Wastelnd

Gamera Rebirth
Godzilla 2014

Godzilla 1992

Sunday, March 23, 2025

Review - Godzilla 1968 (Movie Monster Series)

1968 saw the release of the ninth Godzilla flick, the classic Destroy All Monsters; a monster-mash soaked in camp retro-futurism featuring nearly every old-school Toho Kaiju - from classic creatures such as King Ghidorah and Mothra, to freak-out hippie weirdos like Varan or Gorosaurus. While it's not all that exciting of a picture - despite what's written on the tin - it's still a memorable, seminal installment in the Godzilla series, even if most only remember the (admittedly, spectacular) effects scenes.

As with various starring monsters, Godzilla saw a fresh redesign for the film, referred to by fans as "SoshingekiGoji"; the seventh unique Godzilla, going on to become the longest used Godzilla suit in the series' history - featured in four consecutive films, tattered and visibly falling apart by his final appearance in 1972's Godzilla Vs Gigan. Naturally, Destroy All Monster's Godzilla became one of the most prolific versions of the character, and for many, still stands tall as "the" Godzilla - very fitting, considering it was the final suit worn by original Godzilla actor, Haruo Nakajima.

'68's MMS reign of terror began with 2005's Godzilla 50th Anniversary Memorial Box, a celebratory set of 20 MMS figures featuring loads of cool characters and unique incarnations spanning Godzilla's storied history - definitely one of the coolest things to ever come out of the Movie Monster Series. Like most Showa-era Godzillas included in the set, the Memorial Box '68 featured a unique greenish color scheme, replicating how the suits often appeared across older media. A year later, in 2006, '68 was given a mainline re-release, with a new, slightly more accurate charcoal deco - which is the version I'll be incessantly praising here today.

Let's cut to the chase - Godzilla '68 is pretty much a perfect figure. His sculpt is totally 1:1 with the original suit, by MMS standards; perfectly capturing the classic incarnation, from the wrinkled, heavy body, to the crooked shape of his jaw, to that iconic Nakajima roar - it's all there. Even the whip of his tail totally reminds me of the spry performances true to the '68 version. There's a couple oddities to the sculpt eagle-eyed fans might notice, but by and large, '68's an all-around A lister.

Though only featuring four points of articulation, that iconic pose really carries. A head, or (intentional) tail swivel would've been neat, but I'm not complaining. He feels very alive.

Paint wise, '68's still winning; His cutesy googly eyes and pink. gummy maw of needle teeth are very cleanly applied, with a dark, bone grey spray across his plush spines and little claws, as well as lightly highlighting his knees and chest. There's even a bit of spray around his left eye area, reminding me of the battle damage seen in Godzilla Vs Hedorah - though, it's most likely a happy accident. His softly faded spines look particularly nice - not to mention, again, that super sharp face. It's even nicer upon closer inspection.

'68 is easily one of the all-time best MMS figures, and definitely a must-have for any fan of the Showa Godzilla era. As with most figures from the collection, The Memorial Box version's pretty hard to land, though the '06 reissue's always been one of those middle-of-the-road figures as far as rarity goes; I got mine mint at the same convention where I met Godzilla stars Haruo Nakajima and Akira Takarada, weirdly enough.

Beyond these earlier versions, in 2007, a totally new - and, well... inferior - '68 was featured in Bandai Creations' American MMS equivalent, later being carried into MMS proper with 2015's "Movie Monster Series EX" lineup. It's been the most common version for years, on both coasts, but I've never liked it much at all - far too exaggerated and wonky for even the sometimes froggy '68 design.

Just recently, the original figure was reissued with some very subtle modifications, this time representing the monster as seen in 1971's Godzilla Vs Hedorah - more or less. The sculpt's about... 0.1% different, not at all replicating the violently battered '71 Godzilla you might expect; instead serving as an alternative, or better yet, more accessible option for new fans to pair with the many modern-day MMS Hedorahs.

I'd say you're best off going with the '06 version - it really is flawless - but there's plenty of options, and, for what it's worth, that '71 ain't too shabby. Just... maybe avoid the Bandai Creations / MMS EX take. Ugly. Either way, G'68 is truly a classic.

