IMDb user comments for
Kaijû sôshingeki (1968)

advertisement

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 5:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Index

48 comments in total

---

9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Simply tremendous fun,possibly the essential Japanese monster movie, 22 March 2004
Author: DrLenera

Destroy All Monsters is one of the most sheerly entertaining Godzilla movies. The story,if derivative of Monster Zero,is large-scale and exciting {although the alien invasion idea would soon be done to death},the action is non-stop and the film features almost all the monsters from Toho films made up to that time. There is mass destruction,lazer gun shoot-outs,lots of barmy but cool ideas such as Monster Island,a place where all Earth's monsters are kept by scientists-how can the movie not be terrific entertainment?

There are a few flaws with the film which may not have been present if the Toho of 1964 had made it rather than the Toho of 1968. Although the story has the entire world threatened and several of Earth's cities destroyed,the budget did obviously not extend to allowing much of a depiction of this,bar some brief,unconvincing scenes. Also,a few of the monsters are only briefly shown,such as Varan {The Unbelievable},who appears only in two blink-and -you're-miss-them shots {the suit had been ruined and there was not enough money to buy a new one}. The film may therefore have actually been better with less monsters. However,criticisms of dullness are ridiculous,the film is constant action,which makes up for the lack of interesting human characters,and amazingly,the film is taken more seriously than many of the other Godzilla films,almost achieving the perfection of tone of Godzilla Vs Mothra. Of course,there are a few wonderfully stupid moments,like the sequence of our heroes severing a control device with a lazer which helariously goes on for ages. A shame the final Earth monsters vs Ghidorah fight is too short,but than Ghidorah did not really stand a chance!

Terrific fun,though,with a wonderful Akira Ifikube score featuring two of the most memorable kaiju themes! Not the best Godzilla film,but probably the most essential one to see!

---

6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Great Fun, 8 December 2005

Author: loufalce from United States

I make no appologies. I LOVE Kaiju films. Period. Godzilla meister Honda- along with special effects guy Tsubaraya are at the top of their form here.After confining the worlds greatest monsters to monsterland- an island where they can run wild yet not do any harm all is not well. It seems that space aliens are controlling their minds and sending them on many city bestroying rampages. Mothra in Beijing, Godzilla in New York, Rodan in Moscow, etc, etc.Meanwhile on the moon-a rocket crew is observing a UFO. Does this have anything to do with the monster attacks? Back at monsterland, the control crew are replaced by the aliens{Who take on human traits} After much intrigue, the alien base is discovered and the fun begins.The special effects are superior. The rockets and UFOs have a pulp magazine quality that was somewhat dated in 1968, but for some reason it works in this film. Especially cool is the tank like vehicle the rocket holds. Even the model work is of the first order and although it would probably would not pass muster with todays computer generated FX fans, it gives this film an immaginative quality that is sadly lacking in most of todays films.And the climactic monster fight with all the genres all time greats is really a blast! Whenever I1m feeling down, I just pop this one in the VCR and bingo! I feel better again.No deep thinking, just fun on a monster size scale.

---

5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
The Buddy System, 21 August 2000
Author: BaronBl00d (baronbl00d@aol.com) from NC

What happens when a group of aliens take over Monster Island and begin to manipulate the monsters through radar to do their bidding? Why you have the plot of Destroy All Monsters then, which is, for a Godzilla picture, good entertainment. The story is figuratively and literally far-out, but that does not detract from the fun as we see a band of scientists discover how these aliens exercise their control and then unleash the monster's instinctual powers against them. Godzilla, now a good monster, battles with buddies like Rodan, Manya, Varan, and more, against the aliens who plan on world domination. When the aliens no longer can control the monsters, they send for that outer space monster Ghidrah the Three-Headed monster to fight ALL the monsters. SInce he couldn't win against two or three of the monsters in a previous picture - he is made short work of here. Again this is nothing more than entertainment meant to pass some time away. It has an inventive story and a pretty crisp pace. My only major complaint is that the monsters really do not get too much screen time. Honda had the directorial reigns, and the music by Ifukube is outstanding!

