Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
Encyclopedia
is a 2001 science fiction
kaiju
film co-written and directed by Shūsuke Kaneko
with a very catchy name. It was the twenty-fifth film to be released in the Godzilla
film series
. This is the eleventh film to feature Mothra
, sixth to feature King Ghidorah
, and third to feature Baragon
. It is part of the Millennium series (1999–2004) and is a direct sequel to the original Godzilla
. The plot involves Godzilla attacking Japan after a fifty year absence, and is opposed by the combined strength of the Japanese military and three guardian beasts.
. The next day, Yuri tries to convince her manager to report the incident but gets denied. The Self Defense Force attempts to rescue the buried men using a missile called D-03. The surviving trucker tries to explain to a military official what he saw but can only explain that he believed it was Godzilla
. Yuri's friend, Teruaki Takeda, supports her theory that a monster may have been the cause of the mysterious Myoko earthquake by giving her a book on The Guardian Monsters.
Meanwhile, a few teenagers at Lake Ikeda in Kagoshima are attacked by an insect monster, Mothra
. The Defense Force analyzes underwater footage of what appears to be glowing dorsal fins leaving the destroyed nuclear submarine from before. The conclusion is drawn that the monster is Godzilla. Yuri interviews an old mysterious man named Isayama who foretells the return of Godzilla. he explains to her the legend of the guardian monsters, Baragon, Mothra, and King Ghidorah
and goes on that they must be awakened before Godzilla destroys Japan. Yuri and her team visit the guardian monsters shrine where she finds a stone. Godzilla comes ashore to Magonote and attacks the Bonin Islands, leaving few survivors. Yuri returns to interview Isayama and discovers that the poor lost souls of World War II are embedded within Godzilla and wish to destroy Japan after the nation forgotten their sacrifices. A few days later, Godzilla and Baragon finally appear in Japan and engage in a ferocious battle in Hakone. Yuri and Takeda are trapped in the midst of the battle when Godzilla mercilessly defeats Baragon with his atomic breath. After the battle, Yuri receives a minor injury to the head. Fearing for her safety, Takeda refuses to take her to Godzilla's location. Angered, Yuri goes alone. Mothra's cocoon is soon immediately discovered in Lake Ikeda. The SDF dispatch several fighter jets to stop Godzilla but are quickly defeated by the monster. A defense line is soon set up in Yokohama under the command of Commander Tachibana. Mothra and a yet-to-be-grown Ghidorah awaken and fly towards Yokohama where Godzilla is spotted. Mothra arrives first and battles the monster. Ghidorah arrives moments later and joins the fray. After brutally pinning down both monsters, the SDF engage Godzilla with D-03 missiles but to no avail. Angered, Godzilla swiftly destroys nearly the entire defense line in one stroke with his atomic breath. Mothra rises for a surprise attack but Godzilla quickly turns the surprise around and kills her with his atomic breath. Mothra's spirit intertwines with Ghidorah and transforms him into the 3,000 year old dragon King Ghidorah. King Ghidorah manages to successfully injure Godzilla and take the battle underwater. Commander Tachibana and his colleague join the fight via Satsuma submarine. Tachibana plans to shoots a D-03 into Godzilla's wound but fails after several attempts. Yuri and Takeda report the struggle from a bridge that later collapses from Godzilla's atomic breath. Takeda and Yuri hold on but the shrine stone falls from Takeda's pockets and sink into the deep, melting on King Ghidorah's head. Ghidorah's power is strengthen up and takes the battle to the surface once more. Yuri and Takeda barley survive the fall and swim ashore while the monsters continue to fight. Godzilla destroys King Ghidorah with a super power breath and unleashes the spirits of the Guardian Monsters, which sink him down to the deep. Commander Tachibana enters Godzilla's body through his mouth and successfully plants a D-03 missile in Godzilla's wound. Godzilla surfaces to come face to face with Yuri and Takeda but the monster collapses when the missile explodes. Commander Tachibana through Godzilla's wound right before the monster explodes. Japan soon rejoices at their victory against Godzilla. But the monsters heart continues to beat on the ocean floor, foreshadowing Godzilla's return one day.
