JLRVancouver Sneaky, nattily dressed, space cockroaches attempt to take over Earth by recruiting Ghidorah and Gigan from their secret base in the head of a life-size model of Godzilla. What more could you ask for? They are stopped by the combined forces of Godzilla, his largely ineffectual side-kick Anguirus, and a plucky Japanese cartoonist and his friends (the significance of having a cartoonist as a protagonist is revealed during the climactic battle in a scene that is silly beyond words (and hence I won't attempt to describe)). As kaiju films go, this one is pretty weak: Ghidorah, generally a great monster, arrives as a static model that is completely out of scale with his later appearances in the movie (mostly lifted from previous films) while his ally Gigan is a ridiculous looking cybernetic space bird-bat with huge rubbery-looking claws and a potbelly containing a buzz-saw. After a tedious preamble (oddly full of phallic symbolism), the movie is essentially a continuous fight with some good fiery destruction scenes marred by the monsters throwing rocks at each other. The Earth-protecting monsters seem to actually speak to one another in the dubbed version I watched (and, based on the trailer, may communicate via cartoon-style speech bubbles in the Japanese version -*shudder*). A late entry into the Showa series of Godzilla films, G vs. G continues the emphasis on pollution, rather than radiation, as a plot driver and the role of Godzilla as Our Saviour. Overall, number 12 is a weak entry into the canon but watchable to fans of the genre. A '4' amongst movies in general, a '6' in the in world of daikaiju eiga. Followed by the dire Godzilla vs. Megalon.

Leofwine_draca I'm a massive fan of kaiju movies so I come to these films predisposed to like them. I've seen most of the original GODZILLA series and am attempting to fill in a few blanks; one of those is GODZILLA VS. GIGAN, a late-entry instalment that pits Godzilla and his old foe Anguirus against new space-monster Gigan and an old enemy, King Ghidorah.GODZILLA VS. GIGAN is plenty of fun from beginning to end, and the formula for that success lies in having a human interest story that's just as entertaining as the monster stuff. This time around, a group of environmentalists and employees investigate the mysterious owners of a new Godzilla theme park, soon uncovering some dark secrets which inevitably throw Japan into peril.Godzilla is on good form in what is one of the grisliest of the series (who knew you'd end up seeing a Japanese blood spray in a children's film?). Anguirus is my favourite kaiju monster, purely because he isn't capable of much and it's kind of sweet to watch him getting beaten on so much, so seeing him here was a delight. Gigan proves a deadly foe - especially with that saw! - and King Ghidorah is, well, King Ghidorah. You can't go wrong with that combo, and inevitably GODZILLA VS. GIGAN turns out to be a colourful, action-packed romp.

TheExpatriate700 Godzilla Vs. Gigan has no right to a good review. It makes heavy use of stock footage, has a plot that just barely hangs together, and arguably features the most ridiculous looking kaiju aside from Minya...and yet I love it! The plot, if you can call it that, involves a group of Japanese twentysomethings who stumble upon an alien invasion plot involving-gasp!-a children's amusement park. They unwittingly summon Godzilla after playing an eight track tape, leading to a battle between the Big G, Anguirus, and their old enemy King Ghidorah, along with the grotesque Gigan.The film suffers from a number of issues, perhaps the most glaring of which is the extensive use of stock footage. At times, Toho did not even bother to match up the footage, with the scenes switching suddenly from day to night and back again. The film also has an anti-technology message, introduced in the last half hour, even more ham-handed than the environmental themes of Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster. The characters never even bother to change their clothes, despite the film taking place over the better part of a week.Nevertheless, Godzilla vs. Gigan retains a fond place in my memory. It features a good twenty to thirty minutes of sustained kaiju destruction. Furthermore, Gigan, despite its ridiculous appearance, is a surprisingly menacing villain, being the only monster to make Godzilla bleed. In the end, it's a dumb but fun movie.

Woodyanders A race of evil aliens (they're actually giant cockroaches who inhibit the bodies of recently deceased folks) call upon the ferocious three-headed dragon King Ghidorah and sharp-beaked bird beast Gigan (he's got a huge buzzsaw in his belly!) to destroy us puny helpless humans so they can take over the planet. Luckily, the almighty Godzilla and his spike-backed gigantic porcupine pal Anguirus come to the rescue. The opening third of this creature feature romp is pretty slow, talky and rather tedious, but fortunately things start to seriously cook when the monsters engage in an incredibly lengthy, violent and vigorous anything-goes fight (the definite highlight occurs when Anguirus runs its spikes repeatedly into King Ghidorah's torso!). Moreover, the expected protracted mondo destructo city stomp sequence likewise totally hits the satisfying spot. Akira Ifukube's robust, rousing orchestral score constitutes as another substantial asset. Ditto Kiyoshi Hasegawa's crisp widescreen cinematography. The lovably rinky dink miniatures and hokey rubber monster suits possess their usual chintzy charm. The scenes where the behemoth beasts roar and rumble at each other prior to mixing it up with considerable go-for-it gusto are hysterically funny. Overall, this Godzilla outing provides a good deal of infectiously inane and outrageous fun.