Sure, this is one of those Godzilla movies that your average G Fan will call either terrible or too mediocre to bother with. Well, never let it be said I was average. I liked this movie! Possibly because it was one of my first Godzilla flicks and has sentimental value, but it's probably more because this one features what I think is the best of the "human supporting characters" storylines. Where as most G stories focus on some scientists or reporters, and have something to do based upon Godzilla, this one instead focuses on a group of people stranded on an island as well as a group of militants and their slave laborers! Also, instead of the usual urban setting, this one is based almost entirely on a tropical island! Anyway, it all starts with a tropical storm, in which a boat is smashed by a giant lobster claw. FF>> to "2 Months Later", where a woman tells another woman that her son (who was in the aforementioned lobster attack) is still alive! Elsewhere, a Go-Go Dancing Marathon rages into it's 3rd wild and woolly night with no signs of stopping!... actually, it does come to an end for 2 guys, who then pick up a new friend as they recover from their Go-Go inflicted battle scars. Turns out their new amigo is the brother of that shipwrecked guy, and he needs a boat REAL bad so he can go look for him. So, the 3 find a yacht, where they get mixed up with a suspected bank robber, and wind up sailing away into the salty blue! The breakfast scene here is real funny, because since this is dubbed, the characters can speak perfectly clear, even with a mouthful of pancakes! Soon enough, the guys get trapped in a storm themselves, and the last thing they all see is a giant lobster claw... well, before waking the next morning, washed up on a beach. But, they're not the only ones there, as they discover a military complex and the islander slaves being brought there! They also see that escape from the island is impossible, when they witness some run away (or should I say, "row away") slaves attacked by Ebirah: the giant lobster creature! One native girl does escape the guards though, seeking sanctuary amongst the jungle. Her and the guys soon meet up and escape the pursuing men in uniforms. They find a cave together, where the girl informs us that she comes from Infant Island, the home of Mothra (formerly called "Mothra Island" in GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA) as well as the shipwrecked brother! Damn coincidences... They also find that their cave has another tenant: a sleeping Godzilla! Well, using the old Looney Tunes, "moving bush disguise" trick, our heroes break into the complex in an attempt to save the other Islanders. They discover that the place is actually a Heavy Water Plant, as in, the shit used to make nukes! Their new golden dragon eye-patched enemy and his troops discovers our heroic quintet, with only 4 of the group escaping (one via weather balloon) and the other being captured for slave labor! As he mingles with his fellow slaves, we learn that the military guys use a special fruit juice to keep Ebirah away from them during ocean travel. Meanwhile, the guy with the balloon manages to float all the way to Infant Island (yeah, I believe that... when winged Godzillas fly out my ass!), where he is finally reunited with his stranded brother! Back at the island, our captured hero persuades the other slaves to fuck up the recipe for the mighty anti-lobster O.J., screwing the soldiers over when they next try to leave the island! Also, our other 3 heroes use a sword, some wire, and a whole lot of lightning to awaken the sleeping giant (no, not the US), Godzilla! Why do such a thing? Well, they figure that the soldiers will be so busy worrying about the G Man that they won't give two shits about them! Upon awakening, G and Ebirah play some boulder volleyball before having a little aquatic struggle. G proves superior and sends the crustacean scuttling away. Our 3 Godzilla ressurectors then meet back up with the two brothers (who boated back to save the others, and managed to survive ANOTHER Ebirah encounter) before running away from soldiers once more. This is where Godzilla shows his first ever act of actual heroism, when he saves the lagging Islander girl from the soldiers. He then saves her from a giant buzzard and some jet fighters before strolling off to wreck the Hard Water Factory (that'll teach ya to interrupt Godzilla's nap time)! As G lays siege to the complex (which one scientist has now set to self-destruct) our heroes save the slaves while the soldiers just run around wetting themselves during their escape attempt. Sure enough, their anti-crustacean O.J. doesn't work, and the bad guys are all killed in one swing of Ebirah's claw! Meanwhile, the heroes only have 2 hours to escape before the whole island goes up in a mushroom cloud! Having soundly trounced the place, Godzilla makes his way back to the Ocean to beat on Ebirah some more, ripping off one of his claws and taunting him as the big lobster swims away again! Mothra then appears on the island, smacks Godzilla around a little, then carries off all the good guys in their big, homemade net. G then takes his cue, escaping the island just before it's turned to flaming waste. Sure, the fight scenes weren't too great, Godzilla looked pretty bad, and the little human figurines were VERY cheap and doll-like, but as you may have noticed by the focus of this review, I liked this movie for the story! Though I think "Godzilla vs. Gilligan", or "Godzilla's Island" would've been a better title, heh heh.

Also Known As: EBIRAH - TERROR OF THE DEEP; BIG DUEL IN THE NORTH SEA

Sequels: Actually, the older series of Godzilla flicks never really connected with each other, so I guess they're technically not sequels...

If You Liked This Flick, Check Out: SON OF GODZILLA or GAMERA VS. GYAOS