Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

I enjoyed this movie more in the 90's. It hasn't aged well for me. I feel that the final battle is about 10 minuets too long. I don't care for the crabs or their execution AT ALL. Final form destroyer would have been better if he/she were lithe (like in the movie poster) or just remained in the flying form. Instead we have the worst heisei legs EVER.



Godzilla looks GREAT, Jr. was a crap sandwich (he looks like the Sasquatch form the Patterson film at one point!!). The drama was uneven. The score was one of the best.

Just feels rushed in the end. It could have been soooooooooooooooo much better. It really could have.

There is such a mix of good and bad going on here, it's really frustrating. When I was younger, I absolutely adored this movie, but with age has come a kind of cynicism that I often wish I could get rid of altogether.

To start out with the weaknesses, the effects are mostly poor-to-mediocre. The design for the second form of Destoroyah as used in the awful Aliens sequences leaves a lot to be desired, and all of the forms are hampered in some regard by poor execution, at least in some instances, though I do find the designs to be pretty cool. Junior's in the same boat here--nice idea, but not always carried out too well.

And then, of course, we have a story that's rife with lost potential. The concept of a monster being spawned from the Oxygen Destroyer is a great one, but it's not taken very far and ends up feeling like more of an afterthought by the time the movie's over. Combine that with the uninteresting characters and the fact that it's the humans, not Godzilla, who end up taking out Destoroyah (seriously?), and you've got a whole lot working against this picture.

On the plus side, we do have Godzilla looking truly fantastic. Burning Godzilla is one of my all-time favorite designs, looking deadly, majestic and somewhat sympathetic all at the same time. This is helped by a good performance by Ken Satsuma, who puts a nice dose of emotion into his final go-around as the King of the Monsters. The fight scenes, while they do tend to drag at times, come across as more engaging here than in the other '90s films, at least in my opinion, thanks again in large part to Mr. Satsuma. I should also mention that I really like the pyrotechnics work here.

Having the story revolve around Godzilla's approach to meltdown, while it is hurt by quite a number of weaknesses, does make for a pleasant change in pace and creates at least a little bit of suspense. And when the meltdown finally arrives, barring a few unfortunate shots (such as the obvious smoke ring at the beginning), it's handled quite well.

And of course, we have one last hurrah from Maestro Akira Ifukube. I stand by my previous statements that his work in these films of the '90s are the only element in them to remain consistently strong. It gives them a sense of weight that they need desperately, and Destoroyah is no exception. Ifukube's music here is a true tour de force, with a real sense of ferocity in the themes for both of the title monsters. There's also a nice mix of military marches, mysterious atmospheric material, and a great reprise of the younger Godzilla's theme from the 1993 film. His requiem for Godzilla is very touching and is easily the most emotional component of the meltdown sequence. The inclusion of the main title from King Kong vs. Godzilla in the ending credits piece is quite bizarre, but it sounds great, especially when book-ended by the rousing march from the first film. The music here is nothing short of magnificent, and a fitting end for Ifukube's film career. It's a shame the rest of the movie didn't match up to the quality of the score.

Another spectacularly uneven effort in my book.

I like this one. Partly nostalgia(I saw this during my trip to Japan), but really, I just like it period. But..objectively...

-I like Ifukube's music in this one..especially the ominous opening music.(Played again during the final fight between G and Destroyer)

-Mixed bag of FX. Some really good(opticals) and some not so good.(The little Destroyers don't move realistically in almost all scenes).

-I like the look of Godzilla in this one....and Baby Godzilla has also grown up nicely.

-It's never quite clear how the Oxygen Destroyer(or micro oxygen for that matter) works. Does it create some lasting effect(hence Serizawa's fears) or is it more of an instant effect(like Destroyer's ray)? The movie explains very little in this regard, which brings it down quite a bit...

-Godzilla's death scene is nicely done.

-Destroyer is a cool opponent who unfortunately is not really used to his full potential IMO.

For the people who are saying some of the effects are bad: what Godzilla movie has consistently good effects? None, except maybe Biollante. Godzilla movies are known for their bad effects; heck 75% of the Showa era is just one bad effect after another. At least Godzilla vs. Destroyer has some fantastic optical effects and an impressive kaiju for Godzilla to fight. That final battle in Kaneda airport was pretty gruesome as well, and not in a gratuitous way.

That being said, I think Godzilla vs. Destroyer is one of the better-constructed Godzilla films but you need to see it in subtitled format. I like all the allusions to the 1954 film, the return of Emi Yamane, and the great Junior design. Also, the score by Akira Ifukube is fantastic as usual. Oddly enough, it's a pretty depressing movie overall, with Junior getting killed, then Godzilla melting down while being attacked by the military.

Well for me, this is also one of my personal favorites as well.

-Excellent attempt to link this film with the original and a boon to cast the same actor who played Emiko Yamane in the first one and now back here at the end.

Godzilla here is truly a powerhouse killing machine (now if they only had given him the personality that he had in GMK then it would have been even more brutal). Also he gets one of the best entrances ever.

Godzilla Junior was very well designed and you can already see that well in a couple more years, he would like more like Godzilla. And considering what stage of growth that he formerly was in, well it looks already like an infinite improvement.

While I agree about the huge legs on Destroyoah, I did like the final form myself. And definitely, Destroyoah is one of the most powerful monsters that I've seen in the Godzilla series. I know that it is a long shot in hell but if and when they do bring the series back, I hope that Destroyoah is at least a candidate if they decide to bring back old monsters back.

-And as for the final fight, I'm equally divided on the actual ending we got and and the ending that could have been used.

As for the style and flow of the story (although there are some problems, it felt like to me that this was it, one last throw of the dice to end out well). And well compare it to GFW, it did end exceptionally well.

Although mainly stock music is used, it still matches well. Definitely like the Godzilla theme used as well as the funeral theme.


Alrightm there is my take on the movie.