Ghidorah, the Triceps Monster was the fifth in the series, premiering in Japan in 1964 and the US in 1965. This was the last Godzilla film to undergo major revisions before crossing the Pacific, eight minutes being cut and scenes changed. He also changed the character of Godzilla forever, which, like many great fictional characters, turns from a villain to a hero.
Both versions of the film tell the same basic story. A strange meteor crashed into a Japanese mountain desert. On a plane trip to Japan, an alien saves a bloodied queen mid-flight just before her plane is blown up in an attempt to escape. When we next see her, draped in an ornament of hedgehogs, she proclaims that she is a foreign prophet and predicts the end of the world. When his picture makes the papers, the enemies of home wonder if the prince has neglected his plans. An assassin is sent to Japan to discover the alien’s true identity.
After an odd appearance on television, the Mothra vs Godzilla twins are set to sail home to Mothra Island. The queen seems to have warned of more danger, but the prince does not believe her. The searcher favors the female reporter of the queen, sees an exclusive opportunity and takes it upon himself.
King Ghidorah is ejected from the meteor. It’s a slight cross between Rodan and Godzilla, but it looks like a Chinese dragon. It has large wings, and, as the film’s title suggests, three heads, all of which emit energy/luminous rays. Every time on stage, a big electronic sound in the sound. Left unchecked, Ghidorah will end the world, just as he did in Stranger’s Home.
As Ghidorah chases after the wreckage, Rodan and Godzilla fight in the fields. Market Mothra is asked to save the day from her island lord. Unfortunately, Mothra died earlier, and there is only one rocket left. However, the aforementioned Fates believe that the combination of monsters can overcome the power of Earth Ghidorah. Mothra arrives and breaks up the fight, although it could very well be playing a version of Hackey Boulder, between Godzilla and Rodan shooting silk at them. The monsters stand and talk very funny, which is translated from Nundinis. Considering the way they were treated, Godzilla and Rodan see no need to help the humans. Mothra decides to go alone.
Do monsters help with certain death except Mothra? Will Ghidorah destroy the man? Will the assassins kill the prince? All these questions are answered, and the producers wisely leave the opportunity open.
As long as the silly writing is allowed, Ghidorah is a lot of fun. It was a remarkable move by Toho Studios to follow the universal example of the 1940s and scale up their monsters. While the film is admittedly grainy, the effects and miniatures are very well done even with occasional visible wires. Curiously, Godzilla’s atomic spirit looks like smoke in some of the fight scenes. I’d rather spend more time fighting monsters and wreaking havoc, and I’ll skip the fight scenes more often than watching the entire movie.
The DVD contains a short biography of special effects legend Eiji Tsuburaya, the original Japanese trailer, and a gallery of movie posters . Author and film historian David Kalat provides a commentary track in the English version. It talks about both versions, but since it doesn’t take much time for the plot or plot, it provides plenty of information about the actors and the Japanese film history. Kalat’s sense of humor is poor and sometimes a bit dry, but he puts on the best show I’ve ever heard for a folk. His point to the “subtitles only” crowd is to allow children to enjoy the films, and certainly no one can argue that the Godzilla films are not accessible to children. Presenting the film in both formats is widely accepted, especially since both versions can easily fit into one DVD.
