Destroy All Monsters (1968) Review | Godzilla Island Archive

Plot

All of Earth’s Kaiju have been collected and brought to an island in the Pacific referred to as Monsterland. Under the island is a special control center where scientists monitor and control various functions of the island, ensuring that the Kaiju never escape and attack humanity. Monsterland features all sorts of containment systems, such as gases that force the monsters to retreat back to the island and invisible barriers that even Rodan cannot fly through.

In the opening of the movie, we see all the monsters that inhabit Monsterland — Mothra, Godzilla, Minilla, Manda, Rodan, Anguirus, Gorosaurus, Kumonga, Baragon, and Varan. The scientists study the Kaiju in their natural habitat to learn more about them and their behavior. One day, Monsterland is suddenly attacked. The underground control center fills with yellow gas as the scientists panic, with no way to escape.

We then cut to the spaceship Moonlight SY-3, whose crew is on a mission in space. The United Nations Science Committee informs the crew that contact with Monsterland has been lost, and they have no idea what’s happening on the island. The SY-3 crew decides to return to Earth to investigate, but by then, all the monsters from the island have escaped and are now attacking major cities around the world.

The SY-3 crew arrives on Monsterland and enters the underground control center. They soon discover that the scientists have fallen under the mind control of an alien race known as the Kilaaks. The Kilaaks reveal to the SY-3 crew that they are controlling all the monsters and have been ordering them to attack cities across the globe. The aliens demand that humanity surrender or face total annihilation. The SY-3 crew attempts to fight back, killing a few of the mind-controlled scientists, but they are outnumbered and forced to retreat back to their ship. On their way out, they capture one of the controlled scientists to bring back with them.

Back in Tokyo, the crew reveals the Kilaaks’ plan to the United Nations Science Committee and attempts to interrogate the captured scientist. Unfortunately, the mind control is too strong — the scientist remains unresponsive and unaware of his identity. When no one is watching, he suddenly gets up, opens a window, and jumps to his death. The team rushes outside only to be confronted by more mind-controlled scientists, leading to another shootout before the enemies retreat.

Soon after, monsters begin attacking Japan — Godzilla first, followed by Rodan, Mothra, and Manda. During the chaos, the SY-3 crew captures another scientist and brings her back to the UNSC. When questioned, she repeatedly says that the Kilaaks will win and that Earth is doomed. One of the crew members notices she’s wearing strange earrings, rips them off, and immediately she snaps out of her trance. Scientists studying the earrings discover that they are small transmitters — and that the same frequency controlling the humans must also be controlling the monsters.

The SY-3 begins tracking the signal and finds it hidden in strange objects — even rocks, trees, and coconuts. Once all the transmitters on Earth are destroyed, the monsters remain under alien control, leading the team to realize that the main signal must be coming from elsewhere. The UNSC pinpoints the true source: an underground Kilaak base on the Moon.

The SY-3 launches to the Moon to destroy the final transmitter while Earth’s forces prepare to attack the Kilaak base near Mount Fuji. Upon landing, the crew is met with heavy resistance as the Kilaaks unleash flamethrowers across the lunar surface. Using a moon rover, the SY-3 team locates the base and destroys it with lasers, learning that the Kilaaks can only survive in extreme heat and turn to rock when exposed to cold temperatures. The destruction of the lunar transmitter frees the monsters from alien control.

The UNSC then directs all monsters to Mount Fuji for the final showdown with the Kilaaks. The aliens unleash their secret weapon — King Ghidorah — leading to one of the most legendary kaiju battles of all time. Mothra, Godzilla, Minilla, Manda, Rodan, Anguirus, Gorosaurus, Kumonga, Baragon, and Varan unite against Ghidorah in an epic fight. Though Ghidorah’s beams initially overwhelm the group, once he lands, the monsters gang up on him. Anguirus bites one of Ghidorah’s necks before falling from the sky, and Gorosaurus delivers a powerful kick that knocks Ghidorah down. Mothra and Kumonga cover him in webbing, and Minilla delivers the final blow with his atomic smoke rings. Ghidorah’s necks are crushed, and Godzilla finishes by destroying the Kilaak base.

As a final desperate act, the Kilaaks unleash their last weapon — the “Fire Dragon,” which turns out to be their remaining spaceship engulfed in flames. The SY-3 pursues and shoots it down, ending the invasion once and for all. Earth is saved, and the monsters are peacefully returned to Monsterland.

My Thoughts

This has always been my favorite of all Kaiju movies. I love seeing so many monsters together at once — Mothra, Godzilla, Minilla, Manda, Rodan, Anguirus, Gorosaurus, Kumonga, Baragon, Varan, and Ghidorah. No other film has featured this many kaiju in one movie. The final battle could have been a little longer or featured another villain monster to even the odds, but considering the era, Ghidorah was the only “evil from space” known at the time. If Gigan or Megalon had existed then, they would’ve made perfect additions.

I also loved that Manda finally got some great screen time — not only attacking London but also joining the assault on Japan with Godzilla, Mothra, and Rodan. Gorosaurus also played a surprisingly large role in the final battle, which made me happy since he’s another underappreciated monster. However, I was disappointed by the minimal use of Baragon and Varan. Their screen time combined is less than 15 seconds! It almost feels like they were just there for name recognition.

Interestingly, the original script included Ebirah and Maguma, but they were replaced by Anguirus, Gorosaurus, and Minilla. I’m glad that change happened — Anguirus and Gorosaurus added great energy to the movie. Still, I think it would’ve been fascinating to see Maguma interact with the other Monsterland Kaiju. I’ve never seen Gorath, where Maguma appears, but I know he’s a giant walrus Kaiju, and I plan to watch that film soon.

Ebirah’s role in the original draft remains unclear, since most of Destroy All Monsters takes place on land or in space. Perhaps there was once an underwater battle sequence planned that was later cut.

What excites me most is the potential for a modern remake. Director Gareth Edwards once said that if his Godzilla (2014) was successful, he’d love to make a Destroy All Monsters-style film. I completely agree with him — more monsters equal more fun!

Destroy All Monsters is one of the greatest Godzilla movies ever made. If you haven’t seen it, find a way to watch it. It’s essential viewing for any Kaiju fan and a must-have for your collection.