty minutes or so, but there is an overall story arc.

Godzilla 1985

Godzilla's big comeback movie after the demise of the original series of films is unfortunately irrepressibly boring. After a thirty year absence Godzilla returns, stomps through Tokyo, and is opposed by Japanese super science, represented mainly by the flying saucer Super-X. The robotic monster used in some shots had some innovative animatronics, but ultimately the human element of the story was too slow to please audiences. The fact that Godzilla spends half the film unconscious doesn't help. As with the original movie, scenes with a (much larger) Raymond Burr were added after the fact for American audiences. The film also took some criticism for its blatant product placements for Dr. Pepper cola.

Godzilla vs. Biollante

For the first movie in 15 years where Godzilla fights another monster his opponent is... a giant rose?! A scientist crosses Godzilla's cells with that of a flower bush and, as you might expect, the resulting crime against nature is possessed by the scientist's dead daughter and grows to gigantic proportions. It sounds silly, but this movie is pretty somber in tone and has some good monster action. Biollante is an inspired design in both her incarnations.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

Godzilla and King Ghidorah are both given revamped origin in this, their first solo match. People from the future come back to the present day, saying they want to "uncreate" Godzilla. They take a journalist back to WWII to find the dinosaur that will be Godzilla and move him out of the way of the atomic bomb that will mutate him into an monster. But it's a double-cross, and the future people actually create King Ghidorah to subjugate Japan in the present. Luckily, Godzilla was created anyway, bigger and meaner.

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth

Toho resurrected their second most popular monster in what was their most successful Heisei film. An archeologist is hired by a heartless tycoon to go to a remote island and find a lost civilization. He succeeds, though the whole civilization consists of a giant insect and two six inch tall psychic twins. Then an evil version of Mothra called Batra makes the scene. A fun movie, though so much is going on that Godzilla is pushed into the background.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II

The Heisei Godzilla never featured aliens, so this version of Mechagodzilla was built by the japanese to defend their country against the nearly constant attacks of Godzilla. Also in this film are a new version of Rodan, and Baby Godzilla, another member of Godzilla's species that would feature in the next two films.

Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla

Godzilla fights his evil doppelganger from space. Spacegodzilla is a fairly spectacular design, and the filmmakers have given him lots of powers, but the monster action is so slackly edited boredom results. There's also a human subplot about gangsters who want to use Godzilla to blackmail the Japanese government.

Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon

A big budget version of the Japanese creation myth by some of the same creators of the 1990's Godzilla movies. Young Prince Yamato is expelled from his home country and travels around mythical Japan, fighting various monsters. The highlight is the climatic battle between Yamato (transformed into a giant robot) and Orochi, the eight headed monster of Japanese legend.

Gamera , Guardian of the Universe

Director Kaneko revamps the old Gamera series into something hugely entertaining. Gamera and Gyaos are the products of a lost civilization, and they've both been awakened in the present day. Great special effects and a good story.

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo.

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah

This movie was promoted as the death of Godzilla, which it technically is. But you didn't really think Toho would just give up the beloved series, right?

A new monster, Destroyah, is spawned from prehistoric mites mutated by the oxygen destroyer that killed Godzilla back in 1954. (No explanation is given as to whether the current Godzilla is a different monster, or if he survived somehow.) The new monster attacks Japan at the same time Godzilla is building towards a nuculear meltdown from the energy he contains. In some ways this movie is a fitting conclusion to the series, with some great effects and monster fights. But the ending sets up a new series of films that never came.

Gamera 2: Attack of Legion

An alien insect with a complicated life-cycle lands in Japan and gives Gamera no end of trouble. In some ways this film is an improvement over Gamera, Guardian of the Universe, with a plot more rooted in the sci-fi films of the 1950s than Japanese fantasy. The final form of Legion makes a good opponent for our favorite turtle.

Rebirth of Mothra

Kaiju fans were given plenty of warning that Rebirth of Mothra was made for kids. Yet still they bitched and moaned when the rainbow-winged moth monster was given a Wizard of Oz makeover, with children in the lead roles. Also returning with Mothra are those damnably perky Cosmos twins, or whatever kind of twins they're callin' 'em this time around.

