This is really two films.
One film is a kid's visit to Monster Island, where he witnesses a compilation of fight scenes from "Son of Godzilla" and "G. Vs. the Sea Monster". Some of this footage looks like out-take or alternate take material; the whole Gabara episode may well have been intended for "Son of" and excised, in the way that "Frankenstein Conquers the World" was to include a fight with a giant squid, some footage of which finding its way into "King Kong Vs. Godzilla".
The second film is a story of a young boy of the working class in an overly-industrialized modern Japan, neglected by his parents, bullied in school, who finds himself kidnapped by a gang of bank robbers and has to learn courage and wit in order to deal with his situation.
The first film is notorious as a "stock-footage" fiasco with a talking monster. The edits only make evident weaknesses in the original material.
The second film is staggeringly depressing. When I first saw this, I wasn't sure how to respond, because certainly I wasn't looking for a grim expose of industrialized Japan. But the first episodes of this storyline, with its backdrop of empty lots and factory smokestacks billowing in the background, add up to a truly unpleasant experience.
Finally, at the center of all this is one of the more annoying child actors of the period. Hard to identify with, and easy to wish away, I feel no sympathy with him at all as an individual, only as representative of the thousands of neglected children like him.
It should be noted that the stock-footage here was filmed by the 'other Godzilla director', Jun Fukuda - so why does Ishiro Honda use it, why not use his own Godzilla material? A real enigma of a film, part overly serious tragicomedy, part self-lacerating rip-off.
Obviously not recommended except for Godzilla completists.
One film is a kid's visit to Monster Island, where he witnesses a compilation of fight scenes from "Son of Godzilla" and "G. Vs. the Sea Monster". Some of this footage looks like out-take or alternate take material; the whole Gabara episode may well have been intended for "Son of" and excised, in the way that "Frankenstein Conquers the World" was to include a fight with a giant squid, some footage of which finding its way into "King Kong Vs. Godzilla".
The second film is a story of a young boy of the working class in an overly-industrialized modern Japan, neglected by his parents, bullied in school, who finds himself kidnapped by a gang of bank robbers and has to learn courage and wit in order to deal with his situation.
The first film is notorious as a "stock-footage" fiasco with a talking monster. The edits only make evident weaknesses in the original material.
The second film is staggeringly depressing. When I first saw this, I wasn't sure how to respond, because certainly I wasn't looking for a grim expose of industrialized Japan. But the first episodes of this storyline, with its backdrop of empty lots and factory smokestacks billowing in the background, add up to a truly unpleasant experience.
Finally, at the center of all this is one of the more annoying child actors of the period. Hard to identify with, and easy to wish away, I feel no sympathy with him at all as an individual, only as representative of the thousands of neglected children like him.
It should be noted that the stock-footage here was filmed by the 'other Godzilla director', Jun Fukuda - so why does Ishiro Honda use it, why not use his own Godzilla material? A real enigma of a film, part overly serious tragicomedy, part self-lacerating rip-off.
Obviously not recommended except for Godzilla completists.