Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Godzilla on Monster Island Blu-ray Movie Review

Godzilla answers the call.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 5, 2014

Gojira first marauded through an epically miniature Tokyo in 1954’s Godzilla, quickly assuming the mantle of King of the Monsters when the film matriculated to American shores shortly thereafter. The evolution of this now iconic character is an interesting study in how an archetypal villain can morph rather unexpectedly into either an outright hero or at least a default protective force who might be the lesser of two (or more) evils. The original conception of Gojira (a fabricated “word” meant to evoke the monster’s supposed resemblance to both a gorilla and a whale, and, no, that isn’t a typo) was an obvious visual metaphor helping the Japanese to come to grips with the aftershocks of their own nuclear holocaust, and in fact in the most renowned of the creature’s origin stories, it’s nuclear activity itself which brings the beast (back) to life. In many of the Godzilla films, the titular being is able to emit its own nuclear smack down, courtesy of a radioactive blast it emanates from its immense mouth. If the original film was both figuratively and literally black and white, positing a destructive behemoth who had to be stopped at all costs, the franchise underwent a rather startling transformation through the years, with a “kinder, gentler” giant quasi-dinosaur emerging as a friend to humanity, or at least as less of an imminent threat. With the imminent release of a new theatrical Godzilla poised to stomp through cineplexes, a whole glut of older Godzilla entries are being released on Blu-ray, including three from Kraken Releasing (an imprint of anime specialist Section 23, which distributes Sentai Filmworks releases). These three come toward the end of Godzilla’s miraculous metamorphosis from nemesis to colleague, and each of them has a certain childlike innocence that seems to point toward the fact that these were crafted with children in mind. There are lessons to be learned about our stewardship of the Earth in all three of the films, in what might be seen as the most obvious throwback to the original formulation of one of the most recognizable rubber suits in the history of film.

If Ed Wood had ever made a Godzilla movie, chances are it might have well been something like Godzilla on Monster Island. There may not be cashmere, but there’s a lunatic quality to the proceedings in this movie that make it hard to resist, despite how patently ridiculous it all is. Once again an environmental subtext underlies at least part of the story, though perhaps not at the levels seen in Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster. In this case, it’s aliens who have ruined their home planet, and Earth is looking like a mighty fine substitute. In a very Ed Wood-ian moment, the fact that these aliens have donned human “suits” is revealed when the camera pans left and the shadow of one of these creatures is revealed to be that of a giant insect. “That doesn’t make any sense”, you say? Get used to it, for Godzilla on Monster Island is relentlessly nonsensical.

The aliens are utilizing the extremely high tech world of reel to reel tapes to summon beasts from outer space to help them in their efforts to destroy Earth’s native population, and that’s where King Gidorah and a new beast named Gigan enter the fray. Because insect aliens disguised as humans always want to be discrete and stay out of the limelight, these bad guys (and/or bugs) do business from a top secret lab housed in a giant Godzilla tower in an amusement park. If there’s still part of your rational brain left after this much information, you may have the ability to survive like a cockroach, alien or otherwise.

In a kind of interesting plot point, it’s a manga artist named Gengo Kotaka (Hiroshi Ishikawa) who first becomes aware of the alien plot. He teams up with his martial artist girlfriend Tomoko (Yuriko Hishimi) and a comic buffoon named Shosaku (Minoru Takashima) to try to confront the aliens, but it is of course Godzilla who swims across the ocean to save the day, with his sidekick Anguirus in tow. It’s actually the dastardly alien radio beacon that initially alerts Godzilla to trouble brewing, but it takes the titular beast and his little friend virtually the entire movie to finally get to where the action is.

This is one of those Godzilla movies that just provokes laughter, some of it intentional, some of it not. There are silly little moments like Godzilla sitting—yes, sitting like a human—on a rock and then just standing up to move on. And there are great little bits that have the various combatants partaking in both wrestling and boxing moves. It’s just unabashedly silly stuff, but it’s hugely entertaining.

That said, the human (and alien) component here is a bit on the bothersome side. There’s a kind of desperation to be hip running rampant in large swaths of Godzilla on Monster Island, something that is undercut by the film’s resolute squareness. The main villain even has a natty little mustache that you half expect him to start twirling at any given moment. When the aliens finally try to take on Godzilla himself, there’s little doubt that the pesky bugs are about to be squashed under some very large rubber dinosaur feet.

Godzilla on Monster Island Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Godzilla on Monster Island's AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1 (courtesy of Kraken Releasing) is virtually identical to that of Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster, with a really grainy Toho masthead leading into a still quite grainy main feature presentation. Colors are very nicely saturated, with both reds and blues popping especially well. As with the 1971 film, Godzilla on Monster Island has various and sundry minor damage issues, relegated to things like tiny scratches and flecks. There's some occasional image instability here, with minor but still noticeable wobble in a few selected moments. Overall, the image is quite sharp and well detailed, with very good contrast helping to define some of the darker battle sequences.

Godzilla on Monster Island Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with the two other Godzilla films Kraken Releasing is bringing out on Blu-ray, Godzilla on Monster Island sports DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mixes in both English and Japanese. While the difference here is extremely minimal, there is still a slight uptick in amplitude in the Japanese dialogue scenes. This has the somewhat narrow and even shrill ambience of the two other films, especially with regard to some of the sound effects, notably the recorded "call" which broadcast to attract the creatures. Dialogue is cleanly presented, and neither track offers any major problems to contend with.

Godzilla on Monster Island Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Japanese Trailer (1080i; 2:11)

Godzilla on Monster Island Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's a certain inherent goofy joy in watching a Godzilla film that in a way is analogous to watching a Three Stooges short. Some people will react to both of these with a dismissive tone and in some cases a complete lack of comprehension. In other words, you either love Godzilla or you can't stand him. For those who have a fondness for this era's tendency toward over the top ridiculousness, there are ample amounts in Godzilla on Monster Island. This is another great looking transfer from Kraken, albeit one with quite a bit of grain. Recommended.