by Giganfan » Fri Mar 02, 2007 10:52 am
It seems to me that Destroy All Monsters hasn't held up well with fans over the past few years. I just watched the film about a week ago, and while I do admit, the human drama is a bit poorly-written, it is still a pretty solid, and enjoyable movie. Ishiro Honda never lets the tempo lag, and even when it does, as in the unnecessarily long "burn the control device-thingie loose" sequence, he films it very energetically. DAM has the most beautifully photographed special effects sequences of any Godzilla movie ever made, and that is a tribute to Sademasa Arikawa, Eiji Tsuburaya's long-time camera man. His miniatures may not be as remarkable as Tsuburaya's, but Arikawa really makes the film live with his, truly, first-class camera work. I think the story is well-planned out. I mean, you can't have a dakaiju in every, single sequence, and I felt that the screenwriters (Ishiro Honda and Takeo Murata) struck a perfect balance between the action and the drama.
I can completely understand why some fans may have grown weary of Destroy All Monsters over the years. It is a bit dated. But for me, it's appeal will never die. It's a sentimental favorite, and it showcases the masters of the genre throwing all their eggs into one basket. If ANYTHING, you have to appreciate the fact that Tanaka, Honda, Tsuburaya, etc. had the balls to attempt something like this.
"EVERYONE FORGET YOUR TROUBLES! ENJOY YOURSELVES!THERE'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!" - Gigantis The Fire Monster
"It was HUGE...It was...IT WAS LIKE A MONSTER!!! Suddenly the rocks rose...ALIVE!" - Godzilla 1985