Press room

Sat 20 Sep – Wed 10 Dec 2025

Barbican Cinema is pleased to present All Kaiju Attack: Earth SOS, a season of Japanese monster movies which explores how kaiju carnage connects to humanity’s relationship with the natural world.  
 
Screening from September to December, through a selection of films across four decades, the season delves into the environmental themes of this underappreciated genre, which pays tribute to nature’s power and considers the balance needed between human progress and environmental preservation. The films will all be introduced by kaiju film historians and Japanese art experts, including Yuriko Hamaguchi, Toshiko Kurata and Steven Sloss. 

From the very first Godzilla film in 1954, Japanese monster movies have engaged with environmental themes in different and complex ways. Behind the thrilling, fantastic scenes of monster battles lies an intelligent critique of humanity’s meddling with nature and the terrifying consequences that can result.  
 
The season kicks off in September with Godzilla vs Biollante (Japan 1989), in which a genetic experiment spirals out of control as a mutant plant threatens mankind and emerges as a mighty foe for Godzilla. This follows with the cult favourite Godzilla vs Megalon (Japan 1973), in which nuclear testing unleashes mayhem on the undersea kingdom of Seatopia, with Godzilla once again flexing his eco-saviour muscles. 
 
October includes two screenings – one as part of  Family Film Week – of Son of Godzilla (Japan 1967), where man’s interference with the environment leads to disaster, as scientists seeking to control the weather unleash a dangerous horde of giant insects. Despite a lighter tone than earlier Japanese creature features, Son of Godzilla shows the dangers of upsetting the natural order.  
 
The programme continues in November with Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (Japan 1966), one of the most fun Godzilla movies in which Godzilla and Mothra put their differences aside to battle a terrifying giant crustacean. With three kaiju embodying nature as a powerful and un-tameable force, this film deftly explores themes of man’s connection with the world, and the fights between Ebirah and Godzilla are among the franchise’s most memorable.  
 
The season concludes in December with Gamera the Brave (Japan 2006), a family-friendly reboot in which the gigantic Gamera is reincarnated through a baby turtle that grows up into a giant beast to slay a man-eating entity that’s threatening Tokyo. This engrossing film introduced a new generation to the series, and this is a rare chance for UK audiences to see it on the big screen. 
 
Alex Davidson, Barbican Cinema Curator, says:   
 
“After all of last year’s Godzilla screenings sold out, as part of our first All Kaiju Attack! programme, I’m so excited we’ll be showing another selection of top-notch kaiju films, some of which have never shown on the big screen in London before. All Kaiju! Attack: Earth SOS! shows that, behind all the monster mayhem lie serious messages about humankind’s meddling with the natural world.” 

Screenings 
 
Godzilla vs Biollante + introduction by kaiju expert Steven Sloss (12A*) 
Japan 1989, Dir Kazuki Ōmori, 104min 
Sat 20 Sep, 6pm  
Cinema 1  
 
Godzilla vs Biollante is a high point for the Godzilla film series, with a fantastical vision of a kaiju antagonist engineered from the cells of a rose, the dead daughter of a scientist and Godzilla’s own DNA. Continuing the upsurge in quality heralded by The Return of Godzilla (1984), the final Godzilla film of the 1980s boasts great special effects and some of the best suitmation and miniatures in the series. 

The movie explores bioethics with sensitivity through all the chaos, as human hubris and genetic engineering unleash untold havoc. Biollante is a magnificent, unnerving creation, unlike anything else the franchise had seen, and the human dimension adds a welcome nuance amid the carnage. This is kaiju mayhem at its most poetic and imaginative. 
 
Godzilla vs Megalon + introduction by kaiju expert Steven Sloss (12A*) 
Japan 1973, Dir Jun Fukuda, 81min 
Sun 21 Sep, 2pm  
Cinema 1  
 
Nuclear testing provokes Seatopia, an underground civilisation, into fighting back against humankind with two horrifying kaiju – insectoid megabeast Megalon and chickenlike cyborg Gigan. Godzilla is the world’s only hope, although a robot with a secret power may also offer salvation. 

There is a lot of fun to be had in this joyful kaiju rumble film, which introduced many young audiences to Godzilla in the west. With themes of nature striking back against humanity’s destructive impulses and Godzilla once again flexing his eco-saviour muscles, it culminates in an epic monster battle that has to be seen to be believed. 
 

Family Film Week screening: Son of Godzilla + intro (PG) 
Japan 1967, Dir Jun Fukuda, 85min 
Sat 25 Oct, 1pm  
Cinema 3 
 
Once again, humanity’s meddling with nature leads to disaster, as scientists seeking to control the weather unleash a dangerous horde of giant insects. Son of Godzilla introduces a number of new kaiju to the franchise: mutated mantis creatures (Kamacuras), a predatory monster spider (Humonga) and, less horrifyingly, Minilla, Godzilla’s child. 

Despite a lighter tone than earlier Japanese creature features, Son of Godzilla shows the dangers of upsetting the natural balance. The touching scenes of Godzilla teaching his son how to breathe fire are countered by the permanent threat of the savage monsters. The dash of humour in the film struck a lighter tone for the later films in the Godzilla franchise. 
 

Son of Godzilla + introduction by Toshiko Kurata (PG) 
Japan 1967, Dir Jun Fukuda, 85min 
Sat 25 Oct, 4.15pm  
Cinema 3 
 
Once again, humanity’s meddling with nature leads to disaster, as scientists seeking to control the weather unleash a dangerous horde of giant insects. Son of Godzilla introduces a number of new kaiju to the franchise: mutated mantis creatures (Kamacuras), a predatory monster spider (Humonga) and, less horrifyingly, Minilla, Godzilla’s child. 

Despite a lighter tone than earlier Japanese creature features, Son of Godzilla shows the dangers of upsetting the natural balance. The touching scenes of Godzilla teaching his son how to breathe fire are countered by the permanent threat of the savage monsters. The dash of humour in the film struck a lighter tone for the later films in the Godzilla franchise. 
 
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep + introduction by curator Alex Davidson (PG) 
Japan 1966, Dir Jun Fukuda, 87min 
Tue 18 Nov, 6.30pm  
Cinema 1  
 
In one of the liveliest and most fun Godzilla movies, the king of kaiju battles Ebirah, a terrifying mega-crustacean that kills everything it encounters. Meanwhile, a group of shipwreck survivors encounter a menacing terrorist group called the Red Bamboo, intent on manufacturing nuclear weapons and enslaving the islanders. 

With three kaiju embodying nature as a powerful, untameable force and a climactic battle with the future of the ecosystem at stake, Ebirah, Horror of the Deep subtly explores themes of man’s connection with nature. The fights between Ebirah and Godzilla are among the franchise’s most memorable – all this, and a delightful cameo from Mothra, too. 
 
Gamera the Brave + introduction by Yuriko Hamaguchi (PG) 
Japan 2006, Dir Ryuta Tasaki, 96min 
Wed 10 Dec, 6.20pm  
Cinema 1   
 
Years after Gamera sacrificed himself for humanity, the benevolent kaiju lives again through a newly hatched turtle. As an adult, his calling as earth’s protector manifests once more as a new, aggressive kaiju, Zedus, begins a destructive rampage. 

Gamera the Brave introduced the franchise to a new generation, following the acclaimed Heisei Trilogy. Emphasising respect for the natural world and subtly bringing in environmental themes, it’s an engrossing and often delightful addition to the series. To date, it remains the last Gamera film. This is a very rare chance to see it on the big screen.