Check out my previous MMS reviews:

Zigra

Gamera Rebirth
Godzilla 2014

Godzilla 1992

Friday, March 21, 2025

Review - Zigra (Movie Monster Series)

1971's Gamera Vs Zigra tells the lovely tale of the titular sharkboy, Zigra; a telepathically talented megalomaniac of a Kaiju bent on world domination, possessing the minds of human and monster alike as he hungers for flesh after the pollution death of his home planet - much to the chagrin of the Friend to All Children, Gamera.

Zigra was introduced to the Movie Monster Series with the Gamera Memorial Box, a commemorative set released in 1999 featuring each and every Showa-era Gamera character in one package - a real holy grail. Though the majority of these figures were rescales of the early 90's Gamera Series line, Zigra, along with Gamera himself, were the two to receive an entirely new sculpt - and rightly so. Yikes.

Zigra had multiple "forms" thoughout the film; first, as a sort of detached head, looming over his base - second, a wafting fish, growing to gargantuan scale under Earth's foreign conditions - and third, a proper, suited monster, standing upright on conspicuously disguised feet-fins; often obscured by buildings and scenery. The original Gamera Series figure took on a sort of mix of his latter two forms, awkwardly lacking proper feet, while the MMS instead directly adapts the suit version.

A pretty flawless take on the suit, Zigra captures both the quirks and appeal of the uniquely designed kaiju; from his angular, sci-fi head, to his odd little feet. His detailing is especially beautifully done - the bumpy, insulation-like texture of his body, the fine grooves along each fin, even the folds and creases of the suit itself. Its all there. While it's a sort of simple sculpt from a distance, being 20+ years old and all, I'd say it perfectly captures the look.

Zigra only features three points of articulation - both arms, and his tail - though his head is glue sealed, and probably could be moved without warping the figure, which is typically the reason behind the seemingly unnecessary seals on these figures. Of course, it never moved onscreen, and beyond perhaps hip joints, it all feels appropriate for the character; he was never much of a dynamic monster, and the poseability is pretty par-the-course for MMS' more humanoid creatures.

Zigra'a paint is, likewise, really spot-on; sculpted in a light, sky blue, bright metallic silver sprays define his head, beak, body and spines, with a dash of bold red on all three of his devilishly evil eyes - pretty much exactly replicating the onscreen design.

Zigra's definitely one of the best members of the great Gamera Memorial Box, truly summoning the mind-bending monster from the murky, alien depths. He's never been re-released outside of the set, however, he's not exactly rare, being such an obscure kaiju and all. If you're like me, and have surrendered free will for the future of Zigra planet, you'll love this freaky little fish. Obey Zigra.

Check out my previous MMS reviews:

Godzilla 1992

Monday, March 17, 2025

OBEY ZIGRA - Unbiased Thoughts on Gamera Vs Zigra

"No! Do not kill the people! It would be a very foolish mistake. On earth, the people live on land, and eat the things in the sea... but it is the opposite for us! We live in the sea... and eat things on land! So, you see... it would be unwise to kill the earth creatures!"

1971's Gamera Vs Zigra follows the mysterious appearance of a funky alien ship following a series of worldwide disasters, which lands somewhere off the coast nearby Kamogawa Seaworld; attracting the attention of two marine biologists working for the zoo, who's children, our stars, have secretly snuck along for the ride. Arriving at the ship's landing point, the families are teleported inside, encountering... a space woman! How strange.

The alien, "X-1", explains Zigra, who's corpse-like visage is embedded atop the ship's cobwebbed ceiling, seeks to take over the Earth after being driven to space by his homeland's deadly pollution. Broadcasting a threat to destroy Tokyo across the airwaves, the confused biologists attempt to intervene, only to be hypnotized by the woman's odd eyeball powers - with a glare and a snap, the men are comatose. The children escape, dragging their lifeless fathers along as they freeze the alien with her own technology, reappearing outside of the ship.