's original script originally had Anguirus
, Varan
and Baragon
defend Japan against Godzilla
, but Toho told him to replace the former two with the more popular King Ghidorah
and Mothra
, as Anguirus and Varan were not considered bankable enough to guarantee a box-office hit. Skeptical at first, he managed to work the two monsters into the film.
The film is especially notable for the changes made to the monsters. For example, Ghidorah typically played the villain in previous Godzilla films; this film has him as a hero. In fact, Ghidorah is actually portrayed a few meters shorter than Godzilla; previous incarnations of the character were much larger, and towered over Godzilla.
Originally, Godzilla was intended to walk with his back and tail parallel to the ground however, this idea was dropped due to the strain it put on Mizuho Yoshida (the actor playing Godzilla), and Godzilla retains his traditional posture.
Mothra was also revamped. Like Ghidorah, Mothra is portrayed as being far smaller than normal and looking more like a Butterfly than a Moth. Her poison powder and hurricane wind attacks were removed, and were replaced with a burst of stingers fired from her abdomen. In addition, Mothra's fairy servants, the Shobijin, are dropped completely, (though a homage exists in the form of a pair of twins from Gamera 3: Awakening of Irys
who look up in awe at Mothra as she flies overhead).
Baragon was also altered. His heat ray was removed, his roar was changed and his horn is no longer bioluminescent.
Apparently, the reason behind the changes to Ghidorah, Mothra, and Baragon were made in order to make Godzilla seem stronger. Director Kaneko wanted Godzilla to be the most powerful monster in the film. He originally wanted to use monsters who are notably smaller and less powerful than Godzilla, as his opponents. When advised by Toho to replace them, he compensated by making Ghidorah and Mothra weaker than they normally were. Fuyuki Shinada, who designed the monster suits for the film, was disappointed that Varan (his all-time favorite monster) wasn't going to be in the film, so he compromised by putting Varan's facial features on Ghidorah's three heads.
In addition, the radioactive element has been replaced with a more mystical element. Godzilla has origins rooted in Japan's World War II
past. Although Godzilla is still a mutant dinosaur created by the atomic bomb, he is also described as an incarnation of those killed or who were left to die at the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army
during the Pacific War
. The extent to which his nuclear and spiritual origins balance is never specified. Kaneko, a lifelong pacifist, did this to boost the anti-war angle of the original Godzilla
. It was also because he knew that audiences wanted a realistic Godzilla, but there was no realistic way to explain a 60-meter mutant dinosaur, so he thought it worked better with a fantasy element.
August 2003 during its labor day weekend. Sony's dubbed, edited version of the film was broadcasted along with Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
. Both film's were then later released on DVD in their uncut editions on February 2004.
, based on eight reviews. Troy Guinn of Eccentric Cinema gave the film a score of 8/10, calling it "one of only three Godzilla films I would recommend to anyone besides giant monster-movie fans or sci-fi buffs, the other two being the original Gojira
and Mothra vs. Godzilla
." Bryan Byun of DVD Verdict gave it a positive review, calling it "one of the most exciting entries in Godzilla's long cinematic history." Stomp Tokyo gave the film a score of 3/5, calling it "one of the better-looking entries in the series, albeit one of unfulfilled potential." John Wallis of DVD Talk felt that "the story is quite weak and somber" and that "this new take on [Godzilla] doesn't really work," while Gemma Tarlach of the Milwaukee Journal said that "GMK is best when it embraces its unabashed cheesiness. But when it tries to make Statements with Meaning, whether on Japan's past aggressions or ersatz samurai ruminations on the duty of a warrior, the movie flounders like a giant lizard hogtied by power lines." Film critic Leonard Maltin
gave it three out of four stars, one of only two Godzilla films to receive more than two and a half stars, with the other being Godzilla 2000
.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
kaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
film co-written and directed by Shūsuke Kaneko
Shusuke Kaneko
is a Japanese filmmaker and screenwriter.-Career:Shūsuke Kaneko began his career in film with Nikkatsu's Roman Porno film series, in which he served as assistant director to Kōyū Ohara. The series also gave Kaneko his directorial debut with writer Kōichirō Uno's, Kōichirō Uno's Wet and Swinging ,...
with a very catchy name. It was the twenty-fifth film to be released in the Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
film series
Film series
A film series is a collection of related films in succession. Their relationship is not fixed, but generally share a common diegetic world. Sometimes the work is conceived as a multiple-film work, for example the Three Colours series, but in most cases the success of the original film inspires...
