The Film:

The 10th film in the original Godzilla series, also known as the Showa period, is the first real film to be acknowledged as a children’s film. Released in America as ‘Godzilla’s Revenge’, the film can be clearly seen as such. Starring Tomonori Yazaki as a young, lonely boy named Ichiro, whose parents are never around and on his way from school he is constantly bullied. To escape from his lonely world, Ichiro fantasizes about Monster Island, the island known to all as where Godzilla and other evil monster fight and live.

Ishiro Honda comes back yet again to direct this film and for the first time also directs one of the film’s only original special effects sequence. ‘All Monsters Attack’ faces heat for being perhaps one of the worst Godzilla films and in general terms, it is quite cheesy and bad. But if you can get past a few of the film’s dorkier moments, Honda has added some meat in here and it helps the film out.

I think if you can put the film in its intended context as being a children’s film and appreciate it for some of the lessons within the narrative, it’s really not that bad. Ichiro is bullied and runs away, only to be bullied again the next day. His father is never home and is never seen in the same frame as his son until the very end. Mirroring his plight is that of Minilla, Godzilla’s son who is bullied by Gabara, a reptilian-cat creature whose voice sounds like a car’s engine struggling to start up. Through Godzilla’s teachings, Minilla is able to defeat Gabara (presumably forever, as this is the creature’s only appearance). Ichiro takes these lessons and applies it to his bully and wins. Honda explores this through Ichiro’s fantasies as this is a rare Godzilla film in which our hero is not part of the real world. Through some interesting product placements, Honda might be commenting on Godzilla’s pop culture appeal.

Trying to cut costs, as recent Godzilla features have been giving Toho diminishing returns, most of the film is filled with stock footage and has a running time of only 69 minutes. This all adds to the film’s children friendly approach but has alienated hardcore Godzilla fans. Honda’s look at modern urban family life and the lessons within are the film’s strong points. But in the larger picture, I think most of the film is a minor note within the Godzilla franchise.

The DVD:

The anamorphic widescreen quality is the best of Classic Media’s seven films, mostly likely since it’s a newer film and was preserved better. Colors are sharp and there’s little to no dirt or scratches on the print.

Presenting both versions, so you can either enjoy the dubbed English version or a subtitled Japanese version, the sound is good with no hiss o pops in the soundtrack.

Extras include a fun, frank look at the film with Richard Pusateri’s audio commentary. It’s a great listen as it’s filled with historical information, production notes, and he even acknowledges some of the films cheesier moments. He doesn’t offer a jaded perceptive but a rather open look at why people consider this to be a horrible Godzilla film.