While I enjoy all three of the previous "Mission: Impossible" movies, there are two major issues about them that have always bugged me :
1) Tom Cruise. Don't get me wrong, I think that the guy is talented and has great screen presence, but the "Mission: Impossible" television show was all about teams of spies working together to accomplish near-impossible feats of espionage derring-do. These new movies are so Cruise-centric that the coordinated effort of the team is basically shoved into the background so that he can jump around in slow motion like an action hero ("M:I 2" was the worst in this regard). His fellow team members are always underdeveloped, in a character sense.
2) The ultimate enemy in each of the first three movies turns out to be a rogue I.M.F. (Impossible Mission Force) agent which Cruise (as Ethan Hunt) must defeat in the end. The same idea used three times in a row? Come on, people, a little variety would be nice.
Well, kids, I'm happy to report that "Ghost Protocol" does indeed solve both of these issues and emerges as my favorite entry in the series, so far. Tom Cruise is still front and center, and still takes up the majority of the screen time, but team effort is emphasized far more and each of the team members is a fully developed character with a satisfying story arc, played by talented actors. Plus, there are no evil I.M.F. agents in the story. Instead, the main villain is Swedish terrorist known as "Cobalt" who's dead set on sparking a nuclear war between Russia and the United States. After the Kremlin is destroyed while Ethan and his team are attempting to infiltrate it, they (and the U.S.) take the blame, so the President initiates Ghost Protocol, which disavows every single I.M.F. agent in the world. Now, without any backup or support, Hunt and company must do their damnedest to stop Cobalt, who feels that nuclear war is a necessary stop on the road to ultimate peace (don't ask).
The plot is really nothing to write home about, and while the main villain is a welcome change from the villains of the previous "M:I" movies, he's not all that complex, although the motives for his actions are somewhat original. He's boring, but serviceable.
Side Note - Cobalt is played by Michael Nyqvist, who was the male lead in the original Swedish film version of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" trilogy. His female costar in those movies ("The Girl" herself) was Noomi Rapace, who can currently be seen in the rival action movie sequel, "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows".
Side Side Note - I feel that "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" is slightly better than the first "Sherlock Holmes". Professor Moriarty is The Shit.
Side Side Side Note - Thank you for your endless patience.
Back to the Tom Cruise movie. Like I said before, the overarching plot is basic action movie stuff, but the individual spy missions and action sequences are expertly done, incredibly complex, and flow like well-choreographed dance numbers. The main man responsible for this is Brad Bird, making his live-action directorial debut with "Ghost Protocol". He previously helmed two of my favorite animated movies of all time, "The Iron Giant" and "The Incredibles" and, with a background at Pixar (he also made "Ratatouille"), the man sure knows how to merge action with deft character development. J.J. Abrams produced this one (he directed "Mission: Impossible 3) and brought some long-time collaborators like composer Michael Giacchino ("Lost", "Star Trek", "Up") and actors Simon Pegg and Josh Holloway.
As I also noted previously, Hunt's team in this film are all three-dimensional characters who could each carry a film on their own. Simon Pegg provides much of the humor (this is a surprisingly funny movie), reprising his (brief) role from "M:I 3". Jeremy Renner is exceptional as the reserved team member with a vital secret (who could easily have been a throwaway character, but gets the most moving emotional resolution out of all of them). And Paula Patton. . . my God. . . I've become an instant fan. She's a confident, talented actress, sexy as hell, with incredible depth behind her eyes, and she can kick ass very, very convincingly. Yeah, she's my new screen crush.
This is the first movie in the "Mission: Impossible" series that I will rush out and see again while it's still in theaters. See it in IMAX, if possible, as the wide-open IMAX format really helps increase the heart rate during certain high-climbing sequences, and the rumbling IMAX speakers really punch you in the gut during key moments. Also, while there are surprise cameo appearances by characters from previous "M:I" films, you really don't have to have seen them to be able to enjoy "Ghost Protocol". It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does fix the problems of the previous movies and is just downright entertaining. It's one of the best action movies of 2011.
And Tom Cruise ain't bad, either.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Hugo (2011)
With his new film "Hugo", based on Brian Selznick's 2007 novel "The Invention of Hugo Cabret", Martin Scorcese has proven, after making everything from crime dramas to comedies to horror films, that he can also make an excellent kid's film (and an excellent 3-D film to boot).
Fine, Mr. Scorcese. You win. You're the King of All Filmmakers. Happy?
I'm really not bitter at all - "Hugo" is one of my favorite films of 2011. But explaining why I feel this way would delve into spoiler territory, and I just can't do that in this case. So this will be a somewhat short review.
I wasn't familiar with the source novel and I'd seen very few ads beforehand, so I had very little knowledge and very few expectations when going into this movie. But where this movie goes in its second half is, well. . . it's actually a bit personal. It delves into a subject near and dear to my heart, a subject I wrote my thesis on in college. And it also explains why the first half of this movie seemed kind of familiar to me, but I couldn't exactly figure out why. See, it's (largely) based on a true story, although the main character of Hugo Cabret is fictional, as are many of the supporting characters.
The movie takes place in Paris during the '30s. A young orphan boy named Hugo lives in a hidden maintenance room in Montparnasse train station, where he tends to the station clock. He also spends time searching for parts to help him fix a clockwork automaton that his father was obsessed with before he died. After getting caught stealing from a man who runs a toy shop at the station, Hugo embarks on a journey of mystery and wonder that will lead him, and another person, to a point of emotional salvation.
Asa Butterfield, the kid who plays Hugo, gets the thankless job of, like Daniel Radcliffe or Mark Hamill, being the "straight man" to a cast of unique and engaging characters, but manages to hold his own quite nicely. But, like the Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker actors, he still gets outshined by his costars. Ben Kingsley soars as George the toymaker, in what is easily his best role in years. Chloe Grace Moretz, as Hugo's vocabularily affluent friend, is a talented future star in the making, after this, "Kick-Ass" and "Let Me In". Then again, so was Lindsay Lohan, once upon a time. Hopefully Chloe won't go that route. Sacha Baron Cohen, as the orphan-hunting antagonist known only as Station Inspector, is incredibly funny and, like all of his comedic roles, completely unique. He's gonna be great as Freddie Mercury in that upcoming Queen biopic. The rest of the supporting cast is made of of many talented character actors, including Chrisopher Lee (legendary, though very frail-looking) and, probably the most underrated cast member, Helen McCrory as George's wife Mama Jeanne. She may be the most subtly complex character in the whole movie and is a joy to watch.
Scorcese knows what he's doing. He directs with a sure hand and the 3-D is very well utilized and not gimmicky - there's one scene in particular where the Station Inspector is leaning in towards the audience while interrogating a character offscreen, and it's both funny and uncomfortable. This may be my favorite 3-D movie of 2011. It's also a very loving ode to cinema of the 20s and 30s, with many tips of the hat to specific films of that era that, thankfully, are never distracting.
My only issue with this movie is one of preachiness. There is a message here - it's about film preservation, and it's a little obvious and in-your-face. I agree with the message, so it's totally fine with me. But, like I said, too obvious (inevitable, given the plotline).
This was the movie I saw after "The Muppets", and the second film in a row to get rousing applause from the audience I was with (applause at movies is pointless, but I understand the gesture). And the kids in the audience never got restless, which was a relief. I guess they know good stuff when they see it!
I may be leaving things a little vague in regards to what exactly surprised and delighted me about "Hugo", but I just can't spoil it. I fully realize that there are plenty of people out there who wouldn't actually care a great deal about being spoiled on the plot developments that I won't mention, but, dang it, you can only be surprised by a movie or book one time, and I just can't rob anyone of that experience. Or the slight possibility of having that experience. Just go see it, then decide if I was right or not.
Fine, Mr. Scorcese. You win. You're the King of All Filmmakers. Happy?
I'm really not bitter at all - "Hugo" is one of my favorite films of 2011. But explaining why I feel this way would delve into spoiler territory, and I just can't do that in this case. So this will be a somewhat short review.
I wasn't familiar with the source novel and I'd seen very few ads beforehand, so I had very little knowledge and very few expectations when going into this movie. But where this movie goes in its second half is, well. . . it's actually a bit personal. It delves into a subject near and dear to my heart, a subject I wrote my thesis on in college. And it also explains why the first half of this movie seemed kind of familiar to me, but I couldn't exactly figure out why. See, it's (largely) based on a true story, although the main character of Hugo Cabret is fictional, as are many of the supporting characters.
The movie takes place in Paris during the '30s. A young orphan boy named Hugo lives in a hidden maintenance room in Montparnasse train station, where he tends to the station clock. He also spends time searching for parts to help him fix a clockwork automaton that his father was obsessed with before he died. After getting caught stealing from a man who runs a toy shop at the station, Hugo embarks on a journey of mystery and wonder that will lead him, and another person, to a point of emotional salvation.
Asa Butterfield, the kid who plays Hugo, gets the thankless job of, like Daniel Radcliffe or Mark Hamill, being the "straight man" to a cast of unique and engaging characters, but manages to hold his own quite nicely. But, like the Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker actors, he still gets outshined by his costars. Ben Kingsley soars as George the toymaker, in what is easily his best role in years. Chloe Grace Moretz, as Hugo's vocabularily affluent friend, is a talented future star in the making, after this, "Kick-Ass" and "Let Me In". Then again, so was Lindsay Lohan, once upon a time. Hopefully Chloe won't go that route. Sacha Baron Cohen, as the orphan-hunting antagonist known only as Station Inspector, is incredibly funny and, like all of his comedic roles, completely unique. He's gonna be great as Freddie Mercury in that upcoming Queen biopic. The rest of the supporting cast is made of of many talented character actors, including Chrisopher Lee (legendary, though very frail-looking) and, probably the most underrated cast member, Helen McCrory as George's wife Mama Jeanne. She may be the most subtly complex character in the whole movie and is a joy to watch.
Scorcese knows what he's doing. He directs with a sure hand and the 3-D is very well utilized and not gimmicky - there's one scene in particular where the Station Inspector is leaning in towards the audience while interrogating a character offscreen, and it's both funny and uncomfortable. This may be my favorite 3-D movie of 2011. It's also a very loving ode to cinema of the 20s and 30s, with many tips of the hat to specific films of that era that, thankfully, are never distracting.
My only issue with this movie is one of preachiness. There is a message here - it's about film preservation, and it's a little obvious and in-your-face. I agree with the message, so it's totally fine with me. But, like I said, too obvious (inevitable, given the plotline).
This was the movie I saw after "The Muppets", and the second film in a row to get rousing applause from the audience I was with (applause at movies is pointless, but I understand the gesture). And the kids in the audience never got restless, which was a relief. I guess they know good stuff when they see it!
I may be leaving things a little vague in regards to what exactly surprised and delighted me about "Hugo", but I just can't spoil it. I fully realize that there are plenty of people out there who wouldn't actually care a great deal about being spoiled on the plot developments that I won't mention, but, dang it, you can only be surprised by a movie or book one time, and I just can't rob anyone of that experience. Or the slight possibility of having that experience. Just go see it, then decide if I was right or not.
Friday, December 16, 2011
The Muppets (2011)
On the the foxbusiness.com show "Follow the Money", host Eric Bolling and Dan Gainor, of the conservative Media Research Center, criticized "The Muppets" for its portrayal of a successful oil businessman (Tex Richman, played by Chris Cooper) as a villainous, money grubbing evildoer. They singled the movie out as being part of the Hollywood liberal agenda, yet another attempt to brainwash kids with pinko socialist thoughts. Having seen the movie a couple of times, and having heard these arguments, I have come one basic, inescapable conclusion -
Watching movies with Eric Bolling and Dan Gainor is absolutely no fun.
Just shut up and watch the movie, guys. Yes, I'm fully aware that Darth Vader and the evil Galactic Empire can be interpreted as a negative criticism of corporate America. Stuff some popcorn in your pie hole and go blog about it, AFTER the movie. I know that Hollywood is largely liberal, and that artistic types also tend to pour their personal feelings into their art, so I am aware that a bias exists - but I DON'T CARE. I love "The Muppets", it's one of my favorite movies of 2011. I also love the TV show "24", which is about as right-wing as you can get. Teach your kids to think for themselves, stop this needlessly divisive politicmongering (yes it's a real word, because I just made it up). Besides, it's not as if evil oil businessmen have ever existed in real life, right? Go away.
Okay, I'm done. I hate politics, especially these days. So now back to the movie. I've decided to post some of the many trailers for the movie, which are parodies of other movie trailers, all funny. It's my favorite ad campaign of the year, no doubt created by some hippie liberal scumbag marketing whiz over at Disney. Thank you, scumbag!
That first trailer gobsmacked my ass when I first saw it in theaters. Surprised the heck outta me.
Jason Segel and the always adorable Amy Adams play Gary and Mary, a loving couple who decide to celebrate their 10th anniversary (of dating) by going on a trip to Los Angeles. The only problem - Gary's Muppet brother Walter (voiced by Peter Linz) tags along, much to Mary's chagrin. Walter worships the Muppets (he and Gary watched "The Muppet Show" religiously, as kids), so Gary decides to surprise him with a tour of the Muppet Studios. Unfortunately, the lot has become rundown and the Muppets, no longer famous, have all gone their separate ways. To make matters worse, evil businessman Tex Richman has discovered oil beneath the theater and is planning to demolish the entire area. So Gary, Mary and Walter must reunite the Muppets and raise enough money to buy the land back from Tex, or else.
Here's their parody of "The Hangover Part 2" trailer -
So that's the plot. The rest is straightforwardly refreshing humor, Muppets-style. Writers Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, as well as director James Bobin, are all clearly of the Muppet Generation (as am I), and if you have fond memories of "The Muppet Show" or the original Muppet movie trilogy, then it's a safe bet that you will love this (and get a little bit misty-eyed, as well).
Here's the "Green Lantern" parody trailer -
And, thanks the the new Muppet character of Walter, newbies have their very own gateway into the Muppetverse. In the showings I've been to, the adults in the audience seemed to enjoy the movie more than the kids. Case in point: as soon as four Muppet characters began performing a barbershop quartet version of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", I knew exactly who this movie was aimed at. The kids also seemed to have fun, for the most part. This is an unconventional film for this modern age - it relies more on witty dialogue and good old fashioned sight gags rather than a constant barrage of fast-paced empty mayhem, like most kid movies these days.
Now for the parody of that excellent "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" trailer -
The musical numbers are well done (my favorite is "Muppet or Man"), and there are celebrity cameos galore (Jack Black gets the most screen time - the Muppets kidnap him and force him to host their fundraiser/variety show). The negatives? The "human" story of Gary and Mary's relationship, so strongly at the forefront in the beginning, kind of slips into the background as the story goes on, with the Muppets taking center stage (as they should). Funny, though - I liked those characters and wanted to see more of them. But that would have meant less Muppet time. And I wish there was more of Beaker and the Swedish Chef. They get their moments, but, you know, I'm just a wishful fan. . .
Here's the climactic trailer -
In conclusion, it's very funny, heartwarmingly nostalgic, and a welcome change from high-tech CG animals. Speaking of CG animation, "The Muppets" is preceded by a hilarious "Toy Story" short from Pixar (God bless D.J. Bluejay). I highly recommend.
Watching movies with Eric Bolling and Dan Gainor is absolutely no fun.
Just shut up and watch the movie, guys. Yes, I'm fully aware that Darth Vader and the evil Galactic Empire can be interpreted as a negative criticism of corporate America. Stuff some popcorn in your pie hole and go blog about it, AFTER the movie. I know that Hollywood is largely liberal, and that artistic types also tend to pour their personal feelings into their art, so I am aware that a bias exists - but I DON'T CARE. I love "The Muppets", it's one of my favorite movies of 2011. I also love the TV show "24", which is about as right-wing as you can get. Teach your kids to think for themselves, stop this needlessly divisive politicmongering (yes it's a real word, because I just made it up). Besides, it's not as if evil oil businessmen have ever existed in real life, right? Go away.
Okay, I'm done. I hate politics, especially these days. So now back to the movie. I've decided to post some of the many trailers for the movie, which are parodies of other movie trailers, all funny. It's my favorite ad campaign of the year, no doubt created by some hippie liberal scumbag marketing whiz over at Disney. Thank you, scumbag!
That first trailer gobsmacked my ass when I first saw it in theaters. Surprised the heck outta me.
Jason Segel and the always adorable Amy Adams play Gary and Mary, a loving couple who decide to celebrate their 10th anniversary (of dating) by going on a trip to Los Angeles. The only problem - Gary's Muppet brother Walter (voiced by Peter Linz) tags along, much to Mary's chagrin. Walter worships the Muppets (he and Gary watched "The Muppet Show" religiously, as kids), so Gary decides to surprise him with a tour of the Muppet Studios. Unfortunately, the lot has become rundown and the Muppets, no longer famous, have all gone their separate ways. To make matters worse, evil businessman Tex Richman has discovered oil beneath the theater and is planning to demolish the entire area. So Gary, Mary and Walter must reunite the Muppets and raise enough money to buy the land back from Tex, or else.
