Destroy All Monsters Film Review

My recent My recent journey into Giant Monster films ends where it should. With Toho and an All-Star cast of their greatest hits. Toho's Kaiju films of the 1960s are the Gold Standard of Giant Monster films. I enjoyed my trawl through the giant ants, praying mantises, crabs, mollusks, grasshoppers, reptiles, apes and prehistoric beasts of films from outside of Japan, but coming back to Toho is like returning home. All of our favorites gathered together for our viewing pleasure. A treasure trove of goodness. By 1968 apparently Toho thought their Kaiju days were coming to an end and they expected this to be their last Godzilla film. Time for him to go into retirement. Collect Social Security. I mean how long could you keep putting out a man in a rubber suit and expect audiences to want to see it. The 1967 Son of Godzilla had hit a low note and no one had ideas for new material. The great triumvirate of director Ishirô Honda, special effects guru Eiji Tsuburaya and composer Akira Ifukube had been at this since the first Godzilla film in 1954. Thousands of miniature models, melodies and memories. So, what to do for a fond goodbye to Godzilla?

How about bringing in all his friends and enemy monsters from past films and even bring in a few from non-Godzilla films. A farewell party. It is like the Avengers. Bring them all together from all the Kaiju films and put them on an island and call it Monster Island. And if that wasn't enough for you, how about some aliens trying once again to take over earth. And our Monsters defeating them and saving the world. Cool enough for you? The film actually didn't do that well at the box-office but has become a favorite of many over the years. And of course it was not the end of Godzilla. Who would have thought back in 1968 that over 50 years later he would be more popular than ever. I wish Honda, Tsuburaya and Ifukube were around to see it. Godzilla will always belong to them. On one level this feels very much for children. but it sucks in adults as well. There is so much imagination here and seeing all the monsters together is pure nostalgia. A homecoming.

Someone in their infinite wisdom has put all the giant monsters on one island - you have Godzilla, Rodan, Anguirus, Mothra (in larva form), Kumonga, Gorosaurus, Baragon and probably a few others - and built in safeguards to keep them on the island. It isn't a bad life for the monsters - food, companionship and they don't try and kill each other. A union of Monsters. Some of these monsters go way back - Anguirus was defeated by Godzilla in Godzilla Raids Again from 1957 while Kumonga the Giant Spider was in Son of Godzilla from the previous year. Rodan of course had his own movie and then later worked side by side with Godzilla to defeat Ghidorah The Three Headed Monster (who shows up later in this film), Mothra is universally loved from his own film and then Godzilla vs Mothra, Gorosaurus was from King Kong Escapes and Baragon came from Frankenstein vs Baragon. Sadly, neither King Kong nor Frankenstein show up in this film.

They have built a command post deep into the earth on Monster Island with lots of diligent people monitoring the monsters at all times. How they got all the monsters on the island is a mystery which will forever remain unsolved. The lovely Kyoko (Yukiko Kobayashi) has just arrived that day on a rocket ship that can land straight down to the command area. She is excitedly calling her boyfriend Katsuo (Akira Kubo) who is at the Moon station having arrived on his rocket ship, SY-3, that is loaded up with all the best technology. What could go wrong? Aliens, that's what. In the middle of her call, communications are broken, the electricity goes off and a pink gas flows through the center and they all faint. And the monsters are now off the island and attacking Moscow, Paris, Beijing and New York City.

When Katsuo arrives in his rocket ship to see why no one has heard from the post, all looks fine. Except for one small thing. Kyoko and the others are now telling the crew that they should surrender to the Kiraku, aliens from a planet between Jupiter and Mars. They have all had a device implanted that controls them! Oh my God. Even the sweet Kyoko who now has taken on a cruel and hard look. And when the smug Kiraku leader appears she is an attractive looking Japanese woman ensconced from head to toe in a silver lamé pant suit revealing only her face. She (Kyôko Ai) is the Queen and all her fellow Kiraku's are dressed similarly and also Japanese looking. All quite cute. Maybe being ruled by them would not be so bad - till later we see what they really look like.

We are here to conquer the world. Surrender peacefully. The men break away and escape and the war begins. Mankind against the Kiraku and the monsters they also control. Some might wish for more Monster action instead of humans, but there is a lot towards the end. Some of the Monsters are nearly cameo appearances. But I love the look of these films - the wonderful use of color with bright reds, blues and greens. The great miniature models around the world and the seriousness which everyone takes this. This was definitely the place to end my Giant Monster Journey.