After Godzilla Vs. Megaguirus came out in 2000, Japanese movie studio “Toho” moved on to produced yet another Godzilla movie in the “Millennium Series” titled “Godzilla, Mothra And King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack!” (GMK for short) A pretty long title close to Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove.”
GMK: Giant Monsters All Out Attack was released in 2001. (same year The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring came out) It received mixed to positive reviews from critics, fans & movie goers alike. Despite mixed reception, it made enough money at the box office.
“Godzilla: King Of The Monsters” will be out on May 31st. To prepare for the titular character’s big screen return along with fellow monsters Mothra, Rodan & King Ghidorah, I thought about watching all Godzilla movies set in the Millennium Series. You can also check out my previous reviews related to Godzilla. I also highly recommend James/Angry Video Game Nerd’s “Godzillathon” from his website known as “Cinemassacre.”
Today’s review contain no SPOILERS whatsoever. Feel free to read my non-spoiler article, just in case if you haven’t seen the original or Godzilla related material.
Strong & Weak Qualities
Strong: The Climatic Fight Scene was the best part of the whole movie.
Action Sequences were decent showing Godzilla’s battle with Mothra, King Ghidorah & Baragon.
Practical Effects were heavily used to construct miniatures to create Tokyo’s environment, pyrotechnics blowing crud up & customized suits for stuntmen to portray Godzilla & King Ghidorah. Destruction of crap blowing up is cranked up to eleven.
Like its predecessor, GMK is set after the original film ignoring previous installments. Unlike most sequels, Godzilla is depicted as a psychopathic giant monster hellbent on destroying The City Of Tokyo. He’s basically an undead ( with no pupils) Kaiju lacking remorse. It’s like a DC “Elseworlds” story in some form of what-if scenario. Think of Superman as a power hungry dictator depicted in the video game “Injustice: Gods Among Us” & its sequel. Godzilla’s role is similar to Jason Voorhees. (from the Friday The 13th series)
The film focuses on the mystical elements of Godzilla as an undead Kaiju. Feels like a breath of fresh air, rather than retelling the same story over & over again in a hero’s perspective. This time, it’s all about The King Of Monsters as The Main Antagonist.
Besides Kaiju, Godzilla also battles the military. He’s a one monster army.
For the first time, King Ghidorah is depicted as a good guy. His main goal is to defeat Godzilla. I’d say King Ghidorah & Godzilla’s swapped roles are the equivalent of Lex Luthor & Superman as hero & villain. Again, something similar to DC Elseworlds.
Mothra is allies with King Ghidorah. Another interesting take for them. In the original movies, they were enemies. This time, they team up to combat Godzilla.
Mothra’s appearance is heavily redesign to look like a moth, not a cute & cuddly plush toy.
A weaponized submarine factors in as a plot device.
Unlike its predecessor, Godzilla’s trademark atomic blast is blue instead of orange. Going back to its roots.
The movie did a jab at Roland Emmerich’s American Godzilla remake. Toho later added Godzilla defeated the butt ugly iguana in a fight depicted in “Godzilla: Final Wars.”
Without giving too much away, The Ending reveals the fate of the title character.
Weak: The Tone can be quirky at times. It’s a cheesy monster movie. What did you expect Jet Jaguar as Hamlet?
Baragon is uncredited in the title. It’s like Superman uncredited in a crossover comic book series with Batman or Wonder Woman. He’s supposed to be one of the main characters of a crossover event.
Computer Animation didn’t age pretty well. C.G.I. resembles a PlayStation 2 (PS2 for short) video game. Let’s face it, this was back when C.G.I. wasn’t at its peak like today’s innovative technology.
King Ghidorah only shows up in The Third Act. Why the heck is he on the poster and his name is on the poster?
English Dub American actors hired to translate Japanese dialogue felt pretty hokey.
The Final Verdict: B-
Godzilla, Mothra And King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack is an average Godzilla movie set in the Millennium Series. The positive things listed are an improvement than Godzilla Vs. Megaguirus. I thought Godzilla as an undead monster felt unique. Plus, Mothra & King Ghidorah’s team-up against Godzilla. If you’re interested in GMK, I recommend it for any of you Godzilla fans excited for the new movie this Friday.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 