Here's their parody of "The Hangover Part 2" trailer -
So that's the plot. The rest is straightforwardly refreshing humor, Muppets-style. Writers Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, as well as director James Bobin, are all clearly of the Muppet Generation (as am I), and if you have fond memories of "The Muppet Show" or the original Muppet movie trilogy, then it's a safe bet that you will love this (and get a little bit misty-eyed, as well).
Here's the "Green Lantern" parody trailer -
And, thanks the the new Muppet character of Walter, newbies have their very own gateway into the Muppetverse. In the showings I've been to, the adults in the audience seemed to enjoy the movie more than the kids. Case in point: as soon as four Muppet characters began performing a barbershop quartet version of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", I knew exactly who this movie was aimed at. The kids also seemed to have fun, for the most part. This is an unconventional film for this modern age - it relies more on witty dialogue and good old fashioned sight gags rather than a constant barrage of fast-paced empty mayhem, like most kid movies these days.
Now for the parody of that excellent "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" trailer -
The musical numbers are well done (my favorite is "Muppet or Man"), and there are celebrity cameos galore (Jack Black gets the most screen time - the Muppets kidnap him and force him to host their fundraiser/variety show). The negatives? The "human" story of Gary and Mary's relationship, so strongly at the forefront in the beginning, kind of slips into the background as the story goes on, with the Muppets taking center stage (as they should). Funny, though - I liked those characters and wanted to see more of them. But that would have meant less Muppet time. And I wish there was more of Beaker and the Swedish Chef. They get their moments, but, you know, I'm just a wishful fan. . .
Here's the climactic trailer -
In conclusion, it's very funny, heartwarmingly nostalgic, and a welcome change from high-tech CG animals. Speaking of CG animation, "The Muppets" is preceded by a hilarious "Toy Story" short from Pixar (God bless D.J. Bluejay). I highly recommend.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
The Wrath of Godzilla, Part 8: The Father, The Son, and the Holy Lobster
I like to call these next two movies "Godzilla's Island Adventures". There's no overarching plot about saving the Earth or anything, it's just Godzilla having quaint monster-fighting excursions on a couple of South Seas islands, featuring a small number of human cast members and rather prominently drug-induced atmospheres.
There's some new creative blood in the mix, this time. Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka and screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa both return, but it's new director Jun Fukuda and composer Mararu Sato who bring a modern (60's) sensibility to the table. In other words, there's enough psychedelic loopiness and John Barry guitar riffs to make Jerry Garcia proud. Special effects master Eiji Tsuburya acts as a supervisor for these two films, but it's Sadamasa Arikawa who's really pulling the strings this time.
Godzilla vs the Sea Monster (1966)
A young man, egged on by the encouraging words of an optimistic mystic, decides to go searching for his brother, who was on a ship that was lost at sea. He tries to enter a local teen dance-off (the grand prize is a boat) but arrives too late. A couple of dance-off washouts take his depressed ass down to the docks to take a gander at the sweet ships moored in the harbor. They sneak aboard a sailboat and encounter the "owner" within, who graciously allows them to sleep onboard for the night. When they awaken in the morning, they discover that the missing sailor's brother has hijacked the boat in the middle of the night and they're already halfway across the ocean.
Oh, and the "owner" is actually a bank robber in hiding. With the authorities on the lookout for the missing boat, they decide to help the kid look for his missing bro.
Alas, during a nasty storm the boat is capsized by a giant lobster claw, and the four goofballs wash ashore onto the friendly beaches of Devil's Island. After climbing a cliff, finding a machete and eating some bananas (not all at the same time), they encounter a cute native island girl named Dayo. It seems she's escaped from the local military base of the Red Bamboo, a terrorist organization bent on making nuclear bombs. They also have a hell of a security system - Ebirah, a giant, ill-tempered lobster (who, I'm guessing, is a local). The Red Bamboo ward off Ebirah through the use of a yellow chemical called X-13, which they make on the island. If you try to cross the waters without using X-13, you're mincemeat.
The five stooges sneak into the Red Bamboo base and discover that the terrorists are using slave labor to make X-13. The slaves in question (Dayo, too) are actually natives from Infant Island, Mothra's hometown. The good guys barely escape, in fact two of them don't. One is thrown into the slave pits with the Infant Islanders, whilst the other one accidentally flies off hanging onto a weather balloon. Coincidentally, the balloon lands on Infant Island, where he finds the kid's missing-at-sea brother. A fully grown Mothra is asleep on the island (despite being assailed by a music number), and the twin beauties, now played by a different pair of actresses, inform them that the other Mothra died, leaving just this one (last we saw, there were two larvae in "Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster"). The twins are told of the enslaved natives on Devil's Island, so they send the kid's Bro and Balloon Guy back there to prepare for Mothra's coming.
Back on DI, the Good Guys head into some caves to evade Red Bamboo patrols. Inside the caves, they discover the sleeping form of Godzilla (why he's here, we'll never know - I think he's "sleeping it off" from his last appearance, where he went into space). They very wisely decide to wake him up by using the machete to harness lightning from a passing storm, zapping him up. G busts out of the ground pissed off and gets into a boulder-tossing match with Ebirah, driving him off. Meanwhile, the guy who was captured (we'll call him Captured Guy) rallies the slaves and encourages them to make a bad batch of X-13.
Godzilla, stomping around aimlessly, sees little Dayo and becomes fascinated by her. A giant bird (who was apparently never cool enough to get onto the Toho Monster Roster, or even be named) attacks the both of them - Godzilla fries him without flinching. The Red Bamboo sends out some fighter jets to take on G, but he fries those guys, too. He retaliates by stepping on their base.
The Red Bamboo honchos begin the base's self destruct countdown and try to flee the island. Unfortunately, they use the bad batch of X-13 made by Captured Guy and friends. Ebirah kills them until they die from it. Then Godzilla, finished with the Red Bamboo base, shows up to fight, lizard versus lobster. While this is going on, Balloon Guy and Bro rally the freed Infant Island natives (and the other Good Guys) to make a giant net.
Godzilla tears the claws off of Ebirah, victorious. Mothra arrives and has to fend off Godzilla while the Good Guys and the islanders get into the net (apparently G can't discern friend from foe at this point - maybe his blood's up). Mothra flies off with the people while Godzilla jumps into the ocean like an action hero just as Devil's Island erupts into a mushroom cloud. Mothra flies back to Infant Island, Bro reunited with Kid - The End.
Check out this trailer - watch for the moment when some characters are trying to sneak by Godzilla, who's sitting on a rock in the background. It looks like he's taking a dump.
Also known as "Godzilla vs Ebirah", and "Ebirah, Horror from the Deep", the original Japanese title translates as "Godzilla, Ebirah, Mothra: Big Duel in the South Seas". Originally, this movie was supposed to star King Kong, but they changed it to Godzilla at the last minute, hence some of the weird touches. For instance, Godzilla's infatuation with little Dayo - definitely more of a Kong behavior. Some may also remember this as a popular episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000".
All-in-all, a fun movie. The new creative team brings a fresh flavor to the series, and the smaller scale plotline is also a nice change from all of the world-shattering monster drama. While the special effects are mostly campy, there are some striking shots here and there, like when Ebirah's claw rises from the ocean in front of some hapless boaters. The music, while it lacks the familiar Ifukube themes, is pure '60's pop - a weirdly welcome sound, very much like John Barry's "James Bond" themes.
Ebirah would return nearly 40 years later in "Godzilla: Final Wars".
Son of Godzilla (1967)
After a low-flying plane nearly socks Godzilla in the kisser (thanks to some instrument-blocking interference), we cut to a lone parachutist, who sails down onto remote Sollgel Island because he's a reporter and he senses a "big story". Turns out he's right - some world-government-sponsored scientists are using the island as a giant experiment. They plan to test a weather control system on the island and lower the temperature to subzero limits. The reporter (Goro) entrenches himself with the scientists, where he washes vegetables in used laundry water, dodges giant praying mantises (Kamacuras, native to the island), and sees a cute native girl swimming in the ocean (no one believes him).
The day of the experiment arrives, but something goes wrong - interference interrupts the weather control system, causing massive storms and an unbearable heatwave. The storms have uncovered a giant egg, which the Kamacuras (there are three of them) feel they have to assault. Out of the egg hatches Minilla (sometimes known as Minya), the son of Godzilla. Then daddy arrives and kills two of the Kamacuras, driving off the third. He then stomps away while Minilla makes pathetic little donkey/whiny noises). The native girl (Saeko) takes pity on the kid and feeds him some melons until daddy returns. Minilla climbs onto his tail (cute), and father and son head off together.
Saeko, now with Goro and the stranded scientists (their radio is out), is discovered to be the daughter of a long-dead archaeologist who was studying the island. When the last remaining Kamacuras attacks them, they all head into the caves where Saeko has been living all of her life, take shelter, and try to fix the radio.
After a too-cute scene where Minilla plays jumprope with dad's tail and has a temper tantrum, we return to the scientists, who are coming down with a nasty illness, so Saeko takes Goro to collect some healing red water from a nearby pool. On the way they pass by the lair of Kumonga, a giant spider, who seems to be stirring. "This really is a monster island," says Goro.
Godzilla, meanwhile, teaches little Minilla how to emit a "roar of challenge" and use his fire breath. Unfortunately, Minilla can only blow smoke rings, unless under duress (like when dad stomps on his tail). In case you can't tell, this is a kid-oriented movie.
Saeko, while out gathering herbs, is attacked by the mantis Kamacuras. Minilla comes to the rescue and fends him off, but the fighting wakes the ill-tempered spider Kumonga, who goes after the humans when the father/son lizards are gone. Kumonga eventually goes after Minilla, subduing him with his sticky web.
The rescue ship arrives for the scientists, but before they go, they decide to run the experiment again and freeze the island, for some reason (the interference was caused by Minilla in the egg, calling for daddy, but now that's gone). While they scramble to start their machines, Kumonga fights Kamacuras, spider versus mantis. The spider wins, killing the big bug with its poison stinger.
Godzilla finally arrives to save his son from the evil spider, and a big battle ensues. In a very weirdly shot sequence, Godzilla gets stung in the eye by Kumonga, but it doesn't faze him. Father and son team up to take on the arachnid and, in the end, they fry him up with simultaneous blasts of flame breath.
As the Good Guys sail away on the rescue ship, the experiment runs and Sollgel Island goes into deep-freeze. Godzilla and Minilla huddle together for warmth, but "don't worry", says the Lead Scientist! The freeze is only temporary, and they'll thaw out just fine. Still, it kind of feels like a sad ending. It's kind of strange.
This was one of my favorite Godzilla movies when I was a kid. Nowadays, not so much. It's fun and full of plenty of monster action, but it wasn't made for old farts like me. Minilla is cloying. Nonetheless, I'm still a bit fond of this one, despite the goofy music and the cartoony word balloons. You may notice that Godzilla's look was changed for this movie. I think he's supposed to look more paternal, I guess, but his head just looks like a frog's head, to me.
Kamacuras (mantis) and Kumonga (spider) would return in "Destroy All Monsters", "All Monsters Attack" and "Godzilla: Final Wars". Minilla also comes back in those three movies, as well as "Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II", 'Godzilla vs Space Godzilla" and "Godzilla vs Destroyah".
Also of note - both of these movies were not released in theaters in the United States, they went directly to television. But all of the following movies were released in theaters, so go figure.
Next time, it's the ultimate monster mash of Godzilla, Series 1 - "Destroy All Monsters" is here!
There's some new creative blood in the mix, this time. Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka and screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa both return, but it's new director Jun Fukuda and composer Mararu Sato who bring a modern (60's) sensibility to the table. In other words, there's enough psychedelic loopiness and John Barry guitar riffs to make Jerry Garcia proud. Special effects master Eiji Tsuburya acts as a supervisor for these two films, but it's Sadamasa Arikawa who's really pulling the strings this time.
Godzilla vs the Sea Monster (1966)
A young man, egged on by the encouraging words of an optimistic mystic, decides to go searching for his brother, who was on a ship that was lost at sea. He tries to enter a local teen dance-off (the grand prize is a boat) but arrives too late. A couple of dance-off washouts take his depressed ass down to the docks to take a gander at the sweet ships moored in the harbor. They sneak aboard a sailboat and encounter the "owner" within, who graciously allows them to sleep onboard for the night. When they awaken in the morning, they discover that the missing sailor's brother has hijacked the boat in the middle of the night and they're already halfway across the ocean.
Oh, and the "owner" is actually a bank robber in hiding. With the authorities on the lookout for the missing boat, they decide to help the kid look for his missing bro.
Alas, during a nasty storm the boat is capsized by a giant lobster claw, and the four goofballs wash ashore onto the friendly beaches of Devil's Island. After climbing a cliff, finding a machete and eating some bananas (not all at the same time), they encounter a cute native island girl named Dayo. It seems she's escaped from the local military base of the Red Bamboo, a terrorist organization bent on making nuclear bombs. They also have a hell of a security system - Ebirah, a giant, ill-tempered lobster (who, I'm guessing, is a local). The Red Bamboo ward off Ebirah through the use of a yellow chemical called X-13, which they make on the island. If you try to cross the waters without using X-13, you're mincemeat.
The five stooges sneak into the Red Bamboo base and discover that the terrorists are using slave labor to make X-13. The slaves in question (Dayo, too) are actually natives from Infant Island, Mothra's hometown. The good guys barely escape, in fact two of them don't. One is thrown into the slave pits with the Infant Islanders, whilst the other one accidentally flies off hanging onto a weather balloon. Coincidentally, the balloon lands on Infant Island, where he finds the kid's missing-at-sea brother. A fully grown Mothra is asleep on the island (despite being assailed by a music number), and the twin beauties, now played by a different pair of actresses, inform them that the other Mothra died, leaving just this one (last we saw, there were two larvae in "Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster"). The twins are told of the enslaved natives on Devil's Island, so they send the kid's Bro and Balloon Guy back there to prepare for Mothra's coming.
Back on DI, the Good Guys head into some caves to evade Red Bamboo patrols. Inside the caves, they discover the sleeping form of Godzilla (why he's here, we'll never know - I think he's "sleeping it off" from his last appearance, where he went into space). They very wisely decide to wake him up by using the machete to harness lightning from a passing storm, zapping him up. G busts out of the ground pissed off and gets into a boulder-tossing match with Ebirah, driving him off. Meanwhile, the guy who was captured (we'll call him Captured Guy) rallies the slaves and encourages them to make a bad batch of X-13.
Godzilla, stomping around aimlessly, sees little Dayo and becomes fascinated by her. A giant bird (who was apparently never cool enough to get onto the Toho Monster Roster, or even be named) attacks the both of them - Godzilla fries him without flinching. The Red Bamboo sends out some fighter jets to take on G, but he fries those guys, too. He retaliates by stepping on their base.
The Red Bamboo honchos begin the base's self destruct countdown and try to flee the island. Unfortunately, they use the bad batch of X-13 made by Captured Guy and friends. Ebirah kills them until they die from it. Then Godzilla, finished with the Red Bamboo base, shows up to fight, lizard versus lobster. While this is going on, Balloon Guy and Bro rally the freed Infant Island natives (and the other Good Guys) to make a giant net.
Godzilla tears the claws off of Ebirah, victorious. Mothra arrives and has to fend off Godzilla while the Good Guys and the islanders get into the net (apparently G can't discern friend from foe at this point - maybe his blood's up). Mothra flies off with the people while Godzilla jumps into the ocean like an action hero just as Devil's Island erupts into a mushroom cloud. Mothra flies back to Infant Island, Bro reunited with Kid - The End.
Check out this trailer - watch for the moment when some characters are trying to sneak by Godzilla, who's sitting on a rock in the background. It looks like he's taking a dump.
Also known as "Godzilla vs Ebirah", and "Ebirah, Horror from the Deep", the original Japanese title translates as "Godzilla, Ebirah, Mothra: Big Duel in the South Seas". Originally, this movie was supposed to star King Kong, but they changed it to Godzilla at the last minute, hence some of the weird touches. For instance, Godzilla's infatuation with little Dayo - definitely more of a Kong behavior. Some may also remember this as a popular episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000".
All-in-all, a fun movie. The new creative team brings a fresh flavor to the series, and the smaller scale plotline is also a nice change from all of the world-shattering monster drama. While the special effects are mostly campy, there are some striking shots here and there, like when Ebirah's claw rises from the ocean in front of some hapless boaters. The music, while it lacks the familiar Ifukube themes, is pure '60's pop - a weirdly welcome sound, very much like John Barry's "James Bond" themes.
Ebirah would return nearly 40 years later in "Godzilla: Final Wars".
