Godzilla Vs Gigan 1972

Rating:
Summary: Gigan's debut is okay entry in Godzilla canon
Review: Back when I was younger, whenever I saw some Oriental people speaking in badly-dubbed English, odds were it was a Godzilla movie or a kung-fu movie. If it was the former, I was in luck. Well, Godzilla vs. Gigan was one of the first movies I saw that introduced me to the world of Toho Studio's monsters.

OK, the story. Genko is a cartoonist trying to find a job with the aid of his female agent. He finally finds something at the Construction Committee for the Children Fund, a non-profit org. dedicated to peace who are making an amusement park and even conducts operations from a Godzilla tower. Genko is kind of creative in his monsters, but a description that he is "stupid but at the same time cunning" is kind of apropos.

That assessment comes from Fumio Sudo, the very young chairman of the Children Fund who does coordinate geometry for kicks. His underling and Genko's immediate superior, a bespectacled reptilian-looking guy with thin mustache named Kubota. Things take an interesting twist when Genko acquires a tape whose loss causes great consternation to the chairman and Kubota. He then falls in with Machiko and Shosaku, who are a motley pair. Machiko's a hottie nice in a fetching mini while Shosaku, with his long hair and headband, is a friendly but goofy-looking guy still wearing 60's fashion clothes. Machiko's brother was working at the fund but has vanished. How's this for a twist? Our heroes learn that Kubota and Genko were killed in an accident a year ago!

This is at least the fourth time Ghidrah (King Ghidorah), the three-headed golden dragon, has been the heavy, and I wonder if he's gotten tired of getting pounded by Big G. As for the gold and dark green Gigan, he is well-realized, with that buzzsaw belly of his doing quite some physical harm to Big G--see the blood gush from his arm at one point. His appearance is reason enough to see this movie and yes, he is as destructive as Ghidrah. He's clearly based after an eagle, with the shape of his head and beak, and three wings. And I wonder when Toho Studios caught on that Angillus is one of the most useless monsters to have on your side. I mean, he's like a spiky, long-snouted armadillo with no special skills, lasers,... agh!

A few other things: Genko's monsters. The name Shukra, the monster of homework, is a corruption of shikudai, which is the Japanese word for homework. As for Mamagon, the monster of strict mothers, there is a humorous moment, as the drawing has a stark resemblance to someone else in the movie. The intro after the titles are done show frames of Genko's animation, and also serves to remind the viewer that these movies are the cinematic equivalent of comic books, which kinda fits. Also, Godzilla actually talks in this movie, which is unintentionally hilarious. Finally, this was originally called Godzilla on Monster Island, which is ridiculous, since the action takes place in Japan. This new title is more apropos.

Godzilla movies relied on some unexplained mystery, with two or three people caught up in some intrigue, and then Godzilla would appear, with or without one of his buddies, and fight the villainous monster. This entry follows that formula, and the initial three-in-a-team motif. And yes, there are the usual toy tanks and planes being destroyed by the bad monsters. If one takes these movies within the context of the Godzilla canon, cool, as the good guys here are goofy but fun to watch, although this is a notch below Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. 3.5, rounded to 4.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty ugly in terms of greatness
Review: By golly! This is terrible! The special effects are, uh, only 5 cents? When King Ghidorah and Gigan (an interesting foe for big G) King Ghidorah does a kind of flip in the air, THAT'S A TOY MODEL FOR PETE'S SAKE! Anyway, here's the plot: Alien roach people from outer space build a Godzilla theme park for children to "relax" in, away from the hardships of life. The planet the people come from, is much like the planet Earth. It's suffering from pullution and radiation, so they try to take over Earth (enough invasions already!). So they send Gigan, a monster with giant claws and a chainsaw in his chest, and King Ghidorah, a three-headed monster we've always liked to see to destroy the planet (or rather Tokyo). Anguilas and Godzilla try to defeat them (which they always do, that's what we expect of kaiju films). Anguilas fights King Ghidorah and Godzilla fights Gigan.

Godzilla vs. Gigan is the first Godzilla movie to have actual communication between monsters (and HORRIBLE voice choices!). Something that should be recorded in a Godzilla history documentary. Do yourself a favor, and don't whatch Godzilla vs. Gigan or Godzilla's Revenge, see any other G movie.

