Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit (2008)

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Monster X Strikes Back:
Attack the G8 Summit
The Japanese poster for Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit
Alternate titles
Flagicon Japan.png Guilala's Counterattack: The Toyako Summit Attack Crisis (2008)
See alternate titles
Directed by Minoru Kawasaki
Producer Takeo Hisamatsu, Kazutaka Akimoto, Masafumi Fukui, Shunsuke Fujiwara, Yasuhiko Uramoto, et al.
Written by Masakazu Migita, Minoru Kawasaki
Music by Yasuhiko Fukuda
Funded by Guilala 2008 Production Committee
Production company Rivertop, Tokusatsu Lab
Distributor Tornado Film
Rating Not Rated
Running time 98 minutes
(1 hour, 38 minutes)
Aspect ratio 1.85:1
Rate this film!
4.08
(12 votes)

This summer, comes the crisis of humanity's downfall (この夏、人類滅亡の危機)
The fate of our world is entrusted in "Take-Majin." (世界の命運は”タケ魔神”に託された。)
„ 

— Tagline

Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit (ギララの逆襲 洞爺湖サミット危機一発,   Girara no Gyakushū: Tōyako Samitto Kiki Ippatsu, lit. "Guilala's Counterattack: The Toyako Summit Attack Crisis") is a 2008 tokusatsu kaiju comedy film directed and co-written (with Masakazu Migita) by Minoru Kawasaki. Funded by the Guilala 2008 Production Committee (consisting of Shochiku, Eisei Gekijo, Wedge Holdings, Rivertop, Tornado Film, DefSTAR Records, and famima.com), it was produced by Rivertop with special effects by the Tokusatsu Lab. The film stars Natsuki Kato, Kazuki Kato, comedy troupe The Newspaper, and Beat Takeshi. Tornado Film released it to Japanese theaters on July 5, 2008, the first major appearance of Guilala since 1967's The X from Outer Space.

Plot

In the year 2008, the leaders of the G8 nations - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Great Britain, and the United States - have gathered for a summit in Japan. Meanwhile, two Japanese journalists named Sumire Sumidagawa and Sanpei Toyama discover a hidden village full of worshipers. They are driven out as outsiders intruding on a sacred ceremony. Shortly after, a meteorite crashes into the heart of Sapporo and releases the space monster Guilala. The monster rampages through Sapporo, leaving death and destruction in his wake. After leveling the city, Guilala transforms into a giant ball of fire and flies to Hokkaido, making its way to the G8 Summit. The Prime Minister of Japan proposes cancelling the summit for the safety of all involved, but the President of the United States convinces the other world leaders to personally stay and fight. Shortly after forming a world alliance, each leader stays to fight for their own reasons.

Sumire and Sanpei are sent to get news on Guilala's rampage. However, their efforts are unsuccessful as other news groups are also looking for big news on the monster. During the G8 Summit's efforts to stop Guilala, Sumire encounters a boy she saw at the village's ceremony. Believing that the village might know how to stop Guilala, Sumire and Sanpei return for answers. They find a carving of Guilala, which they also notice is battling another monster. That figure is known as "Take-Majin," a deity the villagers worship. An ancient prophesy predicted that Guilala was going to destroy the world, but he would be stopped by Take-Majin, who would awaken to save mankind from Guilala. The little boy Sumire met earlier worshipped Take-Majin after his father was killed in a landslide.

At the same time, the leaders soon discover the reason for Guilala's appearance on Earth was due to a Chinese satellite that fell out of orbit and was the crashed "meteorite" in Sapporo. Assisting the leaders is Dr. Sano, a Japanese scientist who discovers that Guilala is actually a cosmic spore attached to the probe that was exposed to Earth's atmosphere, causing it to grow into the monster. He also figures out that the crash caused Guilala to lose a lot of energy and it's searching for "high temperature" energy to recharge. The doctor doesn't think the monster will leave Japan until it finds the energy it needs. Meanwhile, Guilala arrives at the Noboribetsu Power Planet and sucks all of the energy out of the plant.