The story is an environmentalist tale of an ancient monster who wants to destroy everything in nature. He's called Death Ghidorah and he comes with a fairy of his own, apparently a sister to the twins. Good thing Mothra and the kids are around to put a stop to her nefarious plans.

Yes, there's some giant monster action going on here and the Technicolor visuals will light up your cathode ray tube, but we'll warn you a second time: silly fanboy, Mothra's for kids.

Rebirth of Mothra II

Recipe for Rebirth of Mothra II: Take one part Godzilla, one part Raiders of the Lost Ark, and one part Pokemon. Combine and shake liberally. Serve to your children.

That's right, the twins are back for more Mothra action in this hot-on-the-heels sequel to Rebirth of Mothra, and once again this is a film that shouldn't be taken seriously. The standard "save the environment" message is wrapped in an adventure story involving a submerged city, a pesky fluffball of a sidekick, and a coupla giant monsters who are destined to rumble. Standard-kaiju fans might have a bit more fun with this installment, as the secret-city sequences are intriguing and the final fight is actually pretty kick-ass. Enduring the treacly dialogue, however, might well inspire the stuffier Godzilla fans to run screaming.

Giant Monsters Appear in Tokyo

In this comedy characters in a rural village hear about giant monsters attacking Tokyo from the news. No giant monsters actually appear.

Rebirth of Mothra III

King Ghidorah comes to Earth and kidnaps a bunch of children. Only Mothra can come to the rescue, and go back in time and fight King Ghidorah as he kills off all the dinosaurs. (Stupid palentologists, always miss the obvious stuff!) While the first two movies in the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy have been released on DVD in the U.S., Rebirth of Mothra III has not. It appears on the Sci Fi Channel occasionally.

Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna

This theatrical feature functions as a sequel to two of the recent Ultraman series. The characters from Ultraman Dyna face the possibility of being replaced by a high tech battleship called Promedius. But don't fear for their job security, it turns out the ship is actually part of a conspiracy by the alien Monera to take over the world. It's up to Ultraman Dyna and the long lost Ultraman Tiga to wrestle the alien conspiracy into submission. If you're an Ultraman fan, you'll love this.

Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris

The Gamera trilogy comes to an incredible conclusion as Gamera takes on another monster born of ancient super-science. This one, Iris, is controlled by a young girl who lost her family in one of Gamera's earlier rampages. There's an early scene, in which Gamera fights two Gyaos in a heavily populated city, that must be seen to be believed. The ending may be one of the frustrating ever given to a genre film.

Godzilla 2000

Godzilla returns! Too bad the movie doesn't get good until the last few scenes. Godzilla is a constant threat to Japan, so much so that people make their living tracking him. When a UFO found on the ocean bottom is exposed to sunlight it coes to life and heads straight for Godzilla. Soon Japan has to deal with the twin threat of a pissed off monster and an enigmatic alien craft. The climax is a fight between Godzilla and Orga, the monster the UFO evolves into.

Versions: There are an American and Japanese version of this film, both available on DVD.

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo, Barry's Temple of Godzilla.

Ultraman Gaia: The Battle in Hyperspace

If you have happy memories of watching Ultraman episodes as a kid, this movie will snap you right back into that frame of mind. The great thing about Ultraman is that though the special effects may change and improve, the storylines never do. In this post-Pokemon incarnation, one of the many Ultramen (or rather, his alter ego Gamu, played by Takeshi Yoshida) is called into our "real" world by the magic wish of a kid looking to find his own courage. Unfortunately, the monsters followed Gamu from the dimension in which the TV series take place to our reality -- but hey, that's OK. At least now Ultraman has someone to wrestle!

Giant monsters, Ultraman, magic wishes, even secret mecha super-weapons -- this one's got it all! Highly recommended for your kids and the kid in you.