Rating:
Summary: Godzilla talks the talk and walks the walk in this one
Review: Godzilla talks in this movie. I don't know who came up with this idea or why, nor do I know why his voice is made to sound like a Billy Crystal impersonation of an old Jewish man. Thankfully, Godzilla is a monster of few words; he and Anguiras speak only a couple of times in the movie. As for the plot, it is your typical inane Godzilla story--aliens have begun building a Children's Land Amusement Park, centered around a giant Godzilla replica; claiming to be seeking world peace, they are actually plotting to take over the earth. An out-of-work cartoonist, whose comics feature such horrible monsters as the Monster of Homework and the Monster of Overbearing Mothers, manages to stumble across the group's evil plans. Working with such allies as a black belt lady not immune to fainting and a Japanese Jerry Garcia lookalike, he sets about foiling the plans of the bad guys. The aliens send for King Ghidorah and Gigan from their home world in the Hunter Nebula. The alien monsters begin laying waste to Tokyo, but finally Godzilla and his sidekick Anguiras arrive to fight. Godzilla had apparently become lazy and neglected his normal training regimen because he is far from all-powerful when the melee begins. Not only is he abused by Ghidorah and Gigan, but he walks right into an alien trap. Anguiras, who really has little offensive capabilities, gives a gritty performance, even taking on King Ghidorah monster-a-monster at one point. At points in this battle, though, it is anyone's fight.

The special effects here are not that special, but that's okay with me. Many of the scenes of destruction make obvious use of model cars, buildings, tanks with toy soldiers, etc.. Godzilla' costume does indeed look pretty ragged, barely holding up through the end of the fight. Gigan does not impress me that much; the tusk-like hands are okay, but the rotating circular saw in his chest seems sort of weird. King Ghidorah, my favorite Godzilla foe, looks horrible in this movie. His three heads each look like they have reached middle age, and his whole appearance seemed rather drab. Most disappointingly, he is totally static (with unmoving heads) when he is shown flying in outer space.

A lot of people seem to prefer this film to its successor, Godzilla vs Megalon, but give me Megalon over Gigan any day. For me, besides the utter ridiculousness of making Godzilla and Anguiras talk, this movie represents Godzilla's worst fight performance and most bedraggled appearance. It's not the worst Godzilla movie, but it is far from the best.

Rating:
Summary: I guess I've got a soft spot.....
Review: I'm sorry, I know this movie is campier than heck, and compared to modern American CGI the effects are horrible, but it really does the best with what it's got. This was the first Godzilla movie I ever saw and to be truthful it did scare me.
The plot in this film is ridiculous and the acting is beyond bad, but with every Godzilla movie the monsters are what really matters. This one brings back three favorites: the hero, Godzilla; Anguirus, the steadfast sidekick; and the infamous bad guy of bad guys King Ghidorah. It also throws in a new monster to slap Godzilla and Tokyo around: Gigan. This monster is the saving aspect of the movie. In my mind Gigan is one of the best giant monster creations ever thought up. In design he a cross between a T'Rex, a robot and chicken (I know it sounds stupid, but it works) with gigantic can opener arms. I also like the overflowing personality given to Gigan, he's deadly but a bit of a coward. Since this film he;s only appeared once more in the Goszilla series (Godzilla vs Megalon). Hopefully we'll get to see him again.

Rating:
Summary: A good old movie.
Review: Im 15 right now, when i was about 8 i bought this movie at fred meyers, I enjoyed watching it for about 2 years straight then it got lost. I found the cassette sitting in a behind a pile of old movies about 2 weeks ago or so and i watched it. A group of aliens take over an amusement park and use it for there base. ((In a godzilla statue)). Then they bring 2 space monsters, one a new one ((And my favorite godzilla monster of all times.)) Gigan, A Half robot,Half Bird like creature cyborg with hooks. And 3 the headed monster ghidora. They control gigan and ghidora and make them trash tokyo, then godzilla comes with his sidekick to kick some aliens.... One cool thing was godzilla and his spikey sidekick could talk, However the voices were messed up. ((almost as if someone was trying to play a staticky recorded sound.)) And i dont know if it was just me, But i saw a Mothra caterpillar when godzilla was fighting ghidora near the bridge. I still think its cool, The fighting scenes were cool but i wish they wouldnt have moved so slow, ((When gigan throws godzilla, its almost as if hes flying on the moon.)) but i guess in 1972 they didnt have the special affects of todays movies.