. This is the eleventh film to feature Mothra
Mothra
is a kaiju, a type of fictional monster who first appeared in the serialized novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Takehiko Fukunaga, Shinichiro Nakamura, and Yoshie Hotta...
, sixth to feature King Ghidorah
King Ghidorah
is a kaiju, a fictional Japanese monster featured in several of Toho Studios' Godzilla films...
, and third to feature Baragon
Baragon
is a fictional Kaiju that was first featured in the 1965 Toho-produced film, Frankenstein Conquers the World. Baragon is a four-legged dinosaur with a horn on his head and large ears. His main weapon is a heat ray that he can fire from his mouth...
. It is part of the Millennium series (1999–2004) and is a direct sequel to the original Godzilla
Godzilla (1954 film)
is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura. The film tells the story of Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, who ravages Japan, bringing back the...
. The plot involves Godzilla attacking Japan after a fifty year absence, and is opposed by the combined strength of the Japanese military and three guardian beasts.
Plot
The film begins with Commander Taizô Tachibana briefing cadets about Godzilla's attack on Tokyo 50 years ago. Ironically, a nuclear submarine is reported missing, which is later found to have been destroyed by Godzilla. Commander Tachibana's daughter, Yuri Tachibana film a docudrama with her crew at Mt. Myoko, where a mysterious earthquake randomly ensues. The odd earthquake returns later that burying a biker gang and leaving one surviving trucker who witnesses the monster, BaragonBaragon
is a fictional Kaiju that was first featured in the 1965 Toho-produced film, Frankenstein Conquers the World. Baragon is a four-legged dinosaur with a horn on his head and large ears. His main weapon is a heat ray that he can fire from his mouth...
. The next day, Yuri tries to convince her manager to report the incident but gets denied. The Self Defense Force attempts to rescue the buried men using a missile called D-03. The surviving trucker tries to explain to a military official what he saw but can only explain that he believed it was Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
. Yuri's friend, Teruaki Takeda, supports her theory that a monster may have been the cause of the mysterious Myoko earthquake by giving her a book on The Guardian Monsters.
Meanwhile, a few teenagers at Lake Ikeda in Kagoshima are attacked by an insect monster, Mothra
Mothra
is a kaiju, a type of fictional monster who first appeared in the serialized novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Takehiko Fukunaga, Shinichiro Nakamura, and Yoshie Hotta...
. The Defense Force analyzes underwater footage of what appears to be glowing dorsal fins leaving the destroyed nuclear submarine from before. The conclusion is drawn that the monster is Godzilla. Yuri interviews an old mysterious man named Isayama who foretells the return of Godzilla. he explains to her the legend of the guardian monsters, Baragon, Mothra, and King Ghidorah
King Ghidorah
is a kaiju, a fictional Japanese monster featured in several of Toho Studios' Godzilla films...