---

4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Only beaten by Final Wars in amount of monsters., 4 July 2006

Author: PresidentJennings from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This is the first of two movies where there is over eight monsters in a single movie. The movie starts off by aliens take over the monsters of Earth not bringing their own. Even Godzilla is taken over. The monster wreak havoc all over the world and the world is doomed when humans are taken over by the aliens. Then the monsters are released from there slavery and square off against King Ghidorah. The Earth monsters kill Ghidorah and then fight a burning ship. The ship is eventually destroyed and the aliens are beaten. The world was destroyed, but will live on. This is the best movie in the late 60's. I can see why this film had such a surplus.

---

3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Monster free-for-all: fun stuff, 7 July 2006

Author: MartianCreature from Redondo Beach, CA

Toho decided to throw a block party for monsters in Tokyo, and invited every creature they could get to sign on to do the flick. Their three biggest mega stars are featured: the lovable giant fire-breathing lizard Godzilla, the supersonic bird who stirs up hurricane winds, Rodan; and the evil three-headed serpent King Ghidora. Throw in the talents of several other monsters and you have a Battle Royale that's a feast for the eyes.

Aliens want to conquer the Earth. So they use hypnosis chips on both key humans as well as the giant beasts, forcing them to assist in a sinister scheme. The human actors, although intentionally upstaged by their larger co-stars, make for an interesting invasion from within story. The actors really do a good job showing urgency in this battle for Earth, (in spite of the sometimes questionable dubbing job). The action moves fast and furious, leading to the inevitable climactic monster showdown.

The film incorporates the monster back stories as much as possible; considering how many creatures get in the act, that's quite an accomplishment. It's fun to see them all together; and they put on several good destruction and battle scenes. The TV reporter doing a sports play-by-play in the decisive battle is a great touch, giving us great lines such as, "Listen to the monsters, with their cries of horror and sudden death!"

Fun stuff for Japanese monster movie fans or anyone who likes a good, campy, action filled flick.

---

3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Kick ass monster movie, 27 December 2005

Author: S-Reisner from United States

Any movie with 11 monsters is an instant bad ass. I did not see all of this film but it was incredible.

Though it took a while to get to monster action with Godzilla, Manda, Rodan and mothra all invading New York at once, it was an exciting film. Though the narrating sucked and the acting wasn't so great, it was good.

It definitely made the military look like idiots in the first monster scene when they are firing machine guns and missiles at the four monsters in New York. This movie should not be rated G, but pg-13 for monster violence. I advise you to see this film A.S.A.P.

---

3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Great Godzilla and monster film!, 6 March 2003

Author: Movie Nuttball from U.S.A.

This Toho monster film is very good.The all star cast of monsters is great but Baragon and Varan have little or no screen time.The newer version has an all new dubbing and digital recording which makes this serious film funny.If you love Godzilla and other Toho monsters then check Destroy All Monsters out today!

---

2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best entries available, 5 March 2007

Author: Donald (gore_lord_84@yahoo.com) from United States

"Destroy All Monsters" is one of the best entries in the series.

**SPOILERS**

In the distant future, Dr. Yoshida, (Jun Tazaki) has managed to corral all the monsters of the world onto Ogasawara Island, which is soon renamed Monsterland and run by a staff to keep the monsters peaceful. When a strange accident occurs at the location, the monsters and staff disappear, and soon the world's cities are invaded by the creatures. The UN sends spaceship Moonlight SY-3, piloted by Ketsuo Yamabe, (Akira Kubo) to investigate the area, and finds a race of aliens known as the Kilaaks have taken over both the monsters and staff, demanding the world or the monsters will destroy it. When they stall to negotiate with them, the Kilaaks unleash the monsters on Tokyo, finally forcing them into action and finally break the monsters free of the aliens' control. Applying a trump card, they bring in King Ghidorah to confront the remaining monsters, and they battle for the planet.

