Gojira Mosura Kingu Gidora Daikaijû sôkôgeki

GODZILLA, MOTHRA AND KING GHIDORAH - GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK

Granted I haven't seen many of them but I should think this 2001 feature is the best Godzilla movie I've seen.

50 years after the last Godzilla attack, Japan's coast again begins to feel the tremors of its favorite monster. There have been rumors of Godzilla sightings in other countries (a clever reference to the '98 Hollywood version when two naval cadets whisper to each other, "The New York attack was Godzilla?" "The Americans say so but our experts have their doubts"), but now it appears old Gojira, after a health-giving dose of radiation from a nuclear sub, is heading back to the Sushi bars.

The early parts are somewhat slow, time spent in introducing us to the various characters, with Godzilla sightings mostly restricted to brief glimpses amidst shaky cameras and falling debris. But soon our rubber-suited gargoyle, who is no more the lovable muppet monster of previous entries in the series, decides its time to come out of the closet for some major ass-kicking.

Fortunately, help is at hand in the form of the Guardian Monsters who are fated to protect Japan from Godzilla - Baragon, Mothra and Ghidora. Godzilla v/s Baragon is okay but not very good...there are no real special moves depicted and the rubber suits look too goofy in the day. But considering that Baragon's name doesn't even come up in the title, even the makers obviously considered him only a warm-up before the big battle.

And when the big battle starts...man!!! I wish I had been watching it in IMAX format with really loud surround sound, because this is one awesome battle. Sure, the rubber suits never get believable but I was having too much fun to worry about that. There's a good combination of scale models and CGI to depict the battle of the monsters and the wholesale destruction of Tokyo City. Caught in the crossfire are Japanese civilians and the Army, which is making its own (pathetic) maneuvers to combat Godzilla.

The acting of the human characters in this movie is corny but never annoying. The actor playing the military commander who is also the father of the reporter heroine is quite good in his role. The special FX may lack the polish of Hollywood extravaganzas but work perfectly well in the accepted formula. And unlike most Hollywood disaster movies, this is not one that leaves all the people except the evil lawyer miraculously unscathed. People here die. The brave soldiers die, the bumbling TV cameramen die, the schoolchildren die...even the cripple dies. That's what genuine monster movies are about. This film is a welcome return to the bad old days for Godzilla.

Godzilla is a horrible little bastard in this movie. He is truly badass. For once, he has no redemption, to the point that previous alien controlled villains are now guardians of the earth. This film grabs the human element by taking a father and daughter as an army captain and a TV reporter. The effects here are just fantastic. All the puppets, suits, CGI looks great, and we get more Godzilla/Human interaction than ever. I loved the shot where Godzilla arrives and throws a boat into the air, only for it to fall straight down onto the camera again. We get some exceptional long takes of cityscapes. It's fascinating to see so many monsters beat each other in what looks like a real city. These Godzilla movies also have the confidence to just let it play out rather than making me sick with constant edits. With a subtitle of Giant Monsters All Out Attack, you know this is gonna be good. Just a shame that Mothra and Ghidorah were slightly out of character.

Godzilla is back and mean! I bought an imported copy from Hong Kong and I am glad to see Toho still up to their old tricks. I love this film and am glad that Toho included Baragon in the fight. Baragon hasn't been seen since 1968, and it was a real treat to see him battle Godzilla! Now, where's Titanosaurus?

The first time I saw this movie was on the sci-fi channel and the movie had pieces cut from it and it was badly dubbed. I bought the DVD and watched it and it was a lot better than the sci-fi experience. First off the music is great when you listen to it in stereo, secondly the effects are really good for a Godzilla movie. My major complaint it seems was simply Godzilla's appearance in the movie. It is a major jolt when one is used to the Godzilla of the previous two movies, but on seeing it again it looks rather good, and very evil (still a bit two dumpy, but I got over this time). In this movie, Godzilla is on a rampage...a rampage where he isn't just stumbling through the city causing damage because of his size, but rather causing damage because he wants to kill the people of Japan and make them suffer. Many of his most deplorable acts were cut from the sci-fi version, but on DVD you get to see him cause lots of pain on purpose. Who can stop the rampaging Godzilla...well we have Mothra, Baragon, and King Gidorah, but quite frankly these monsters just can not stand up to the power of this evil super Godzilla. So the military also pitches in with their full arsenal. Very interesting characters abound in a reporter and her military dad and various other interesting people. All of them with one goal: To stop the onslaught of Godzilla.

Godzilla mothra and king ghidora: giant monsters all out attack.

Godzilla mothra and king ghidora: giant monsters all out attack or GMK for short can be considered a semi-reboot of the franchise. Compared to the rest of the millennium era Godzilla movies, GMK is the most unique in terms of tone, spirit and overall feel of the movie. Even Godzilla's origin and design sets itself apart. Here is a monster mashup done well, despite its budgetary limitations, with a bigger badder Godzilla than ever.

Where Godzilla films have been mostly sci fi in nature, GMK seeks to throw in a supernatural fantasy spin on a familiar mythos. As usual, a string of mysterious attacks on sea vessels, this case some submarines, leads the the reemergence of Godzilla. Defeated in the 1950s by a destructive chemical weapon, Godzilla's corpse was apparently reanimated by the souls of world war 2 soldiers. Larger, angrier and more powerful than ever, this super zombie Godzilla is possessed by pure evil as he starts tearing his way across japan. Meanwhile, an intrepid reporter discovers an old prophecy that seems to foretell the second coming of Godzilla and an old man who reveals to her the legend of three guardian monsters who would be the key to ending Godzilla's murderous rampage.

This fantasy retelling, as well as reworking familiar monsters' origins, may not sit well with some. On its own merits, this movie works; recasting Baragon, Mothra and Ghidorah into mythical guardians of earth; a big change especially for Ghidorah who was in previous films an alien weapon of destruction. The first thing to stand out were the new monster designs. Intricately crafted yet with a decent amount of mobility. Godzilla gets special mention for his menacing new look; vampire fangs, jet black skin, insanely sharp claws and soulless white eyes oozing with evil. His overall look is closer to the original Godzilla only with his size and fearsome features pumped to the max.

What many would appreciate is the return of "Godzilla is the ultimate badass" theme. Here he is the villain and humanity is powerless. The monsters engage in truly spectacular fights with the director's stylish camera-work enhancing the scale of such clashes. Another mistake this movie corrects from previous ones is that even in scenes without the monsters, their presence is felt. Many past films just drag in their human scenes until the beasts show up for the action. Accompanying the action here is a pulse pounding score by Kou Otani whom anime fans would recognize as the composer for Gundam Wing Endless Waltz and many other memorable anime soundtracks.

GMK's human characters are well developed; we see our main character go from just wanting the scoop of a lifetime to a well rounded individual who has experienced true horrors of disaster and pulled through. The monsters who are the stars are by far the best among the millennium series of Godzilla movies. Perhaps the fantasy element was not too popular, seeing as how subsequent movies went back to sci fi. But no doubt, it was a bold move, a bold semi reboot, with awesome action, great production design for its modest budget, and a story that never let's up with the tension. A must watch for any Godzilla fan.