Customer Reviews

Destroy All Monsters [VHS]

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This is one of the greatest Godzilla movies ever produced, but this DVD version is far from perfect. Unfortunately, this is just a re-issue of the same DVD released a few years ago. The film transfer is exactly the same as the one previously released by ADV films, which has a recently re-dubbed mono soundtrack. The ADV soundtrack is much inferior to the one originally produced for American International Pictures in 1968, which featured an excellent voice-cast and a different script. Apparently the AIP version can't be published because the ownership rights are in limbo. Based on the cover notes, I bought this DVD believing it had the original AIP voice-tracks. No such luck. The folks at ADV deliberately stretch the truth. The cover art claims it's the "50th Anniversary Special Edition", but Destroy All Monsters was made in 1968, which makes this DVD issue the 36th anniversary for the film (in 2004). The 50th year, is a reference to the first Godzilla movie "Gojira" made in 1954, but the text makes no mention of Gojira or Godzilla. It also claims to contain "The original motion picture and soundtrack", which is misrepresentation. The original film was Japanese language, and this DVD isn't even the original English version. I would've been a lot less disappointed if they had at least given this version some chapter stops and stereo audio (which there isn't). There's not even a menu for this low budget version. If you try to hit the chapter advance button, the movie starts over from the beginning. There's no menus, no extras, no subtitles, no secondary audio tracks, no trailer, no nothing. The only thing that's different from ADV's first issue of this movie, is the cover art and the addition of a music CD. The CD contains 30 mono-audio music tracks from the movie soundtrack. The music score is wonderful, but the audio is not stereo and the fidelity is only fair. My point of contention is that ADV is trying to fool us into believing this movie has the original audio soundtrack, but instead gives you fine-print on the back mentioning an extra music CD. Buyer beware, if you already own the original release of this DVD, don't be fooled into thinking this is a different version.

I know this is a great movie and a pretty good DVD as well. But one thing is still wrong. THE DUBBING. This version has the lame (but admittadly not awful) international dub track done in Japan.
The American International version from 1969 had far superior
dubbing done in New York by Titra/Titan sound and featured
the voices of Peter (SPEED RACER) Fernandes, Jack Curtis and
Hal Linden amoung others. This is a tragic loss. The dialogue and
acting were so much better. What a shame.

KEEPING SCORE: The Monsters and where they came from.
Destroy All Monsters has a line-up of eleven giant monsters. Here are lists of the classic eleven, the ones who didn't make it into DAM and the ones who came later in the original series.
1) GODZILLA the king of all monsters from GODZILLA (1954-56)
2) MOTHRA giant telepathic caterpillar from the movie MOTHRA (1962)
3) RODAN flying pteranodon type creature from RODAN (1957)
4) ANGUIRUS armored dinosaur from GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER (aka GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN 1955)
5) MINYA (aka LITTLE GODZILLA) Godzilla's son from SON OF GODZILLA (1967)
6) MANDA sea serpent/dragon from ATRAGON (1963)
7) SPIGA (aka KUMONGA) the giant spider from SON OF GODZILLA (1967)
8) GOROSAURUS giant allosaurus type from KING KONG ESCAPES (1968)
9) VARAN a giant flying marine iguana from VARAN- THE UNBELIEVABLE (1959)
10) BARAGON a floppy eared subteranian dinosaur from FRANKENSTIEN CONQUERS THE WORLD (1965)
11) KING GHIDORAH three headed alien/dragon from GHIDRAH- THE THREE HEADED MONSTER (1964)

These are the guys who were around at the time but, for whatever reason, didn't get to appear in DAM:
1) KING KONG from KING KONG VS. GODZILLA, KING KONG ESCAPES etc.
2) GIANT OCTOPUS from KING KONG VS. GODZILLA and WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS
3)FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER from FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD
4) GAIRA the green gargantua from WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS
5) SANDA the brown gargantua from WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS
6) DAGORAH space alien from DAGORAH- THE SPACE MONSTER
7) EBIRAH giant shrimp/lobster from GODZILLA VS THE SEA MONSTER
8) GIANT CONDOR from GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER
9) GIANT SEA SNAKE from KING KONG ESCAPES
10) MECHANIKONG robot ape from KING KONG ESCAPES
11) MOGUERA mechanIcal mole from THE MYSTERIANS
12) MAGUMA giant prehistoric walrus from GORATH
13) KAMAKIRAS (aka GIMANTIS) from SON OF GODZILLA.

