Godzilla verses the UFO.
931720
This is the 23rd film Godzilla has appeared in, not including the USA version, GODZILLA (1998), with Matthew Broderick.
  I have always enjoyed a good Godzilla film.  I used to watch some of them on KTLA channel 5 (Los Angeles Independent station) when I was a young boy.  I especially got a kick out of the son of Godzilla and the ring of bad breath.  The Godzilla roar is always fun to hear.
  In this film, Godzilla looks meaner, bigger, taller, sharper teeth and a big mouth like he has eaten too many cars.  Still the same English dubbing and I like that new modern film Japan is using.  The old films looked grainy.
  What stays the same is that Godzilla is still played by a man in a costume destroying a Tokyo.
  A man officially tracks down Godzilla.  he is part of the Godzilla Prediction Network Mobile Unit.  Godzilla, of course, resurfaces and destroys Tokyo trying to get to every energy source he can.  He still likes to break ships in half too.  The military has invented a new missile that could penetrate through any material. It will go through Godzilla like "crap".  There is also a flying giant slab of rock to deal with too.  It flies like a UFO that can actually knock Godzilla on his butt.  Many more surprises.
  The next films in the series:
  Godzilla vs. Megaguiras (2001)
  Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. (2001)
  Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (2002)
  Godzilla vs. Mothra vs. Mechagodzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2004)
  Godzilla: Final Wars (2004).  Last film from TOHO until 2016.

&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Godzilla-Blu-ray-3D-Blu-ray-DVD-UltraViolet-Combo-Pack/dp/B00K2CHVSK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Godzilla (Blu-ray 3D+ Blu-ray + DVD +UltraViolet  Combo Pack)</a>&nbsp;(2014).

Shin Godzilla (Shin Gojira) (2016). From Japan's TOHO Studios.

 Godzilla: King of the Monsters will be released March 22, 2019. Michael Dougherty directing.
 Godzilla vs. Kong will be released May 22, 2020.
2734165
By 1971, the Godzilla series had become rather stale. To solve this problem and attract more numbers to theaters, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka recruited newcomer director Yoshimitsu Banno to helm the project and co-write the screenplay. For better or for worse, Banno certainly made his mark in this film, whose primary theme is an ecological warning about the dangers of pollution, something that the general public first became aware of in the late 1960s. The first Earth Day had been celebrated on April 22, 1970 so the time seemed right for the Godzilla series to address this important issue, just as war and nuclear weapons were covered in the first Godzilla film back in 1954. Godzilla vs. Hedorah was a plan to return to its roots, to bring relevancy back to a series that had long become irrelevant.

The implementation of this plan is quite another story altogether because Godzilla vs. Hedorah (or Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster as it was known here in the U.S.) is easily the most bizarre Godzilla film ever made. There are some very unsettling images of pollution and carnage, but whenever the film gets close to becoming serious about its message, the message is then sabotaged by some of the weirdest action and misguided decisions ever in a Toho kaiju film. Animated interludes, psychedelic rock music, poetic imagery (a broken clock in a sea of oil and garbage), an elementary school lesson about stars and nebulas, and an acid trip resulting in a fish head hallucination in a discothque combine to create a wild hodgepodge of a film. Oh yeah, and Godzilla flies in this one, using his atomic breath as jet propulsion.

The grand music of Akira Ifukube is sorely missing, replaced with marching band music by Riichir Manabe. Fortunately, he would return to score only 1 more Godzilla film, the dismal Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973).

Despite all its drawbacks, one has to admire director Yoshimitsu Banno for being gutsy enough to make a Godzilla movie that dared to be this level of different. I wouldn't want all Godzilla films to be like this, but I'm glad it's there in the canon.

So how does this new DVD compare to the original Sony release? As far as the video, it's neither better nor worse than the image quality of the Sony release, which was already pretty good. The flier design is an improvement in my opinion, being similar to Classic Media's cover designs, with the original Japanese poster and both the Japanese and American titles on the cover. The plot synopses are cool and good for a chuckle. As for extras, there is only the original Japanese trailer with subtitles. But the Sony dvds didn't even have that. Menus are a step up too.
322019
Godzilla vs Megalon is more like a Ultraman movie, but in a good way. Now we get this movie uncut, widescreen, english dubbed, and the japanese audio. There have been alot of unofficial release of G vs M, Now thanks to Tokyo Shock we are getting a better print, and a awesome cover! Got mines on pre-order, and my u.s. Godzilla showa series will be complete!
1936971
If this is the made for tv movie I saw on rented VHS around 1996 or so, then it was great. I am not absolutely sure. The one that I saw was in home movie style, and from various comments found on other websites, I thought that this title is the one I am looking for. A family at home in the woods hears something outdoors, one person goes to investigate with a handheld video camera; he finds a crashed UFO about 500 yards from the house. Then he goes back and tells the family; they spend the night trying to survive while the aliens come at them and try to take over. Eventually there is no hollywood ending and the family is apparently captured; aliens walk into the house and seeing the camera, it malfunctions; end of story. Everything in the film is quite believable; the aliens look right; the terror seems real, and the aliens work using telepathy apparently, so that the people are not able to fight them off. Also they keep coming even if guns are fired off at them. This sounds goofy, but the way it is filmed, it is fun and fairly believable in the way all the action is filmed and acted. The UFO community was warning about this because it was thought to be too close to reality, so that if someone saw it thinking it was real, they would then be angry when the credit rolls at the end. This is a good indication of how powerful the material is. I had a great time watching it, but recently could not find the VHS anywhere for rental. Would like to rent or buy either VHS or DVD, preferably new DVD. Has to be the complete movie though. The short clips on YouTube are not enough; i want the entire movie.