Zigra's body awakens the woman, demanding she to seek and destroy the children - who, as one might expect, know too much - perusing the families' small dingy, only to be intercepted by Gamera, who heroically lifts the boat to safety. As the children inform the authorities, the woman pursues the kids, posessing - or, perhaps, undressing? - various panicked passerby as she weasels her way into Seaworld, where the authorities have convened as the mainland is evacuated. Meanwhile, Gamera takes on the alien craft, destroying it via Spongebob logic as he blasts an undersea turrent of flame, releasing the mighty Zigra. Affected by the earth's conditions, Zigra grows to massive proportions, Gamera luring the demon into land only to be subdued by it's telepathically disabling beam. As per series tradition, Gamera is, temporarily, down for the count, as Zigra announces his plans to savage the Earth as he is now unable to leave.

Chasing the poor kiddies around the vacant amusement park, the alien woman is quickly apprehended, the military discovering her coma-inducing powers can be stopped via sonar as they free her from Zigra's apparent mind control - discovering that she, herself, had been kidnapped from a moon base upon Zigra's arrival. Gamera is quickly revived using this newfound advantage, once again rescuing our heroes from the forthcoming Zigra as he lures the sea creature ashore, swiftly roasting him alive - but not before performing his own theme song on the creature's Xylophone-esque spines. Epic.

I watched the Sandy Frank / King Features Entertainment dub of this one; it's really entertaining how obvious it is which VAs actually tried, and which did one-takes with zero inflection or sentence structure. I'd assume the turnaround was pretty fast, with these flicks, so, unlike compliance with Zigra's holy will, effort may not have been entirely mandatory. I like the jarring edu-tainment vibe occasionally present in this movie, characters babbling on about dolphins and whales and stuff - plays into the children's film thing so heavily, its funny. Charmingly kitsch. As a big fan of retro amusement parks, I really enjoy the Seaworld setting, too; they definitely made great use of the location, even if it's very obviously sponsored and all that. It's a great time capsule of a place that, seemingly, is still standing to this day.

Zigra's a pretty awesome kaiju - I wonder if he was influenced by Gigan, both in appearance and concept? Even his boastful personality seems pretty comparable. If memory serves, there was a bit of cross-over behind the scenes, so despite this one coming out a year earlier than 1972's Godzilla Vs Gigan, I wouldn't be surprised. I totally love how he telepathically speaks directly to humanity - not enough Kaiju communicate. It's real fun, especially with a diabolical baddie like Zigra. It's too bad his 2023 Gamera: Rebirth reimagining dropped this - I love the idea of a commandeering kaiju mastermind.

As a weird-ass side note, Zigra is described as "Hitler in a sharkskin suit" by a particularly smarmy American VHS release; therefore definitively proving that Gamera did, in fact, kill Hitler.

I find it interesting how many of these movies feature female villains - maybe guys were considered too scary? Paired with Zigra, Ms. Alien is a fun villain, and I bet she had a great time chasing those damn kids around. Hilariously strange when she possesses a woman in a super thin bikini and tells a guy she's after a couple kids over at Seaworld. Hm. "If you come closer, I'll feed them to the dolphins!" She shouts, manhandling the kiddies, standing beside... an orca whale.

Effects wise, it's pretty much the Showa era Gamera standard - if not slightly below the mark - and the same goes for its storyline; nothing special, but I enjoy it. There's certainly a lot of filler, whether it be Seaworld stock footage, or meandering human stuff, but I find it all pretty entertaining regardless. What can I say, I've gotten really accustomed to this era of Kaiju's oddball mentalities when it comes to storytelling. I think the movie keeps you pretty entertained between it's usually brisk pace and campy action.

The last of the Showa era before the low-end compilation film Gamera: Super Monster, Gamera Vs Zigra is often bemoaned for its flimsy plot and flimsier production values, but it's still a lot of fun, and delivers on just about everything the Showa Gamera pictures are famous for; obnoxiously cute kids, insane monster action, and loads of creativity. if only Gamera could've saved Shamu...

"Ha Ha. You are right. Both of your mamas are very pretty."