Then there are these guys, who came after DAM so they could not participate in the fun. Even though, chronologicaly, DAM takes place
after these guys appeared (1999):
1) KROIGA a giant winged lion with a human brain from LATITUDE ZERO.
2) HEDORAH the smog monster from GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH
3) GIGAN alien cyborg from GODZILLA VS. GIGAN
4) MEGALON subteranian cyborg insect from GODZILLA VS MEGALON
5) JET JAGUAR size changing humanoid robot from GODZILLA VS. MEGALON
6) KING CEASAR living shisa statue from GODZILLA VS MECHAGODZILLA
7) MECHAGODZILLA (aka MG) alien cyborg duplicate of the king from GODZILLA VS MECHAGODZILLA.
8) TITANOSAURUS aquatic dinosaur from TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA
9) MECHAGODZILLA 2 (aka MG2) rebuilt/redesigned MG from TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA.
10) GEZORA giant amphibius cuttlefish from YOG- MONSTER FROM SPACE.
11) KAMEBAS giant fanged(?) turtle from YOG- MONSTER FROM SPACE
12) GANIMES giant crab from YOG- MONSTER FROM SPACE
13) YOG glowing telepathic space amaeba from YOG- MONSTER FROM SPACE.
14) GABARA gargling blue cat/toad monster from GODZILLA'S REVENGE

Here are the third generation of monsters from the 80s & 90s:
1) BIOLLANTE geneticaly engineared plant monster from GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE
2) MECHA KING GHIDORAH time traveling cyborg from GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH
3) BATTRA giant black moth from GODZILLA AND MOTHRA: BATTLE FOR THE EARTH
4) FIRE RODAN radioactive pterisaur from GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA II
5) SPACE GODZILLA space traveling Godzilla clone from GODZILLA VS. SPACEGODZILLA
6) MOGUERA (aka MOGERA) updated transforming version of the mole robot from THE MYSTERIANS, appeared in GODZILLA VS. SPACE GODZILLA
7) DOSTOROYAH flying mutating crab monster from GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH
8) DESGHIDORAH (aka DEATH GHIDORAH) three headed quadrped from REBIRTH OF MOTHRA
9) DAGARAH parasite producing sea monster from REBIRTH OF MOTHRA 2

And finally, the fourth generation of monsters:
1) ZILLA skinny Godzilla from the american movie GODZILLA (1998)
2) BABY ZILLAS numerous ofspring of ZILLA from GODZILLA (1998)
3) ORGAH laser shooting alien from GODZILLA 2000
4) MEGAGUIRAS mutant dragonfly from GODZILLA VS, MEGAGUIRAS
5) MONSTER X (aka KEISER GHIDORAH) shape changing alien from
GODZILLA : FINAL WARS

I hope this list was useful to young Godzilla fans.

For the 50th anniversary of Godzilla, we have a special relelease of Destroy All Monsters on DVD. This in itself is good, and an added attraction is that there's a second disc -- a CD of the soundtrack. But there are two downsides:

-- there are no special featuers -- not even a theatrical trailer.

-- the dub is the poorly acted recent dub from a few years ago. The original dub is not great (what dubs are? Why, oh, why, don't they also offer subtitled versions), this one is very poorly acted, more so that usual even for these types of films.

Overall, I'd still recommend this to Godzilla fans (and I've been one since seeing King Kong vs. Godzilla in its original US showing at the drive-in when I was a kid), but it could have been so much better.

Oh my cod, this is it! A real Godzilla movie! After seeing the disappointing "Godzilla" from the "Independence Day" crew in 1998, I went back to Godzilla's roots and saw this 1968 classic. Godzilla, and several other monsters such as Rodan, Mothra, Baragon, Varan, Gorosaurus, and Aspiga have been imprisoned on "Monster Island." Aliens show up and bust out the giant captives. Uh-oh, there goes humanity! Monsters destroy some of the world's largest cities like New York, Moscow, and Beijing. Another bonus is King Ghidorah, Godzilla's arch nemesis (like Ernst Stravo Blofeld is to James Bond), is recruited by the aliens! SEE THIS MOVIE! It's a real treat (like a blackberry danish!) It proves that special effects of today don't make a movie great! To prove my point even further, compare this to 1998's "Godzilla" or compare the 1950's classic "War of the Worlds" to "Independence Day." YOU'LL SEE THE DIFFERENCE!

This was the best of Toho's monster flicks from the 60's. Destroy all Monsters is a battle royale featuring all your favorites; Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, Barugon, Ghidrah and more. Evil aliens attack the earth, cities are leveled, tanks are squashed, roman candles are fired at rubber monster suited guys smashing their way through miniature cities, and it's it's all in vivid colorful widescreen TOHOSCOPE! Now THAT'S entertainment.

