Talkback Thread #12: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

[Monster Zero]

I love this movie. It's so entertaining.

[Killswitch]

Other than a couple cute girls, there's not much I like about this film. I just can't stomach all the stock footage. I'm okay with using stock footage for military, crowds, buildings, laser beam shots etc. But, I don't want to see key footage from Destroy all Monsters. WTF?
I will admit that Godzilla Tower is cool looking, but everything else looks terrible. Suits are falling apart. Cheap looking toys of KG & Gigan flying around. lol Oh, brother. To top it all off, we have Godzilla & Angi talking. lol

I also found the story and the pace of the film boring. They should of showed more of those cute girls, maybe going shopping for swim suits or something? lol

[Gamera vs Rodan]

Other than a couple cute girls, there's not much I like about this film. I just can't stomach all the stock footage. I'm okay with using stock footage for military, crowds, buildings, laser beam shots etc. But, I don't want to see key footage from Destroy all Monsters. WTF?
I will admit that Godzilla Tower is cool looking, but everything else looks terrible. Suits are falling apart. Cheap looking toys of KG & Gigan flying around. lol Oh, brother. To top it all off, we have Godzilla & Angi talking. lol

I also found the story and the pace of the film boring. They should of showed more of those cute girls, maybe going shopping for swim suits or something? lol

I didn't think it had too much stock footage, I mean most the King Ghidorah stuff is but if you're like me you were watching this more for Gigan anyways. I know the destruction of Tokyo scenes with Gigan were actually Monster Zero, which shots were Destroy All Monsters? I liked Godzilla and Angi talking, I thought it was funny.

[Captain Aktion]

I wouldn't say kaiju FROM space is really the same as invading aliens such as the X-Seijins or the Black Hole Aliens. King Ghidorah is a space monster, but I wouldn't consider GTTHM an alien invasion film. Ditto Megalon, since that film's antagonists are from underground and merely borrow Gigan, mentioning the Space Hunter aliens in passing.

As far as I'm concerned, this are the only "invading aliens" movies in the Showa series...

Monster Zero
Destroy all Monsters
Godzilla vs Gigan
Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla
Terror of Mechagodzilla

5 out of 15 isn't a lot.

Just because you subjectively hand-wave it away doesn't change the objective fact that there are aliens in 8 of the films.

Why would you not consider KG or Hedorah to be "invading aliens"? That's exactly what they are.

EDIT: Also, even by your count, you don't consider 1/3 to be a substantial amount? That's a sizable portion of anything.

[gojira96]

"Godzilla vs Hedora" is NOT an alien invasion movie by any stretch of the imagination.

It's about an alien coming to Earth to destroy life. Sounds like an alien invasion movie to me.

[Captain Aktion]

I don't think anybody was "bent out of shape" about it...

...other than those who took offense to pointing out the fact that, yes, there are a lot of aliens in the Showa series. I even said that I wasn't making any kind of judgement about it, just pointing out the FACT that there are 8 Showa films that feature aliens in the plot, which was all I ever said.

If Hedorah ISN'T invading the Earth...then what the Hell is he doing? What is King Ghidorah doing? Were they here to get their green cards and hold down a good job? That's crazy talk. Just because you have a very, very narrow definition of what constitutes an "alien invasion" doesn't make your definition, how did you put it? "Right"?

So as far as I'm concerned, I'm still right.

Your "concerns" don't negate the facts. I'm the one who is right and now I'm going to tell Mom, nanny-nanny-boo-boo.

Look, Legion, I'm not trying to start another long winded fight with you over something so inconsequential as this, but it's all the more clear that you'll go to some crazy lengths to defend the Showa films against even the most mild of complaints, but you state constantly how much it annoys you when other people have "silly" defenses (See the now closed Heisei thread). Think about that and if you want to go around about it, send me a PM. I have no problems taking our discussions private.

And if 1/3 of the Earth's population were to be wiped out, you wouldn't consider that a sizable portion of the whole?

[Captain Aktion]

You say potatoes, I say tomatoes and life goes on...

I don't really want to continue this.

Hey, we actually agree on something!

[Gamera vs Rodan]

Bent out of shape is saying the re-use of a plot dilutes its effect a bit? In a film I admit is one of my favorite G films? You really are awful, Legion.