The story generally follows the Hopkinsville Kentucky UFO incident decades ago, in which a family was reportedly trapped in their own home overnight, using shotguns and fighting off UFO aliens which try to come in thru the windows and roof. That is a well researched UFO incident in history; it has been rejected by some people but it is widely thought to be a potentially true account of what happened. (This is perhaps similar to some South American sightings and experiences where people reported negative health effects and seemingly outright attacks by UFOs; see Varginha Brazil UFO accounts.)
3221135
If there was a technical flaw on the dvd stream during the last ten minutes, as some have reported, then the problem must have been fixed, because my disc played fine for the duration of the film. Since I had never actually heard of this movie until recently, I didn't have very high expectations for it, but it turned out to be a great Godzilla film. While not perfect, the positives far outweigh the negatives, making this a very enjoyable viewing experience.

The negatives: the human story revolves around two pilots, and while actors give adequete performances, the characters are not particularly interesting. There are some minor problems with the overall pacing of the film. Additionally, the film does not have the social relevance of the first movie. The nuclear war metaphore is virtually lost. The film transfer itself is grainy in some places, as was "Gojira". This did not really bother me, however. Its not in Tohoscope, but that's forgivable because this film was made before the debut of the widescreen format.

The positives: The special effects are amazing, especially considering when this film was made. I was particularly impressed with the flying effects. They are much more realistic than in later Godzilla films. Sure, some of the crashes still look fake by today's standards, but that's what you expect when watching a Godzilla film. I think that the effects were much better than in the first film. And having Godzilla actually do battle with another monster (creating the formula for EVERY Japanese monster movie to follow) really heightens the enjoyment. The tone of the film and the acting are still played seriously. There is none of the cheese which was established in "Mothra vs. Godzilla" (which, don't get me wrong, I LOVE).

All things considered, this is an excellent Godzilla film.
3967851
A Nuclear Bomb test in the Arctic thaws out and awakens a prehistoric monster called a "Rhedosaurus".  The creature makes its way to New York eventually smashing its way through the city and killing a number of people.  The film is based on a story by Ray Bradbury and stars mostly a cast of unknowns although a young Lee Van Cleef, who would go onto fame in Spaghetti westerns, does play a role.  In general the acting is the pretty hokey stuff you got with sci-fi films of the 1950's.

The real star of the movie is the stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen in his first big solo-effort.  Ray learned his craft under the great Willis O'Brien who did the effects for King Kong, Son of Kong, and others.  Ray's meticulous planning of the creatures movements lends a sense of realism not seen in other's use of stop-motion.  It honestly comes off as far more realistic than a guy in a suit that would be used in the movie it inspired the following year, "Godzilla".  Terrific set pieces and miniatures really enhance the movie including the fantastic attack on the lighthouse and the climax at Coney island.  Amazingly, this was all done on a budget of around $200,000.

This film would set off a giant creature movies with ants, spiders, locusts, and other beasties all going on a rampage throught the 1950's.  But this really was the original and best of the lot.  This new DVD contains two outstanding featurettes on the making of the movie and of the "rhedosaurus" that are a welcome addition for the fans of this classic drive-in film.
4275243
I have always liked "Godzilla vs. Megalon" but I have never thought it was nearly as good as classic Godzilla movies like the original "Gojira" (Released in the US as "Godzilla:  King of the Monsters".) or "Ebirah:  Horror of the Deep" (Released in the US as "Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster".).  Like many Godzilla fans I originally owned a very badly dubbed (When is dubbing ever good?) and heavily edited VHS tape with very poor picture quality.  When I heard Media Blasters had restored the original movie and released it on DVD, I jumped at the opportunity to see it.

To begin with Media Blasters has done a very good job restoring "Godzilla vs. Megalon" to its original form.  The original dialogue tracks have been restored, the many scenes that were cut from the US release are back which greatly improve the movie (I had no idea that the character of Gigan was even in the movie.) and the sound and picture quality are excellent.