Son of Godzilla (1967)
After a low-flying plane nearly socks Godzilla in the kisser (thanks to some instrument-blocking interference), we cut to a lone parachutist, who sails down onto remote Sollgel Island because he's a reporter and he senses a "big story". Turns out he's right - some world-government-sponsored scientists are using the island as a giant experiment. They plan to test a weather control system on the island and lower the temperature to subzero limits. The reporter (Goro) entrenches himself with the scientists, where he washes vegetables in used laundry water, dodges giant praying mantises (Kamacuras, native to the island), and sees a cute native girl swimming in the ocean (no one believes him).
The day of the experiment arrives, but something goes wrong - interference interrupts the weather control system, causing massive storms and an unbearable heatwave. The storms have uncovered a giant egg, which the Kamacuras (there are three of them) feel they have to assault. Out of the egg hatches Minilla (sometimes known as Minya), the son of Godzilla. Then daddy arrives and kills two of the Kamacuras, driving off the third. He then stomps away while Minilla makes pathetic little donkey/whiny noises). The native girl (Saeko) takes pity on the kid and feeds him some melons until daddy returns. Minilla climbs onto his tail (cute), and father and son head off together.
Saeko, now with Goro and the stranded scientists (their radio is out), is discovered to be the daughter of a long-dead archaeologist who was studying the island. When the last remaining Kamacuras attacks them, they all head into the caves where Saeko has been living all of her life, take shelter, and try to fix the radio.
After a too-cute scene where Minilla plays jumprope with dad's tail and has a temper tantrum, we return to the scientists, who are coming down with a nasty illness, so Saeko takes Goro to collect some healing red water from a nearby pool. On the way they pass by the lair of Kumonga, a giant spider, who seems to be stirring. "This really is a monster island," says Goro.
Godzilla, meanwhile, teaches little Minilla how to emit a "roar of challenge" and use his fire breath. Unfortunately, Minilla can only blow smoke rings, unless under duress (like when dad stomps on his tail). In case you can't tell, this is a kid-oriented movie.
Saeko, while out gathering herbs, is attacked by the mantis Kamacuras. Minilla comes to the rescue and fends him off, but the fighting wakes the ill-tempered spider Kumonga, who goes after the humans when the father/son lizards are gone. Kumonga eventually goes after Minilla, subduing him with his sticky web.
The rescue ship arrives for the scientists, but before they go, they decide to run the experiment again and freeze the island, for some reason (the interference was caused by Minilla in the egg, calling for daddy, but now that's gone). While they scramble to start their machines, Kumonga fights Kamacuras, spider versus mantis. The spider wins, killing the big bug with its poison stinger.
Godzilla finally arrives to save his son from the evil spider, and a big battle ensues. In a very weirdly shot sequence, Godzilla gets stung in the eye by Kumonga, but it doesn't faze him. Father and son team up to take on the arachnid and, in the end, they fry him up with simultaneous blasts of flame breath.
As the Good Guys sail away on the rescue ship, the experiment runs and Sollgel Island goes into deep-freeze. Godzilla and Minilla huddle together for warmth, but "don't worry", says the Lead Scientist! The freeze is only temporary, and they'll thaw out just fine. Still, it kind of feels like a sad ending. It's kind of strange.
This was one of my favorite Godzilla movies when I was a kid. Nowadays, not so much. It's fun and full of plenty of monster action, but it wasn't made for old farts like me. Minilla is cloying. Nonetheless, I'm still a bit fond of this one, despite the goofy music and the cartoony word balloons. You may notice that Godzilla's look was changed for this movie. I think he's supposed to look more paternal, I guess, but his head just looks like a frog's head, to me.
Kamacuras (mantis) and Kumonga (spider) would return in "Destroy All Monsters", "All Monsters Attack" and "Godzilla: Final Wars". Minilla also comes back in those three movies, as well as "Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II", 'Godzilla vs Space Godzilla" and "Godzilla vs Destroyah".
Also of note - both of these movies were not released in theaters in the United States, they went directly to television. But all of the following movies were released in theaters, so go figure.
Next time, it's the ultimate monster mash of Godzilla, Series 1 - "Destroy All Monsters" is here!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
The Baker's Dozen of Evil: 13 Horror Movies For Halloween
Here are thirteen horror movies that I've watched this past month. Actually, I've watched many more movies than this, but thirteen sounds like a nice number to settle on, for a Halloween-themed blog. If there is some sort of cohesive theme to this list, I'd say it's best defined by the word "roller coaster". Each one on these is a roller coaster ride of spooky goodness.
A couple of these movies I watch on an annual basis. They will be marked with a scary devil face symbol, like this: >:^D
The Thing (1982) >:^D
This is John Carpenter's classic adaptation of John W. Campbell's short story "Who Goes There?", and scary movies don't get much better than this. Moody, tense, and full of jaw-dropping pre-CGI special effects, this story of a shape shifting alien being which infiltrates and fosters paranoia within an Antarctic outpost is still scary after all these years. The musical score is chilling all on its own, even without the atmospheric visuals, and it features one of the best performances ever by a canine actor (bad dog!). And check out Kurt Russell's ridiculous hat, for Halloween costume ideas!
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
I can't make a list like this without adding at least one horror movie classic from Universal Pictures! Actually, this one's a comedy, but the monsters are never made fun of and are played 100% straight. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello play two bumbling shipping clerks who deliver a crate containing the Frankenstein's Monster (Glenn Strange, in his 3rd time playing the character) to a wax museum and end up becoming embroiled in a monster melee involving Frank, Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi, in his 2nd and only portrayal), and the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney, Jr, his 5th go-round). Vincent Price also makes a cameo as the Invisible Man. It's classic, fun stuff.
[REC] (2007)
My favorite movie in the whole "found footage", through-the-lens-of-a-video-camera (a.k.a. "shaky-cam") genre, [REC] follows a spunky Spanish late-night T.V. host (played by Manuela Velasco) as she rides with a group of firefighters on a call to a apartment complex. Soon they're all quarantined inside by the CDC while a virus spreads amongst the residents, turning them into raving madmen. The point of view from the camera lens creates a real roller coaster effect for the viewers. The scares are punchy, the sounds effects are super creepy, the explanation for the virus is wholly original and cool, and the final night vision sequence is still one of the scariest scenes I've ever beheld. There is an American remake called "Quarantine", which pales in comparison, even thought it is, shot-for-shot, nearly the same movie (plus, they changed the spooky origin of the virus, turning it into "super-rabies" - lame). The sequel [REC]2 is nearly as good, so check it out for more fun. And [REC]3 looks spectacular (arrives March 2012).
Dawn of the Dead (1979) >:^D
George A. Romero's undisputed classic, and still the best zombie movie of all time, "Dawn of the Dead" follows a quartet of zombie apocalypse survivors as they shack up in a mall, where they must defend themselves from the dead, the living, and even their own self-destructive consumerist natures. Fun and frightening, with lots of brains and heart, and also featuring the groundbreaking special effects of Tom Savini - this movie is the definitive zombie flick. Not even the many sequels or the 2004 remake can touch it. "We got this, man! We got this by the ass!"
The Gate (1987)
This is one of the best kid-oriented horror movies you'll find, but the funny thing is, if it was released in theaters today, it would most likely be rated R (it was PG-13 back in '87). Set in a quiet suburban neighborhood, an uprooted old tree and an ill-timed pet burial in the exact same spot nudges open the gates of hell, and now the Old Ones need only two human sacrifices to begin their new reign on Earth, and young Stephen Dorff and friends are the only ones who can stop them. Atmospheric, weird, and chock full of funhouse energy, '80s styles, and loopy kid-logic (the kids figure out what the demons are up to by reading the inside cover of a heavy metal record!), the movie appeals to the scared little kid who crouches inside everyone's soul. And those little mini-demons, with their slack jawed mouths and black eyes, still make my skin crawl.
The Devil Rides Out (1968)
I just discovered this movie about three months ago, and it very well might become a Halloween tradition of mine. Christopher Lee is our protagonist, Duc de Richleau (and when Christopher Lee is the good guy, the bad guy must be really bad), who discovers that an old friend of his is involved with a Satanic cult. Now Duc must battle the evil cult leader for his friend's soul. Produced by the British horror masters at Hammer Studios, and directed by legend Terence Fisher, this movie is based on a novel by Dennis Wheatley (there's a whole series of Duc de Richleau novels). It's fast paced and full of accurate Satanic lore, with a few uber-creepy sequences, and featuring a dashing, powerful performance by Lee (one of his best, I think). Some of the special effects are hokey, but they don't interfere with the story (this is one of the few classic movies I think would benefit from a remake). Awesome movie.
Evil Dead 2 (1987) >:^D
You really don't need to see the original "Evil Dead", because the first 15-20 minutes of "Evil Dead 2" is basically a mini-remake of the first movie (although you still should see it). Director Sam Raimi's superior sequel adds a dash of Three Stooges-style mania to his gore-ific demon fest, as Ash (Bruce Campbell) and his girlfriend, on a romantic getaway in a remote cabin, accidentally unleash ancient forest demons who like to possess and torment the living. Soon, with the aid of some other hapless souls, they figure out a way to end the horror once and for all. This is the movie that made Bruce Campbell a cult legend, and Raimi's bravura camerawork and over the top gory/cartoony mayhem culminated in one of the most crazy fun horror films of all time. And the unforgettable, ironic ending led to the equally cult classic (but less gory) sequel, "Army of Darkness". Whatever you do, don't let your hand get possessed by a nasty demon from hell -
Kairo (Pulse) (2001)
During the Japanese horror movie boom of the late '90s early '00s, there were plenty of effectively scary ghost movies ("The Ring", "The Grudge", "Dark Water", "One Missed Call", etc), but the scariest, to me, was "Kairo". Remade in the U.S. in 2006 (the utterly awful "Pulse"), Kiyoshi Kurosawa's film is about ghosts breaking into our world through the internet, isolating us, sapping our will, and taking everything we are, leaving only a stain of black ash where our bodies used to be. It's about isolationism and the dehumanization of the modern age, wrapped in good, old fashioned scare techniques, subtle special effects, apocalyptic mania, and accompanied by the most hair-raising sound design I've ever heard in a movie. The ultimate reason for the ghostly activities is cool, so hang onto the people you love and try not to despair, because technology will ultimately lead us to our doom. Happy Halloween!
Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Since they're not a part of George Romero's series of undead movies, these zombies like to move fast and dine exclusively on human brains. A mixture of humor, EC Comics-style grue, and punk rock music, Dan O'Bannon's "Return of the Living Dead" focuses on ghouls raised by a government-created toxic chemical (Trioxin), and the incredibly colorful cast of characters who must do battle with them. They also can't be killed by being shot in the head - they must be utterly destroyed. And they can talk Full of wit, inventive special effects, fun performances, and shot through-and-through with rebellious punk rock sensibilities, this is one of the few zombie movies to rank as highly in "fun factor" as "Dawn of the Dead". None of the four sequels lives up to this one (although "Return of the Living Dead 3" has its moments).
Psycho (1960) >:^D
Confession time - I've never been scared by "Psycho". Not even by the infamous shower scene. But that doesn't matter, 'cuz it's still a hell of a fun, deviant ride. Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller about a woman on the run who stops at the wrong motel, has been ripped off hundreds of times, but his directorial style and the playful sense of mischief feel fresh every time I see it. Janet Leigh is perfect as the young ingenue, but when Anthony Perkins (as Norman Bates) takes center stage during the second half of the movie, that's when it takes off. He's both sympathetic and menacing at the same time - a masterful performance of nervous energy. Combined with Hitch's directorial style and the moody black and white cinematography (as well as Bernard Hermann's jittery score), it all comes together as a classic slice of American retro horror. A couple of the sequels were good, but stay far away from the 1998 remake, which has Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates. Vince Vaughn? Really??
Murder Party (2007) >:^D
Now we're down to the final three, and I've saved the most Halloween-themed movies for last. "Murder Party" is a little independent flick from a couple of years ago that's become a holiday favorite of mine. When loner Chris literally stumbles across an invitation to something called a Murder Party, he dons his costume (a suit of armor made of cardboard), bakes some pumpkin bread, and foolishly decides to attend. Whaddaya know, the hosts of the party are all self-obsessed artsy types who want to kill him as part of an art project, in order to obtain a grant. This movie is not scary, it's actually more of a comedy with some twisted/gory bits. It's charming in its own way, with plenty of Monty Python-style influences, and because it's set during Halloween, it's perfect holiday viewing! And it shares my utter contempt of pretentious, snide arthouse types.
Trick 'r Treat (2007) >:^D
A 100% Halloween saturated movie, this Bryan Singer-produced, Michael Dougherty-directed spookfest was unfairly ignored by it's distributor and didn't get a theatrical release - but it should have. Every single Halloween trope is touched upon in this movie, an anthology film of sorts featuring five different storylines which intersect during one particularly busy and chaotic Halloween night. The movie feels like a great episode of "Tales From the Crypt" - it's infused through-and-through with very dark, playful humor and energetic direction. And it's dripping with love for the holiday. It's loosely based on a short animated film by Dougherty, and the final (and best) act of the movie features the main creature from that film, Sam, a creepy little dude who punishes all those who disrespect Halloween tradition. It's a perfect movie for the holiday.
Halloween (1978) >:^D
Duh. Still the best. John Carpenter rules.
Happy Halloween, everybody!
A couple of these movies I watch on an annual basis. They will be marked with a scary devil face symbol, like this: >:^D
The Thing (1982) >:^D
This is John Carpenter's classic adaptation of John W. Campbell's short story "Who Goes There?", and scary movies don't get much better than this. Moody, tense, and full of jaw-dropping pre-CGI special effects, this story of a shape shifting alien being which infiltrates and fosters paranoia within an Antarctic outpost is still scary after all these years. The musical score is chilling all on its own, even without the atmospheric visuals, and it features one of the best performances ever by a canine actor (bad dog!). And check out Kurt Russell's ridiculous hat, for Halloween costume ideas!
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
I can't make a list like this without adding at least one horror movie classic from Universal Pictures! Actually, this one's a comedy, but the monsters are never made fun of and are played 100% straight. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello play two bumbling shipping clerks who deliver a crate containing the Frankenstein's Monster (Glenn Strange, in his 3rd time playing the character) to a wax museum and end up becoming embroiled in a monster melee involving Frank, Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi, in his 2nd and only portrayal), and the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney, Jr, his 5th go-round). Vincent Price also makes a cameo as the Invisible Man. It's classic, fun stuff.
[REC] (2007)
My favorite movie in the whole "found footage", through-the-lens-of-a-video-camera (a.k.a. "shaky-cam") genre, [REC] follows a spunky Spanish late-night T.V. host (played by Manuela Velasco) as she rides with a group of firefighters on a call to a apartment complex. Soon they're all quarantined inside by the CDC while a virus spreads amongst the residents, turning them into raving madmen. The point of view from the camera lens creates a real roller coaster effect for the viewers. The scares are punchy, the sounds effects are super creepy, the explanation for the virus is wholly original and cool, and the final night vision sequence is still one of the scariest scenes I've ever beheld. There is an American remake called "Quarantine", which pales in comparison, even thought it is, shot-for-shot, nearly the same movie (plus, they changed the spooky origin of the virus, turning it into "super-rabies" - lame). The sequel [REC]2 is nearly as good, so check it out for more fun. And [REC]3 looks spectacular (arrives March 2012).
Dawn of the Dead (1979) >:^D
George A. Romero's undisputed classic, and still the best zombie movie of all time, "Dawn of the Dead" follows a quartet of zombie apocalypse survivors as they shack up in a mall, where they must defend themselves from the dead, the living, and even their own self-destructive consumerist natures. Fun and frightening, with lots of brains and heart, and also featuring the groundbreaking special effects of Tom Savini - this movie is the definitive zombie flick. Not even the many sequels or the 2004 remake can touch it. "We got this, man! We got this by the ass!"
The Gate (1987)
This is one of the best kid-oriented horror movies you'll find, but the funny thing is, if it was released in theaters today, it would most likely be rated R (it was PG-13 back in '87). Set in a quiet suburban neighborhood, an uprooted old tree and an ill-timed pet burial in the exact same spot nudges open the gates of hell, and now the Old Ones need only two human sacrifices to begin their new reign on Earth, and young Stephen Dorff and friends are the only ones who can stop them. Atmospheric, weird, and chock full of funhouse energy, '80s styles, and loopy kid-logic (the kids figure out what the demons are up to by reading the inside cover of a heavy metal record!), the movie appeals to the scared little kid who crouches inside everyone's soul. And those little mini-demons, with their slack jawed mouths and black eyes, still make my skin crawl.
The Devil Rides Out (1968)
I just discovered this movie about three months ago, and it very well might become a Halloween tradition of mine. Christopher Lee is our protagonist, Duc de Richleau (and when Christopher Lee is the good guy, the bad guy must be really bad), who discovers that an old friend of his is involved with a Satanic cult. Now Duc must battle the evil cult leader for his friend's soul. Produced by the British horror masters at Hammer Studios, and directed by legend Terence Fisher, this movie is based on a novel by Dennis Wheatley (there's a whole series of Duc de Richleau novels). It's fast paced and full of accurate Satanic lore, with a few uber-creepy sequences, and featuring a dashing, powerful performance by Lee (one of his best, I think). Some of the special effects are hokey, but they don't interfere with the story (this is one of the few classic movies I think would benefit from a remake). Awesome movie.
