The Worst English Dub in the Showa Series

[godzilla98rules]

When it comes to the showa Godzilla films, the dub i have trouble with is Destroy All Monsters International Dub. The only thing about it I hate is the voice they gave the white haired American professor. He sounds like a very old man who is really constipated......

[Megalon-5]

I can barely even hear the old guy in the International version. It's like he's got a bad cold and can barely talk. It gets really annoying after the second or so time he opens his mouth.

[Cimmerian Dragon]

Oh come on! That raspy "I'm about three seconds from death" voice is awesome!

Worst dub for me goes to Gigantis. Too cartoony, even for the lines that aren't terribly written.

[Megalon-5]

Ah! Banana oil!

The Gigantis cut is super bad too as well. The clip show of the dinosaurs was laughable and Yamane really sounded weird. I can only bring myself to watch it on those strange occurrences when I want to hear George Takei drone on about fisheries.

[Space Hunter M]

George Takei drone on about fisheries.

Just pointing out: George Takai's talent was only confined to smaller roles. The man you're thinking of is Keye Luke.

[Megalon-5]

Ah, thanks for the heads up. I've always just assumed it was George who did the main character. Who did Taeki dub over?

[Space Hunter M]

He did bit parts, like Tsukioka's friend from the air force. Tajima, was it?

[Megalon-5]

I sadly wouldn't know. I haven't seen the film in forever. Next time I watch it though, I'll keep an ear out for his voice.

[Sydney Aradi]

So it was Keye Luke who did the narration huh? I always thought that it was Takei

[SuperMonsterZero]

Takei was mostly small parts like the voice on the intercom in the night club that was like "Gigantis is approaching Osaka"

[Crazy Jim Films]

I don't think the dubbing performances are bad in "Gigantis", I think the dialouge is awkward, which is a horse of a different color. No Godzilla film in particular comes to mind here but I do remember the Sandy Frank dub of "Gamera Vs. Guiron" being one of the worst-dubbed films I'd ever seen. I remember being floored by how bad it was when I had first seen it and I had had a steady diet of kaiju films at that point so bad dubbing wasn't something that I was overly harsh on but like the very first scene as this professor talking and it's just like their main concern is to have the voice actor talk when the character's lips are moving and nothing else so he's talking with no rhythm or cadence and all these awkward pauses in the middle of statements. It's something else.

[TitanoGoji16]

As others have said, it has to be the international dub for Destroy All Monsters. Sure, other dubs may have sillier voices or funnier lines, but the DAM dub is just downright nonsensical. Characters don't even seem to be aware of what they're saying at points. Dr. Yoshida ends a press conference because "he's tired." The Kilaak Queen mentions every "man, woman and child" in the Kilaak race, even though there are no men or children. One of the Moonlight crew members informs Katsuo that the circuit for the laser cannon is (literally) burning, and he replies with "So what?" It's just mind-boggling.

That scene with the dinosaurus was pure shit! Those puppets sucked!

And Godzilla, for whatever reason, didn't even have the correct roar. He had Anguirus's roar.

And they called Godzilla Gigantis

These have nothing to do with the dub.

[Tamura]

I don't mind DESTROY ALL MONSTERS' international dub for the same reasons everyone loves the '70s Hong Kong dubs: nostalgia and entertainment value. This was the first way I saw the film; I wasn't around when the AIP version made rounds in theaters/on TV. Plus, I was a 4-year old in the late '90s, I wouldn't have known about the Titra dub or ways to acquire it illegally. Despite the international dub accompanying it being universally regarded as inferior, I loved the film, and have very fond memories of seeing it this way. Sure, the sync isn't perfect, and the dialog can be ridiculous, but none of that matters to me so long as it's entertaining. In summary, I can't agree with Steve and Ed's contention in their commentary that the younger generation doesn't like the film because of the Frontier dub.

[Goji]

^ It would have been the same for me if I hadn't lucked out and found that VHS release in '94. I remember tuning in to one of the SciFi airings in '96, and thinking that the dub was "new"' and that it sounded "weird". I didn't hear it again until that terrible ADV release. Even after getting that, I would always watch the AIP version. Had I never been exposed to it though, I would have definitely gained a nostalgic attachment to the Frontier dub.

I agree that the comment in the DAM commentary is pretty hyperbolic. As if the presence of all those monsters and wonderful SPX wasn't enough to pull people in. Did it occur to them that maybe the film is not as popular these days because...well, it's simply not as popular? It's not like people hate on it on a regular basis. Hell, I've only ever known one person who "hated" this movie, not surprisingly, some bloke from this very forum.

[The H-Man]

Not so much the dub, which is fine, but the sanitized U.S. version of "Terror of MechaGodzilla" that completely cuts out Katsura shooting herself, thereby destroy the MG controller inside her.

[Rockzilla]

The Frontier dub of Godzilla vs. The Sea monster is the worst one IMO. I wasn't very fond of the international Son of Godzilla dub either. Was that one done by Frontier also?

[Goji]

^ Yes indeed, it was.

[Patrick Alan]

The dub for the Space Amoeba is actually funny as hell!

check it out, the dub is literally the funniest thing I've heard in 4 months!

[Goji]

SPACE AMOEBA definitely features a Hong Kong dub (most likely by Axis International). It's a lot of fun.

[skuzzy-punk-kid]

I know somebody is going to grill me for saying this...but, here it goes:

Godzilla vs. Mothra!

How? The line deliveries.

Example #1: Mothra's egg hatches, and out emerges 2 Mothra larvae; the lead actress delivers the line 'look, there are 2.' In my opinion, that line could have been delivered better.

Example #2: The newspaper editor in chief; how he delivers the lines feels grating at best.

There are a few examples in the movie that are currently not available to me in my short-term memory (I'm typing this post at work with no access to my movies), I'll post a follow-up once more comes to mind. Also, there are other movies in the Godzilla franchise that could also contribute to this thread; I'll get back to those later.

I do recall watching this movie for the first time in 1991, but it wasn't until 9 years ago where I started recognizing key actors who've played roles in various Godzilla films. In this movie, the editor in chief's actor I recognized as the JSDF general from King Kong vs. Godzilla. Seeing his face, I had half-expected to hear the same voice from KKvG, but knowing that this was merely a voice-acting issue, I felt disheartened. But this viewpoint of mine has, in no way, any sort of connection to this thread whatsoever (just thought I'd throw that out as a disclaimer).