The Good News: One of the greatest entries in the series, this has a lot of great things about it. The strong story is a great feat, not being overly complicated and yet getting everything needed that is wanted in a film of this type. It's also quite well-paced, with enough subplots to keep it from lagging and with lots of interesting, logical ideas put into place that make it a joy to watch. It also handles the monsters seriously, rather than handling them as mindless beasts under strict control. The monsters are treated as destructive forces, unleashed upon the world to do what comes naturally to them and bring about them a sense of awe and wonder. This means the monsters here are all quite impressive. Godzilla looks quite nicely, with a pretty large head, rounded mouth, defined brows and fairly-menacing eyes. With a bell-shaped body, pronounced breastbone, long neck and more human-like arms and legs, this makes for a distinctive and powerful version. Angilas is quite impressive, more streamlined and with more musculature added but otherwise the same. Rodan loses the weird appendage under it's eye and a reduced head, making it look more fearsome, while the rest of the monsters look like their last incarnations, and are still quite nice. The film contains no shortage of highlights, though special mention has to be said for the awe-inspiring, incredible and memorable final battle. A contest between eight different creatures, most of which getting their shots in, but the sheer chaos of what's going on makes it such an impressive sight, and the battle is just the right length to avoid being boring. Of special note is Ghidrah's entrance, emerging from a flaming fireball and landing gracefully among the others assembled. It's simple but pulled off expertly. The fight itself is one of the greatest ever done. It's upbeat, energetic and makes up single-handedly for most of the rest of the film, which is not that easy to do. There is some impressive work here, including the solo excursions by the monsters. It's nice to see other cities being attacked, and with Moscow, Paris, New York and Beijing being attacked in great, albeit brief, fashion makes them all great scenes. The Tokyo attack is simply masterful, as a large number of buildings are flattened in grand fashion, and really marks the return to Godzilla's original glory. To see him behaving in such a manner is great to see, and he gets in some great scenes, including the legendary scene where one of the monsters wraps around a raised railway and pulls it down as Godzilla knocks down a flaming building in the background. That it also includes a confrontation with the Defense Forces is just the icing on the cake. This is a great spectacle movie, and does it in grand style. There's also a couple of really interesting ideas present, mostly Monsterland, which is a really creative idea and is carried out quite nicely. The futuristic technology also applies to the rocket ships, and the main one, Moonlight SY-3, is quite nice and realistic, and is one of the best non-monster miniatures made. The chase with Rodan is a great moment, taking place in a rocky terrain and featuring some interesting tactics and ideas. Rodan also has a rather nice chase with a flaming flying saucer that is one of the most intricately-shot and creative scenes in the film. Also new is the idea of Godzilla interacting with and pursuing humans, a new and novel idea that is nicely played here. All in all, this one rarely disappoints and continuously entertains.

The Bad News: There is only minor flaws in here that are incredibly easy to overlook. During the final battle, it is possible that a favorite doesn't do all that much, as there are a couple that don't do a lot even though they are present. To see a favorite not get a lot of screen-time might drive this down. The only other area that doesn't work all that well is a gory autopsy scene. It's a little out of character for a Godzilla film, and could've easily been accomplished without it being as graphic. The sequence where the humans attempt to dismantle the aliens' rays takes forever to accomplish and really could've been done easier and earlier but beyond these, it's a spectacular film.

The Final Verdict: One of the overall best films in the genre, this is really hard to find a flaw in this one. It's got what every monster fan wants and craves, and even provides them in spades. It's recommended viewing for just about all monster fans.

---

2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
the ultimate Japanese monster fest, 7 March 2005

Author: ricmarc2001 from United States

I remember seeing this film at an all day monster fest at the Elco Theatre in Elkhart, Indiana in 1969.

It still stands as the number one Japanese monster movie of all time in my opinion. After viewing it again after all these years it still can't be beat for ingenuity and all out good fun.

This film has it all, monsters, aliens, typical Japanese special effects of the era, and a plot that will tickle your fancy and leave you begging for more.

This film is the culmination of all the Japanese horror flicks of the time.

All of your major Japanese monsters are here, plus a few you might not have heard of.

The alien angle is a plus, it gives the film an angle that supersedes the usual claptrap of the period.

I recommend this film highly, it ranks right up there with Godzilla and Mothra.

---

2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Loads of cool monsters!, 20 February 2003
Author: MooMooChild from Sydney, Australia

Is this the one with "Terrible Manda"? What was so terrible about Manda? He wasn't scary - he was a nuisance. He would just wrap himself around bridges and get in the way of drivers.

"Hey, Manda, get out of the way!"

"Sorry"

Great fun film with all the monsters converging. If I remember rightly, there are some great explosive scenes in Tokyo (obviously re-built since Godzilla last came to town), where you see Matchbox cars flying in the air, and plastic people falling over.

Great stuff - a must-see!

---

---

Page 1 of 5:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Add another comment

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Amazon.com summary	Ratings
External reviews	Plot keywords	Main details
Your user comments	Your vote history