Evil Dead 2 (1987) >:^D
You really don't need to see the original "Evil Dead", because the first 15-20 minutes of "Evil Dead 2" is basically a mini-remake of the first movie (although you still should see it). Director Sam Raimi's superior sequel adds a dash of Three Stooges-style mania to his gore-ific demon fest, as Ash (Bruce Campbell) and his girlfriend, on a romantic getaway in a remote cabin, accidentally unleash ancient forest demons who like to possess and torment the living. Soon, with the aid of some other hapless souls, they figure out a way to end the horror once and for all. This is the movie that made Bruce Campbell a cult legend, and Raimi's bravura camerawork and over the top gory/cartoony mayhem culminated in one of the most crazy fun horror films of all time. And the unforgettable, ironic ending led to the equally cult classic (but less gory) sequel, "Army of Darkness". Whatever you do, don't let your hand get possessed by a nasty demon from hell -
Kairo (Pulse) (2001)
During the Japanese horror movie boom of the late '90s early '00s, there were plenty of effectively scary ghost movies ("The Ring", "The Grudge", "Dark Water", "One Missed Call", etc), but the scariest, to me, was "Kairo". Remade in the U.S. in 2006 (the utterly awful "Pulse"), Kiyoshi Kurosawa's film is about ghosts breaking into our world through the internet, isolating us, sapping our will, and taking everything we are, leaving only a stain of black ash where our bodies used to be. It's about isolationism and the dehumanization of the modern age, wrapped in good, old fashioned scare techniques, subtle special effects, apocalyptic mania, and accompanied by the most hair-raising sound design I've ever heard in a movie. The ultimate reason for the ghostly activities is cool, so hang onto the people you love and try not to despair, because technology will ultimately lead us to our doom. Happy Halloween!
Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Since they're not a part of George Romero's series of undead movies, these zombies like to move fast and dine exclusively on human brains. A mixture of humor, EC Comics-style grue, and punk rock music, Dan O'Bannon's "Return of the Living Dead" focuses on ghouls raised by a government-created toxic chemical (Trioxin), and the incredibly colorful cast of characters who must do battle with them. They also can't be killed by being shot in the head - they must be utterly destroyed. And they can talk Full of wit, inventive special effects, fun performances, and shot through-and-through with rebellious punk rock sensibilities, this is one of the few zombie movies to rank as highly in "fun factor" as "Dawn of the Dead". None of the four sequels lives up to this one (although "Return of the Living Dead 3" has its moments).
Psycho (1960) >:^D
Confession time - I've never been scared by "Psycho". Not even by the infamous shower scene. But that doesn't matter, 'cuz it's still a hell of a fun, deviant ride. Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller about a woman on the run who stops at the wrong motel, has been ripped off hundreds of times, but his directorial style and the playful sense of mischief feel fresh every time I see it. Janet Leigh is perfect as the young ingenue, but when Anthony Perkins (as Norman Bates) takes center stage during the second half of the movie, that's when it takes off. He's both sympathetic and menacing at the same time - a masterful performance of nervous energy. Combined with Hitch's directorial style and the moody black and white cinematography (as well as Bernard Hermann's jittery score), it all comes together as a classic slice of American retro horror. A couple of the sequels were good, but stay far away from the 1998 remake, which has Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates. Vince Vaughn? Really??
Murder Party (2007) >:^D
Now we're down to the final three, and I've saved the most Halloween-themed movies for last. "Murder Party" is a little independent flick from a couple of years ago that's become a holiday favorite of mine. When loner Chris literally stumbles across an invitation to something called a Murder Party, he dons his costume (a suit of armor made of cardboard), bakes some pumpkin bread, and foolishly decides to attend. Whaddaya know, the hosts of the party are all self-obsessed artsy types who want to kill him as part of an art project, in order to obtain a grant. This movie is not scary, it's actually more of a comedy with some twisted/gory bits. It's charming in its own way, with plenty of Monty Python-style influences, and because it's set during Halloween, it's perfect holiday viewing! And it shares my utter contempt of pretentious, snide arthouse types.
Trick 'r Treat (2007) >:^D
A 100% Halloween saturated movie, this Bryan Singer-produced, Michael Dougherty-directed spookfest was unfairly ignored by it's distributor and didn't get a theatrical release - but it should have. Every single Halloween trope is touched upon in this movie, an anthology film of sorts featuring five different storylines which intersect during one particularly busy and chaotic Halloween night. The movie feels like a great episode of "Tales From the Crypt" - it's infused through-and-through with very dark, playful humor and energetic direction. And it's dripping with love for the holiday. It's loosely based on a short animated film by Dougherty, and the final (and best) act of the movie features the main creature from that film, Sam, a creepy little dude who punishes all those who disrespect Halloween tradition. It's a perfect movie for the holiday.
Halloween (1978) >:^D
Duh. Still the best. John Carpenter rules.
Happy Halloween, everybody!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
The Dead Paranormal Activity Thing 3
Here's a little roundup of some (okay, three) scary movies that I've seen in the past couple of weeks -
The Dead
Another day, another zombie movie. And it's pretty solid.
Set in present-day Africa during the inevitable zombie apocalypse, a plane carrying U.S. aid workers crashes into the ocean during evacuation. The only survivor is an engineer, who must brave the undead-infested countryside to reach the nearest airbase, where he hopes to be able to find an aircraft to take him back to America and to his family. Along the way, he teams up with an African soldier, who's on his way to the same base to find his son. What follows is a kind of buddy movie, as the duo must battle not only the zombie menace, but the harsh environment as well.
Like I said earlier, it's a solid movie, straight-up and serious. Setting the movie in Africa gives it a nice flavor, unique to this particular horror sub genre, with a moody African-tinged musical score, plenty of epic scenery and lots of local color. Storywise, there's not much originality. It follows the classic George Romero zombie rules (slow-moving, infectious bites, shoot 'em in the head, yadda yadda) and fits in well with that series of movies. The acting is hit-or-miss, but the gory special effects are well done and there are a couple of creepy standout sequences, one in particular where a character hides up in a tree while zombies slowly shamble past beneath him. The directors of the film, the Ford Brothers, apparently went through hell to get this film made, nearly losing their lives on a couple of occasions. If there's a Making-Of documentary on the DVD, that would make it worth purchasing all on its own, but the movie's well worth a look, too.
The Thing (2011)
First came the short story "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell, about a shape shifting alien in the Antarctic who infiltrates a scientific outpost, imitates the locals, and causes much paranoia and chaos. It was adapted into a movie in the '50s as "The Thing From Another World", directed by Howard Hawks. It left out the whole shape shifting aspect and made the alien a 7 ft-tall humanoid plant, but is still classic, B-movie fun. In 1982, horrormeister John Carpenter re-adapted the short story, bringing back all the shape shifting stuff and adding Kurt Russell. At the time, the movie was hated by most film critics and was a major box office flop. Now, 30 years later, it's considered to be one of the finest horror movies ever made (I agree). There was an official video game sequel for PlayStation 2, produced by John Carpenter and also called "The Thing". It was was scary good, and a nice expansion of the '82 movie. Currently in theaters is a prequel to the '82 movie, also called "The Thing". Directed by Mathis von Heiningen, the movie extols the fate of the Norwegian camp, who originally dig the Thing out of the ice and are overcome by it before it heads out to bother Kurt Russell and the American outpost in John Carpenter's film.
It's an okay movie. Mary Elizabeth Bastard, um, I mean Winstead, plays an American paleontologist who is hired by the Norwegians to study the Thing, until it begins imitating people and causing mayhem, trying to get to the mainland where it can absorb and copy as many people as it wants. This movie is a prequel, but sometimes feels like a remake, since many scenes come across as slightly faded Xerox copies of scenes from the '82 version. Adding a female main character to the mix doesn't really change any story dynamics - I just thank God they didn't add an unneeded, cliche love story - but it's always good to see Winstead on screen (she's a highly underrated actress, in my opinion). The other actors do fine jobs with what little character development they get (the '82 crew was much more well-defined), but the filmmakers try hard to recapture the magic of the Carpenter film, and succeed to a certain degree (the music is alright, especially when the music from the '82 film makes its return). The film's plot dovetails nicely into the beginning of the '82 movie, and the combination of CGI with animatronic special effects works extremely well sometimes, not so well at other times (it's too well-lit). All-in-all, the movie is a decent monsterfest, nowhere near as good as the Carpenter version (or the Hawks version), but not bad, either. And, true to form, it's currently being hated my most critics and is flopping hard at the box office.
Paranormal Activity 3
Another prequel. Okay, "Paranormal Activity 2" was mostly a prequel as well, because it largely takes place just before the events of the original. Part 3 takes place 18 years before the original and follows sisters Katie and Kristi as little kids, unveiling the origins of how the unseen demon first came to be linked to the girls in the first place. Their step dad conveniently happens to work in the realm of videotape editing, so he sets up a couple of old school video cameras to record the paranormal events that begin occurring around their normal suburban home (who knew that old-time VHS tapes could record in Hi-Def as well as widescreen!). And did I mention that young Kristi has an imaginary friend named Toby. . .
This is the weakest of the the three PA's, but to leave it at that would be a disservice. It's still a pretty damn good "found footage" flick. Sure, it's the same old shtick as the other ones, but there are some very well done scares in this movie, even though a couple of the best ones are "false scares". In particular, I enjoyed the Bloody Mary scene (different from the one in the trailer) and the whole person-under-a-sheet-pretending-to-be-a-ghost bit. Good 'ol funhouse scares. The step dad even attaches the camera to an oscillating fan mount, so that, as the camera turns from side to side, we eagerly (and agonizingly) await for something spooky to enter our view - an awesome idea! Heck, this movie even exploits the inherent creepiness of Teddy Ruxpin! The actors all seem to give more naturalistic performances in this movie than the actors in the previous films. Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (makers of the good documentary "Catfish") apparently brought their doc knowledge to bear. The big problem with this movie comes with the end sequence (which I won't give away). What could have been a great cat-and-mouse suspense scene turn out to be more maddening than creepy. Okay, so you're being chased - why wouldn't you put down the enormous VHS camera and, more importantly, SHUT OFF THE BLARING CAMERA LIGHT, especially when you're trying to hide. I know, I know, because then we wouldn't be able to see what's going on. Yeah, okay, but it's still annoying. The movie ends with a rather painful looking death, but it feels a bit unsatisfying, probably because there are still some questions lingering in mind. What about the house fire? What exactly happened to their mother, and how come they talk about her in Parts 1 and 2 as if she was still around? What about Katie and Hunter? What about the origins of the "cult"? Who took the box of video tapes, and, more importantly, who found them and edited them into movie form? Will there be another prequel where Thomas Edison, with the prototype film camera, records some paranormal activity and discovers the very beginnings of the "deal with the demon"? No, that would be silly - so I say "go for it"!
While I felt that it was (overall) the most unsatisfying of the three PA's, it's still a pretty good scare flick. There is going to be a Part 4, guaranteed, so maybe all my questions will be answered there. Or not, we'll see.
The Dead
Another day, another zombie movie. And it's pretty solid.
Set in present-day Africa during the inevitable zombie apocalypse, a plane carrying U.S. aid workers crashes into the ocean during evacuation. The only survivor is an engineer, who must brave the undead-infested countryside to reach the nearest airbase, where he hopes to be able to find an aircraft to take him back to America and to his family. Along the way, he teams up with an African soldier, who's on his way to the same base to find his son. What follows is a kind of buddy movie, as the duo must battle not only the zombie menace, but the harsh environment as well.
Like I said earlier, it's a solid movie, straight-up and serious. Setting the movie in Africa gives it a nice flavor, unique to this particular horror sub genre, with a moody African-tinged musical score, plenty of epic scenery and lots of local color. Storywise, there's not much originality. It follows the classic George Romero zombie rules (slow-moving, infectious bites, shoot 'em in the head, yadda yadda) and fits in well with that series of movies. The acting is hit-or-miss, but the gory special effects are well done and there are a couple of creepy standout sequences, one in particular where a character hides up in a tree while zombies slowly shamble past beneath him. The directors of the film, the Ford Brothers, apparently went through hell to get this film made, nearly losing their lives on a couple of occasions. If there's a Making-Of documentary on the DVD, that would make it worth purchasing all on its own, but the movie's well worth a look, too.
The Thing (2011)
First came the short story "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell, about a shape shifting alien in the Antarctic who infiltrates a scientific outpost, imitates the locals, and causes much paranoia and chaos. It was adapted into a movie in the '50s as "The Thing From Another World", directed by Howard Hawks. It left out the whole shape shifting aspect and made the alien a 7 ft-tall humanoid plant, but is still classic, B-movie fun. In 1982, horrormeister John Carpenter re-adapted the short story, bringing back all the shape shifting stuff and adding Kurt Russell. At the time, the movie was hated by most film critics and was a major box office flop. Now, 30 years later, it's considered to be one of the finest horror movies ever made (I agree). There was an official video game sequel for PlayStation 2, produced by John Carpenter and also called "The Thing". It was was scary good, and a nice expansion of the '82 movie. Currently in theaters is a prequel to the '82 movie, also called "The Thing". Directed by Mathis von Heiningen, the movie extols the fate of the Norwegian camp, who originally dig the Thing out of the ice and are overcome by it before it heads out to bother Kurt Russell and the American outpost in John Carpenter's film.
It's an okay movie. Mary Elizabeth Bastard, um, I mean Winstead, plays an American paleontologist who is hired by the Norwegians to study the Thing, until it begins imitating people and causing mayhem, trying to get to the mainland where it can absorb and copy as many people as it wants. This movie is a prequel, but sometimes feels like a remake, since many scenes come across as slightly faded Xerox copies of scenes from the '82 version. Adding a female main character to the mix doesn't really change any story dynamics - I just thank God they didn't add an unneeded, cliche love story - but it's always good to see Winstead on screen (she's a highly underrated actress, in my opinion). The other actors do fine jobs with what little character development they get (the '82 crew was much more well-defined), but the filmmakers try hard to recapture the magic of the Carpenter film, and succeed to a certain degree (the music is alright, especially when the music from the '82 film makes its return). The film's plot dovetails nicely into the beginning of the '82 movie, and the combination of CGI with animatronic special effects works extremely well sometimes, not so well at other times (it's too well-lit). All-in-all, the movie is a decent monsterfest, nowhere near as good as the Carpenter version (or the Hawks version), but not bad, either. And, true to form, it's currently being hated my most critics and is flopping hard at the box office.
Paranormal Activity 3
Another prequel. Okay, "Paranormal Activity 2" was mostly a prequel as well, because it largely takes place just before the events of the original. Part 3 takes place 18 years before the original and follows sisters Katie and Kristi as little kids, unveiling the origins of how the unseen demon first came to be linked to the girls in the first place. Their step dad conveniently happens to work in the realm of videotape editing, so he sets up a couple of old school video cameras to record the paranormal events that begin occurring around their normal suburban home (who knew that old-time VHS tapes could record in Hi-Def as well as widescreen!). And did I mention that young Kristi has an imaginary friend named Toby. . .
This is the weakest of the the three PA's, but to leave it at that would be a disservice. It's still a pretty damn good "found footage" flick. Sure, it's the same old shtick as the other ones, but there are some very well done scares in this movie, even though a couple of the best ones are "false scares". In particular, I enjoyed the Bloody Mary scene (different from the one in the trailer) and the whole person-under-a-sheet-pretending-to-be-a-ghost bit. Good 'ol funhouse scares. The step dad even attaches the camera to an oscillating fan mount, so that, as the camera turns from side to side, we eagerly (and agonizingly) await for something spooky to enter our view - an awesome idea! Heck, this movie even exploits the inherent creepiness of Teddy Ruxpin! The actors all seem to give more naturalistic performances in this movie than the actors in the previous films. Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (makers of the good documentary "Catfish") apparently brought their doc knowledge to bear. The big problem with this movie comes with the end sequence (which I won't give away). What could have been a great cat-and-mouse suspense scene turn out to be more maddening than creepy. Okay, so you're being chased - why wouldn't you put down the enormous VHS camera and, more importantly, SHUT OFF THE BLARING CAMERA LIGHT, especially when you're trying to hide. I know, I know, because then we wouldn't be able to see what's going on. Yeah, okay, but it's still annoying. The movie ends with a rather painful looking death, but it feels a bit unsatisfying, probably because there are still some questions lingering in mind. What about the house fire? What exactly happened to their mother, and how come they talk about her in Parts 1 and 2 as if she was still around? What about Katie and Hunter? What about the origins of the "cult"? Who took the box of video tapes, and, more importantly, who found them and edited them into movie form? Will there be another prequel where Thomas Edison, with the prototype film camera, records some paranormal activity and discovers the very beginnings of the "deal with the demon"? No, that would be silly - so I say "go for it"!
