GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND was part of a new breed of less expensive movies geared toward kiddie audiences rather than general viewers. Just the same, the film was one of the better of it's cycle. Agents from a distant planet are seeking the return of a computer tape stolen by a young woman who suspects her missing brother is being held hostage at an under-construction amusement park. When she crosses paths with a cartoonist hired to design monster statues for the park, it becomes clear that something sinister is afoot. Godzilla and his sidekick Angillas (my favored of the twenty various spellings of the name of the spiky fellow in the middle) are roused by the playing of the computer tape, and hit Japan as the invaders have brought in series heavy Ghidrah and new kid Gigan (the film's alternate title was, in fact, GODZILLA VS GIGAN). The result is some prolonged monster fight action! The producers set out to make the film as different from the previous year's GODZILLA VS THE SMOG MONSTER as possible. Where the earlier film had been gloomy and slow, this one is colorful and packed with action. For whatever reason, the film wasn't imported to the States until 1977 (Japanese release was back in '72). Although GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND is a great handle, it's pretty misleading, since very little of the film takes place on the giant monster magnet of the south seas. Infamously, this is the one in which Godzilla's conversation with Angillas is translated into spoken word in one scene! Critics are down on the film because it uses a ton of stock footage from previous films in an effort to keep the costs down. It's always been a favorite of mine, though. And, in fact, it was this film that taught me about alternate titles -as it was issued on video under both and we rented each thinking they were different movies!
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