Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (San Daikaiju: Chikyu Saidai No Kessen) (1964)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Ishiro Honda

Starring: Yosuke Natsuki, Yuriko Hoshi, Hiroshi Koizumi, Akiki Wakabayashi

From: Toho

I figured it was time to watch another Godzilla film and this is the start of the franchise getting pretty wacky, as this was quite wacky. I'll return tomorrow afternoon, and I think I'll watch something else that is zany.

(Note: As there's a definite difference between the two, the version I saw was the original cut put out by Toho)

Last night I checked out this film and while some elements are starting to get old with the Toho kaiji formula of this franchise, they really went the wacky route here. Let me give some bullet point reasons as to why:

* Aliens from outer space; that's their introduction to the Godzilla universe. They are causing weird things on Earth and it leads to such things as possession and a three headed dragon to happen. Yes, a three headed dragon from space.

* Another plot revolves around a princess from a fictitious country and an insidious plot to assassinate her. That plot and those moments seem like straight out of a Seijun Suzuki film and it was just odd as those two did not always mesh well together.

* Other elements present include a variety show, monsters “talking” to each other, shock treatment, talk of alternate dimensions, a magnetic “meteorite” that's actually something else, Rodan and the larvae version of Mothra. I've never seen 1955's Rodan, as I've heard it's not good so chronologically this is the first I've seen the flying dinosaur... or if you want to call them that, a flying chicken.

It's all quite goofy and that helps in a first half that sets up the story and has basically zero monster action. By the end there's some quality action-and as always there is also quality miniature work-so overall I'll say this is a 3 star affair.