Review - Gamera Rebirth (Movie Monster Series)

After years of dormancy, it ain't a bad time to be a fan of the friend to all children - the guardian of the universe - the original Koopa, Mister Gamera; with the six episode anime Gamera: Rebirth having just been released in 2023, including tie-in games, manga, and even - of course - Movie Monster Series figures! The series does a great job revisiting, and reviving just about everything we all love about Gamera; from the melodrama, to the fantasy, to the offensively low budget.

Somewhere between Gamera 3's dark, extreme Samurai overlord, and the Showa era's goofy, wide-eyed supermonster, Rebirth - who technically made his first appearance in 2015's aptly titled "Gamera" short film, in a sort of prototype state - is a determinedly heroic guardian kaiju, hell-bent on savaging and destroying all freak-out hippie weirdos who oppose him; whether it be kid-hungry demons, or psycho cultist moon bureaucrats.

Gamera Rebirth is a tank of a monster, let alone vinyl; there's a lot of mass to the figure, really conveying his heroically colossal scale. While his ominous, lumbering pose certainly plays to the designs strengths, it's also not quite representative of what Gamera's up to throughout the anime; that being, running, jumping and generally kicking kaiju ass. Plus, that tail... so... Erect. Ahem. See below. Nice as the figure looks, it also feels a bit like they nicked the reference sheet and called it a day - a more dynamic, battle-ready pose would've fit much better. Just compare it to Bandai's HG figure.

Plus, with that hunchbacked slouch, you can't see his face most of the time; which is a real shame, because it's a very accurate and intricate likeness across the board. As evidenced by various MMS figures since 2016's Shin Godzilla, I wouldn't be surprised if the figure drew from the screen-used CG model itself - the detail is just perfect. Just look at those sculpted retinas. Gamera's heavy leather skin is textured by various scutes and ridges, richly carved while still replicating an appropriately "flat" animated look; I especially love the flowing waves and curves of his huge armor shell - really beautiful. While I find it overall a touch underwhelming, it nevertheless is one of those sculpts that's a marvel to just look at.

As for articulation... well. There's none.

Okay, that's not fair - you got an elbow twist on both arms, a swivel on his thick, suspiciously phallic tail, and... yup, that's it. So, yeah, borderline nothin'. He's either looming intensely, or shouting a hearty "come onnn!"

It seems Bandai traded poseability for detail with their 2020-23 Gamera lineup, with newly sculpted figures such as Gamera '96 and '98 featuring similarly limited articulation; effectively more statues than action figures, at least by MMS standards, though this might not be much of an issue for some collectors. The figures certainly look excellent, offering some of the best work MMS has had to offer in years - it's just a bit of a letdown, especially, again, for this particular version of the character.

Gamera's paint is, likewise, limited, though it looks cool, and pretty much matches his onscreen appearance. Cast in a deep, desaturated green that does a nice job giving some depth to his sculpt, a shiny blue-green representing his bioluminesent power glows through his patterned chest and heated eyes, with a very cleanly detailed mauve mouth, grey teeth, and deep, black claws. It's about all that's necessary - he is animated, after all - but more variance in color could've really brought out the nice sculpt.

2023's Gamera Rebirth is a solid figure, though, not unlike the anime itself, one that's pretty held back by it's own limitations. If I had to blindly speculate, this probably had to do with the figure being released more-or-less alongside the series' five new monsters - production costs, yadda yadda. Don't get me wrong here, it's still a nice, if not vaguely middle-of-the-road MMS, but I really think a more creative second pass could've worked wonders in truly bringing the character to life. Still, I can't understate the figure's excellent detail, and, beyond that, what's there, works - despite its shortcomings, if you're a Gamera Lifer like me, he's definitely a must-have.

It's my favorite boy Gamera's 60th birthday this year, and just recently, a "new project" of sorts was teased by the mega-turtle's official social media account; will it be another wave of MMS figures? A new season of Rebirth? Perhaps... a movie?!

I doubt it. But let's hope this ages poorly.