[Captain Aktion]

You really are awful, Legion.

Don't do it. Just don't, save yourself the hassle. He's teflon.

[Goji]

And heeeere we go.

[Jon]

I would've drawn the guy in the middle holding corn on the cob, but that's just me.

[edgaguirus]

That wouldn't be threatening enough. What I find hard to believe is that a drawing like that fooled the aliens. It's not even colored.

[20th Century Boy]

That wouldn't be threatening enough. What I find hard to believe is that a drawing like that fooled the aliens. It's not even colored.

They're aliens, so maybe their sense of perception is different? xD

[Godzillian]

They didn't really look at it they just opened fire the second the doors opened.

[GodzillaFan1992]

This is among one my favourite Godzilla movies and my favourite showa movie too.

Probably mostly due to nostalgia. It is one of the few Godzilla movies I remember seeing as a kid from the top of my head. Not sure if I saw the whole movie, I might have, but I only remember a few parts such as the fight between Godzilla & Anguirus against Gigan & King Ghidorah and the end.

[Jhiaxus]

This film is defiantly in my top ten Godzilla films! It isn't the best thing to be put onto film in the history of cinema but it has a fun factor dialed up to eleven!

The stock footage and talking monsters aside, the movie is filled with great monster battles, city destruction scenes and a cast of human characters that are interesting to follow and that actually have a direct impact on the plot and monsters fighting. Considering the limitations in time and budget that were constricting the development of this film, I think they did a great job to keep the movie entertaining and as fresh as possible. Sure the sets are a little sparse and out there but I think that reflects the time and budget and it still works with the look and feel of the overall theme.

I didn't even mind the stock footage; it was easier to see where it is inserted as an adult than as a kid but it's really just a greatest hits version of Godzilla against King Ghidorah and that's pretty sweet. Same goes for the music; heard it before but why wouldn't you want to listen to a great composers material all over again?

Gigan is one of my favorite monsters and I love his Showa look! Add Big G, his best buddy and his greatest foe in the biggest four way monster fight of the '70's and you got yourself a blast! I just wish we got the speech bubbles on the new blu-ray release; if your gonna have the monsters talk to each other you might as well go all in with the cheese of it!

[he-ba]

This is a great one! Ok, it has it's flaws, but otherwise it's cheesy fun! The monster battles are awesome (although most is stock footage) and gigan is an amazing addition to the franchise! I just wish he had a reboot in the Heisei! I wouldn't mind Godzilla and Anguirus talking if they had better dubbing! The 4 way battle is epic, and if I recall is pretty long, unlike others! The one thing I like about the 70's is you get a lot more of the Kaiju than the 60's, which is important to get kids attention. Everybody once in a while wants a whole lot of monster action, and with that you have to go with the 70's (and Tokyo SOS)!

Jhiaxus said it right: stock footage is fine by me, because with these movies you have to have an open mind like a kid, not criticize it as an adult

[gojira96]

This used to be my favorite aside from the original Gojira, but it's slipped a bit. I still love it though, and it would probably be in my top 10.

[Lain Of The Wired]

So, I'm rewatching the film now, and I JUST noticed that there's this part when Gigan is beating Anguirus, and Godzilla is laying ext to him on the ground, then Ghidorah begins blasting its gravity beams all over the place, non-stop. Shit's exploding everywhere, then Gigan stops its assualt on Anguirus as the beams are still flying all over the place, looks towards Ghidorah, then just high tails it out of the area!

Even Gigan knows that Ghidorah's gravity beam aim is piss poor, he's like "hell naw, I'm not about to get my ass blasted with one of those stray shots, f*ck friendly fire!".

Another thing I noticed, right after the car explodes, and our heroes sneak off, it cuts to stock footage from Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monster, and as Godzilla is making his way towards King Ghidorah, you can see little Mothra Larva accompanying him! And that makes for one of the most awkward uses of stock footage in this entire movie.

[gojira96]

Another thing I noticed, right after the car explodes, and our heroes sneak off, it cuts to stock footage from Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monster, and as Godzilla is making his way towards King Ghidorah, you can see little Mothra Larva accompanying him! And that makes for one of the most awkward uses of stock footage in this entire movie.

There's also a part later when they use stock footage from "Invasion of the Astro Monster" of Godzilla standing up, and Rodan is lying on the ground behind him.