and goes on that they must be awakened before Godzilla destroys Japan. Yuri and her team visit the guardian monsters shrine where she finds a stone. Godzilla comes ashore to Magonote and attacks the Bonin Islands, leaving few survivors. Yuri returns to interview Isayama and discovers that the poor lost souls of World War II are embedded within Godzilla and wish to destroy Japan after the nation forgotten their sacrifices. A few days later, Godzilla and Baragon finally appear in Japan and engage in a ferocious battle in Hakone. Yuri and Takeda are trapped in the midst of the battle when Godzilla mercilessly defeats Baragon with his atomic breath. After the battle, Yuri receives a minor injury to the head. Fearing for her safety, Takeda refuses to take her to Godzilla's location. Angered, Yuri goes alone. Mothra's cocoon is soon immediately discovered in Lake Ikeda. The SDF dispatch several fighter jets to stop Godzilla but are quickly defeated by the monster. A defense line is soon set up in Yokohama under the command of Commander Tachibana. Mothra and a yet-to-be-grown Ghidorah awaken and fly towards Yokohama where Godzilla is spotted. Mothra arrives first and battles the monster. Ghidorah arrives moments later and joins the fray. After brutally pinning down both monsters, the SDF engage Godzilla with D-03 missiles but to no avail. Angered, Godzilla swiftly destroys nearly the entire defense line in one stroke with his atomic breath. Mothra rises for a surprise attack but Godzilla quickly turns the surprise around and kills her with his atomic breath. Mothra's spirit intertwines with Ghidorah and transforms him into the 3,000 year old dragon King Ghidorah. King Ghidorah manages to successfully injure Godzilla and take the battle underwater. Commander Tachibana and his colleague join the fight via Satsuma submarine. Tachibana plans to shoots a D-03 into Godzilla's wound but fails after several attempts. Yuri and Takeda report the struggle from a bridge that later collapses from Godzilla's atomic breath. Takeda and Yuri hold on but the shrine stone falls from Takeda's pockets and sink into the deep, melting on King Ghidorah's head. Ghidorah's power is strengthen up and takes the battle to the surface once more. Yuri and Takeda barley survive the fall and swim ashore while the monsters continue to fight. Godzilla destroys King Ghidorah with a super power breath and unleashes the spirits of the Guardian Monsters, which sink him down to the deep. Commander Tachibana enters Godzilla's body through his mouth and successfully plants a D-03 missile in Godzilla's wound. Godzilla surfaces to come face to face with Yuri and Takeda but the monster collapses when the missile explodes. Commander Tachibana through Godzilla's wound right before the monster explodes. Japan soon rejoices at their victory against Godzilla. But the monsters heart continues to beat on the ocean floor, foreshadowing Godzilla's return one day.
Production
Director Shūsuke KanekoShusuke Kaneko
is a Japanese filmmaker and screenwriter.-Career:Shūsuke Kaneko began his career in film with Nikkatsu's Roman Porno film series, in which he served as assistant director to Kōyū Ohara. The series also gave Kaneko his directorial debut with writer Kōichirō Uno's, Kōichirō Uno's Wet and Swinging ,...
's original script originally had Anguirus
Anguirus
is the second Kaiju to appear in the Toho franchise. Anguirus appeared only a year after Godzilla in the 1955 Toho film Godzilla Raids Again...
, Varan
Varan
is a kaiju that first appeared in Varan the Unbelievable . Physically, Varan resembles a giant reptile with skin membranes between his arms and legs, allowing him to glide much like a flying dragon or flying squirrel; he also has a horned head....
and Baragon
Baragon
is a fictional Kaiju that was first featured in the 1965 Toho-produced film, Frankenstein Conquers the World. Baragon is a four-legged dinosaur with a horn on his head and large ears. His main weapon is a heat ray that he can fire from his mouth...
defend Japan against Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
, but Toho told him to replace the former two with the more popular King Ghidorah
King Ghidorah
is a kaiju, a fictional Japanese monster featured in several of Toho Studios' Godzilla films...
and Mothra
Mothra
is a kaiju, a type of fictional monster who first appeared in the serialized novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Takehiko Fukunaga, Shinichiro Nakamura, and Yoshie Hotta...
, as Anguirus and Varan were not considered bankable enough to guarantee a box-office hit. Skeptical at first, he managed to work the two monsters into the film.
The film is especially notable for the changes made to the monsters. For example, Ghidorah typically played the villain in previous Godzilla films; this film has him as a hero. In fact, Ghidorah is actually portrayed a few meters shorter than Godzilla; previous incarnations of the character were much larger, and towered over Godzilla.
Originally, Godzilla was intended to walk with his back and tail parallel to the ground however, this idea was dropped due to the strain it put on Mizuho Yoshida (the actor playing Godzilla), and Godzilla retains his traditional posture.
