HayesAJones wrote:This movie is simply pure fun. It's no masterpiece, but it's incredible entertaining. Gotta love the Godzilla and Anguirus tag-team duo!
Agreed.
I think the low points are:
- the slow and often not too interesting start.
- Stock-footage of toy tanks that look too much like... toy tanks. Why didn't they use stock footage that actually looks good?
-Also the stock anguirus footage in different lighting and scenery. It seems like they got about 3/4ths of the fight filmed very well, then just slap-put the ending togeather. Dissapointing, as the start of their battle was very promising and could end up as THE Toho kaiju battle of all time if it was not for the sloppy finishing, stock footage and cut-and-paste editing.
- TNT in cardboard boxes. They could have at least used wooden crates or something. That's just sloppy prop making. Its just like Toho to produce some great explosions and special effects and then make a big fail over some pretty simple prop.
- The "deus ex machina" TNT operation is kind of a plot hole. I have problems believing that with so much assents and so advanced technology the aliens would leave the complex so unguarded that massive amount of explosive can be brought in on foot. One would think they would have a sentry tower or something. I think the screenplay writer should have created some more original and believable way for them to destroy the tower.
Good sides:
- The night battle between Anguirus&Godzilla vs Gigan&KG is very fun. The scene of the docks being destroyed is some good special effects, often you couldn't see that it was just a small studio set, many times it really looked like a regular size city and refinery going up in flames. Had some pretty dramatic scenes, like when Goji gets cut and bleeds.
- The aliens are your lovable B-film giant insects, that's cheesy but also fun. Plus i think that while they are one-dimensional, their background of being last survivors of a enviromentally devastated planet is kind of intriguing and I think it could have been even better if the script dwelled on them a bit more.
- The main human hero is kind of funny and likable. He is the "happy-go-lucky" dude who actually can think his way out when push comes to shove. He is ok as far as b-movies go.
- Some of the early driving sequences have that cool fisheye lens effect. I have not noticed that before, just when I re-watched the film today. Its a small thing, but still a nice touch.
- Another nice small touch is the capsule-tower lookalike in kid land. Just noticed taht the capsule tower was finished the same year they released this film. I think its a hidden tribute to the architect.
...I knew that. Okay that makes a bit more sense now.