Summary
- Destroy All Monsters is a beloved Godzilla film known for its simple yet daring storyline, inventive action sequences, and the iconic score by Akira Ifukube.
- A scene of Godzilla fighting Manda was cut from the film due to story inconsistencies, but it remains a cool part of Godzilla history.
- The MonsterVerse has the potential to bring the Godzilla vs. Manda fight to life, as the franchise explores new monsters and director Gareth Edwards expressed interest in a Destroy All Monsters-inspired sequel.
A scene was cut from Destroy All Monsters that robbed Godzilla fans of a massive monster showdown. Destroy All Monsters takes place in the year 1999 (which, at the time, was in the distant future). Humans have reached world peace and the giant monsters that terrorize the Toho universe are in captivity in a zone called “Monsterland.” When an alien race called the Kilaaks arrive, they liberate the monsters from Monsterland and use mind control to send them to destroy various major cities. When the monsters are freed from the Kilaaks’ mind control, the aliens send King Ghidorah to battle the monsters.
Culminating in a mega-scale final battle, Destroy All Monsters is one of the most memorable entries in the Toho-verse. Its simple yet daring storyline, inventive action set-pieces, and rollicking score by Akira Ifukube have made it a favorite among the Godzilla fan base. Destroy All Monsters is full of monster-infested action sequences that are a delight for everyone’s inner child. But if a certain monster-on-monster skirmish hadn’t been cut during post-production, it would’ve been even more action-packed.
Destroy All Monsters Cut A Godzilla vs. Manda Fight
There was a scene filmed for Destroy All Monsters (available to view on YouTube) in which Godzilla fought Manda in hand-to-hand combat, but it ended up being cut from the finished film. The scene was included in the bonus features of the film’s Japanese LaserDisc release in the 1990s. Rumor has it that the stunt performers in the Godzilla and Manda costumes were just fighting for fun as a way of goofing off between takes, and the camera crew just kept rolling to capture it.
It’s understandable why the scene was cut, because it doesn’t make sense story-wise. Both Godzilla and Manda were being mind-controlled by the same villains, so they wouldn’t just start fighting each other. It wasn’t a great fight by any means, but it’s still a cool part of Godzilla history since Manda is one of the few monsters in the franchise that Godzilla never fought. Manda has appeared in three movies (two of which being Godzilla films), yet they didn’t battle in any of them.
The MonsterVerse Gives Godzilla vs. Manda Its Best Chance Of Ever Happening
If Godzilla’s fight with Manda is ever going to see the light of day, it’ll probably be in a MonsterVerse movie. Hollywood’s new version of the monster movie universe is more interested in realism than the Toho originals, but there’s a chance that Manda could appear in the franchise. As the guardian of an underwater civilization, it would make sense for Manda to fit into the MonsterVerse. The MonsterVerse has barely scratched the surface of the monster-infested oceans and Gareth Edwards, director of the 2014 Godzilla reboot that kicked off the MonsterVerse, has expressed interest in helming a Destroy All Monsters-inspired sequel.