While I felt that it was (overall) the most unsatisfying of the three PA's, it's still a pretty good scare flick. There is going to be a Part 4, guaranteed, so maybe all my questions will be answered there. Or not, we'll see.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
The Wrath of Godzilla, Part 7: The Resurrection and the Life
After Toho gained the rights to Willis O'Brien's script "King Kong vs Frankenstein", the studio decided to replace Frankenstein's monster with their own homegrown villain, Godzilla, thus giving rise to "King Kong vs Godzilla" (see Wrath of Godzilla, Part 4). Not being ones to let a good monster go to waste, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka (the man behind the kaiju), decided that Toho's next picture would center around ol' flat-top himself, and thus. . .
Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965)
. . .was born. Or reborn, I suppose.
Also known as "Frankenstein vs Baragon", the action begins during the final years of World War II. Nazi soldiers barge into the German laboratory of a madly overacting scientist and swipe the still-beating heart of Frankenstein's monster from its petrie dish cradle. See, this movie is sort of a sequel to the classic "Frankenstein" films produced by Universal studios in the 30's and 40's. Toho was never shy about wearing their influences on their sleeve ("King Kong", "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms"), and this was definitely no exception. Those movies were largely set in Germany, and after getting killed multiple times by torch-wielding peasants and returning from the dead alive and kicking an equal number of times, it seems logical to assume that those dang Nazis would show an interest in Dr. Frankenstein's creation. See, they want to create an army of undead soldiers, so they ship Frank's heart off to scientists in Japan to begin work. Unfortunately, these scientists live and work in Hiroshima. Whoops. Kaboom.
Cut to 15 years later, which would mean that this movie is set in the year 1960. A trio of scientists, led by American actor Nick Adams as Dr. Bowen (Adams starred in "Invasion of the Astro Monsters", also released in 1965), are in Hiroshima studying the aftereffects of the atomic bomb drop. They soon encounter a mysterious homeless kid who's been running around the city eating dogs and rabbits (there were many such orphan "waifs" roaming the city after the bombing). They corner him in some caves and, after realizing that he'd survived all these years after facing the direct force of the bomb, decide to take him back to the lab for study. The characters point out that he's Caucasian, even though he's clearly played (rather well) by a Japanese actor. He also has a weird flat-top head and can speak only in grunts.
Meanwhile, in another movie, a giant prehistoric subterranean beast named Baragon decides to pop up and destroy an oil field. He can tunnel through the earth at lightning speed, shoot a red energy beam, sports a glowing unicorn horn, and has big ears. Back in the original movie, Frankenstein grows at an incredible rate, develops a crush on scientist Dr. Togami (played by Kumi Mizuno, who was also in "Invasion of the Astro Monsters", playing the alien gf of Nick Adams), and throws a T.V. out of a window because he doesn't the show (hippie teens dancing to hippie music).
Alright, about this whole name thing. . .
Technically, it's not Frankenstein, it's Frankenstein's Monster. He's the creation of Dr. Henry (Victor, in the original Mary Shelley novel) Frankenstein. However, over the years, the monster himself has erroneously become labeled "Frankenstein". I will help perpetuate this mistake, mostly because that's how this movie refers to him. Also, in the rival "Gamera" films produced by Daiei Studios, there is a monster called Barugon (this one has a "u" instead of an "a"). Frankly, Daiei's Barugon is cooler than Toho's Baragon, but I'm not talking about those giant turtle movies right now - this is all about the Godzillaverse, baby!
So a Japanese scientist who was present during the exchange of Frankenstein's heart with the Nazis comes forward and identifies the homeless waif as The Monster. He reveals that The Monster can regenerate by ingesting lots of protein (i.e. meat) and that he will grow to huge proportions if he continues to eat as much as he is. Soon he outgrows the lab and needs to live in a zoo cage. Reporters arrive and snap some photos - the flashbulbs cause him to go Frankshit, so he tears his hand off to get out of his shackle and runs off into the wild. While the scientists study the still-living severed hand (it eventually dies because it gets no protein), Frankenstein eats cows, throws trees at birds, and lays pit traps for wild boars. In that other movie, Baragon interrupts hippie dance parties, stomps through a town, and chows down on some hard working miners.
Eventually the scientists find Frank in some local caves (actually, old ammo depots from WWII), and accidentally stir up Baragon instead. However, when Baragon threatens to crush his crush, Dr. Togami, Frankenstein leaps to the rescue and the battle begins! It's a rather exciting, energetic fight, primarily because the actor playing Frankenstein isn't wearing a heavy rubber suit and can leap around like an acrobat. The tussle moves to Mt. Fuji, where the beasts battle against the backdrop of a huge forest fire. In an interesting reversal, Frankenstein grabs a couple of burning trees, and, like the torches that angry peasants used to pester him with, uses them to fight off Baragon. Frank wins the fight by breaking Baragon's neck, and then a giant octopus crawls out of a nearby lake and drags Frankenstein underwater, wrapping up the story perfectly.
The End.
Um, wait. . .
Giant octopus? What did I miss here?
The American co-producers of this movie insisted that Toho insert a giant octopus into the ending of the movie. Why, you ask? Because the giant octopus that the big ape battled near the beginning of "King Kong vs Godzilla" got such a huge positive reaction from the American audience that the producers naturally assumed that octopi = box office gold, so. . . more octopi! In the original Japanese version, there's an earthquake and Frankenstein gets sucked underground. Both endings are copouts, but I prefer the octopus ending, just because it's random and weird and fits perfectly in a movie about a giant Frankenstein's Monster fighting a giant lizard/dog/unicorn.
Despite the addition of the octopus, the movie didn't catch on with American audiences. It was a huge international hit, however, and a sequel soon followed (keep reading). What can I say, it may be the strangest movie in the entire Godzilla universe. Still, it's fun in its own way. The whole Baragon plotline seems tacked on, but. . . well, the entire movie seems tacked on, really. The special effects are wild and the climactic fight scene kicks ass, so this one is definitely worth a look, even more so for fans of weird cinema. Baragon would return in both "Destroy All Monsters" (1968) and over three decades later in "Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack!" (2001). Frankenstein, or, at least, his progeny, would return in. . .
War of the Gargantuas (1966)
This was always my favorite non-Godzilla Toho movie when I was a kid. Until very recently, I never knew that this movie was a sequel, let alone had anything to do with Frankenstein. I guess that would explain the flat-top heads, though. Originally titled "Frankenstein's Monsters: Sanda vs Gaira", the American producers, after the U.S. box office failure of "Frankenstein Conquers the World", wisely decided to omit all references to Frankenstein and instead call the creatures Gargantuas. It worked, and "War of the Gargantuas" became a Stateside hit.
The film opens with a Japanese ship at sea getting attacked by - a giant octopus! I'm assuming that this is the same one from the end of "Frankenstein Conquers the World", maybe even from "King Kong vs Godzilla", which would make this Part 3 of the Octopus Trilogy. Another giant monster, this one hairy and green, arrives to beat the snot out the pesky cephalopod, then trashes the ship himself. A lone surviving crew member makes it to shore and fingers Frankenstein as the culprit. The government turns to the trio of scientists who raised Frankenstein in the first movie, who all have different names now, which is weird. Is this supposed to be a reboot? No, I think maybe they just changed their names to try and distance themselves from the Frankenstein fiasco. Didn't work.
The American scientist, previously played by Nick Adams, is played in this film by Russ Tamblyn ("Easy Rider", Dr. Jacoby from "Twin Peaks"). Adams was much more likable. Tamblyn comes across as a stuck up know-it-all. Kumi Mizuno returns as the female scientist, and the other guy is played by some other guy (Toho regular Kenji Sahara). The trio deny that the green monster in the sea is Frankenstein, especially after the beast trashes a coastal airport and eats a couple of people. This is a grotesque scene, where the monster chows down on a poor lady and then spits out her bloody, mangled clothes. Eww.
There's also been sightings of a giant, hairy gold-colored beast in the mountains. This one avoids humans and leaves giant footprints in the snow (the Abominable Snowman craze was all the rage at the time). The trio seems to think that this monster is more likely to be Frankenstein than the seagoing one.
After attacking a horrible lounge singer on a cruise ship, where it's discovered that he doesn't dig bright lights, the government decides to begin "Operation L" to counter the green guy's attacks. Operation L (for Laser) involves using giant mobile lasers, a.k.a. "Masers", to counterattack the beast. Masers were this movie's greatest contribution to the world of Godzilla. They would be used several times in Toho movies in the upcoming decades, becoming one of the most popular "mecha" creations in the Toho Universe. Operation L is a runaway success, and just as the final killing blow is about to be delivered by their Masers, the gold beast shows up and takes his injured brother to safety.
The scientists confirm that both of the creatures are spawned from the cells of the original Frankenstein. Somehow the cells got some protein and grew into these new monsters. They name the green one Gaira and the gold one Sanda. The friendly one, Sanda, may be easier to control, but destroying Gaira could be a problem. If you blow the creature up, how many more will grow from the Gaira bits?
Sanda proves his good nature by saving the lovely female doctor from falling off of a cliff, breaking his leg as a result. He returns to his brother and finds that he's been snacking on hippie hikers (there's one shot early on where Gaira waits in the fog, stalking the hikers - very creepy and atmospheric), then beats the shit out of him with a tree. Gaira runs off to the ocean, then pops up at Tokyo later on, looking for human shaped protein bars. He threatens Ms. Mizuno, causing Sanda to intervene and try to convince his brother to leave the humans alone. Gaira refuses, and the fight is on! It's another great climactic fight, energetic (because the monster suits are more mobile) and exciting. The battle moves from the city to the ocean, where a giant cyborg Mecha-Octopus, controlled by aliens, shows up and kills both the Frankensteins!
Ha, ha, just kidding. What really happens is far less weird, but remarkably coincidental. An underwater volcano decides to erupt at that exact moment, and Sanda pulls his evil brother Gaira into the eruption, killing them both. The End.
I like this movie far more than "Frankenstein Conquers the World". It's less random, faster paced, there's more monster action, and the special effects are more well done. The actors who play Sanda and Gaira also get to perform in a couple of well-acted scenes, wordlessly conveying depth of character like the best actors of the Silent era. Needless to say, the team of Honda/Tsuburya/Ifubuke is responsible for both these movies, and they do their usual fine jobs, especially with "War of the Gargantuas". The Maser cannons would appear in many Godzilla movies to come, while only the monster Gaira would return, with a cameo appearance in "Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S." (2003). Like I said earlier, this was my favorite non-Godzilla flick from Toho, and I still think it's one of the best.
Next time, Godzilla returns - and there's a new addition to the family!
Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965)
. . .was born. Or reborn, I suppose.
Also known as "Frankenstein vs Baragon", the action begins during the final years of World War II. Nazi soldiers barge into the German laboratory of a madly overacting scientist and swipe the still-beating heart of Frankenstein's monster from its petrie dish cradle. See, this movie is sort of a sequel to the classic "Frankenstein" films produced by Universal studios in the 30's and 40's. Toho was never shy about wearing their influences on their sleeve ("King Kong", "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms"), and this was definitely no exception. Those movies were largely set in Germany, and after getting killed multiple times by torch-wielding peasants and returning from the dead alive and kicking an equal number of times, it seems logical to assume that those dang Nazis would show an interest in Dr. Frankenstein's creation. See, they want to create an army of undead soldiers, so they ship Frank's heart off to scientists in Japan to begin work. Unfortunately, these scientists live and work in Hiroshima. Whoops. Kaboom.
Cut to 15 years later, which would mean that this movie is set in the year 1960. A trio of scientists, led by American actor Nick Adams as Dr. Bowen (Adams starred in "Invasion of the Astro Monsters", also released in 1965), are in Hiroshima studying the aftereffects of the atomic bomb drop. They soon encounter a mysterious homeless kid who's been running around the city eating dogs and rabbits (there were many such orphan "waifs" roaming the city after the bombing). They corner him in some caves and, after realizing that he'd survived all these years after facing the direct force of the bomb, decide to take him back to the lab for study. The characters point out that he's Caucasian, even though he's clearly played (rather well) by a Japanese actor. He also has a weird flat-top head and can speak only in grunts.
Meanwhile, in another movie, a giant prehistoric subterranean beast named Baragon decides to pop up and destroy an oil field. He can tunnel through the earth at lightning speed, shoot a red energy beam, sports a glowing unicorn horn, and has big ears. Back in the original movie, Frankenstein grows at an incredible rate, develops a crush on scientist Dr. Togami (played by Kumi Mizuno, who was also in "Invasion of the Astro Monsters", playing the alien gf of Nick Adams), and throws a T.V. out of a window because he doesn't the show (hippie teens dancing to hippie music).
Alright, about this whole name thing. . .
Technically, it's not Frankenstein, it's Frankenstein's Monster. He's the creation of Dr. Henry (Victor, in the original Mary Shelley novel) Frankenstein. However, over the years, the monster himself has erroneously become labeled "Frankenstein". I will help perpetuate this mistake, mostly because that's how this movie refers to him. Also, in the rival "Gamera" films produced by Daiei Studios, there is a monster called Barugon (this one has a "u" instead of an "a"). Frankly, Daiei's Barugon is cooler than Toho's Baragon, but I'm not talking about those giant turtle movies right now - this is all about the Godzillaverse, baby!
So a Japanese scientist who was present during the exchange of Frankenstein's heart with the Nazis comes forward and identifies the homeless waif as The Monster. He reveals that The Monster can regenerate by ingesting lots of protein (i.e. meat) and that he will grow to huge proportions if he continues to eat as much as he is. Soon he outgrows the lab and needs to live in a zoo cage. Reporters arrive and snap some photos - the flashbulbs cause him to go Frankshit, so he tears his hand off to get out of his shackle and runs off into the wild. While the scientists study the still-living severed hand (it eventually dies because it gets no protein), Frankenstein eats cows, throws trees at birds, and lays pit traps for wild boars. In that other movie, Baragon interrupts hippie dance parties, stomps through a town, and chows down on some hard working miners.
Eventually the scientists find Frank in some local caves (actually, old ammo depots from WWII), and accidentally stir up Baragon instead. However, when Baragon threatens to crush his crush, Dr. Togami, Frankenstein leaps to the rescue and the battle begins! It's a rather exciting, energetic fight, primarily because the actor playing Frankenstein isn't wearing a heavy rubber suit and can leap around like an acrobat. The tussle moves to Mt. Fuji, where the beasts battle against the backdrop of a huge forest fire. In an interesting reversal, Frankenstein grabs a couple of burning trees, and, like the torches that angry peasants used to pester him with, uses them to fight off Baragon. Frank wins the fight by breaking Baragon's neck, and then a giant octopus crawls out of a nearby lake and drags Frankenstein underwater, wrapping up the story perfectly.
The End.
Um, wait. . .
Giant octopus? What did I miss here?
The American co-producers of this movie insisted that Toho insert a giant octopus into the ending of the movie. Why, you ask? Because the giant octopus that the big ape battled near the beginning of "King Kong vs Godzilla" got such a huge positive reaction from the American audience that the producers naturally assumed that octopi = box office gold, so. . . more octopi! In the original Japanese version, there's an earthquake and Frankenstein gets sucked underground. Both endings are copouts, but I prefer the octopus ending, just because it's random and weird and fits perfectly in a movie about a giant Frankenstein's Monster fighting a giant lizard/dog/unicorn.
Despite the addition of the octopus, the movie didn't catch on with American audiences. It was a huge international hit, however, and a sequel soon followed (keep reading). What can I say, it may be the strangest movie in the entire Godzilla universe. Still, it's fun in its own way. The whole Baragon plotline seems tacked on, but. . . well, the entire movie seems tacked on, really. The special effects are wild and the climactic fight scene kicks ass, so this one is definitely worth a look, even more so for fans of weird cinema. Baragon would return in both "Destroy All Monsters" (1968) and over three decades later in "Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack!" (2001). Frankenstein, or, at least, his progeny, would return in. . .
War of the Gargantuas (1966)
This was always my favorite non-Godzilla Toho movie when I was a kid. Until very recently, I never knew that this movie was a sequel, let alone had anything to do with Frankenstein. I guess that would explain the flat-top heads, though. Originally titled "Frankenstein's Monsters: Sanda vs Gaira", the American producers, after the U.S. box office failure of "Frankenstein Conquers the World", wisely decided to omit all references to Frankenstein and instead call the creatures Gargantuas. It worked, and "War of the Gargantuas" became a Stateside hit.
The film opens with a Japanese ship at sea getting attacked by - a giant octopus! I'm assuming that this is the same one from the end of "Frankenstein Conquers the World", maybe even from "King Kong vs Godzilla", which would make this Part 3 of the Octopus Trilogy. Another giant monster, this one hairy and green, arrives to beat the snot out the pesky cephalopod, then trashes the ship himself. A lone surviving crew member makes it to shore and fingers Frankenstein as the culprit. The government turns to the trio of scientists who raised Frankenstein in the first movie, who all have different names now, which is weird. Is this supposed to be a reboot? No, I think maybe they just changed their names to try and distance themselves from the Frankenstein fiasco. Didn't work.
