Godzilla vs. Gigan

13) GODZILLA vs GIGAN – ORIGINAL SHOWA SERIES 1954-1974. Godzilla here continues the trend set by the mid-60s, i.e. altruistic characters willing to help humanity from danger (Godzilla will only become a threat again in the HEISEI series). The danger here are evil aliens – yes, again. After 25 Godzilla movies, all those alien races are merging into one forgettable entity for me, but at least these ones are different in that they hide the body of a cockroach under a human form and send from outer space King Ghidorah and Gigan, a new monster with a large red eye, hook-like claws and a massive saw in its belly. This episode is widely regarded as one of the least accomplished ever, but thanks to likable main characters (led by a comic book artist and a karate fighter) who undermine the alien plans for world domination, it's quite survivable. The final battle of monsters is so bizarre that it makes you more aware than ever of the magic called 'cinematography' :o) (08/15/2010)

Jun Fukuda excellently took over the reins of the king of kaiju films and directed a movie that is unequivocally the best film where Gojira appears alongside other monsters. An immensely action-packed film that plays with absolutely beautiful miniatures at times, which also captivated me. The fights are long, well-executed with tricks, they are not bad, and it doesn't even bother that most of the monsters are simply people in costumes. Overall, it is evident that there was simply no lack of effort here. (02/15/2015)