The X From Outer Space (1967)

The X From Outer Space (1967)

With the previous four Japanese Mars missions destroyed (maybe by a UFO, maybe not, but let’s not get too worried about little details like that), a new mission is set to go, with a manly-man captain, a goofy sidekick, a hot American Blonde, and a doctor who will soon be replaced by a grumpy American,

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)

Lieutenant Yoshinari Yonemori is part of a plutonium transport sea convoy that runs into an atoll. Overwhelmed by the near disaster, he pushes his way onto the insurance investigator’s team that’s trying to determine what happened. Meanwhile, zoologist and all-around science expert Dr. Mayumi Nagamine is pulled in by Police Inspector Osako to investigate deaths

The Trollenberg Terror / The Crawling Eye (1958)

The Trollenberg Terror / The Crawling Eye (1958)

Alan Brooks (Forrest Tucker) is summoned by his friend, Professor Crevett (Warren Mitchell), to a small village at the base of the Trollenberg mountain. He arrives in town at the same time is psychic Anne Pilgrim (Janet Munro—a year before Disney put her into Darby O’Gill and the Little People), who felt compelled to stop

Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966)

Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966)

A sailor steals a yacht, and with his hesitant companions, goes in search of his lost brother. A storm maroons them on an island where terrorists are making ingredients for nuclear bombs and a giant shrimp patrols the sea. Luckily, King Kong… I Mean Godzilla is napping on the island. QUICK REVIEW: New franchise director

Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit (2008)

Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit (2008)

As world leaders meet to discuss—and fail to do anything about—environmental destruction, a spaceship crashes, releasing the giant Guilala on the people of Japan. Realizing this will be great PR, the leaders stick around and come up with one ridiculous (and culturally revealing) scheme after another to defeat the monster. Meanwhile, a cute tabloid reporter

Gamera 2: Attack of the Legion (1996)

Gamera 2: Attack of the Legion (1996)

A meteor shower brings the Legion to Earth: large insects along with a single true giant. They build nests, that when complete, launch a pod into space to further spread the species—the launch destroying everything in a six kilometer area. Colonel Watarase is on the case, leading soldiers against the bugs. He’s aided by Midori

Atragon (1963)

Atragon (1963)

After several strange kidnappings and attacks, the undersea empire of Mu makes its demands known: Destroy the super-sub Atragon, and then become colonies of Mu. The first of these is tricky as Japan doesn’t know anything about the Atragon. It was a project under the command of Captain Jinguji who supposedly died at the end

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)

Since the 1954 destruction of Godzilla, Japan has been attacked multiple times by giant Monsters. A military force created to battle these threats has kept the country more or less safe (OK, Tokyo has been stomped a few times, but can’t make an omelet…) but cannot deal with a new Godzilla that appears out of

Reptilicus (1961)

Reptilicus (1961)

Miners discover a giant frozen reptilian tail and hunkiest miner sends it to Professor Marteen of the Copenhagen aquarium. Professor Marteen has two, hot, man-hungry daughters. It doesn’t matter for the story, but the film wants you to know just how male-crazed these two chicks are and how lucky any man is who they get

Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999)

Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999)

Four years earlier, Ayana Hirasaka’s parents were crushed by Gamera in his fight against the gyoas. Now she lives with her uncaring aunt and uncle in a miserable little town filled with terrible teens. Within a temple, she finds, and binds with, a strange creature that is related to Gamera and the gyoas. It grows,

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)

A direct sequel to Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (and the only film in the “millennium series” to carry any continuity) Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (also known as Godzilla vs. Mothra vs. Mechagodzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.) starts with an injured Godzilla somewhere in the ocean and a damaged Mechagodzilla in the shop. As politicians fret, the twin fairies from