The early half of the 1970's was something of a magical time for Toho's Godzilla series - long since distanced from the post-war anxieties that provided the original entry's germinal inspiration, the film cycle had evolved (or devolved) into a strange sort of abstract kiddy fair. Populated with the likes of tiara-toting toga-donning antagonists, smog-huffing space-beasts, and more groovy youth-oriented plot lines than ever before, Godzilla's outings for these few brief (yet prolific) years were a different beast all together than the more socially-conservative efforts that had come before.

The film in question today should be one of the more recognizable to those of us who grew up during the death of local UHF stations, which periodically ran it on double bills with other monster epics (I remember seeing it several times in conjunction with one of my favorite guilty pleasures, GODZILLA VS MEGALON). Broadcast at less than peak hours to entertain whatever odd types were awake from 2 in the morning onwards, these sorts of films proved a magnet for me during my most formative years. In fact, it was a late-night double-bill with the aforementioned MEGALON - recorded on an ancient VCR by my ever-understanding and most accomodating mother - that first introduced me to the inimitable GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND.

Though more recently re-introduced to the states in its uncut International form under the title of GODZILLA VS. GIGAN, these pan-and-scanned and slightly edited broadcasts of the US theatrical version of it are how I most fondly remember seeing the film.

The story this go around concerns out-of-work comic book writer Gengo and his martial artist sidekick Tomoko hunting for jobs. The critical world has been less than kind to Gengo's creations - Shukra, the monster of homework, and Momagon, the monster of strict mothers. When the charitable organization behind the newly-constructed Children's Land theme park (complete with a massive Godzilla Tower, around which much of the film's action takes place) proves interested in his childish concepts, Gengo jumps at the chance. The company loves monsters, it seems, but their interest goes too far when head-man Kubota admits that the organization intends to destroy Monster Island.

It isn't long before Gengo is caught up in a conspiracy involving a missing computer engineer, his sister and her corn-toting hippy friend, and "tapes of peace." This all leads to one inevitable conclusion - giant super-intelligent cockroaches are pretending to be dead people while donning orange leisure suits and intend to conquer the earth for themselves. There's an extremely brief montage intended to give the film a bit more thematic weight, showing the aliens' homeworld destroyed by nuclear weaponry, pollution, and stock footage, but it isn't long before that message is completely overridden by Ultraman-esque monster antics.

No self-respecting alien race enters the Toho universe without at least a couple of monster tag-alongs, and the super-intelligent leisure-suit cockroach people from the Space Hunter Nebula M are no exception. Joining them on earth-conquest patrol are old standby Ghidrah (in his final Showa appearance) and the truly original Gigan. The two lay waste to Tokyo through a stock-footage attack only rivaled in fiscal restraint by the following year's GODZILLA VS. MEGALON. Godzilla is never far off, however, and he promptly makes the oceanic trek from the imperiled Monster Island to Tokyo proper with his good friend Anguirus in tow. What ensues is a four-way monster mash-up that should satisfy the monster loving child within all of us.

Originally intended as a considerably more grandiose effort (check out this article at Toho Kingdom for details of that failed project) GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND ended up being one of the most poverty-stricken of all Godzilla productions, and it shows. Stock footage accounts for a goodly amount of the various kaiju-centric portions of the film, with hefty amounts of material taken from GHIDRAH: THE THREE HEADED MONSTER and the like featured throughout. The soundtrack, as well, contains virtually no originally composed music and, instead, is comprised almost entirely of soundtrack cues from previous Akira Ifukube scores (cues from BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE and FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD are particularly noticeable to this viewer's ears).

It's a testament to the creative team of director Jun Fukuda, writer Shinichi Sekizawa, and special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano, et al, that a film made up of roughly 90% new material remains as enjoyable as it does. The stylish and fast-paced direction of Fukuda as well as Sekizawa's story of a comic book author helping to save the world from charitable alien cockroaches and their army of space monsters keeps the film interesting and Nakano's explosive - if impoverished (the chief Godzilla suit used for the film is quite literally falling to bits by the end of this, its fourth outing) - effects work involves audiences enough in the action that they almost forget the stock soundtrack blaring in the background.

This film tends to find itself at the bottom of the heap, with the likes of ALL MONSTERS ATTACK and GODZILLA VS. MEGALON, when it comes time to discuss Godzilla favorites with fans. Indeed, it's not a terribly good film by any typical definition of the word and the entire proceeding seems to be substantively bankrupt (taking cues more from past exploits than anything heart-felt). It also features more than a few hysterical moments - hippy Shosaku munching on a remarkably phallic piece of corn and the plots to both escape and destroy Godzilla Tower leave me in stitches every time I see them. Working against the film as well is the fact that the tag-team monster action, judiciously peppered (or possibly drowned) with stock shots, that takes up the last third of the film tends to feel more than a little slow.

All critical judgments aside, however, the film still retains an enormous amount of charm for me - I can still remember the hours of anxious waiting throughout my first grade school day the morning after the film was first recorded for me*. Not the best by any stretch of the imagination but still more amusing than most, GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND is a colorful and extremely entertaining entry into the bloated Godzilla oeuvre that rightfully receives the praises of this reviewer.

WTFFILM recommends.

* The night the tape was recorded for me I had a dream that I still remember today - it involved myself (donning the most stylish of adventurer gear) being trapped in a tall and rickety wooden tower as the intended sacrifice to an enormous green dragon beast that bore less resemblence to Godzilla than to the titular character from the as-of-then unseen to me PETE'S DRAGON (1977). Amusingly enough, the dream came complete with a title card announcing it as GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND.