GODZILLA, MOTHRA AND KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTER ALL-OUT ATTACK

After killing him off in 1995, and loaning out his good name to an American production in 1998, Toho Studios decided on a fresh approach to their biggest star to start the 21^st century. After all, the continuity of both their old and new Godzilla movie series had been mangled, folded and spindled greatly over the years, and so the idea to launch a series of films as a sort of anthology, with only the 1954 first film as a common origin, could be viewed as an opportunity to limber up the material. While the first two films GODZILLA 2000 and GODZILLA VS. MEGAGUIRUS didn't stray far enough from the source to cause a stir, the same couldn't be said for the more radical GOJIRA, MOSURA, KINGU GIDORA: DAIKAIJ� SOUKOUGEKI, just released in the USA under the above international title.

One usually doesn't bandy about the word "realism" in association with films about magical giant monsters, but that contradictory notion is what comes to mind when dealing with the output of director Shusuke Kaneko. His trilogy of movies about Gamera the giant flying turtle, made in the 1990s, impressed audiences and critics worldwide with their combination of imaginative and impressive monster combat scenarios and the distinctive filter of humanity used as a viewpoint. Kaneko usually limits his camera angles to shots that could be taken by anyone nearby, and even minor characters are treated with humor and compassion.

Kaneko always wanted to make a Godzilla movie, and only turned to Gamera when Toho rejected the rookie director. Now considered a seasoned and successful veteran, he brings all his talents to bear on the Big G, borrowing a bit of mythology from his Gamera pictures while he's at it. GMK (as it's commonly abbreviated) also marks the millennial debut of a few other Toho giants, but none of them are in quite the same form as the public is used to seeing them. Fans have grown used to thinking of Godzilla as a big grumpy Japanese mascot. Sure, he'll destroy a city when he's on a bender, but he's ready to fight off any rivals that show up to prey on humanity. Here, Kaneko's Godzilla is downright evil, a creature formed not only by radiation, but by vengeful spirits of wartime dead out to punish the living specifically, the Japanese living. Though killed in the '50s, rumors of a new Godzilla turn out to be true, and Admiral Taizo Tachibana (actor/composer Ryudo Uzaki) orders the outclassed Defense Forces into action.

Their search for the monster is split between the sea and the mountains when Tachibana's daughter Yuri (Chiharu Niyama), the host of a disreputable news magazine TV show about Fortean phenomena, tracks down what turns out to be another beast terrorizing the countryside. This second monster is Baragon, which according to ancient legend is one of three Guardian Monsters who are set to appear to defend the planet from mean ol' Godzilla. Much of the background information on the monsters is supplied by a crazy old man played by genre veteran Eisei Amamoto, and of course turns out to be 100% correct. Crazy old people are second only to precocious children when it comes to supplying wisdom to Japanese monster movies. Baragon purportedly a last minute replacement for the popular Angilas was the villain of 1965's FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON (known in the USA as FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD), where he filled in for the busy Godzilla. But here he's made into a hero, facing off against the much bigger Godzilla.

When Baragon fails, the always welcome Mothra takes up the challenge. Mothra is stripped of her usual retinue of miniature priestesses and worshipping mutant islanders here, but is given a few new weapons for her arsenal. Mothra teams up with an immature King Ghidorah to take on Godzilla in mortal combat, but will they be enough to stop him?

GMK was a huge hit with Godzilla fans when first released, and is generally considered one of the best G-films ever, though a backlash among fans has tarnished this image of late. Kaneko succeeds in his quest to make Godzilla frightening again, giving him demonic eyes and a sleeker, uglier look. One scene features the monsters approach to a hospital as seen by a woman trapped by a broken leg. Just when it appears she may have been spared a squashing, look out. But even fans who'll accept Godzilla showing his darker side have balked at the apparent meddling done with the other monsters. Baragon, once a rotten imp resembling a reptilian cocker spaniel, is painted as a true blue hero, and the satanic space dragon Ghidorah, usually a very tough opponent, is hard to accept as a good guy, even in a smaller, less powerful form. And though Mothra is always a hero, here she's introduced in the act of killing and webbing up a group of young campers. This awkwardness may be a result of changes forced on Kaneko's story lesser monsters Varan, Angilas and Baragon were set to be the Guardians before Toho decided to load on bigger stars but it makes for some changes that are too great a reach for most fans. To non-fans, all those monster names don't mean anything anyway, so they're free to take this film at face value.

Despite the fact that it makes for an uncomfortable fit alongside most other G-films, GMK works terrifically well on its own merits, building an alternate mythology around the characters that combines sci-fi with fantasy. And as a dramatic piece, it all fits together nicely. The 'human story', which centers on a father and daughter forever separated by ideology and, in the end, radiation, is compelling, though the climactic heroics that take the admiral inside Godzilla may be taking things a step too far. The 'monster story' part works even better, giving us a sense of a whole other world hiding from our daily lives where giants heave mountains around.

Though lacking the welcome addition of extras like the commentrak that graced their DVD of GODZILLA 2000, CTHE's treatment of Toho's monster movies has taken a massive leap forward from the days when they'd put them out as dubbed-only pan & scan double features. Here you have your choice of watching the film with full Dolby in either the original Japanese performances or adequately translated English dialogue, and the widescreen image looks even better than the Japanese edition. It might have been nice if they'd included the original Japanese trailer instead of just a half dozen for other Sony releases (including the 1998 GODZILLA and RETURNER), or some other bonuses to make the deal sweeter, but for Godzilla fans used to seeing their favorite star given poor treatment by ignorant American distributors, this no-frills package feels like the red carpet treatment.