The American scientist, previously played by Nick Adams, is played in this film by Russ Tamblyn ("Easy Rider", Dr. Jacoby from "Twin Peaks"). Adams was much more likable. Tamblyn comes across as a stuck up know-it-all. Kumi Mizuno returns as the female scientist, and the other guy is played by some other guy (Toho regular Kenji Sahara). The trio deny that the green monster in the sea is Frankenstein, especially after the beast trashes a coastal airport and eats a couple of people. This is a grotesque scene, where the monster chows down on a poor lady and then spits out her bloody, mangled clothes. Eww.
There's also been sightings of a giant, hairy gold-colored beast in the mountains. This one avoids humans and leaves giant footprints in the snow (the Abominable Snowman craze was all the rage at the time). The trio seems to think that this monster is more likely to be Frankenstein than the seagoing one.
After attacking a horrible lounge singer on a cruise ship, where it's discovered that he doesn't dig bright lights, the government decides to begin "Operation L" to counter the green guy's attacks. Operation L (for Laser) involves using giant mobile lasers, a.k.a. "Masers", to counterattack the beast. Masers were this movie's greatest contribution to the world of Godzilla. They would be used several times in Toho movies in the upcoming decades, becoming one of the most popular "mecha" creations in the Toho Universe. Operation L is a runaway success, and just as the final killing blow is about to be delivered by their Masers, the gold beast shows up and takes his injured brother to safety.
The scientists confirm that both of the creatures are spawned from the cells of the original Frankenstein. Somehow the cells got some protein and grew into these new monsters. They name the green one Gaira and the gold one Sanda. The friendly one, Sanda, may be easier to control, but destroying Gaira could be a problem. If you blow the creature up, how many more will grow from the Gaira bits?
Sanda proves his good nature by saving the lovely female doctor from falling off of a cliff, breaking his leg as a result. He returns to his brother and finds that he's been snacking on hippie hikers (there's one shot early on where Gaira waits in the fog, stalking the hikers - very creepy and atmospheric), then beats the shit out of him with a tree. Gaira runs off to the ocean, then pops up at Tokyo later on, looking for human shaped protein bars. He threatens Ms. Mizuno, causing Sanda to intervene and try to convince his brother to leave the humans alone. Gaira refuses, and the fight is on! It's another great climactic fight, energetic (because the monster suits are more mobile) and exciting. The battle moves from the city to the ocean, where a giant cyborg Mecha-Octopus, controlled by aliens, shows up and kills both the Frankensteins!
Ha, ha, just kidding. What really happens is far less weird, but remarkably coincidental. An underwater volcano decides to erupt at that exact moment, and Sanda pulls his evil brother Gaira into the eruption, killing them both. The End.
I like this movie far more than "Frankenstein Conquers the World". It's less random, faster paced, there's more monster action, and the special effects are more well done. The actors who play Sanda and Gaira also get to perform in a couple of well-acted scenes, wordlessly conveying depth of character like the best actors of the Silent era. Needless to say, the team of Honda/Tsuburya/Ifubuke is responsible for both these movies, and they do their usual fine jobs, especially with "War of the Gargantuas". The Maser cannons would appear in many Godzilla movies to come, while only the monster Gaira would return, with a cameo appearance in "Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S." (2003). Like I said earlier, this was my favorite non-Godzilla flick from Toho, and I still think it's one of the best.
Next time, Godzilla returns - and there's a new addition to the family!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The Wrath of Godzilla, Part 6: Rest For the Wicked
Witness the transformation, as the world's most destructive monster becomes its most destructive hero -
Mothra vs Godzilla (1964)
A massive typhoon hits the coast of Japan with its mighty flatulence, leaving high flood waters and a giant egg in its wake. An egg? Yup. It's Mothra's. But before the big bug can rescue her progeny, a group of local fishermen swoop in and claim it. They team up with a crooked businessman and form "Happy Enterprises". Their ultimate goal - to build a giant amusement park, with the egg at its epicenter. Mothra's little helpers, the Shobijin (tiny beauties) arrive, team up with a couple of reporters and a scientist, and try to convince "Happy Enterprises" to return the egg to Infant Island, where it was buried for millions of years until the typhoon washed it out, but our heroes are met with scorn and derision by the ardent capitalists, who wisely decide to begin incubating the egg. Huh?
Meanwhile, Godzilla pops up from beneath a pile of washed-up debris, clearly another victim of the raging typhoon. He sways around Nagoya, getting his tail caught in a radio tower and, literally, stumbling into buildings. Many fans explain away Godzilla's behavior as mere disorientation from getting washed ashore by the storm. My own personal theory is this - after getting his ass handed to him by the big ape in "King Kong vs Godzilla", he immediately stomped to the nearest bar and initiated a year-long saki bender. M.A.D.D. = Monsters Against Drunk Destruction. Godzilla needs an intervention.
Our Heroes (the tiny beauties, the reporters and the scientist) travel to Infant Island to convince the locals to lend them Mothra to stop Godzilla's drunken rampage. When they first set foot on the shore of the island, there's a creepy looking giant bone-white turtle sitting in the background. It creeped me out when I was a kid, and it creeps me out even now. I think it's because of its strange bouncing bobble head. Anyhow, Our Heroes convince the natives to let Mothra help Japan, even though Mothra is dying.
Back on the mainland, Godzilla heads for the egg, military in tow, and in serious need of some kind of hangover remedy. Panicking, the crooked businessman shoots the head fisherman and tries to make off all of the money from "Happy Enterprises", but Godzilla barrels through the building and crushes him in a fall of rubble. The Big G approaches the egg, and just as he's about to strike, Mothra brings the pain! She pummels him with gale-force winds, drags him around by the tail, batters him with her little claws, and tries to poison him by excreting some sort of toxic powder - but one blast from Godzilla's heat beam is all it takes to kill the goddess of Infant Island. She falls to earth and dies, but not before sheltering the egg with one of her wings in one final act of protection.
The egg hatches, and twin larvae emerge. Godzilla, hammered and injured from his fight with momma Mothra, is taken by surprise when the baby bugs encase him in a cocoon of sticky silk. He falls into the ocean, frees himself from the cocoon and swims off to sea, humbled and humiliated. But Japan is safe. As the twin Mothra larvae swim back to Infant Island with the tiny beauties, Our Heroes wave goodbye. "Sayonara!"
Released in America as "Godzilla vs the Thing" (apparently the distributor didn't think they had the rights to use the name "Mothra"), this is considered by many fans to be the quintessential example of a "perfect" Godzilla movie. Sure, I'll go with that. It certainly is the prototype for many of the Godzilla movies that have come after. By the way, all three movies in Part 6 are made by the Honda/Tsuburya/Ifukube team, the same guys who've made almost all the movies I've talked about so far, and they do a rock solid job of combining two of Japan's most popular monsters into one story.
Also, look for the scene where Godzilla's head is on fire. While filming some pyrotechnic special effects, Tsuburya accidentally ignited the head of the Godzilla suit, with the actor still inside - and they kept it in the movie!
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1965)
Princess Salno, from the made-up Asiatic country of Selgina (where everyone wears giant ruff collars, like William Shakespeare), is on a flight to Japan when she's suddenly overcome by a bright light which urges her to jump out of the plane - she does, just as the plane explodes, courtesy of a bomb delivered by her rivals in the royal court of Selgina. She survives the fall (explanation: she "fell into the crack between two dimensions" - wha. . ?) and soon she's popping up all over Japan, preaching to the masses and foretelling the end of the Earth, which will come at the hands (or claws) of a powerful being from outer space. As if on cue, a meteorite lands near Mt. Kurobe. Scientists soon investigate the fallen rock and discover that, not only is it highly magnetic, but it seems to be growing larger. Hmmm.
Princess Salno, becoming a media darling and now claiming to be an alien from Venus (after all, she is a woman), also predicts that Godzilla and Rodan will return and cause havoc. Unbeknownst to her, her rivals in Selgina have sent an assassin and his team to finish her off once and for all, but the cop who was originally supposed to be her bodyguard during her visit to Japan, recognizes her and sets off to find her. The cop's sister is, funny enough, a reporter, and not just any reporter, but the one who made a star out of the prophetic princess in the first place. Oh yeah, and the twin beauties from Infant Island have also become pop culture stars in Japan (just like the actresses who play them in real life, the twin sister singing act known as "The Peanuts"). They appear on some kind of make-a-wish variety show, which is hosted by a couple of goofballs.
As predicted, Godzilla and Rodan show up. Godzilla's arrival is kind of cool - first we see a group of whales swimming off in terror for some unknown reason, then the camera pans over and we see the cause of their distress - Godzilla. Rodan pops up from beneath the earth at Mt. Aso, where he was buried in lava at the end of "Rodan". Naturally, the two monsters head straight for each other and begin fighting, taking down whole cities in their wake. What follow is one of the most amusing fights in Godzilla history. The two beasts go at it like a couple of kids, throwing rocks, making funny gestures and moves, and just plain being silly. Many Godzilla fans consider this scene to be the turning point, when the series became more kid-oriented, and that's true. Godzilla was more popular with the kids at this point, so the shift was inevitable. But not permanent.
Funniest part - Rodan hits Godzilla in the head with his pecker.
Also as predicted, a new monster named King Ghidorah bursts from the meteorite and begins leveling Japan with its powerful lightning breath. Ghidorah is the most radical kaiju to date, resembling a three-headed golden Chinese dragon. It would also become one of the most popular.
According to Princess Salno, Ghidorah destroyed the people of Venus (or Ghidorah's parent, it's not made clear whether or not this is the same Ghidorah, since he appears to have just been born). The last surviving Venusians fled to planet Earth about 5,000 years ago and intermarried with the population. Salno is one of their descendants, so this whole "alien possession" thing is apparently not possession, but some kind of genetic memory triggered by the arrival of Ghidorah. Okay, I'm thinking waaaay to hard about all of this. . .
Funny side note - the Japanese military doesn't even bother to send its forces out to do battle with King Ghidorah. They're like, "hey, screw it, this one's too powerful".
So Our Heroes (cop, reporter, scientist, Venusian, twin beauties) call Mothra (with something called the "Happiness Song") to come to Japan to try and convince Godzilla and Rodan to fight Ghidorah. Little larval Mothra arrives (her twin died, according to the beauties) and tries, unsuccessfully, to persuade the other two monsters to fight. This scene is a highlight of the entire series. The twin beauties translate "monster-to-English/Japanese" to our heroes as the three monsters sit down and have a debate. In the American version, there's one point where the beauties scold Godzilla - "Godzilla, watch your language!" In the Japanese version, Godzilla refuses to help save the humans because, "They are always bullying me." It's an oddly touching moment, coming from a giant radioactive dinosaur.
Really, though, I think that this is the intervention that I spoke of in the previous review. Mothra is trying to get Godzilla to channel his anger and negativity into something other than drinking and destruction - namely saving the Earth. She's also trying to stop Rodan from being an enabler.
Well, she fails to convince the others, so little Mothra heads off to face Ghidorah alone. Godzilla and Rodan watch as Mothra gets tossed around like a red-headed stepchild, clearly outmatched. Her selflessness moves the pair so much that they enter the fight, and soon it's the three monsters of Earth versus the planet-killer! In one of the best fights of Godzilla's career (even though Ghidorah hits him in the crotch and in the butt with his lightning ray - very undignified!), the trio make King Ghidorah cry "uncle!", and he flies off into space. At the same time, Princess Salno's would-be assassin is killed by falling rocks from a Ghidorah blast, but not before a bullet from his gun glances off of Salno's skull, restoring her human personality. Godzilla and Rodan, having found their true callings, head off into the sunset while Mothra and the beauties return to Infant Island. The End.
This is one of my favorite Godzilla movies of all time. It's also the first one that hooked me when I was a kid. It's well-paced, endearingly goofy, and full of great monster action. The three scenes I've mentioned (the Godzilla/Rodan fight, the monster debate, the final battle) are scenes that I still find incredibly fun to watch. It was a major box office hit at the time, and a direct sequel was filmed and released in the same year. Ghidorah (who's name was changed to "Ghidrah" in the American release) would also become the most popular villain in all three of the Godzilla series.
Invasion of the Astro Monsters (1965)
Yup, more aliens.
First the Mysterians, than the aliens from Natal, then the SPACE AMOEBA, then Ghidorah, and now - the Xians (Ex-ee-yans). Earth sure is a popular place.
Scientists discover a new moon orbiting Jupiter and name it Planet X (technically, shouldn't it be "Moon X"). The World Space Agency sends their two best astronauts, Fuji (Japanese) and Glenn (American), off to Planet X to take a look. After arriving in their craft, Spaceship P-1, they soon discover that King Ghidorah is there, ravaging the surface. The inhabitants of Planet X, the Xians, bring Fuji and Glenn underground and make them an offer they can't refuse - the Xians want to borrow Godzilla and Rodan to fight Ghidorah (a.k.a. Monster Zero), in exchange for the cure for cancer.
The Xians are very strange. They wear tight turtleneck space suits, odd little sunglasses, are apparently controlled/coordinated by a massive computer overmind, and their leader (the Commandant) likes to make strange hand gestures when he talks. And they have very little water, which should have been a big fat warning signal right there.
Well, humanity accepts their proposal and lets the aliens take Godzilla and Rodan (a.k.a. Monster Zero 1 and Monster Zero 2) to Planet X. The aliens declare this day "Friendship Day".
Oddly enough, Rodan is buried beneath Mt. Aso again and the aliens have to dig him up. So, is this the second Rodan from the movie "Rodan"? What happened to the Rodan from "Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster"? Did he die? And what about Mothra? Nobody cares about Mothra. . .
The Earth monsters arrive on Planet X and battle Ghidorah, driving him off surprisingly easy. Then Godzilla does a happy victory dance in the low gravity. This dance, reviled by some, loved by others, would go down in history as the Big G's silliest moment -
After getting funky, the humans leave G and R stranded on P-X. There's a moving shot where Godzilla and Rodan watch as the humans leave them behind, and they seem a little heartbroken. Godzilla begins to feel "the crave" again.
Well, whaddayaknow, the cure for cancer that the aliens give us (in tape form) is actually an ultimatum - surrender and become a colony world of Planet X or be destroyed! We refuse, so the Xians send Ghidorah, Godzilla and Rodan (all under alien control) to destroy our cities.
Subplots - Astronaut Glenn is dating a Japanese lady who turns out to be an alien agent on Earth, but his manly manliness sways her over to the side of good and she helps him to escape alien clutches, getting herself killed in the process. Also, astronaut Fuji's sister is dating a nerdy inventor (Tetsuo) who's created a personal self-defense device for consumers called the Lady Guard, which is supposed to emit a high-pitched tone intended to ward off muggers and rapists. Alien agents on Earth buy the patent, suppress the device, and lock Tetsuo away underground. Why, you ask? Because the tone emitted by the Lady Guard disrupts Xian technology and, oh yeah, kills them.
After Glenn frees Tetsuo, they transmit the frequency all across the planet, killing lots and lots if Xians. The tone also breaks the hold over all of the monsters, so Godzilla and Rodan team up to defeat Ghidorah, sending him packing into space once again. The officials at the World Space Agency breathe a sigh of relief, then tell Fuji and Glenn that they have to return to Planet X to do another survey. Ha, ha, everyone laughs, The End.
This movie is okay. The monster battles (and all action, in general) are incredibly short, and the story is just plain ridiculous, but it has its charms (like "the dance"). Toho attempted to merge the monster rally feeling of "Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster" with the alien invasion pastiche of "The Mysterians" and "Battle in Outer Space", but "Invasion of the Astro Monsters" (known in America as "Godzilla vs Monster Zero") never quite reached the level of any of those movies. Somewhat popular American B-movie actor Nick Adams (as Glenn) was hired to provide a bit of international appeal, and provides the movie with a somewhat different flavor. It's amusing to see some redheaded white guy with a 30's-40's style wiseguy attitude running around in a kaiju flick. Plus, in the Japanese version, his voice was dubbed. Oh sweet irony!
This movie also marks Godzilla's brief fall off of the "wagon", stomping cities and crushing armies once again. But he quickly picked himself up again and battled his demons back into submission. From here on out (in the Showa series), Godzilla would remain on the path of sobriety, steadfast and true. Go, Godzilla!
For Part 7, and just in time for Halloween, get ready to experience the Frankenstein monster - Japanese style!
Mothra vs Godzilla (1964)
A massive typhoon hits the coast of Japan with its mighty flatulence, leaving high flood waters and a giant egg in its wake. An egg? Yup. It's Mothra's. But before the big bug can rescue her progeny, a group of local fishermen swoop in and claim it. They team up with a crooked businessman and form "Happy Enterprises". Their ultimate goal - to build a giant amusement park, with the egg at its epicenter. Mothra's little helpers, the Shobijin (tiny beauties) arrive, team up with a couple of reporters and a scientist, and try to convince "Happy Enterprises" to return the egg to Infant Island, where it was buried for millions of years until the typhoon washed it out, but our heroes are met with scorn and derision by the ardent capitalists, who wisely decide to begin incubating the egg. Huh?
