La isla de los monstruos

After finally regaining audience favor with Destroy All Monsters (1968), how disappointing it must have been to see the series slip again so soon. While one has to respect director Ishiro Honda for not simply repeating Destroy All Monsters, the return to the kiddie approach of Son of Godzilla was ill advised when that film had been the biggest flop in the series. Maybe Honda wanted to address school bullying and make a light-hearted film that kids could enjoy and logic be damned. Whatever the case, Godzilla's Revenge, or All Monster's Attack (1969) is a children's film and should be evaluated as such.

With all the monster action taking place inside a child's imagination, Godzila's Revenge (1969) isn't really a Godzilla film at all, but rather a juvenile fantasy romp sprinkled with camp and dipped in cheese. The highlight of the film is the stock footage from Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966). We get to see Godzilla's battle with the Red Bamboo's fighter jets unscored without the inappropriate surf rock music. As a children's fantasy, Godzilla's Revenge succeeds. Avoid this one, unless you have small children and want to introduce them to kaiju films. It certainly has made my 4-year old nephew a fan.