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Article:
7
Date: 5/18/08
Year: 1969
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All
Monsters Attack (1969) |
Company:
Simitar Entertainment, Inc. (1990) Country:
United States Category:
Slip Cover |
| Simitar’s
1990 release of All
Monsters Attack (1969) possesses what could
arguably be considered the worst artwork
ever to grace a Godzilla movie in any format. A green
Godzilla (which, to the artist’s credit, is
fairly close to the suit used in the new footage in
the film) is holding some sort of weird ant-spider-thing
in his hand while a Rodan that looks as though it
was drawn by a child flies in the background. In the
foreground, a rather disturbing rendering of Ichiro
and a Minilla that looks like something a cow would
leave in its wake look up at the aforementioned Godzilla.
The sides have a smaller picture of the cover art
and the film’s title. The back of the box has
a synopsis of the film which, for once, is completely
accurate. Though that doesn’t say much considering
it’s only three sentences long. |
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 |
All
Monsters Attack (1969) |
Company:
Paramount/Gateway (1992) Country:
United States Category:
Slip Cover |
| In this
Paramount release of All
Monsters Attack (1969), under the more familiar
(and confusing) title Godzilla's Revenge,
Paramount once again employs its familiar "Godzilla
movie" design ethos seen on their various other
releases. The pseudo-Asian text font (with "shadows")
remains the same, and the main image is the easily-recognizable
father-son battle with the Kamacuras. I couldn't find
an image that exactly corresponded to this one, but
the Japanese Son
of Godzilla (1967) poster is loosely similar,
and I believe there are other promotional photos that
are also roughly the same; if anyone knows the precise
image from which this painting was inspired (if any),
let us know and we'll update this text. Once again,
Godzilla is made very green on the cover, spitting
fire instead of his atomic ray. This particular design
doesn't appear to be closely based on the Son
of Godzilla (1967) suit, however. Here, he's
too skinny, sports prominent ears, and his nose looks
almost human. Godzilla's canines are also elongated,
which might infer some inspiration being taken from
the original or 1984 Godzilla suits. Minilla, meanwhile,
is also spuriously colored green and given more and
sharper teeth. His eyes are bright and menacing, unlike
the dorky look in the movies, and the "smoke
ring tube" effect emanating from his mouth is
similar to a number of depictions in promotional materials.
The Kamacuras monsters, for their part, look pretty
great, although too small. Along the bottom of the
image are gathered an unlikely group of people; none
of them appear in the movie as pictured here. On the
far right, looking up, is a Caucasian male who might
be Myron Healey from the American version of Varan
(1958), but looks more like Jeff Morrow, the actor
from The Giant Claw (1957) and This Island
Earth (1955). Next to him is a Japanese pilot,
calling to mind Minoru Chiaki's role as the self-sacrificing
flyer in Godzilla
Raids Again (1955), but his face doesn't
match -- he reminds me more of actor Kenji Sahara
(Rodan
(1956)) from his expression, and that actor actually
appears in All
Monsters Attack (1969) as the mostly-absent
father. Next to him (almost touching his cheek) is
a Xilien from Invasion
of Astro-Monster (1965), and then the distinctly
recognizable actor Jun Tazaki, hiding behind awkward
inventor Tetsuo Teri from Invasion
of Astro-Monster (1965), played by Akira
Kubo, who is getting some attention from his admirer
Haruno Fuji, played by Keiko Sawa. Whoever the artist
is, he does human faces very well -- even if he can't
put them in the right movies!
On the back is the usual Japan flag motif with
a green-colorized promotional image from Son
of Godzilla (1967), depicting Godzilla
and Minilla playing together in a scene that doesn't
exist in any movie. The text, as we've come to expect
from Paramount's Godzilla releases, is rather goofy
but good-natured, calling Godzilla's atomic ray
"the ol' zap breath" and nicknaming him
"Thunder Breath." The synopsis is mostly
accurate, if not very descriptive, but misspells
"praying mantis" (as "preying mantis")
and, understandably, uses the older spelling of
Godzilla's son's name ("Minya") before
it was standardized by Toho as "Minilla."
The cast and crew list below is respectable, although
once again misspelling the director's name as "Inoshiro."
Curiously, the Toho copyright is listed on the box
as 1986, and it gives the Japanese title as All
Kaiju Daishingeki instead of Gojira, Minira,
Gabara: Oru Kaiju Daishingeki. It makes sense
to render "Oru" as "All" however,
since "Oru" is the English word "All"
rendered in Japanese katakana and then Romanized
back into English; but either way, the title is
incomplete. |
|
 |
All
Monsters Attack (1969) |
Company:
Simitar Entertainment, Inc. (1998)
Country: United States
Category: Slip Cover |
| Yet
another of Simitar's releases, this time boasting
a green-colored, ferocious-looking '84-era Godzilla
behind a disturbingly illustrated Minilla blowing
radioactive smoke rings. The title leaves much to
be desired, using Simitar's familiar "Godzilla"
font along with some cheesy throwaway gradient Chiller-esque
font. The film synopsis is fairly accurate with three
screen caps from the films itself. Overall, this VHS
cover is nothing to write home about. |
|
 |
All
Monsters Attack (1969) |
Company:
Simitar Entertainment, Inc. (1998)
Country: United States
Category: Slip Cover
- DIGITALLY REMASTERED EDITION
- |
| This
is the SP release of All
Monsters Attack (1969). The artwork features
a fabulously rendered Godzilla and a more realistic
Minilla (than that which appears in the movie). The
differences between this and the EP version are the
same as usual for Simitar videos of this time period,
which includes the enlarged and expanded artwork,
the fleshy background on the rear, and the bonus "Video
Art Gallery" and "Godzilla Trailer Collection".
All-in-all, this proves to be yet another fine collectible.
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