However, having the original movie restored does not make it great.  It's easy to understand why many fans consider this one of Godzilla's worst.  The story is a bit cornball.  The undergorund city of Seatopia decides they can no longer tolerate the serious threat to their home by Japan's constant nuclear testing.  In response they decide to release their monster Megalon to wreak havoc on Tokyo.  Agents from Seatopia steal an experimental robot named Jet Jaguar to guide Megalon to his intended targets.  The agents kidnap Jet Jaguar's inventors and a young boy who is the inventor's friend in order to take Jet Jaguar.  The inventors eventually overpower their captors and regain control of Jet Jaguar.  They send him to Monster Island to hopefully summon Godzilla to fight Megalon.  Upon learning this Seatopia summons the monster Gigan from deep space to assist Megalon.  When Jet Jaguar sees Gigan arrive, he somehow or another grows himself to enormous size to team up with Godzilla to even the odds in the fight to save the day.

The fight scenes look like kiddie fights.  They hurt the movie to a certain degree, but they do add a bit of comedy relief so there is some redeeming value.  The dialogue is also a bit cheesy.

Overall, "Godzilla vs. Magalon" is no classic, but the restored version of the movie is much better than the version we grew up with.  It's not great, but it is entertaining.
2166532
I gave this four stars, not because it's Oscar material but because it's good old-fashioned Godzilla versus other impossible monsters making up an enjoyable movie.  It's one of those so bad that it's good.  Invading giant cucarachas using humans for uniforms, poor English dialogue, and not very good English subtitling make for a sofa/popcorn/soft drink evening.
565950
In the late 1940's and 1950's the USA and the Soviet Union repeatedly tested nuclear bombs. In the USA the early tests were done in the desert southwest, and the mushroom clouds could be seen for dozens of miles (and the noise could be heard for hundreds of miles). As scientists measured the increased levels of radiation in milk served to schoolchildren and their parents built bomb shelters in their backyards, Hollywood decided to take the cold war paranoia which made the fifties so unique and create a new type of sci-fi/horror movie - the "mutant monster" film. Along with the original "Godzilla", 1954's "Them" is one of the best of the lot. It starts out in the New Mexico desert, where two state troopers discover a mobile home that's been ripped apart by some unknown animal. The adults are missing, but they do find a terrified little girl (a creepy Sandy Descher) who's so shocked that she can't talk and simply stares wide-eyed and zombie-like at the policemen. A fierce sandstorm blows up, and the troopers then arrive at a local general store that's been ripped apart like the trailer. Curiously no money or valuables were stolen, but sugar has been spread everywhere, and the owner's corpse is found. He had emptied his shotgun at his attacker before being killed with a massive injection of acid. The troopers also find some tracks from an "unknown" large animal. Baffled by this turn of events, one trooper takes the mute little girl to a hospital. The other trooper stays behind to guard the store, but he is attacked and killed by an unknown assailant. The next day Robert Graham (a pre-Gunsmoke James Arness), an FBI agent, arrives to help with the investigation. Soon they are joined by two scientists from the Agriculture Dept. in Washington - the eccentric but brilliant Dr. Harold Medford (a scene-stealing Edmund Gwenn) and his lovely daughter and assistant, Dr. Pat Medford (Joan Weldon). The scientists have a hunch that the "unknown" animal that killed the storeowner and destroyed the buildings was - a giant ant! The ants had been at the site of the first atomic bomb test in New Mexico in 1945, and the radiation has caused them to mutate to an enormous, man-eating size. Soon our heroic quartet is involved in a race against time to find and destroy the ant's colony before they can reproduce and spread across the world. When the queen ant and some male escorts escape the search becomes even more frantic, and leads to a final showdown in the vast sewers of Los Angeles. This film features fine performances by all three of the male leads - James Whitmore as the gruff-but-warm-hearted New Mexico cop, Arness as the quintessentially stern and macho 1950's movie hero, and Gwenn as the quirky ant expert. Although the special effects are obviously primitive by today's standards, "Them" actually had a larger budget than most fifties sci-fi movies, and the ants themselves were an impressive creation for their time. This film also features an impressive number of cameos by future celebrities, including Fess Parker of "Davy Crockett" fame in a hilarious role as a hillbilly pilot who sees three "ant-shaped" UFOs buzzing his airplane. When he tells his story he is declared "crazy" and locked in a mental hospital. Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek's "Mr. Spock") also has a tiny cameo. "Them" was so successful that it was followed by a string of imitators, but it remains superior to all of them. This DVD offers a neat featurette on how they made the giant ant puppets work, but it has few other "extras". However, the film itself is more than worth the relatively cheap sticker price, IMO. Recommended!
4127664
2nd Godzilla film  Originaly titled Gigantis the Fire Monster.  Good effects for time it was made in late 50's  For Godzilla fans a must see
1371108
Really good godzilla film. first of all godzilla s overall appearance is respected and rendered really well. what godzilla looks like is what he would look like if the original studios had a bigger budget. the creatures really come to life so much work was put into it rendering them to be as real as possible with no sacrifice to the iconic look of godzilla. the story comes together well and not just action for the sake of action. its really nice to see directors take a respected approach of what Godzilla is suppose to be about and a better depth to story and the origins are explained with a believable origin. glad to see it does not have a michael bay approach of ruining great things like the transformers. if there has to be sequel let it be these same directors that made this godzilla, that know what there doing. i would hope so to see sequel DONE RIGHT to godzilla. i am glad i bought it.
1328167
Godzilla vs Megalon finally got a official release. Not the best Godzilla movie to most fans, but a classic to those who grew up watching it as a kid. I like this movie a lot, it's one of the better G films from the 70's I thought it was better then Hederah, Gigan, MechaGodzilla, but not better then Terror of MechaGodzilla. Godzilla vs Megalon is one those movie that it's so bad its good. Lots of stock footage from other G films is used, still a good movie! The dvd only got the movie in widescreen with both the Japanese and English language, no extras! I say so what, glad to own it. I guess in the near future the extras will be in the blueray release. DON"T WAIT! if you're a g-fan buy the dvd the blueray may or may not get release then like DAM it will be out of print, and it will cost a lot more to own.
2352169
Okay,  they're not exactly lizards, but neither was Godzilla. And the earth isn't entirely devastated,  just the 15 largest cities. Turns out Harry Truman had made contact with the folks who orginally colonized the planet- actually our ancestors, and they canhulp us. Maybe.  But it's complicated.  Very readable, and if you like action and believe in love you'll like this one.
3218106
Possibly the greatest Godzilla story, printed or filmed. We all love the monster action, but the films aren't really known for their story-lines. This book has humans that move the plot without slowing it down and more than enough action to keep you thrilled. It's begging to be turned into a motion picture. I've liked all the IDW Godzilla books, but this has to be at the top. The fact it takes place over 50 years as the same soldier encounters the Big G really puts perspective on the physical and emotional damage Kaijus would cause.
332622
This was a tough one. It almost got a three if it weren't for Brian Cranston who truly made you stick around until the end even though he dies just before the half way mark in the movie.