Hoping to trap Guilala, the Japanese set up an earthquake generator near the fictional "Mt. Showa" to draw Guilala to a magma flow and destroy him with a super missile known as "the Vulture". Guilala arrives to feed, but he swallows the missile whole when it's fired at him with no ill effects. Soon, other countries are scrambling with their own "super" weapons, but each one fails in comedic fashion. In the middle of all this, the Japanese Prime Minister is waylaid by diarrhea and is replaced by Junzaburo Ohizumi, a former Prime Minister and a friend of the U.S. President. He arrives to help in the battle, but seems shifty. Ohizumi even suggests using nuclear weapons, but is stared down by the other leaders. After the Germans' poisonous gas fails to kill Guilala, and instead only functions as laughing gas to him, he dances with the setting sun.

When Guilala's mind is damaged by a British brainwashing weapon, the monster begins a wild rampage. Ohizumi suddenly reveals that he is, in fact, the leader of North Korea. He stole Ohizumi's identity during a state visit. He reveals that the Japanese interpreters attending the G8 Summit are all his spies and they all draw weapons, taking the world leaders hostage. He also announces that he plans on using a "limited" nuclear warhead to destroy Guilala. Meanwhile, President Sorkozy of France has finally bedded the translator, who confesses her true identity. Clad only in a towel, Sorkozy creates a distraction, which allows Japanese soldiers to rush the spies. The leader of North Korea is captured, but not before managing to launch the nuclear missile at Guilala. Dr. Sano announces that Guilala's spores are re-energized and that if the missile strikes, it will spread the spores worldwide.

Concerned with the planet's safety over their own, Sumire and a reluctant Sanpei participate in Take-Majin's awakening ceremony. Just when Take-Majin is about to wake up, the entire village is evacuated by the Army when the nuclear missile is fired at Guilala. But Take-Majin suddenly awakens and stops the missile by catching it with his buttocks, allowing it to explode inside of him harmlessly. He then confronts Guilala, preparing for battle. After a long battle Take-Majin is victorious, decapitating Guilala, and saving mankind as prophesied. Take-Majin then disappears back into his shrine to sleep once again. The G8 Summit leaders celebrate their victory by taking a bath in a hot spring (despite the leader of North Korea escaping during the fight).

Staff

Main article: Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit/Credits.

Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.

  • Directed by   Minoru Kawasaki
  • Written by   Masakazu Migita, Minoru Kawasaki
  • Executive producers   Takeo Hisamatsu, Kazutaka Akimoto, Masafumi Fukui, Shunsuke Fujiwara, Yasuhiko Uramoto
  • Co-executive producers   Shinobu Suzuki, Shuntaro Kanai, Minoru Kawasaki
  • Produced by   Masanobu Suzuki, Koichi Shioda
  • Music by   Yasuhiko Fukuda
  • Theme song "cosmic mind"
    • Performed by   DEV PARADE
    • Written by   Daisuke Hanzi, COYASS
    • Composed by   ugagin
  • Cinematography by   Takashi Suga
  • Edited by   Yosuke Yafune
  • Production design by   Tetsuya Uchida
  • First assistant director   Takashi Ochiai
  • Special effects advisor   Hiroshi Butsuda
  • First assistant director of special effects   Ryotaro Kogushi

