Attack of the Super Monsters isn’t a Godzilla movie. It isn’t a Gamera movie. Hell, it isn’t even an Ultraman movie. So what in the hell is it?
Attack of the Super Monsters is hands down one of the most bizarre kaiju films ever released upon an unsuspecting public. So unsuspecting that it seems the public just kind of never noticed it. It’s a shame that Attack of….is rarely brought up among even the most devoted kaiju fans, because it is a sight to be seen.
Attack of the Super Monsters is a 1982 American edit and VHS release of the first four episodes of Dinosaur War Izenborg, a 1977 Tokusatsu series created by Tsuburaya Productions. Tsuburaya Productions was the company behind Ultraman and credited with kick starting the television Tokusatsu craze. Dinosaur War Izenborg is remembered (barely) for it’s use of live action monster footage blended seamlessly with animation produced by Studio Deen.
Dinosaur War Izenborg ran from 1977 to 1978 for a total of 39 episodes….so what happens when you combine these first four episodes into a movie?
Attack of the Super Monsters follows the adventures of The Gemini Force led by the android brother and sister duo of Jim and Gem Starbuck. The Gemini Force must use their flying tank/train (trank?) against the hordes of attacking Super Monsters; a group of intelligent dinosaurs living underground. Jim and Gem have the unique ability to merge together into one being, referred to as the Gemini transfer, to battle the beasts at hand. Somehow this transforms the “trank” into a flying jet with a drill on the front.
The Super Monsters embark on a series of attacks led by their leader, Lord Tyrannus, against humanity that leave the audience in awe. The movie is essentially four isolated incidents between The Gemini Force and Super Monsters. The Super Monsters are able to control different creatures such as dogs, bats, and rats. This is just as silly as it sounds. Controlling these animals usually leads to dire circumstances for humanity.
The source’s format becomes pretty obvious from the start. It follows the standard action formula. A monster gets sent, the monster’s actions interrupt the human’s stories, they fight, Jim and Gem merge, and then Rita Repul…..Lord Tyrannus and Co. get their collective asses kicked. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Like many Japanese movies and shows, Super Monsters’ true flaws aren’t in the material itself but in it’s localization. The practice of using just the first four episodes to make a full length movie is just bizarre. Other Tsuburaya series got similar treatments. Though they aren’t much better, the story goes somewhere at least. Super Monsters kind of ends with no real resolution in sight. I guess until some company actually puts out an official American release of Dinosaur War Izenborg we will all just have to wonder if Tyrannus was ever defeated.
So is Attack of the Super Monsters worth watching? Sure. If you enjoy men in rubber suits or have an affinity for late 70’s Starblazers era animation then check it out. It leaves a lot to be desired even for fans of so-bad-it’s-good movies. But at the same time though….how can you go wrong with a movie that shows you this?
When I was a kid, I thought Emporer Tyrannus sent himself to fight the Gemini Force. Flash to ten years later, I watch Izenborg and see how he actually gets defeated… and I watched him dancing, too! It was great!