Film Review: Godzilla's Revenge (All Monsters Attack) (Gojira-Minira-Gabara: Oru Kaijû Daishingeki)

Godzilla's Revenge - also going by the title of All Monsters Attack - it just sounds so cool, doesn't it? Godzilla has always been a symbol of pure mass destruction, and combined with a myriad of other monsters, it's always expected that Godzilla will clash with bigger and badder enemies and lay waste to entire cities in their wake.

What I didn't realize about Godzilla's Revenge, however, is that all monsters attack only in the mind of a little kid. And it's all confined to an imaginary island of monsters, where Godzilla hangs out with his son and teaches him to fight. Meanwhile, in the real world, this kid with the big imagination gets into trouble with some bad guys, and gives them the run-around. That's all there is to this movie. It is not an epic kaiju clash: it's a kid's movie. Godzilla and his kin have been reduced to a pile of radioactive cheese; it may work fine and dandy for a young audience, especially when compared to the Gamera films of the 70s, but for adults it's just lame.

The story's pretty much outlined above. There is a neat interplay going on between reality and fantasy, as the kid learns to outwit his captors in the same way Minilla learns to spit radiation in the fantasy scenes. Aside from that, however, the plot is very thin and fluffy, with a cast of annoying characters. Useless pratfalls and an excess of camp hampers the presentation overall.

This film has some fine and dandy photography and editing, although some of it is pieced together from stock footage and scenes from previous Godzilla movies. Acting from the kids tends to be pretty nerve-wracking, but the few adult actors don't fare any better. Really, the guys in the rubber suits provide the best performances here. Writing is terrible. This production uses some cheap sets, props, and costumes. There are some interestingly grungy locales in the real-life scenes, which contrast with Monster Island pretty well. Music is pretty upbeat and campy, and it features one of the cheesiest theme songs I've heard in a while (and I can't get it out of my head!!).

Of the Godzilla movies I've seen, this is one of the dumbest and corniest ones. Even if you are looking for a kaiju movie for kids, why insult their intelligence with this one? There are definitely better ones in the series.

2/5 (Entertainment: Poor | Story: Marginal | Film: Very Poor)