My only complaint are with the DVD itself, not the movie. The old familiar AIP version from the 60's had a completely different cast of voice dubbing actors, actors I recognized from many other Toho flicks of the era. Because of this, the DVD has loses much of its' nostalgic appeal. The new dialogue is also much stiffer and corny than the original AIP version. There are no extras on this DVD either, not even a chapter search. To view a particular scene, you must speed through the entire movie! Unacceptable. This bargain basement edition is a poor way to present a classic movie such as this. I'll stick to my VHS copy taped off tv 15 years ago.

This my favorite Godzilla movie of the first, or Showa (the period in Japan in which Hirohito was emperor), series. It's got all the best giant monsters: Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Mothra, Rodan, Manda (from Atragon, one of my favs), Baragon (from Frankenstein Conquers the World), Varan (from Varan, the Unbelievable), Gorosaurus (from King Kong Escapes), Minya (ugh), and Spiega/Kumonga (from Son of Godzilla). All but Varan and Baragon get a good amount of screen time. The city destruction scenes are great and the final battle is just awesome. They all gang up on King Ghidorah and he gets a terrible beating. The aliens are the usual people in silly suits. The plot is really just a means to an end. I don't mind, though. The movie is a lot of fun. That's what counts. The DVD has no extras and uses the international dubbing (cheap, poorly done), which is Toho's fault (they don't want Japanese buying this DVD before they put out their own). The video is good. The colors are vibrant, picture is sharp, but there are a good amount of scratches and lines in some parts. The audio is mono, but the dialogue and the great score by Akira Ifukube aren't are clear. The cover artwork is mediocre. Not very detailed, but it features a good amount of monsters. There aren't any menus, it just takes you to the movie. At least there's a keep case.

Movie: 10 out of 10 Video: 8 1/2 Audio: 7 Presentation: 5 Extras: 0 Overall: 8 out of 10. Get it if you're a Godzilla fan.

Oh, how well I remember this one from a Saturday afternoon way back when! "Destroy All Monsters" is the ultimate Japanese monster movie that makes good on its promise to offer up every creature in this pantheon: Godzilla, Rodan, Gidrah, Mothra, Bagara, Spidrah, Minilla and Manda. There are so many monsters in this movie that there are some I have never seen before, and I thought I had seen more than my fair share of monster flicks from the Land of the Rising Sun. The excuse for the non-stop mayhem is that a sinister race of aliens is using Earth's own monsters to destroy every capital in the world (e..g, Godzilla takes out NYC). The only chance for the human race is for the United Nations Star Ship Moonlight SYS (you have to love the name) to locate the secret hidden base of the Kilaks, which is somewhere on the moon. If they can break the control of the aliens over the monsters, Earth has a chance! This 1968 film from director Ishiro Honda is letterboxed and dubbed in English (of course; would you have it any other way?). "Destroy All Monsters" certainly jams more destruction by guys in monster suits (or monsters suspended by wires) than any film you will ever come across. Sooner or later, if you are a fan of this genre, you have to check this one out.

Director Honda and Toho Studios have fun with this movie in which the basic plot line is that all of the world's monsters have been captured, and placed on an island as a kind of a futuristic zoo. However, as many of the Toho movies goes, something always invariably goes wrong....

Although kinda hokey at times, it doesn't bore the audience too long, and it is nice to see all the Japanese monsters duke it out with a common enemy.

The only down side, is that this movie precedes "Godzilla's Revenge", which is truly, the WORST Godzilla movie ever made, even beating out "Godzilla Vs. Megalon", (but not by much!)

This "Special Edition" is nothing more than the original DVD and CD soundtracks with new labels and put in new packaging. ADV didn't bother to fix the problems with the original DVD, such as lack of any chapter stops whatsoever. But aside from that, it's still the good, decent widescreen print released before, so it's worth getting, whether it's the movie or soundtrack you don't have, or both.

Contrary to what some reviews might say, this release of Destroy All Monsters on DVD does NOT contain a free bonus copy of the soundtrack CD! The only version of this movie that contains a free soundtrack CD is the 50th anniversary edition(the green and red case version), which Amazon.com also lists, with a slightly higher price tag. If you're a serious Godzilla fan, why would you spend your money on this edition, when for a few dollars more you can get everything you see here PLUS a free copy of the soundtrack CD? You can't beat that.