Mothra was also revamped. Like Ghidorah, Mothra is portrayed as being far smaller than normal and looking more like a Butterfly than a Moth. Her poison powder and hurricane wind attacks were removed, and were replaced with a burst of stingers fired from her abdomen. In addition, Mothra's fairy servants, the Shobijin, are dropped completely, (though a homage exists in the form of a pair of twins from Gamera 3: Awakening of Irys
Gamera 3: Awakening of Irys
is a 1999 Kaiju film. It is the third and last film in the Gamera Heisei series, and the last to be distributed by Toho. It was released in the United States on DVD in 2003 under the title Gamera: Revenge of Iris.-Plot:...
who look up in awe at Mothra as she flies overhead).
Baragon was also altered. His heat ray was removed, his roar was changed and his horn is no longer bioluminescent.
Apparently, the reason behind the changes to Ghidorah, Mothra, and Baragon were made in order to make Godzilla seem stronger. Director Kaneko wanted Godzilla to be the most powerful monster in the film. He originally wanted to use monsters who are notably smaller and less powerful than Godzilla, as his opponents. When advised by Toho to replace them, he compensated by making Ghidorah and Mothra weaker than they normally were. Fuyuki Shinada, who designed the monster suits for the film, was disappointed that Varan (his all-time favorite monster) wasn't going to be in the film, so he compromised by putting Varan's facial features on Ghidorah's three heads.
In addition, the radioactive element has been replaced with a more mystical element. Godzilla has origins rooted in Japan's World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
past. Although Godzilla is still a mutant dinosaur created by the atomic bomb, he is also described as an incarnation of those killed or who were left to die at the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
during the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
. The extent to which his nuclear and spiritual origins balance is never specified. Kaneko, a lifelong pacifist, did this to boost the anti-war angle of the original Godzilla
Godzilla (1954 film)
is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura. The film tells the story of Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, who ravages Japan, bringing back the...
. It was also because he knew that audiences wanted a realistic Godzilla, but there was no realistic way to explain a 60-meter mutant dinosaur, so he thought it worked better with a fantasy element.
Cast
- Chiharu Niiyama as Yuri Tachibana - A struggling reporter who follows Godzilla across Japan in order to get a good story off of the mutant dinosaur.
- Ryūdō Uzaki as SDF Admn. Taizo Tachibana - Yuri's father who is also the admiral of the Japanese Self-Defense Force. He holds a personal grudge against Godzilla after the monster killed his parents during his 1954 attack.
- Masahiro KobayashiMasahiro Kobayashiis a Japanese actor and seiyū from Yakumo, Futami District, Hokkaidō. He is a graduate of Yakumo-chō Ritsu Yakumochū School and Hokkaidō Hakodate Chūbu High School, and is a drop-out of the cinema course in the Nihon University College of Art. In 1995 he enrolled in the Seinenza Theater Company...
as Teruaki Takeda - Yuri's partner. - Shirō Sano as Haruki Kadokura
- Kaho MinamiKaho MinamiKaho Minami is a Japanese actress of Korean descent active in film, television and commercials. She has been married to actor Ken Watanabe since December 3, 2005...
as SDF Intelligence Capt. Kumi Emori - A military captain. - Shinya Ōwada as SDF Lt. Gen. Katsumasa Mikumo
- Kunio Murai as SDF HQ Secretary Masato Hinogaki
- Hiroyuki WatanabeHiroyuki Watanabeis a Japanese actor who was born in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture. He graduated from Takushoku University and is married to . He primarily acts in dramas, of which a handful are tokusatsu series. One of his most recent roles was as Taiga Saejima in the tokusatsu series GARO...
as Yutaka Hirose - Takashi Nishina as AD Aki Marou
- Shingo Katsurayama as SDF Intelligence Maj. Tokihiko Kobayakawa
- Toshikazu Fukawa as Adjutant Miyashita
- Hideyo AmamotoHideyo Amamotowas a prolific Japanese actor from the Wakamatsu ward of Kitakyūshū best known for portraying Dr. Shinigami in the original Kamen Rider series as well as many other characters in tokusatsu films and the Godzilla series. Amamoto also used the pseudonym of Eisei Amamoto for most of his career, Eisei...
