Talkback Thread #10: All Monsters Attack (1969)

[Legion1979]

And as, Terasawa has helped explain, Toho didn't go into Godzilla's Revenge with the intention of it being anything other then this cheap, short film aimed directly at Japanese children. I doubt they had much intention of even giving it an American release. If they had, they would have dubbed it themselves for an Internatiobal release.

[Voyager]

I don’t hate this film, but saying it was cheaply made on purpose while being targeted at young children doesn’t absolve it of criticism of it’s genuine faults.

[Legion1979]

I don’t hate this film, but saying it was cheaply made on purpose while being targeted at young children doesn’t absolve it of criticism of it’s genuine faults.

Which are....?

[JAGzilla]

It really is hilarious how often we have this same, identical conversation. Someone (often the same someone) calls this movie trash, we fans lay out the same tired (if still true) counterarguments the whole site knows by heart, someone brings up a fascinating new perspective or piece of background info that deepens the fans' appreciation, the initial aggressor walks away totally unconvinced. Rinse and repeat. This is literally one of the most common TK conversations when there's no new movie to discuss.

[Legion1979]

Just happy there are more and more people coming out of the woodwork who are willing to defend this movie.

It also illustrates something we talked about a while back in those Showa/Heisei hate threads. People who hate on certain Showa films never have the well developed point of view/perspective as the defenders do, and totally vice versa for Heisei

[godjacob]

It really is hilarious how often we have this same, identical conversation. Someone (often the same someone) calls this movie trash, we fans lay out the same tired (if still true) counterarguments the whole site knows by heart, someone brings up a fascinating new perspective or piece of background info that deepens the fans' appreciation, the initial aggressor walks away totally unconvinced. Rinse and repeat. This is literally one of the most common TK conversations when there's no new movie to discuss.

Maybe the reason for that is that even with those counterarguments which boil down to "It was a movie designed for Japanese children made on the cheap" doesn't elevate the movie for everyone. It's not gonna magically make me for example go "oh wow I totally misunderstood this film I'm sorry I was mean to it" if the film doesn't do anything to gain my interest I am not gonna shift my review based solely on those circumstances.

[Legion1979]

More power to you, I guess. You do you.

[Spuro]

It also illustrates something we talked about a while back in those Showa/Heisei hate threads. People who hate on certain Showa films never have the well developed point of view/perspective as the defenders do, and totally vice versa for Heisei

Christ, you can smell the narcissism from here.

[Legion1979]

It also illustrates something we talked about a while back in those Showa/Heisei hate threads. People who hate on certain Showa films never have the well developed point of view/perspective as the defenders do, and totally vice versa for Heisei

Christ, you can smell the narcissism from here.

Nothing narcissistic about it. It's just truth. This pretty much happened a few weeks ago...

Defender: "People say there's a problem with the miniatures in the Heisei series, but that's stupid. They can't even explain why."
Critic: (insert extremely long and detailed reasons why they think the Heisei miniatures have issues)
Defender: "Yeah, well, All Monsters Attack sucks, so there."

[eabaker]

Okay, let's get back to specific discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of this movie (or not, since that conversation is just going to go in circles...).

[Terasawa]

It really is hilarious how often we have this same, identical conversation. Someone (often the same someone) calls this movie trash, we fans lay out the same tired (if still true) counterarguments the whole site knows by heart, someone brings up a fascinating new perspective or piece of background info that deepens the fans' appreciation, the initial aggressor walks away totally unconvinced. Rinse and repeat. This is literally one of the most common TK conversations when there's no new movie to discuss.

You say hilarious, I say tiresome and depressing. I come to this place because it's the most active Godzilla forum where the userbase isn't primarily casual fans. This isn't even one of my favorite Godzilla movies, I just think it's better than its reputation; but it feels like it's impossible to talk about this movie without getting caught in a pissing contest. It's been impossible to avoid it here lately, too, because the argument discussion hasn't been confined to this or the unpopular opinion thread.

[Legion1979]

It's almost as if people NEED this film to be the worst Godzilla movie, for some reason. Perhaps it helps them come to terms with movies like Megagiras or Space Godzilla being thought of as lesser entries as long as they have this one to throw at the very bottom of the pile. People seem willing to hear detailed defenses of movies like Gigan or Megalon, but they tend to draw the line at entertaining similar defenses of Godzilla's Revenge. I think the ostrich syndrome that comes with the very idea of this movie actually being worth something is what bothers me most.

[Terasawa]

I truly don't give a damn if people like this movie or not, and I know very well from two decades of online Godzilla fandom experience that most fans will not. I was trying to say that it's just not fun trying to discuss this movie when it's a constant argument about whether it's good or bad, but now I think I just don't have fun talking about any of these movies anymore.

[eabaker]

So, among those who do like this movie, do you prefer the original Japanese version or the dub?

[daveblackeye15]

Japanese version for sure...but it needs the American opening.
Hm can't seem to find the opening itself but this music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=921eWy4t1VU

[Major sssspielberg!]

I think each version has its merits. The Japanese is the most authentic considering the subject matter, but the English dub has that fantastic Minilla voice with iconic quotes. I'd have to say I prefer the Japanese, but definitely have a lot of love for the English.

[Legion1979]

So, among those who do like this movie, do you prefer the original Japanese version or the dub?

Theyre both fun. Too bad Toho won't let us legally see the American version anymore.

[Voyager]

I don’t hate this film, but saying it was cheaply made on purpose while being targeted at young children doesn’t absolve it of criticism of it’s genuine faults.

Which are....?

- Overuse of stock footage, and the little new footage we get to see isn’t very great. Unimaginative, nothing much to admire.
- Both Minya and Ichiro are obnoxious.
- Fails as a kaiju film as the reused footage tends to bore.
- Second half of the film just forgets it’s a Godzilla film and turns into slapstick. The believability of the looney tunes robbers (or lack thereof) completely screw over the realism the movie’s real world scenes may have had in the first place. It’s like having a movie about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with the first half being incredibly grim, but after the bomb drops, the characters turn into wisecracking MCU characters.

I don’t hate this film. It doesn’t even make my Top 5 worst of the franchise. It was made cheaply on purpose, and made for kids in the wake of Gamera’s success, but that does not excuse the flaws it has.

[Spuro]

So, among those who do like this movie, do you prefer the original Japanese version or the dub?

Weirdly enough, probably the dub. I think what makes or breaks it for me is the opening music; I just like the American’s a little more.

[Legion1979]

Voyager...

The "flaws" it had are basically you expecting it to be one thing and being critical of it because it's not.

The "Looney Tunes" style robbers? Have you watched Japanese children's films from that era? None of what is seen in this movie stands out as weird if you have.

It "fails as a kaiju film" because of the stock footage? How many 8 year olds would complain about monster scenes, regardless if they're old or not? Especially in the age before home video.

The end of it "forgets it's a Godzilla film"? It's not really a "Godzilla film". It's Ichiro's movie. He's the protagonist. Not Godzilla.

Ichiro and Minya are obnoxious? Obnoxious how? What exactly is obnoxious about Ichiro specifically? Have you see the Gamera films? Or 70s Ultra series. Ichiro doesn't seem all that different from any of those. In fact, he's more sympathetic than most of the privileged kids in the Gamera movies, for sure.

Again, this is what i mean. You just claimed you understand why the film is what it is. But your criticisms make it obvious you really don't, especially if you're complaing that it fails as kaiju film or that it forgets its a Godzilla film.