Check out my previous MMS reviews:
Godzilla 2014

Godzilla 1994

Friday, March 14, 2025

Review - Godzilla 2014 (Movie Monster Series)

I've always had rather mixed feelings for America's second big swing at a Godzilla picture, Godzilla 2014; the grand reintroduction of the iconic monster after a ten year absence following the epic failure of Godzilla: Final Wars. On one hand, it's a huge, conceptually impressive, and visually engaging blockbuster... on the other, it's boring, underachieving, and not especially satisfying or even memorable outside of one or two notable elements. Not unlike today's figure!

While I'll always love the movie for being the first Godzilla flick I had ever seen in a genuine theater - a week or two before release, no less, which was an incredible experience - it's also hard to willingly watch a Kaiju movie that... isn't much of a Kaiju movie. While they make pretty excellent use of the titular monster, when they use him, it's also obnoxiously sparing, as they repeatedly tease the audience with his grand, horrific appearance, only to instantly cut away to some random somebody babbling their heads off. If you've seen the movie, you know exactly what I'm on about. It's almost infuriating - show me the boy!

The Movie Monster Series had slowed to a halt by the 2010s, with the Godzilla film series itself going through an aforementioned period of hibernation. After years of absence following a handful of limited releases in 2008, MMS returned in 2014 with a two brand new figures; Godzilla himself, and his latest threat, the MUTO. These figures are very nostalgic to me, and loads of fans, being some of the nicest G'14 - and cheapest - merchandise available at the time. Cool memories.

In many ways G'14 is a very accurate, and nicely detailed sculpt; but, at the same time, it's a bit plain, and stilted. I've always found his rather stock pose awkward - while there's some nice sculpt work going on that's true to the onscreen design, it's also vaguely smooth and and undefined. For one reason or another, he's noticeably on the smaller end of MMS figures - not by much, but he's definitely a little atypically scrawny; reminds me of Bandai's 5 inch Ultra 500 series. Something about the way his legs and thighs are cut and sculpted really doesn't lend itself to poseability, making him overall very stiff and lifeless paired with that rigor mortis sculpt. I do think it vaguely captures his puffed-up, intimidating bear chest, and I suppose it is the more or less standard MMS "look", but overall the figure's pretty blasé.

Really, the sculpt is fine, if uninteresting, but the paint is where things really get shaky. Cast in a sort of shiny dark brown that well matches the film's gritty, dirt red color scheme, light tan sprays detail his big ol' belly, inner thighs, and claws, with a blood red mouth, shiny orange eyes - with pupils! - and... a solid, eye-meltingly white chunk of teeth. Yikes. Maybe those horse-like veneers were aiming to capture G'14's memorable slasher smile, but as far as execution goes... Yikes. Kind of throws the whole likeness, if you ask me. The odd tan highlights are also a little uncharacteristic, barely, if at all present on the actual design, and not very natural or necessary; though, I guess it's a nice touch of contrast. Probably would've looked better with dark greenish-blue sprays. In a moment of diabolical foreshadowing to the future of the MMS line, Godzilla's belly spray only reaches to the tail's midpoint, leaving the rest of the very long tail unpainted. Overall, the paint's... odd, but generally sharp, and I appreciate the touches of extra effort such as the sprays, or pupils, unnecessary as it may be.

Much like the film itself, in the ten plus years since release, G'14 has become very sought after; never seeing any sort of re-release, re-deco or otherwise - essentially being outmoded by the MMS Godzilla 2019. While I wouldn't say he's a great figure, or a must-have, it does capture the increasingly beloved design; and, being fair, there's aspects of it that do feel slightly higher quality than the average MMS nowadays. I think if you're a fan of G'14, you'll be... almost satisfied; I imagine most who are after this guy are moreso completionists than die-hard GarethGoji fanboys - and, for them, I say go for the truly wicked Bandai Creations Godzilla 2014; an American MMS equivalent with so much more to it's sculpt, genuinely bringing G'14 to life. While it's also growingly rare, I'd say it's absolutely the version worth hunting for.

Check out my previous MMS reviews: