GODZILLA VS DESTOROYAH

Godzilla vs Destoroyah Movie Review

Godzilla, on the verge of a nuclear meltdown, destroys Hong Kong and battles Destoroyah (pronounced "Destroyer", but spelled in this unusual way due to copyright deals), a menacing foe that can take the shape of several smaller creatures. Largely considered one of the best movies of the franchise, this 1996 outing pays tribute to the original film, while also bringing new elements to the table. As a result of his condition, Godzilla himself looks very different in this movie.

He looks pretty hot

Godzilla is also joined by his son here, but mercifully, it's not the one from Godzilla's Revenge, a film we'd all like to forget. The events that unfold near the end of the movie provide us a look at Godzilla's emotional side we had not seen before, which is...interesting. The acting and story are actually pretty good in the movie--we don't watch Godzilla movies for these reasons, but having them as an added bonus is nice. This brings us to why we do watch Godzilla films--the battles--and you will not be disappointed by that here. 

Did I mention Godzilla is outsized?

Tons of action leads us to an ending that is a bit underwhelming, but considering that at the time this film came out, the future of Godzilla appeared to be in Hollywood's hands, it kind of makes sense. If you are a fan of the classic Godzilla films but hate the "newer" movies, give this one a shot; it very much has the feel of the ones we all love.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 7

Godzilla vs Destoroyah Japanese Teaser Trailer

MR. SARDONICUS

Mr. Sardonicus Movie Review

After attempting to rob the grave of his father, Baron Sardonicus (Guy Rolfe, who you will know as Toulon from the Puppet Master films) is cursed with a hideous, permanent smile on his face. This 1961 horror flick comes to us from legendary gimmick master William Castle (House on Haunted Hill, The Night Walker), so we know we're in store for something...different, and this film doesn't disappoint. We get a bit of an introduction from Castle in the beginning, and the real gimmicky stuff comes in at the end...but more on that in a moment. Back to the story--Sardonicus, who wears a mask to hide his condition, seeks out the assistance of physician Robert Cargrave (Ronald Lewis) to cure him.

Can his face really look worse than this mask?

This films moves at a surprisingly quick pace, and includes some rather intense scenes--if you're scared of leeches, and lets face it, who isn't, you may want to fast forward through some parts. A fair bit of tension leads us to the inevitable reveal, and it doesn't disappoint!

Let's take a smile off that face!

...

The movie has a decent little twist after the encounter between Sardonicus and Cargrave, and an even better one in the final scene. So remember when I said Castle was the master of gimmicks? After the reveal and fallout of it, Castle joins us once more and asks the audience, via a thumbs up or thumbs down card, if they want to see Sardonicus punished, or if they want to have mercy on him. After pausing for the vote, Castle declares the audience has voted to punish the villain, and we see the result of that...while it doesn't hold up on home video for obvious reasons, this gimmick must have been a really cool experience for people actually in the theater when this came out. Mr. Sardonicus is a fun movie with a few thrills, and was much better than I expected it to be.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 7

Mr. Sardonicus Movie Trailer (With a special introduction from William Castle)