Rating:
Summary: Another Godzilla Conquer
Review: Let's face it Godzilla movies in the 60's were made to play to the audiences fantasy of Godzilla conquering all. In this movie I will agree that the plot is pretty lame but so are most Godzilla movies. Why people watch them is for the fight scenes. I'll admit hearing those squeals for voices was pretty lame but I thought Gigan was a good monster to bring in he sure looks alot tougher than he is portrayed to be. I mean in combat the enemies(Ghidrah and Gigan) can both fly and they did not use that aspect in their attack. I've seen every Godzilla movie made and although I don't look for reviews I must say that the fight scenes are pretty good and well worth the time and effort. One bad thing about this movie is the length of time it goes before any real fighting that's why it gets 3 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Gigan is an awsome monster!
Review: Okay, "Godzilla vs. Gigan" was a very cool movie. Now that all by itself is not saying alot. Here are some of the reasons why. Gigan, (part bird, part cyborg) poses as an intresting character. No other creature in the Godzilla series has been a combination of both cyborg AND mutated animal. Ghidorah rears his ugly 3 heads for the last time in the classic Godzilla series. The coolest part of the film is very realistic, takes place at night, and has a 4 way monster battle right in front of a power plant (that of course is destroyed in the battle). What makes this film a little more special than the others is that this was Hauro Nakijama's last time in a G-Suit. The suit used in the film is so old and tatterd that pieces of the suit can be seen flying off during battle sequences of the movie. This same suit was used in the following films. "Destroy All Monsters" (1968) "Godzilla'a Revenge" (1969) "Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster" (1971) and finally... "Godzilla vs. Gigan" (1972)

The next few films still had lots of action but not alot of the humanity and character that Nakijama's Godzilla posessed in his last film. All in all this was probobly one of the best classic Godzilla films in the original series. Shure, it's corney as heak, but it has alot of heart too. Now I think an even cooler movie would be a battle between King Kong, Godzilla, and Angilus vs. King Ghidorah, Gigan, and Megalon!

Rating:
Summary: A GOOD MONSTER BATTLE MOVIE!
Review: There are some who say this is a horrible movie.I strongly disagree.Okay,so the story is a little dumb and the acting isn't the best,but it's not that bad.It has a great battle scene at the end and you even hear Godzilla and Anguirus talk!I think people are way too critical of this movie.It is also the last apperance of King Gidorah in the original Godzilla series(films 1 through 15).Also,Gigan is a really cool monster!It is also alot better than the next film,Godzilla vs. Megalon,which couldn't even be saved by Gigan.

Rating:
Summary: SPIFFY MONSTER EXTRAVAGANZA
Review: This is perhaps one of the best of Toho's original series. Once again aliens are trying to conquer earth using Gigan and King Ghidorah as weapons. This draws Godzilla and Anguirus from Monster Island to protect earth. When the four creatures meet, a great monster battle takes place. Gigan is an impressive creation and the return of Ghidorah makes the movie cooler. This movie has a fairly good plot with few boring parts and little action. The monster scenes are definitely worth watching. It's pretty funny how every time Gigan takes off into the air to attack, he gets hit with the atomic ray. Seeing the monsters talk is weird, but cool. It show s something of Godzilla and Anguirus's attitude towards eachother. Pretty cool. Gigan returns in the next movie: GODZILLA VS MEGALON.

Rating:
Summary: Could have, should have
Review: This movie could have been one of the better Godzilla movies. The plot, though well used, is good enough. Aliens (intelligent cockroaches) use Gigan and the great King Ghidra in an attempt to take over earth. The monster battle is top notch. The thing that keeps this movie from a 4 or perhaps 5 star rating is Godzilla talking. I expect, in fact relish the cheese in Godzilla movies but this was too much. Im not sure if it was Japanese or the English dubbing but whoever was responsible, it is a shame because as i said, it could have and should have been a good chapter in the ongoing saga of Godzilla.