Truly it was waiting to see Godzilla that made it all worth while. Even though I didn't care for the main monsters Godzilla has to fight but they were fairly inventive in appearance and gave Godzilla a good fight.

The story's pacing did a well job of keeping you in the action and in suspense to see if Godzilla would be able to take out the bad monsters. When it came to it the final battle was pretty cool. Could have been done a little better but when you see how Godzilla takes out the main bad monster you get a feeling of some satisfaction that you sat through an okay roller coaster ride.
4244427
The basic story is of a telephone line repairman (Richard Dreyfuss) who encounters a UFO and has trouble relating this to his wife (Teri Garr); she is in denial and refuses to entertain the thought that there may be UFOs. There are parallel stories of other people encountering UFO's. Eventually the government is also contacted by the UFOs and sets up a meeting with them had a unique location. The individuals encountered have also been compelled to attend; this to the government's consternation. Will the other invitees make it to the rendezvous point? What trials and tribulations must they endure on the way?

 The lighter version, "The Collector's Edition" (ASIN: 0767827031) of the film. This is closer to the original cut but still not the one shown on TV. I bought this version after I realized I had the darker version. Amazon.com did the research for me

The dark version, also called "The Collector's Edition" However I think it was supposed to be a director's cut (ASIN: 0800198395) cut out all the comic scenes like the throwing all the dirt in the window prior to building the replica of Devils Mountain. And added some "Mother gets disturbed scenes." I bought the dark version first because I thought it had the special ending where the inside of the ship is shown. But I did not know that it was completely remade. Some of the Gas mask scenes are missing also.

If this review ends up on another version you will have to check for your self how complete it really is and what has been cut out.

Other than that if you did not see the original or the third version that is shown periodically on TV you would like this movie and it is worth the purchase price.
-----------------------------------------------
Well now I do not want to mix media with a review that is for the movie however a later contribution with the advent of Blu-ray is the two DVD "30th Anniversary Ultimate" editions which seems to have picked up some original material missing from all the tapes. Again I am not trying to distract from the movie content but this edition show that (probably due to this being a movie from the pre-blu-ray era) some scenes are clear and almost three dimensional while others are very grainy and of poor focus. Once you get into the story this distraction will go away.
3849581
Why could the movie have not been like this great animated Godzilla show! Godzy is a fighter in this series, great monster vs. monster battles, sweet green atomic blast, a pretty funny (annoying more often than not) robot which Godzilla destroys often in hilarious ways, new and returning cast keeps things fresh. Don't let the bad taste of the movie keep you from checking out this fun kaiju series!