DailySkew

Review: All Monsters Attack (1969) [Godzilla's Revenge]

All Monsters Attack AKA Godzilla, Minilla and Gabara: All Great Monsters Attack AKA ゴジラ • ミニラ • ガバラ オール 怪獣大進撃 ,AKA Gojira Minira Gabara Ōru Kaijū aishingeki AKA Godzilla’s Revenge is universally regarded as the worst Godzilla film ever made. I saw it numerous times as a kid, and wondered why the movie focused on a little boy with short shorts.

However, for my most recent viewing I realized something: this movie is a parody, like Blackzilla. Once I was the opening, I knew this was a spoof and a kid’s movie, even more so that Son of Godzilla. In other words, although 99% of Godzilla fans would beat you up if you said anything remotely positive about this film, I have to say it: I thought it was funny and very entertaining! Well, just watch the actual opening, and you will know where I am coming from. Like I said, it’s all a big joke! Why so serious, fans?

Most funny Godzilla opening ever:

Plot
Ichiro is a lonely little boy in urban Tokyo, with an active imagination. Both parents are working, and Ichiro is a latchkey child, who is bullied by his classmates. When his mother has to work late, an adult toymaker babysits him. Ichiro uses a toy computer and dreams about being at Monster Island. Ichiro identifies with Baby Godzilla (Minilla). During the dream sequences, Ichiro meets all of the monsters via stock footage, with Minilla as his guide. Minilla shrinks down to the boy’s side, and then grows to fight his own bully: the orange haired monster named Gabara (the same name as Ichiro’s school bully).

In-between dream sequences, two unprofessional robbers kidnap Ichiro, and Ichiro uses his lessons from Godzilla and Minilla to not only defeat the burglars, but also stand up to his bullies at school.

The Good

• Well, for once the human plot is actually interesting and easy-to-follow. Seeing the world from Ichiro’s point of view is cool- like many kids at the time, he sees the monsters at Monster Island as celebrities. Additionally, the toymaker is a great mentor to Ichiro. The bully scenes were great. For 1969, I was surprised the Japanese would tackle the “latchkey kid” era- where parents are too busy working to pick up their kid from school and provide the proper attention the child needed.
• The sheer over-the-top goofiness is upfront, so there is no mistaking that this is a 100% joke movie for kids. In fact, because all of the monster scenes occur in Ichiro’s imagination, technically this movie does not affect Godzilla continuity in anyway besides showing that the monsters are well known in Japan and toys were made of them.
• Laughter is a great medicine. There are many intentionally funny scenes, and some unintentionally funny scenes- especially Ichiro’s short shorts.
• Ichiro grows: he defeats two criminals and stands up to a gang of bullies thanks to his new confidence from his imaginary meeting with Minilla (who actually speaks Japanese in this movie).
• The following monsters appear in this movie (although they are mostly stock footage from previous Godzilla films, and appear in the boy’s imagination): Anguirus, Ebirah, Gabara, Godzilla, Gorosaurus, Kamacuras, Kumonga, Manda, Minilla, and the Giant Condor.

The Bad

• Too much obvious stock footage. Also, they used the Giant Condor and the Giant Lobster- two of the worst scenes ever (which I pointed out when I reviewed their 1st appearances)
• Bad Minilla costume- again.
• Barely a Godzilla film because the monsters are all part of Ichiro’s dream. If this was a comic book, it would be a short backup story.
• Released just 15 years after the original iconic classic, we are now reduced to stock footage, wacky music, kids worshiping a heroic Godzilla, and an ugly duckling Son of Godzilla giving advice on how to stand up to bullies.

The Ugly

• Ichiro’s short shorts. Trust me.
• From the eyes of a 2009 American, the mentor relationship between the toymaker and Ichiro is…..weird, i.e. unintentionally GAY.
• The monster Gabara: the orange hair on a light green Godzilla wanna-be is pretty lame, but still funny.
• Offensive to Godzilla purists, who call it the “black sheep of the family”.
• None of the titles (Godzilla’s Revenge, All Monster Attack) have anything to do with this movie.

Conclusion
An obviously bad movie, but still a pretty funny film, which doesn’t deserve to be ranked the worst by everyone. Once you lower expectaions- which is PRETTY EASY with the opening music and montage- you can sit back and enjoy the INTENTIONAL comedy in this film. Ultimately, The Bad doesn’t outweigh The Good, so the movie will still be ranked low by me when I compile my official list of Godzilla movies, but I can tell you I really enjoyed watching this, and was pleasantly suprised. Some Godzilla refuse to revisit this film because it is so bad, but it is bad in a campy way, with an easy plot to follow and has likable characters. If my fellow Godzilla afficiaindis want to excommunicate me for saying so, that’s fine.

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• Review: Son of Godzilla (1967)
• Review: Godzilla vs. Monster Zero (1965)
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