Attack of the Super Monsters

Title: Attack of the Super Monsters
Director: Toru Sotoyama, Tom Wyner
Released: 1983
Starring: Tom Wyner, Dan Woren, Robin Levenson, Cam Clarke, Mike Reynolds, Joe Perry

Plot: Set in the near future of 2000 were dinosaurs found to have been alive in a hidden underground world and have evolved to have intelligence on par with the human race and now freed from their prison and led by the Tyrannosaurus Rex Emperor Tyrannus set about reclaiming the Earth as the dominant species

Review: An amalgamation of the first four episodes of Dinosaur War Izenborg the middle installment of Tsuburaya Productions dinosaur trilogy between Dinosaur Expedition Born Free and Dinosaur Corps Koseidon the show would run for 39 episodes and takes a unique approach as it brings together traditional kaiju effects for the cityscapes, dinosaurs and vehicles while all the human characters are animated. 

Set in the near future of 2000 were dinosaurs found to have been alive in a hidden underground world and have evolved to have intelligence on par with the human race and now freed from their prison and led by the Tyrannosaurus Rex Emperor Tyrannus set about reclaiming the Earth as the dominant species. Now it falls to the D-Force to combat the threat whose members are cybernetically enhanced and with access to specialist combat vehicles. 

This of course isn’t the first time a tv show has had episodes combined to create a DTV feature with Thunder in Paradise having it’s two part episodes combined and released as films while the Planet of the Apes TV show spawned five of these movies even bringing back Roddy McDowall to play an aged Gallen who provided an opening and closing monologue to each film. The effect here though works surprisingly well and being TV episodes edited together the film is quick into the giant dino action and light on establishing the setup as it quickly sketches out the setup aswell as how the siblings Jim and Jem can bond and become the powerful entity known as Gemini. The team is also rounded out by Jerry and Wally who for the most part are there for comedic value even though by the end of the film Jerry is gearing up to make a heroic sacrific in a surprising dramatic finale to what otherwise is a fun and lighthearted slice of Kaiju fun. 

As to be expected from a Tsuburaya Productions the dinosaurs here are a mixture of models and suit work  and really are fun creations like the chaos they unleash on the city even if it lacks the polish of Godzilla movies especially not having a director like Ishirô Honda it means that alot of the sense of scale is lost while the fact that the dinosaurs can talk further adds to the goofy tone much like the dinosaurs abilities to mind control smaller animals like bats, dogs and rats who make up the swarms that are unleashed on the city alongside the chosen dinosaur of that particular episode. 

It’s a unique blend of styles and yet somehow works thanks to it largely leaning towards the camp and while editing four episodes together does create a slightly disjointed feel to the plotting you can’t fault how quick it gets to the giant monster action as a result. Sure it’s not going to be held up as shinning example of the genre but its quirky and fun enough to make it worth giving a watch especially with like minded friends.

Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire

Title: Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire
Director: Adam Wingard
Released: 2024
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Alex Ferns, and Fala Chen

Plot: Three years on from the events of Godzilla Vs. Kong, Godzilla now serves as the guardian of the surface world while Kong has established a new territory in the Hollow Earth. However a new threat trapped below the Hollow Earth emerges and will require Godzilla and Kong to stop it. 

Review: While the movie going public has largely cooled on the idea of cinematic universes thanks in part to Disney’s approach being to carpet bomb any property they have into the ground especially if there’s money to ring out of an idea. Legendry’s Monsterverse however has remained one of the few that still manages to create some excitement with each new entry the series has received despite the shaky start of Godzilla (2014). Of course I am slightly biased being a Kaiju fan so given another opportunity to watch monstrous beasts battle it’s not hard to grab my interest even though each film in the series to date has added another piece to the world that Legendary have been building and here it expands further still.

Picking up the story this film has the advantage of the foundations being already laid with Godzilla now having established his territory on the surface were he fights rogue titans to reinforce his dominance while Kong has moved from Skull Island to the subterranean domain of the Hollow Earth were Monarch have also setup a number of outposts while identifying portals which link to various points around the globe. Kong though is preoccupied with finding more of his kind as which soon present themselves as a vicious ape tribe hidden under the Hollow Earth lead by the Orangutan esq Skar King whose arrival is destined to bring about the end of humanity. 

With no major world building being needed for this entry the film slips into it’s own Showa era style adventure as the focus is squarely more focused on giant monster battles than family dramas or human villains. Instead we get to see Kong and Godzilla battling both on the surface and in the Hollow Earth the ape tribe of the Skar King aswell as a couple of fun new titan creations. Wingard even reworks Ultraman foe Giganotosaurus to become the Ice breathing Shimo who the Skar King rides as his enslaved pet. 

There is still some human interaction for if we learned anything from the Game of Thrones finale you can’t just have a movie of monster fighting as awesome as that might sound so the breathing space between fights has Dr. Andrews and her adoptive daughter Jia venture into the Hollow Earth to uncover the truth behind the visions that Jia has been suffering. Rounding out the group though is a hyperactive Dan Stevens as the Vet trapper who frequently provides many of the best moments of the human story as well as his musical tastes adding a number of random classic rock needle drops to the film. Brian Tyree Henry also returns as conspiracy podcaster Bernie if only to provide the comedic quota for the film. 

The real draw here though is the monster battles and certainly the film does not disappoint especially with Wingard bringing a real creative flair to the action scenes which push the boundaries of plausibility while tapping into the fun of Godzilla’s Showa era as a They Live inspired showdown between Kong and Godzilla has Kong being suplexed. Elsewhere we get a zero gravity brawl which I don’t think I could ever have expected and only further adds to the fun like Kong getting a Thanos style fist upgrade. Skar King meanwhile provides a new kind of threat being faster and more agile compared to the brute force of Kong while his use of a spinal cord whip sword only further complete the character as a formidable villain for the film. 

Adding to the fantastic action is the CGI artistry which not only gives the monsters scale but genuine character especially with Kong who while not being able to speak still manages to put across a wide range of emotions let alone moments of genuine humour with his panicked when his reunion with Godzilla is instantly met with violence and it’s fun to see that with every film that gets added to the series he gains alittle more humanity.

Another fun entry in the ever expanding Monsterverse and while Wingard might not be returning for the next entry, with Grant Sputore set to take over the reigns and I hope they continue the fun tone of this film than trying to take it back in a serious direction while this film only further proves how much potential is left in the franchise.