top of page
JUST ANOTHER FILM REVIEW
I adore films. Whether that be a black and white silent classic or a popcorn fuelled blockbuster I am at my happiest when escaping into the worlds that only films can create. This blog allows me to go on a journey of film discovery and although there will be good and bad times along the way it is an adventure that I hope you will join me on. I don't take myself too seriously, you shouldn't either. - Robert Hay
Home: Welcome
December 17th: Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
We may only be two films into the Heisei era, but if it carries on at this pace I think it is going to clear the Showa era in terms of quality. Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) picks up where The Return of Godzilla (1984) left off, both thematically and narratively. With the defeat of Godzilla, scientists have found some of his cells which they want to research to find the potential uses. However, an accident in the research leads to Dr. Shiragami’s (Koji Takahashi) daughter bei
December 16th: The Return of Godzilla (1984)
And a new era begins with The Return of Godzilla (1984) . And if you thought soft reboots were a new phenomenon, then you would be very mistaken. This film acts as a direct sequel to the original Godzilla (1954) , completely ignoring all other sequels that came after it. And personally, for the tone and direction this film takes that was probably the best direction to take. Thirty years after Godzilla terrorised Tokyo, he has returned. Initially the Japanese government wish t
December 15th: Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
And here we are, the end of an era. Not the end of the full franchise, we’re just about halfway through that. But Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) is the final film of the Showa era of Godzilla films, an era that lasted over 20 years. And in a nice bookend to the era, Ishiro Honda returns one last time. And if you thought that might mean aliens aren’t involved in the film’s narrative, think again dummy. The film opens with a submarine being attacked by a mysterious undersea cre
December 14th: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
After Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) and Jun Fukuda’s return to the directing chair my enjoyment of this franchise took a hit. It felt like a return to the formula that had become a little stale and it wasn’t a welcome one. So, it needed something new to bring me back in. Something fresh. Something exciting. What’s that? A mechanical Godzilla? You son of a bitch, I’m in! Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) sees aliens (what a shock) trying to take over the earth using a mechanical
December 13th: Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
I’m still of flu but I’m a lot less grumpy about this film in this series. Yes, Fukuda is still at the reigns, so it isn’t a return to the tone that spiced things up for me, but this one ends up going so far into being silly and ridiculous that it becomes kind of charming. Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) steps away from alien antagonists, replacing them instead with the people of Seatopia, a kingdom of people whose civilisation has been forever damaged by human’s nuclear testing
December 12th: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
So, we have just had the best film in this series since the original, a breath of fresh air for the franchise. Where should we go from here? Bring back Jun Fukuda and go back to the formulaic family friendly stuff we were doing before? Sigh. Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) reintroduces aliens back into the franchise, who again are wanting to use Ghidorah to help takeover the world. However, this time around they also use a new foe, Gigan, to create a terrible double act. Earths on
December 11th: Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)
A new director steps up to the plate, with Yoshimitsu Banno taking the reins for Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) and this is exactly the kind of breath of fresh air that this series needed. The film tells the story of Hedorah, an alien life form that comes to Earth on the back of a meteor. Hedorah feeds on pollution, and the more he gets the bigger her gets. Dr. Toru (Akira Yamanouchi) is disfigured by Hedorah when trying to find out more about it, which strengthens his resolve t
December 10th: All Monsters Attack (1969)
It’s happened guys, we’ve finally hit a genuinely terrible Godzilla film. We have quite a lot to go still but honestly, I would be very surprised if any turned out to be as bad as All Monsters Attack (1969) . The film tells the story of Ichiro (Tomonori Yazaki), a young boy who loves kaiju and is being bullied. So in order to learn to stand up to his bullies he daydreams about being on monster island, befriending Minilla, and learning to be confident enough to stand up for hi
December 9th: Destroy All Monsters (1968)
Avengers assemble! Or whatever the equivalent for Kaiju films would be, because that is effectively what this Destroy All Monsters (1968) is. A massive who’s who of all the previous monsters, as well as some from other Toho properties that have not appeared in Godzilla films. The story of the film sees a world somewhat at peace with its monsters, with them all being housed and secured on an island where they live peacefully. That all changes when a group of female aliens man
December 8th: Son of Godzilla (1967)
If you thought the last film in this series was silly, you have seen nothing yet. I mean, lets be serious, no one looking at a tile of Son of Godzilla (1967) is expecting the film to take itself seriously, and if you are shame on you. The film follows a team of scientists on a secluded island who are testing a weather machine in order to help with future food shortages. The only other people on the island are a nosy reporter who has followed them to the island looking for a s
Home: Blog
bottom of page