Bo Hakala

It was obviously low budget. And it confines the monsters to dream sequences, so i can see how people would be let down. But I love seeing 1969 Japan at the height of an industrial era. We see the beginnings of an awareness here that this level of rampant industrial expansion is not sustainable, both environmentally and socially. It’s got some funny home alone moments with the bumbling crooks and a John Lennon-esque toy maker/guardian. This movie is corny as hell for adults but as a kids movie it excels! The images of colorfully dressed kids running through an industrial wasteland to get to school is an image that sticks with me. As the second to last Godzilla film that Ishiro Honda directed, I love this kind hearted story about how Japan needs to look toward its future. Standing on its own two feet, not being greedy and self serving, with optimism and imagination. I love this film.