Meanwhile, Godzilla pops up from beneath a pile of washed-up debris, clearly another victim of the raging typhoon. He sways around Nagoya, getting his tail caught in a radio tower and, literally, stumbling into buildings. Many fans explain away Godzilla's behavior as mere disorientation from getting washed ashore by the storm. My own personal theory is this - after getting his ass handed to him by the big ape in "King Kong vs Godzilla", he immediately stomped to the nearest bar and initiated a year-long saki bender. M.A.D.D. = Monsters Against Drunk Destruction. Godzilla needs an intervention.
Our Heroes (the tiny beauties, the reporters and the scientist) travel to Infant Island to convince the locals to lend them Mothra to stop Godzilla's drunken rampage. When they first set foot on the shore of the island, there's a creepy looking giant bone-white turtle sitting in the background. It creeped me out when I was a kid, and it creeps me out even now. I think it's because of its strange bouncing bobble head. Anyhow, Our Heroes convince the natives to let Mothra help Japan, even though Mothra is dying.
Back on the mainland, Godzilla heads for the egg, military in tow, and in serious need of some kind of hangover remedy. Panicking, the crooked businessman shoots the head fisherman and tries to make off all of the money from "Happy Enterprises", but Godzilla barrels through the building and crushes him in a fall of rubble. The Big G approaches the egg, and just as he's about to strike, Mothra brings the pain! She pummels him with gale-force winds, drags him around by the tail, batters him with her little claws, and tries to poison him by excreting some sort of toxic powder - but one blast from Godzilla's heat beam is all it takes to kill the goddess of Infant Island. She falls to earth and dies, but not before sheltering the egg with one of her wings in one final act of protection.
The egg hatches, and twin larvae emerge. Godzilla, hammered and injured from his fight with momma Mothra, is taken by surprise when the baby bugs encase him in a cocoon of sticky silk. He falls into the ocean, frees himself from the cocoon and swims off to sea, humbled and humiliated. But Japan is safe. As the twin Mothra larvae swim back to Infant Island with the tiny beauties, Our Heroes wave goodbye. "Sayonara!"
Released in America as "Godzilla vs the Thing" (apparently the distributor didn't think they had the rights to use the name "Mothra"), this is considered by many fans to be the quintessential example of a "perfect" Godzilla movie. Sure, I'll go with that. It certainly is the prototype for many of the Godzilla movies that have come after. By the way, all three movies in Part 6 are made by the Honda/Tsuburya/Ifukube team, the same guys who've made almost all the movies I've talked about so far, and they do a rock solid job of combining two of Japan's most popular monsters into one story.
Also, look for the scene where Godzilla's head is on fire. While filming some pyrotechnic special effects, Tsuburya accidentally ignited the head of the Godzilla suit, with the actor still inside - and they kept it in the movie!
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1965)
Princess Salno, from the made-up Asiatic country of Selgina (where everyone wears giant ruff collars, like William Shakespeare), is on a flight to Japan when she's suddenly overcome by a bright light which urges her to jump out of the plane - she does, just as the plane explodes, courtesy of a bomb delivered by her rivals in the royal court of Selgina. She survives the fall (explanation: she "fell into the crack between two dimensions" - wha. . ?) and soon she's popping up all over Japan, preaching to the masses and foretelling the end of the Earth, which will come at the hands (or claws) of a powerful being from outer space. As if on cue, a meteorite lands near Mt. Kurobe. Scientists soon investigate the fallen rock and discover that, not only is it highly magnetic, but it seems to be growing larger. Hmmm.
Princess Salno, becoming a media darling and now claiming to be an alien from Venus (after all, she is a woman), also predicts that Godzilla and Rodan will return and cause havoc. Unbeknownst to her, her rivals in Selgina have sent an assassin and his team to finish her off once and for all, but the cop who was originally supposed to be her bodyguard during her visit to Japan, recognizes her and sets off to find her. The cop's sister is, funny enough, a reporter, and not just any reporter, but the one who made a star out of the prophetic princess in the first place. Oh yeah, and the twin beauties from Infant Island have also become pop culture stars in Japan (just like the actresses who play them in real life, the twin sister singing act known as "The Peanuts"). They appear on some kind of make-a-wish variety show, which is hosted by a couple of goofballs.
As predicted, Godzilla and Rodan show up. Godzilla's arrival is kind of cool - first we see a group of whales swimming off in terror for some unknown reason, then the camera pans over and we see the cause of their distress - Godzilla. Rodan pops up from beneath the earth at Mt. Aso, where he was buried in lava at the end of "Rodan". Naturally, the two monsters head straight for each other and begin fighting, taking down whole cities in their wake. What follow is one of the most amusing fights in Godzilla history. The two beasts go at it like a couple of kids, throwing rocks, making funny gestures and moves, and just plain being silly. Many Godzilla fans consider this scene to be the turning point, when the series became more kid-oriented, and that's true. Godzilla was more popular with the kids at this point, so the shift was inevitable. But not permanent.
Funniest part - Rodan hits Godzilla in the head with his pecker.
Also as predicted, a new monster named King Ghidorah bursts from the meteorite and begins leveling Japan with its powerful lightning breath. Ghidorah is the most radical kaiju to date, resembling a three-headed golden Chinese dragon. It would also become one of the most popular.
According to Princess Salno, Ghidorah destroyed the people of Venus (or Ghidorah's parent, it's not made clear whether or not this is the same Ghidorah, since he appears to have just been born). The last surviving Venusians fled to planet Earth about 5,000 years ago and intermarried with the population. Salno is one of their descendants, so this whole "alien possession" thing is apparently not possession, but some kind of genetic memory triggered by the arrival of Ghidorah. Okay, I'm thinking waaaay to hard about all of this. . .
Funny side note - the Japanese military doesn't even bother to send its forces out to do battle with King Ghidorah. They're like, "hey, screw it, this one's too powerful".
So Our Heroes (cop, reporter, scientist, Venusian, twin beauties) call Mothra (with something called the "Happiness Song") to come to Japan to try and convince Godzilla and Rodan to fight Ghidorah. Little larval Mothra arrives (her twin died, according to the beauties) and tries, unsuccessfully, to persuade the other two monsters to fight. This scene is a highlight of the entire series. The twin beauties translate "monster-to-English/Japanese" to our heroes as the three monsters sit down and have a debate. In the American version, there's one point where the beauties scold Godzilla - "Godzilla, watch your language!" In the Japanese version, Godzilla refuses to help save the humans because, "They are always bullying me." It's an oddly touching moment, coming from a giant radioactive dinosaur.
Really, though, I think that this is the intervention that I spoke of in the previous review. Mothra is trying to get Godzilla to channel his anger and negativity into something other than drinking and destruction - namely saving the Earth. She's also trying to stop Rodan from being an enabler.
Well, she fails to convince the others, so little Mothra heads off to face Ghidorah alone. Godzilla and Rodan watch as Mothra gets tossed around like a red-headed stepchild, clearly outmatched. Her selflessness moves the pair so much that they enter the fight, and soon it's the three monsters of Earth versus the planet-killer! In one of the best fights of Godzilla's career (even though Ghidorah hits him in the crotch and in the butt with his lightning ray - very undignified!), the trio make King Ghidorah cry "uncle!", and he flies off into space. At the same time, Princess Salno's would-be assassin is killed by falling rocks from a Ghidorah blast, but not before a bullet from his gun glances off of Salno's skull, restoring her human personality. Godzilla and Rodan, having found their true callings, head off into the sunset while Mothra and the beauties return to Infant Island. The End.
This is one of my favorite Godzilla movies of all time. It's also the first one that hooked me when I was a kid. It's well-paced, endearingly goofy, and full of great monster action. The three scenes I've mentioned (the Godzilla/Rodan fight, the monster debate, the final battle) are scenes that I still find incredibly fun to watch. It was a major box office hit at the time, and a direct sequel was filmed and released in the same year. Ghidorah (who's name was changed to "Ghidrah" in the American release) would also become the most popular villain in all three of the Godzilla series.
Invasion of the Astro Monsters (1965)
Yup, more aliens.
First the Mysterians, than the aliens from Natal, then the SPACE AMOEBA, then Ghidorah, and now - the Xians (Ex-ee-yans). Earth sure is a popular place.
Scientists discover a new moon orbiting Jupiter and name it Planet X (technically, shouldn't it be "Moon X"). The World Space Agency sends their two best astronauts, Fuji (Japanese) and Glenn (American), off to Planet X to take a look. After arriving in their craft, Spaceship P-1, they soon discover that King Ghidorah is there, ravaging the surface. The inhabitants of Planet X, the Xians, bring Fuji and Glenn underground and make them an offer they can't refuse - the Xians want to borrow Godzilla and Rodan to fight Ghidorah (a.k.a. Monster Zero), in exchange for the cure for cancer.
The Xians are very strange. They wear tight turtleneck space suits, odd little sunglasses, are apparently controlled/coordinated by a massive computer overmind, and their leader (the Commandant) likes to make strange hand gestures when he talks. And they have very little water, which should have been a big fat warning signal right there.
Well, humanity accepts their proposal and lets the aliens take Godzilla and Rodan (a.k.a. Monster Zero 1 and Monster Zero 2) to Planet X. The aliens declare this day "Friendship Day".
Oddly enough, Rodan is buried beneath Mt. Aso again and the aliens have to dig him up. So, is this the second Rodan from the movie "Rodan"? What happened to the Rodan from "Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster"? Did he die? And what about Mothra? Nobody cares about Mothra. . .
The Earth monsters arrive on Planet X and battle Ghidorah, driving him off surprisingly easy. Then Godzilla does a happy victory dance in the low gravity. This dance, reviled by some, loved by others, would go down in history as the Big G's silliest moment -
After getting funky, the humans leave G and R stranded on P-X. There's a moving shot where Godzilla and Rodan watch as the humans leave them behind, and they seem a little heartbroken. Godzilla begins to feel "the crave" again.
Well, whaddayaknow, the cure for cancer that the aliens give us (in tape form) is actually an ultimatum - surrender and become a colony world of Planet X or be destroyed! We refuse, so the Xians send Ghidorah, Godzilla and Rodan (all under alien control) to destroy our cities.
Subplots - Astronaut Glenn is dating a Japanese lady who turns out to be an alien agent on Earth, but his manly manliness sways her over to the side of good and she helps him to escape alien clutches, getting herself killed in the process. Also, astronaut Fuji's sister is dating a nerdy inventor (Tetsuo) who's created a personal self-defense device for consumers called the Lady Guard, which is supposed to emit a high-pitched tone intended to ward off muggers and rapists. Alien agents on Earth buy the patent, suppress the device, and lock Tetsuo away underground. Why, you ask? Because the tone emitted by the Lady Guard disrupts Xian technology and, oh yeah, kills them.
After Glenn frees Tetsuo, they transmit the frequency all across the planet, killing lots and lots if Xians. The tone also breaks the hold over all of the monsters, so Godzilla and Rodan team up to defeat Ghidorah, sending him packing into space once again. The officials at the World Space Agency breathe a sigh of relief, then tell Fuji and Glenn that they have to return to Planet X to do another survey. Ha, ha, everyone laughs, The End.
This movie is okay. The monster battles (and all action, in general) are incredibly short, and the story is just plain ridiculous, but it has its charms (like "the dance"). Toho attempted to merge the monster rally feeling of "Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster" with the alien invasion pastiche of "The Mysterians" and "Battle in Outer Space", but "Invasion of the Astro Monsters" (known in America as "Godzilla vs Monster Zero") never quite reached the level of any of those movies. Somewhat popular American B-movie actor Nick Adams (as Glenn) was hired to provide a bit of international appeal, and provides the movie with a somewhat different flavor. It's amusing to see some redheaded white guy with a 30's-40's style wiseguy attitude running around in a kaiju flick. Plus, in the Japanese version, his voice was dubbed. Oh sweet irony!
This movie also marks Godzilla's brief fall off of the "wagon", stomping cities and crushing armies once again. But he quickly picked himself up again and battled his demons back into submission. From here on out (in the Showa series), Godzilla would remain on the path of sobriety, steadfast and true. Go, Godzilla!
For Part 7, and just in time for Halloween, get ready to experience the Frankenstein monster - Japanese style!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
The Wrath of Godzilla, Part 5: The Eternal Sea
After losing his battle with King Kong, Godzilla swam off to lick his wounds in shame. So, while he's gone, let's take a look at a couple of movies which feature some other slimy critters from the depths of the ocean -
Atragon (1963)
Long, long ago, in the center of the Pacific Ocean, there existed a vast continent called Mu. The people of Mu were very powerful and their influence could be felt across the entire globe. They also like to dance around in grass skirts and create elaborate musical numbers. Then, one day, the entire continent was swallowed up by the ocean, and Mu was no more. Traces of their civilization could still be found here and there (like the statues of Easter Island, or Stonehenge, or the home of Mothra - Infant Island) but, for all intents and purposes, they were extinct.
Cut to the present day (of 1963). A couple of doofus photographers (played by Tadao Takashima and Yu Fujiki, the wacky duo who captured Kong in "King Kong vs Godzilla") are shooting a sexy bikini model alongside the harbor when suddenly a weirdo pops out of the sea wearing a scaly black diving suit. Then, suddenly, a taxi cab drives off the pier and sinks beneath the waves. Turns out there was a geologist in the backseat of the cab - lots of prominent scientists in the field of geology and vulcanology (the study of Mr. Spock) have been disappearing lately. Then the government of Japan receives a cheap looking audio tape - it's an ultimatum, sent by the people of Mu. They survived the sinking of their continent and have kept their civilization running by using geothermal power. Now they want to rise to the surface and enslave mankind. Their ultimatum - surrender, or they will sic their giant serpent god, Manda, on the good people of up-top! Well, we refuse their demands, so they destroy Venice and Hong Kong - without using Manda, funnily enough. Oh, and they want one other thing on their list of demands - stop the construction of Atragon, or else! "What the shit's an 'Atragon'?" asks the U.N.
Glad you asked. . .
(clears throat) Ahem. Near the end of World War II, when Japan's defeat seemed imminent, a highly respected submarine captain named Jinguji hightailed it to the high seas in order to build, in secret, a powerful new submarine-like weapon called Atragon (it's also called Gotengo, which roughly translates as "Roaring Heaven") which will turn the tide of the war to Japan's favor. Unfortunately for him, Japan surrendered to the West, so Jinguji hid in shame, keeping Atragon well hidden from the world. Okay, not that well hidden - Mu captured his original sub, which contained blueprints for the construction of Atragon, and something about Atragon scares the Mu-ians to death, so they want it destroyed.
An old friend of Jinguji steps forward and reveals to the U.N. what the shit Atragon is. So they send him, Jinguji's daughter, the two previously mentioned doofus photographers, and some other guys to find the lost captain and use Atragon/Gotengo against Mu. They also send along an odd reporter who threatens to break the Atragon story to the public if they don't let him come along. He always wears sunglasses, has a freaky beard and likes to stand around looking suspicious all the time. Yeah, take him along suckers. That's a great idea.
So they find Jinguji but are unable to convince him to give up the super sub. He thinks that Japan has lost its way and doesn't deserve to be saved. Then his daughter steps forward, accuses him of being a prideful old codger who can't let go of the past, and yells at him. He is shamed, again, and decides to use Atragon for the good of all mankind. HOWEVER - the shifty looking reporter reveals himself to be an agent of Mu (say it ain't so!), then blows up the submarine dock and kidnaps the daughter and the doofus reporters, taking them to Mu. Immediately afterward, Mu kamikaze drones and ships with laser beams begin ravaging the cities of the world.
Let me take this moment to offer up a theory I have regarding the motivations of the people of Mu. It's never explained in the movie why Mu wants to conquer the world, but, using clues from the movie, I have come up with my own explanation for their actions. During the scenes set in Mu, we see lots of tremors and minor geologic events. Clearly, the environment of their underground world is unstable. Also, they've been kidnapping geologists and whatnot from the surface. Why? To help figure out why they're underground world is collapsing, I think. This being a Japanese kaiju movie from the 1960's, it seems safe to assume that the instability of their kingdom was caused by atomic testing in the Pacific. They need a new home, quickly, so they have no choice but to force their way onto the surface. That's my theory, anyway.
So Atragon, being the powerful machine that it is, busts its way out of the destroyed sub dock. Not only is it a submarine, but it can fly, it has a front-mounted drill for digging underground, and can fire a powerful freeze ray. The people of Mu have extremely high temperatures, so they are not fans of freeze rays, hence the request for the destruction of Gotengo.
Jinguji heads off to Mu, defeats their serpent god Manda (easily), rescues the kidnapped surface dwellers, and destroys Mu's power source, blowing up the entire sunken continent and killing millions of innocent Mu children. Yay!
