The members of the G8 summit have assembled in Japan for their annual meeting to discuss global issues.  The representatives present are Chancellor Angelica Lowenbrau (Inge Murata) from Germany, President Beef Stroganoff Puttin (Anatoli Krasnow) from Russia, Prime Minister Meatpie Brightman (Wayne Doster) from Great Britain, President Earth Burger (Jon Heese) from the United States, President Escargot Sorkozy (Ingo) from France, Prime Minister Maplesyrup Harris (Pietro Cristo) from Canada, Prime Minister Pizzano Pietro (Roberto Corassanti) from Italy and Prime Minister Sanzo Ibe (Hide Fukumoto) from Japan.

During the summit, a meteorite crashes into the city of Sapporo releasing a monster called Guilala (“Hurricane” Ryu Hariken).  The monster begins to destroy the city.  It then changes into a fireball and flies toward where the summit is being held.  Experts determine that Guilala was created by a cosmic spore that attached itself to a Chinese probe in Earth’s orbit.  Once exposed to the Earth’s atmosphere, the spore grew.  The world leaders decide to stay and fight the creature.  Each head of state decides to offer a solution to killing Guilala.  Each and every attempt fails.

In the Meantime, reporter Sumire Sumidagawa (Natsuki Kato) and her photographer, Sanpei Toyama (Kazuki Kato) stumble upon a village that’s God, Take-Majin (Takeshi Kitano), is foretold to be able to stop Guilala from destroying the Earth.  Sumire and Sanpei decide to join the villagers in calling on Take-Majin to help defeat Guilala.  At the summit, the North Korean dictator (Ziko Uchiyama) infiltrates the summit and has a plan on how to use Guilala to destroy the world. 

“The Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit” AKA “Girara no gyakushû: Tôya-ko Samitto kikiippatsu” was released in 2008 and was directed by Minoru Kawasaki.  It is a Japanese science fiction Kaiju comedy parody.  The movie is a quasi-sequel to “The X from Outer Space” 1967.

One of the problems with comedies is that they are often not funny, just stupid.  This movie may qualify for that category.  To be fair, as a campy comedy is the only way the movie could work.  Guilala is already one of the silliest monsters in Kaiju so trying to make the film a standard science fiction monster movie would be basically lame.  Making it a parody helps endear the monster to fans. 

Surprisingly, there are a couple spots that are actually dramatic and add, even if slightly, an additional dimension to the movie.  These moments are few and far between.  Most of the film is dumb but in an amusing way.  It is entertaining and interesting enough to hold one’s attention.  It’s not Oscar material, but then it isn’t supposed to be.

Much of the rampaging done by Guilala was stock footage from the first Monster X film.

Kaiju means strange beast in English.

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