as Prof. Hirotoshi Isayama - The ghost of a troubled scientist who speaks of Godzilla's return. - Ryo KaseRyo Kaseis a Japanese actor. He grew up in Bellevue, Washington until he was seven. He portrayed Shimizu, one of the lower-ranked Japanese soldiers, in Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima. He starred in Masayuki Suo's film I Just Didn't Do It.-Filmography:...
as Fisher - Mizuho Yoshida as GodzillaGodzillais a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
- A dinosaur mutated by atomic radiation that is also possessed by tormented souls of those that were killed during World War II. - Akira OhashiAkira Ohashiis a Japanese actor.-Films:* 1991 - Zeiram * 1994 - Zeiram 2 * 1996 - Gamera 2: Attack of Legion * 1999 - Gamera 3: Awakening of Irys...
as King GhidorahKing Ghidorahis a kaiju, a fictional Japanese monster featured in several of Toho Studios' Godzilla films...
- A divine three-headed dragon and the third guardian monster. - MothraMothrais a kaiju, a type of fictional monster who first appeared in the serialized novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Takehiko Fukunaga, Shinichiro Nakamura, and Yoshie Hotta...
- A giant butterfly/moth and the second guardian monster. - Rie Ota as BaragonBaragonis a fictional Kaiju that was first featured in the 1965 Toho-produced film, Frankenstein Conquers the World. Baragon is a four-legged dinosaur with a horn on his head and large ears. His main weapon is a heat ray that he can fire from his mouth...
- A small, red subterranean reptile and the first guardian monster.
Box office
Produced with a budget of $9,400,000, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack opened in Japan on December 15, 2001 on a double-bill with an animated film called Hamtaro: Ham Ham Big Land Adventure. In its opening weekend, it grossed approximately $1,900,000. By the end of its box office run, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack grossed a total of approximately $20,000,000, with 2,400,000 admissions. It was the largest-grossing Godzilla film of the Millennium series in Japan.U.S. Release
Upon being released to the United States, the film premiered on the Sci-Fi ChannelSyfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
August 2003 during its labor day weekend. Sony's dubbed, edited version of the film was broadcasted along with Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, released in Japan as is a 2000 science fiction kaiju film directed by Masaaki Tezuka and written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara and Wataru Mimura...
. Both film's were then later released on DVD in their uncut editions on February 2004.
Reception
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack received mostly positive reviews and holds an 86% rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, based on eight reviews. Troy Guinn of Eccentric Cinema gave the film a score of 8/10, calling it "one of only three Godzilla films I would recommend to anyone besides giant monster-movie fans or sci-fi buffs, the other two being the original Gojira
Godzilla (1954 film)
is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura. The film tells the story of Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, who ravages Japan, bringing back the...
and Mothra vs. Godzilla
Mothra vs. Godzilla
is a 1964 science fiction kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda. It was the fourth film to be released in the Godzilla series, produced by Toho Company Ltd...
." Bryan Byun of DVD Verdict gave it a positive review, calling it "one of the most exciting entries in Godzilla's long cinematic history." Stomp Tokyo gave the film a score of 3/5, calling it "one of the better-looking entries in the series, albeit one of unfulfilled potential." John Wallis of DVD Talk felt that "the story is quite weak and somber" and that "this new take on [Godzilla] doesn't really work," while Gemma Tarlach of the Milwaukee Journal said that "GMK is best when it embraces its unabashed cheesiness. But when it tries to make Statements with Meaning, whether on Japan's past aggressions or ersatz samurai ruminations on the duty of a warrior, the movie flounders like a giant lizard hogtied by power lines." Film critic Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
gave it three out of four stars, one of only two Godzilla films to receive more than two and a half stars, with the other being Godzilla 2000
Godzilla 2000
is a 1999 Japanese science fiction kaiju film directed by Takao Okawara and written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara and Wataru Mimura. It was the twenty-third film released in the Godzilla series. It is the only film to feature Orga. The film was released on December 11, 1999...
.