Cast

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

  • Natsuki Kato   as   Sumire Sumidagawa
  • Kazuki Kato   as   Sanpei Toyama
  • Hide Fukumoto   as   Sanzo Ibe
  • Akira Matsushita   as   Junzaburo Oizumi
  • Matabe Watabe   as   Old Man Wakiya
  • Jon Heese   as   Earth Burger
  • Anatoli Krasnov   as   Beefstroganoff Puttin
  • Inge Murata   as   Angelica Lowenbrau
  • Cristo Pietro   as   Maplesyrup Harris
  • Roberto Colasanti   as   Pizzano Pietro
  • Wayne Doster   as   Meatpie Brightman
  • Ingo   as   Escargot Sorkozy
  • Zico Uchiyama   as   Dictator of the North
  • Ricaya Spooner   as   KGB
  • Dupy Robin   as   Italian Military Pilot
  • Nicholas Eriksson   as   British Military Pilot
  • Koto Fujita   as   Shinichi
  • Kai Asano   as   Shinichi (Child)
  • Shutaro Yoshida   as   Boy
  • Setsu Ishiwa   as   Toshio
  • Ryumaru Abe   as   Villager
  • Kei Akazawa   as   Female Interpreter 1
  • Yuko Shoji   as   Female Interpreter 2
  • Hikari Nagase   as   Female Interpreter 3
  • Haruka Inoue   as   Female Interpreter 4
  • Maiko Kawamura   as   Female Interpreter 5
  • Rei Natsumi   as   Female Interpreter 6
  • Emi Ota   as   Female Interpreter 7
  • Yuri Morishita   as   Female Interpreter 8
  • Yuichi Nango   as   Tokyo Sports News Correspondent
  • Reijiro Kato   as   Noboribetsu Manju Shop Clerk 1
  • Seishi Kyo   as   Noboribetsu Manju Shop Clerk 2
  • Kon Arimura   as   TV Announcer
  • Reipar Sato   as   Reporter 1
  • Akiko Kobayashi   as   Reporter 2
  • Masahiko Aoki   as   Reporter 3
  • Yoichi Okamura   as   Reporter 4
  • DAIZO   as   Correspondent 1
  • Kazuki Kurosawa   as   Correspondent 2
  • Tomoki Matsubara   as   SP1
  • Naoya Oshima   as   SP2
  • Yasuhisa Konishi   as   Secretary Ueno
  • Shoken Kunimoto   as   Captain Soma
  • Akitoshi Otaki   as   Captain Miyake
  • Kazuki Matsuda   as   Self-Defense Force Member 1
  • Sho Sawakita   as   Self-Defense Force Member 2
  • Takeshi Ishizaka   as   Self-Defense Force Member 3
  • Naoki Nakamura   as   Self-Defense Force Member 4
  • Yakan Nabe   as   Self-Defense Force Member 5
  • Aja Matsuda   as   Sugishita
  • Kazuyoshi Sakai   as   Komatsu
  • Junichi Inoue   as   Tokyo Sports Chief Editor Kasai
  • Jun Miura   as   Himself
  • Lily Franky   as   Himself
  • Haruo Mizuno   as   Himself
  • Shunya Wazaki   as   Doctor Sano
  • Masami Horiuchi   as   Doctor Fukami
  • Eiichi Kikuchi   as   Village Mayor Makibashiri
  • Hirohisa Nakata   as   Priest Morikawa
  • Bin Furuya   as   Officer Takamine
  • Susumu Kurobe   as   Officer Kimura
  • Yosuke Natsuki   as   Chief Narumi
  • Ryu Hariken, Yuichi Okada   as   Guilala
  • Beat Takeshi   as   Take-Majin (voice)

Appearances

Monsters

Weapons, vehicles, and races

Gallery

Main article: Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit/Gallery.

Soundtrack

Main article: Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit/Soundtrack.

Alternate titles

  • Monster X Strikes Back/Attack the G8 Summit
  • Guilala's Counterattack: Lake Toya Summit Crisis

Theatrical releases

  • Japan - July 5, 2008; July 26, 2008 (re-release)

Video releases

Tokyo Shock DVD (2009)

  • Region: 1
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese (2.0 Mono)
  • Subtitles: English
  • Special features: Publicity photo slideshow (4 minutes), trailers for other Tokyo Shock DVD releases

Though Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit is not available on Blu-ray, an HD version can be rented or purchased on the Japanese versions of Amazon Video and iTunes.

Videos

Trailers

Japanese trailer

Trivia

  • During an interview in the movie, a local man says that he would have preferred to have had Varan or Baragon attack Hokkaido over Guilala.

External links

Comments

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