ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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The Spike takes us to the Land of the Rising Sun, care of three uniquely Japanese moves which present Godzilla in a repeat performance, King Kong making a kurtain kall, and an invasion by (dare I say iti) . . . Astro-Monsters!

Even if you have no desire to see these movies, enjoy The Spike’s well-written reviews.
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The Return of Godzilla (1984)

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~ Click on the image to view a larger version.

It's good to have the moody atomic beast back!

After an extended break, Godzilla as a movie force made its comeback with this, the 16th Godzilla film, and the first of what would be the Heisei series.

It's a reboot that basically follows on from the original Gojira film of 1954.

The plot has Godzilla back as a destroyer of mankind, setting its eyes on stomping Tokyo into oblivion. As Zilla goes about its destructive way, and Tokyo attempts to repel the onslaught, there's a backdrop of a diplomatic crisis reaching the boiling point as the Soviets and the Americans get ready for nuclear war.

Thankfully the Japanese are able to convince the sane politicians that it is in fact Godzilla at the crux of things. Can the world powers join together to defeat the mightiest of lizards?

If you're a Godzilla fan, you could be forgiven for going into this one fearing the worst. And yet it ticks off many of the boxes for those who prefer Zilla as the destroyer of mankind as opposed to the saviour of mankind, the one the Showa period ended up as.

There's the standard amount of miniature and set destruction, splendidly constructed as usual, along wotj nifty effects work and a whole bunch of iconic images to take from the experience — such as Zilla's atomic breath destruction, stomping through the city, nuclear reinvigoration, and back-from-the-dead with awesome carnage following.

There's good sci-fi within as well, such as the Japanese scientists having created a super fortress known as Super X. But sometimes all you need is to hear that brilliant roar, followed by lizard devastation.

This was a return to the dark roots of Godzilla, complete with anti-nuclear sentiments. It didn't reinvent the wheel, but it did restart it successfully. 7/10
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Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)



We need from you Monster Zero 1 and Monster Zero 2, Godzilla and Rodan.

It's one of those Godzilla movies where you fully understand why some fans of the "Zilla" series positively dislike it.

The big atomic lizard is only a bit part player here, and when push comes to shove the monster mayhem is in short supply. Considering we also have Ghidorah and Rodan in the mix is for sure a bit of a waste.

Yet this is one of the better sequels from Toho's original wave, and it quite literally has all the ingredients that made "Zilla" and the off-shoots so iconic.

We are in live action cartoon territory, a sci-fi story of bonkers proportions, yet engrossing all the same. The joyous model work synonymous with the series remains intact, the cardboard sets being obliterated are still fun to watch, and the divisive sight of "Zilla" doing the "shay" dance is in here whether you like it or not.

More fun, though, is watching "Zilla" boxing the three headed Ghidorah. That is comedy gold! If only the moody lizard had gone southpaw a bit earlier, then saving the world could have been achieved quicker.

Great fun, but could if have been better from a monster point of view? Yes, definitely, but this be a nutty fruitcake production from Toho and amen to that. 8/10
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King Kong Escapes (1967)

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It's very easy for us to understand. You see, as ridiculous as it may sound, Kong is a male and, uh, Miss Watson is . . . Well, see for yourselves, gentlemen.

King Kong Escapes is directed by Ishirô Honda and written by Takeshi Kimura. It stars Rhodes Reason, Mie Hama, Linda Miller, Akira Takarada and Hideyo Amamoto. Music is by Akira Ifukube and cinematography by Hajime Koizumi.

King Kong Escapes' actual Japanese title is King Kong's Counterattack and it was a live action tie-in to the 1966 animated series simply called King Kong (AKA: The King Kong Show). Knowing this really helps to set you up for what to expect from King Kong Escapes, for it is in essence a live action cartoon!

The plot is, as you would expect, all very silly. It features an evil genius who has invented a mechanical robot King Kong, an Asian babe intent on boosting her nuclear arsenal for world domination, a UN submarine crew complete with pretty lady to melt the real Kong's heart — and naturally some creature smack-downs.

The effects work is dicey, but fun with it, though Kong looks too daft for menace value. In fact, he looks like he has been on the Columbian Ciggies!

There's a cool fight with Gorosauras — a leaping dinosaur whose fight tactic is to repeatedly drop kick its enemy with both feet!

It all builds to the inevitable big face-off finale as the two Kong's tear it up. Who wins? Will Tokyo be obliterated? Well, you wont really care, but you will have fun getting there!

Characterizations are wonderfully cheese laden, none more so than evil Dr Who (Amamoto), resplendent in black cape and with deadly pointed eyebrows. He sets the tone early on, with a devilish glint in his eye as he sets about aiding the sultry Madame X (Hama) with bonkers science fiction pumped machinations. Rhodes Reason (the brother of Rex Reason) sticks his chest out for American heroics. Likewise Takarada for the Japanese front, while Miller (appallingly and strangely dubbed) potters about looking pretty and keeping Kong in check. Hooray! 5/10
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)