"Atragon" was based on a popular Japanese adventure novel, which was heavily inspired by Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". It was a huge hit in Japan, and the Gotengo itself would become one of the most famous "mecha" (high tech weapon vehicles) in Japan movie history. Gotengo would make many appearances in film and T.V. over the decades, but would not reappear in the movies of Toho Studios until "Godzilla: Final Wars" in 2004, where it would practically be the main character (after Godzilla, of course). The sea serpent Manda (kind of a wuss), would return in "Destroy All Monsters" (1969) and also "Godzilla: Final Wars".
This movie was made by the same team who made almost all of the movies I've reviewed so far - Honda/Ifukube/Tsuburya, and featuring another appearance by Akihiko Hirata (Dr. Serizawa) as Mu Agent 23. All said, I find this movie to be rather slow. The first hour really drags for me. It picks up a bit in the movie's final third, however. Funny side note - there's a sequence in the movie featuring a U.S. submarine which is named - get this - "Red Satan".
Space Amoeba (1970)
I love that title! "Space Amoeba!" How great! The original Japanese title actually translates as "Gezora, Ganime, Kamoeba: Decisive Battle! Giant Monsters of the South Seas". Just rolls off the tongue, huh. But it's also a cheesy/cool title. "Space Amoeba", though - way cooler.
The American title is "Yog - Monster From Space".
Yog? Really, America? That's the best you can do?
A space probe heading for Jupiter is hijacked by a sentient glowing blob from outer space - the SPACE AMOEBA! The probe does a 180 and crash lands in the South Seas, witnessed by Japanese photographer Kudo (Akira Kubo) from his window seat on a commercial airplane. When he gets back to his office, Kudo (who comes across as a world-weary slacker) is assigned by his boss to take some PR pictures for a construction firm who are building an "underwater hotel" on distant Selgio Island. Selgio Island is where Kudo saw the probe crash - what a coincidence!
Kudo heads out with a lady who works for the hotel company and a scientist who's been to the island before. On the transport ship, they hook up with supposed scientist Obata, a shifty looking guy who always wears sunglasses, has a freaky beard, and likes to stand around looking suspicious all the time. Yeah, do it!
When they reach the island, they discover that one of the construction engineers has been killed by "something large" from the ocean, and the natives claim that it's their island god Gezora, come to kick out the outsiders. Gezora (a giant cuttlefish) soon shambles out of the sea, kills another engineer, and is driven off by a random swarm of bats. Native guide Rico sees this and is promptly knocked unconscious, waking up with a bad case of memory loss. His GF, a highly cute native girl named Saki, shows up and escorts our heroes into the village. It's here that shifty Obata is revealed to be (gasp!) a jerk - he's a corporate spy for the hotel company's rival, and thinks that the whole "giant monster" thing is fake.
The scientist and the reporter head underwater to find Gezora. They run across the crashed probe. Gezora attacks, but is driven off by a pod of helpful dolphins. Gezora, pissed off, attacks the village. With the help of the outsiders, they burn Gezora with gasoline, who wanders into the ocean and dies - the SPACE AMOEBA leaves its body to find another host.
The good guys explore the island, feeling safe, and discover an old Japanese ammo depot from WWII. The scientist concludes that Gezora was controlled by a parasite from outer space who wants to conquer the Earth. How he comes to make such a bold (yet correct) leap, given what little evidence he's actually obtained, is beyond me. He's just that good.
Obata makes his move and tries to escape, but his dinky canoe is capsized by new monster Ganime, a giant rock crab, who then goes after our heroes. After an exciting game of cat-and-mouse, Kudo blows up the Japanese ammo depot to kill Ganime, blowing him into little crab chunks. The SPACE AMOEBA leaves Ganime and takes over Obata, who's still alive. The SPACE AMOEBA reveals his evil plot to Obata - it wants to assassinate all the leaders of Earth and conquer the planet. Why, you ask? I have no theory this time. The SPACE AMOEBA is just a downy-clowny. It used to be a humanoid life form, so maybe it's just jealous of our limbs.
Cute native girl Saki thinks that marriage cures amnesia, so she marries Rico. Whaddaya know, it works! He remembers that Gezora was driven off by bats, and the scientist concludes that ultrasound is the key to defeating SPACE AMOEBA. The good guys round up all the islanders and hide them in nearby caves, hoping the bats will protect them from any further monster menaces. Unfortunately, OBATA AMOEBA has been using gas to burn up all the bats. Two more monsters appear - another Ganime, and Kamoeba, a giant Matamata turtle with a super extend-o neck. SPACE AMOEBA, in human form, is apparently able to mutate and control other life forms. Alright, I'm just making excuses now.
OBATA AMOEBA is about to burn up the last of the bats, but the hotel employee woman appeals to Obata to fight the alien creature within him, and he runs off like a scared child. The good guys release the bats, which cause Ganime and Kamoeba to go crazy and fight each other. At one point, Ganime hock a big fat loogie on Kamoeba, for no reason. It's pretty funny.
A volcano conveniently erupts nearby. Gamine and Kamoeba tumble into it and fry. Obata, still possessed by the alien, but in control, leaps into the volcano as well, killing the SPACE AMOEBA. Our heroes then pause and reflect quietly while a volcano erupts about ten feet away from where they're standing.
We've jumped ahead a little bit (to 1970). Godzilla was pretty much the only giant monster in town at the time, but Toho wanted to try and make a Godzilla-less kaiju movie - hence "Space Amoeba". It didn't do so well at the box office back then, but has gained a rabid cult following over the years, primarily because it's such a bat shit crazy movie. It's colorful, extremely fast-paced, and makes absolutely no sense - it's a big slice of campy fun. Akira Ifukube also contributed a weird, but memorable score to this one. This is one of Ishiro Honda's last kaiju films, and special effects master Eiji Tsuburya had died not long before, so his apprentice Sadamasa Arikawa took over the job, doing a fine job.
This is the only appearance of the monster Ganime, and ugly but memorable critter. Turtle Kamoeba (who, I think, was supposed to be Toho's answer to Gamera, the giant monster star from their rival studio, Daiei) would appear, albeit as a corpse, in "Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S." (2003). Cuttlefish Gezora would make a cameo in "Godzilla: Final Wars" and have a prominent role in the "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" video game for the classic Nintendo Entertainment System.
In "The Wrath of Godzilla, Part 6", witness as the world's greatest villain becomes the world's greatest hero!
Atragon (1963)
Long, long ago, in the center of the Pacific Ocean, there existed a vast continent called Mu. The people of Mu were very powerful and their influence could be felt across the entire globe. They also like to dance around in grass skirts and create elaborate musical numbers. Then, one day, the entire continent was swallowed up by the ocean, and Mu was no more. Traces of their civilization could still be found here and there (like the statues of Easter Island, or Stonehenge, or the home of Mothra - Infant Island) but, for all intents and purposes, they were extinct.
Cut to the present day (of 1963). A couple of doofus photographers (played by Tadao Takashima and Yu Fujiki, the wacky duo who captured Kong in "King Kong vs Godzilla") are shooting a sexy bikini model alongside the harbor when suddenly a weirdo pops out of the sea wearing a scaly black diving suit. Then, suddenly, a taxi cab drives off the pier and sinks beneath the waves. Turns out there was a geologist in the backseat of the cab - lots of prominent scientists in the field of geology and vulcanology (the study of Mr. Spock) have been disappearing lately. Then the government of Japan receives a cheap looking audio tape - it's an ultimatum, sent by the people of Mu. They survived the sinking of their continent and have kept their civilization running by using geothermal power. Now they want to rise to the surface and enslave mankind. Their ultimatum - surrender, or they will sic their giant serpent god, Manda, on the good people of up-top! Well, we refuse their demands, so they destroy Venice and Hong Kong - without using Manda, funnily enough. Oh, and they want one other thing on their list of demands - stop the construction of Atragon, or else! "What the shit's an 'Atragon'?" asks the U.N.
Glad you asked. . .
(clears throat) Ahem. Near the end of World War II, when Japan's defeat seemed imminent, a highly respected submarine captain named Jinguji hightailed it to the high seas in order to build, in secret, a powerful new submarine-like weapon called Atragon (it's also called Gotengo, which roughly translates as "Roaring Heaven") which will turn the tide of the war to Japan's favor. Unfortunately for him, Japan surrendered to the West, so Jinguji hid in shame, keeping Atragon well hidden from the world. Okay, not that well hidden - Mu captured his original sub, which contained blueprints for the construction of Atragon, and something about Atragon scares the Mu-ians to death, so they want it destroyed.
An old friend of Jinguji steps forward and reveals to the U.N. what the shit Atragon is. So they send him, Jinguji's daughter, the two previously mentioned doofus photographers, and some other guys to find the lost captain and use Atragon/Gotengo against Mu. They also send along an odd reporter who threatens to break the Atragon story to the public if they don't let him come along. He always wears sunglasses, has a freaky beard and likes to stand around looking suspicious all the time. Yeah, take him along suckers. That's a great idea.
So they find Jinguji but are unable to convince him to give up the super sub. He thinks that Japan has lost its way and doesn't deserve to be saved. Then his daughter steps forward, accuses him of being a prideful old codger who can't let go of the past, and yells at him. He is shamed, again, and decides to use Atragon for the good of all mankind. HOWEVER - the shifty looking reporter reveals himself to be an agent of Mu (say it ain't so!), then blows up the submarine dock and kidnaps the daughter and the doofus reporters, taking them to Mu. Immediately afterward, Mu kamikaze drones and ships with laser beams begin ravaging the cities of the world.
Let me take this moment to offer up a theory I have regarding the motivations of the people of Mu. It's never explained in the movie why Mu wants to conquer the world, but, using clues from the movie, I have come up with my own explanation for their actions. During the scenes set in Mu, we see lots of tremors and minor geologic events. Clearly, the environment of their underground world is unstable. Also, they've been kidnapping geologists and whatnot from the surface. Why? To help figure out why they're underground world is collapsing, I think. This being a Japanese kaiju movie from the 1960's, it seems safe to assume that the instability of their kingdom was caused by atomic testing in the Pacific. They need a new home, quickly, so they have no choice but to force their way onto the surface. That's my theory, anyway.
So Atragon, being the powerful machine that it is, busts its way out of the destroyed sub dock. Not only is it a submarine, but it can fly, it has a front-mounted drill for digging underground, and can fire a powerful freeze ray. The people of Mu have extremely high temperatures, so they are not fans of freeze rays, hence the request for the destruction of Gotengo.
Jinguji heads off to Mu, defeats their serpent god Manda (easily), rescues the kidnapped surface dwellers, and destroys Mu's power source, blowing up the entire sunken continent and killing millions of innocent Mu children. Yay!
"Atragon" was based on a popular Japanese adventure novel, which was heavily inspired by Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". It was a huge hit in Japan, and the Gotengo itself would become one of the most famous "mecha" (high tech weapon vehicles) in Japan movie history. Gotengo would make many appearances in film and T.V. over the decades, but would not reappear in the movies of Toho Studios until "Godzilla: Final Wars" in 2004, where it would practically be the main character (after Godzilla, of course). The sea serpent Manda (kind of a wuss), would return in "Destroy All Monsters" (1969) and also "Godzilla: Final Wars".
This movie was made by the same team who made almost all of the movies I've reviewed so far - Honda/Ifukube/Tsuburya, and featuring another appearance by Akihiko Hirata (Dr. Serizawa) as Mu Agent 23. All said, I find this movie to be rather slow. The first hour really drags for me. It picks up a bit in the movie's final third, however. Funny side note - there's a sequence in the movie featuring a U.S. submarine which is named - get this - "Red Satan".
Space Amoeba (1970)
I love that title! "Space Amoeba!" How great! The original Japanese title actually translates as "Gezora, Ganime, Kamoeba: Decisive Battle! Giant Monsters of the South Seas". Just rolls off the tongue, huh. But it's also a cheesy/cool title. "Space Amoeba", though - way cooler.
The American title is "Yog - Monster From Space".
Yog? Really, America? That's the best you can do?
A space probe heading for Jupiter is hijacked by a sentient glowing blob from outer space - the SPACE AMOEBA! The probe does a 180 and crash lands in the South Seas, witnessed by Japanese photographer Kudo (Akira Kubo) from his window seat on a commercial airplane. When he gets back to his office, Kudo (who comes across as a world-weary slacker) is assigned by his boss to take some PR pictures for a construction firm who are building an "underwater hotel" on distant Selgio Island. Selgio Island is where Kudo saw the probe crash - what a coincidence!
Kudo heads out with a lady who works for the hotel company and a scientist who's been to the island before. On the transport ship, they hook up with supposed scientist Obata, a shifty looking guy who always wears sunglasses, has a freaky beard, and likes to stand around looking suspicious all the time. Yeah, do it!
When they reach the island, they discover that one of the construction engineers has been killed by "something large" from the ocean, and the natives claim that it's their island god Gezora, come to kick out the outsiders. Gezora (a giant cuttlefish) soon shambles out of the sea, kills another engineer, and is driven off by a random swarm of bats. Native guide Rico sees this and is promptly knocked unconscious, waking up with a bad case of memory loss. His GF, a highly cute native girl named Saki, shows up and escorts our heroes into the village. It's here that shifty Obata is revealed to be (gasp!) a jerk - he's a corporate spy for the hotel company's rival, and thinks that the whole "giant monster" thing is fake.
The scientist and the reporter head underwater to find Gezora. They run across the crashed probe. Gezora attacks, but is driven off by a pod of helpful dolphins. Gezora, pissed off, attacks the village. With the help of the outsiders, they burn Gezora with gasoline, who wanders into the ocean and dies - the SPACE AMOEBA leaves its body to find another host.
The good guys explore the island, feeling safe, and discover an old Japanese ammo depot from WWII. The scientist concludes that Gezora was controlled by a parasite from outer space who wants to conquer the Earth. How he comes to make such a bold (yet correct) leap, given what little evidence he's actually obtained, is beyond me. He's just that good.
Obata makes his move and tries to escape, but his dinky canoe is capsized by new monster Ganime, a giant rock crab, who then goes after our heroes. After an exciting game of cat-and-mouse, Kudo blows up the Japanese ammo depot to kill Ganime, blowing him into little crab chunks. The SPACE AMOEBA leaves Ganime and takes over Obata, who's still alive. The SPACE AMOEBA reveals his evil plot to Obata - it wants to assassinate all the leaders of Earth and conquer the planet. Why, you ask? I have no theory this time. The SPACE AMOEBA is just a downy-clowny. It used to be a humanoid life form, so maybe it's just jealous of our limbs.
Cute native girl Saki thinks that marriage cures amnesia, so she marries Rico. Whaddaya know, it works! He remembers that Gezora was driven off by bats, and the scientist concludes that ultrasound is the key to defeating SPACE AMOEBA. The good guys round up all the islanders and hide them in nearby caves, hoping the bats will protect them from any further monster menaces. Unfortunately, OBATA AMOEBA has been using gas to burn up all the bats. Two more monsters appear - another Ganime, and Kamoeba, a giant Matamata turtle with a super extend-o neck. SPACE AMOEBA, in human form, is apparently able to mutate and control other life forms. Alright, I'm just making excuses now.
OBATA AMOEBA is about to burn up the last of the bats, but the hotel employee woman appeals to Obata to fight the alien creature within him, and he runs off like a scared child. The good guys release the bats, which cause Ganime and Kamoeba to go crazy and fight each other. At one point, Ganime hock a big fat loogie on Kamoeba, for no reason. It's pretty funny.
A volcano conveniently erupts nearby. Gamine and Kamoeba tumble into it and fry. Obata, still possessed by the alien, but in control, leaps into the volcano as well, killing the SPACE AMOEBA. Our heroes then pause and reflect quietly while a volcano erupts about ten feet away from where they're standing.
We've jumped ahead a little bit (to 1970). Godzilla was pretty much the only giant monster in town at the time, but Toho wanted to try and make a Godzilla-less kaiju movie - hence "Space Amoeba". It didn't do so well at the box office back then, but has gained a rabid cult following over the years, primarily because it's such a bat shit crazy movie. It's colorful, extremely fast-paced, and makes absolutely no sense - it's a big slice of campy fun. Akira Ifukube also contributed a weird, but memorable score to this one. This is one of Ishiro Honda's last kaiju films, and special effects master Eiji Tsuburya had died not long before, so his apprentice Sadamasa Arikawa took over the job, doing a fine job.
This is the only appearance of the monster Ganime, and ugly but memorable critter. Turtle Kamoeba (who, I think, was supposed to be Toho's answer to Gamera, the giant monster star from their rival studio, Daiei) would appear, albeit as a corpse, in "Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S." (2003). Cuttlefish Gezora would make a cameo in "Godzilla: Final Wars" and have a prominent role in the "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" video game for the classic Nintendo Entertainment System.
In "The Wrath of Godzilla, Part 6", witness as the world's greatest villain becomes the world's greatest hero!
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