Destroy All Monsters (1968)

Female aliens take control of Earth's monsters and begin using them to destroy the human race.

Director:

Ishirô Honda

Writers:

Ishirô Honda, Takeshi Kimura (as Kaoru Mabuchi)

Stars:

Akira Kubo, Jun Tazaki, Yukiko Kobayashi

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Akira Kubo	...	SY-3 Captain Katsuo Yamabe
Jun Tazaki	...	Dr. Yoshido
Yukiko Kobayashi	...	Kyoko Manabe
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Dr. Otani
Kyôko Ai	...	Kilaak Queen
Andrew Hughes	...	Dr. Stevenson
Chôtarô Tôgin	...	Ogata
Yoshifumi Tajima	...	General
Kenji Sahara	...	Commander Nishikawa
Hisaya Itô	...	Major Tada
Yoshio Katsuda	...	Young Scientist
Heihachirô Ôkawa	...	Engineer (as Henry Okawa)
Ikio Sawamura	...	Old Farmer
Yutaka Sada	...	Police Officer
Hiroshi Okada	...	Doctor at hospital

Storyline

Aliens have released all the giant monsters from their imprisonment on Monster Land and are using them to destroy all major cities on the planet. It is up to the daring crew of the super rocket ship X-2 to infiltrate the aliens' headquarters before the Earth monsters and King Ghidrah annihilate the planet.

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Plot Keywords:

godzilla | kaiju | tokusatsu | giant monster | monster | 

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Taglines:

Monsters of mass destruction.

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Genres:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

23 May 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Destroy All Monsters

Box Office

Budget:

JPY 200,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Company

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the last Godzilla movie that was made with all 4 "Godzilla Fathers." They are: TANAKA (producer), HONDA (director), IFUKUBE (music) and TSUBURAYA (special effects, although he only worked as an advisor).

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Goofs

Obvious "seams" running down the "sky" in many shots, revealing where the sections of the painted backdrop meet.

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Quotes

News Reader: The major cities of the world are being destroyed, one-by-one by the monsters: Moscow by Rodan, Peking by Mothra, London by Manda, Paris by Baragon. And, here's a special news bulletin. Godzilla is now in New York City. The city is being invaded by Godzilla!

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Crazy Credits

In Toho's international version, their English language credits list special effect director Sademasa Arikawa as "Sanemasa Arikawa."

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Alternate Versions

The English version released by American International Pictures in 1969 is entirely different than Toho's export version. AIP contracted with New York's Titan Productions (previously known as Titra Sound Studios) to loop the English dialogue. Among the dubbing personnel for this version were Hal Linden and Bret Morrison. This dialogue track was included by Media Blasters in its 2011 DVD and Blu-Ray release of "Destroy All Monsters," however, newer printings feature only Toho's Japanese and English soundtracks. AIP was also responsible for several small edits to the film. In the Japanese and international versions, a sign establishing the UN Defense Center can be seen in the rubble of Tokyo. Instead of translating this sign, AIP's editors removed it altogether. Additionally, AIP deleted two shots of Minilla's antics during the climactic monster showdown. AIP also relocated the credits to the end of the picture.

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Connections

Referenced in Beyond the Gates (2016)

User Reviews

Monster free-for-all: fun stuff

Toho decided to throw a block party for monsters in Tokyo, and invited every creature they could get to sign on to do the flick. Their three biggest mega stars are featured: the lovable giant fire-breathing lizard Godzilla, the supersonic bird who stirs up hurricane winds, Rodan; and the evil three-headed serpent King Ghidora. Throw in the talents of several other monsters and you have a Battle Royale that's a feast for the eyes.

Aliens want to conquer the Earth. So they use hypnosis chips on both key humans as well as the giant beasts, forcing them to assist in a sinister scheme. The human actors, although intentionally upstaged by their larger co-stars, make for an interesting invasion from within story. The actors really do a good job showing urgency in this battle for Earth, (in spite of the sometimes questionable dubbing job). The action moves fast and furious, leading to the inevitable climactic monster showdown.

The film incorporates the monster back stories as much as possible; considering how many creatures get in the act, that's quite an accomplishment. It's fun to see them all together; and they put on several good destruction and battle scenes. The TV reporter doing a sports play-by-play in the decisive battle is a great touch, giving us great lines such as, "Listen to the monsters, with their cries of horror and sudden death!"

Fun stuff for Japanese monster movie fans or anyone who likes a good, campy, action filled flick.