Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Another weird entry into the series. The plot is silly and a bit cliche for a Godzilla flick, in which aliens try to take over the world by controlling monsters. This monster mind control plot device has been used in three previous Godzilla flicks. The two monsters being controlled are King Ghidorah and a new monster named Gigan. Gigan is one of Godzilla's coolest looking enemies and has an interesting array of weapons. The plot may be silly, with a weird cast of characters, but their is some fun to be had because the film does not seem to take itself seriously. However, three flaws prevent this movie from being great. One flaw is it takes about 45 minutes before any decent amount of monster action gets started. Another flaw is the film's use of stock footage, which is used a lot during the monster battles. This brings the monster battles down a level because it makes the film look cheap and lazy. It is not as bad as "Godzilla vs. Megalon" or "Godzilla's Revenge" but it is a little disappointing to see the monster battles consist of stock footage. The visuals in this film are also sub-par. Their are scenes of Gigan and Ghidorah flying, and they look like stiff plastic models. The Godzilla suit shows obvious signs of wear and tear, pieces of the suit can easily be seen breaking off because the it was used in so many films. The Godzilla roar is also messed up, it sounds like it is being played from a broken stereo. The weirdest moment in the film is when Godzilla and Angilus are shown talking in these strange synthesized voices. They speak in the english version but the japanese version had them speak through comic book-like speech bubbles. It comes out of nowhere and it is never addressed in the film. Their is some fun to be had with this film, but its major flaws prevent it from being a good entry in the Godzilla franchise. This film is worth watching just to see Gigan and a hilariously over-the-top tag-team match with Godzilla and Angilus.