Godzilla vs. Megaguirus

Godzilla lore diverges into yet another alternate version of G-history. When Japan starts testing a new form of "clean energy" to power its cities, Godzilla shows up to trample it from existence. The special corps of Godzilla fighters (code named G-Grasper, probably the worst name for an anti-Godzilla team yet) decide to retaliate by hiring a few crackpots to create a weapon that can (get this) shoot artificial black holes. What could go wrong with that plan?

When G-Grasper tests this weapon, however, they open a portal to a dimension inhabited by giant beasty insect things, which promptly escape into the sewer system and begin to breed by the thousands. Before you can say "super size me," the insects (called Meganuron in an apparent nod to Rodan), attack Godzilla, and then combine to become Megaguirus. Much ass-kicking takes place, some of which recalls the sillier kaiju antics of films like Godzilla vs Monster Zero or Godzilla vs Gigan. This isn't exactly Godzilla's finest hour, but it's a passable waste of time for G-fans looking for their next fix.

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo.

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

It's a giant monster jamboree! In this new continuity Godzilla attacks Japan after leaving the island alone for nearly fifty years. His reappearance triggers the return of Japan's guardians; Mothra, Baragon and Ghidorah!

Despite bringing some of the most vibrant incarnations of the classic Godzilla monsters to the screen, director Shusuke Kaneko was unable to give the same life to this series as he did to Gamera in the 1990s. Although the "mystical guardians" element puts an interesting spin on the old characters, it makes one wonder if Kaneko has any other plot ideas. We can see the reasons for casting Godzilla as the villain, but after so many years of rooting for him, it feels kind of weird.

Still, GMK features some of the scariest Godzilla moments we've seen in a long time (especially the kitchen sequence), and some of the slickest giant monster battles yet. Definitely worth watching.

Reviews: Stomp Tokyo.

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla

After a new Godzilla attacks Japan the Japanese government builds a giant robot Godzilla to contain the threat. For some reason they build the robot's control system with Godzilla DNA recovered from the original monster, with predictably disastrous results. The monster action in this movie is fast and furious, but the humans are deadly boring.

Patlabor WXIII - The Movie

In a future Tokyo where giant robots are commonplace, people near the waterfront are being attacked by something that isn't leaving a whole lot behind. Two detectives investigate, suspecting terrorists, but instead find a genetically engineered horror that takes the form of a giant fish/reptile mutant. Beautifully animated. Based on the popular TV series Mobile Police Patlabor, though the characters from that show show up only briefly in this movie.

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.

As Japan prepares Mechagodzilla for another assault on Godzilla, the Cosmos twins ask Japan to scrap the robot so the original Godzilla's bones can rest in piece. Instead, they offer Mothra to fight Godzilla if he appears again.

This move features some of the best monster action of the series yet, though trying to figure out what's going on with the humans can be challenging. Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. is a direct sequel to Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002), and features a cameo by the turtle from Yog: Monster from Space (1970).

Godzilla: Final Wars

Allegedly the last Godzilla movie for the foreseeable future, Godzilla: Final Wars is a big budget blow-out with Godzilla and twelve other monsters.It was supposed to be in honor of the 50th anniversary of Godzilla (1954) but it's more in line with the 30th anniversary of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) in terms of goofy tone.

Giant monsters appear all over the world, overwhelming the Earth Defense Forces. Earth's salvation comes in the form of aliens from Planet X, who make all the monsters disappear and warn humanity that an astral body called Gorath is on a collision course with our planet. Are the aliens sincere? Of course not! When the aliens' true motives are uncovered the only force on earth that can stand up to them is Godzilla!

Among the classic monsters appearing (at least briefly) are Anguirus, Ebirah, Gigan, Hedorah, Kamacuras, King Seesar, Kumonga, Manda, Minilla, Mothra, and Rodan. There's also a new monster called Monster X which is revealed to be a new version of King Ghidorah.

Ultraman

Ultraman's origin is updated in this theatrical feature. Fighter pilot Maki (Bessho) is thought killed in a mysterious midair collision but is later found alive and well. At the same time a mysterious monster that can absorb animals into itself is on the loose. Can Maki discover the power in himself that will stop the monster?

Ultraman features a new continuity and a radical redesign for Ultraman, as well as lots of CGI special effects.