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GHIDORAH: THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER
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| Rated G
| | Copyright 1964 Toho Company Ltd.
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Reviewed by Andrew Borntreger on 9 October 2007
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A huge meteorite lands in the mountains and mystifies scientists with its erratic magnetic properties. Meanwhile, the princess of a small nation is mysteriously spared death when her plane explodes in mid-air. When the dazed girl pops back into the story, she is suffering from amnesia and believes that she is a Martian. She also predicts that Godzilla and Rodan will begin to cause destruction once again, but the real problem is a monster from outer space called Ghidorah. Eventually, the meteorite swells up (they don't often do that) and cracks open, releasing Ghidorah. Somewhere else in Japan, Godzilla and Rodan appear and begin quarreling. Mothra intervenes in the spat and begs the other two Earth monsters to help it defend mankind from the three-headed space monster. It takes some fast talking by the huge caterpillar, but the others eventually agree and the fight is on.
You know, the last time we saw Mothra, there were two huge larva. Did one die or did the larger of the two eat its sibling?
Watching this, it becomes obvious Toho was experimenting with the mechanics of kaiju fighting. Rodan pecks Godzilla on the head a lot, while Mothra climbs aboard the giant pteradon to act like some sort of web-shooting powerup during the final battle with Ghidora, but the scaled destruction looks great. The new monster, Ghidorah, is one of my favorites. Imagine a three-headed, electricity-spewing Pit Bull with wings. Got it? Good, now inject the crazy thing with amphetamines and set it loose on Tokyo.
Homeowners insurance in Japan must be either very expensive or filled with bizarre "limited liability" clauses.
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| Things I Learned From This Movie: | |
|  | NEOs can be detrimental to hydroelectric power facilities.
| | | Some societies waited until the 20th Century to discover Elizabethan fashion.
| | | That which does not kill us cures amnesia.
| | | Godzilla invented soccer.
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| | | 15 mins - Elephantiasis of the meteorite!
| | | 42 mins - A vacant-eyed girl listlessly reading incomprehensible poetry while sitting in a fireplace. That is so 1960's.
| | | 51 mins - The politicians should be happy that it is not an election year.
| | | 75 mins - He has a rifle equipped with a scope; you have a pistol. Time to start running.
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Re: Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster (Capsule Review)
Reply #1. Posted on October 12, 2007, 11:32:39 AM by bobbynyc
In Re the second mothra - in the recently released Japanese language version the Fairies say that one of the young mothra's has died - it's not specified from what - perhaps injuries suffered at the hands of Godzilla or just special effects budgets. God I am such a geek.  |
Ghidrah: The Three-Headed Monster (Capsule Review)
Reply #2. Posted on October 13, 2007, 02:40:39 AM by Xenorama
nice review. the question about the second larva is one that has puzzled fans for years. one does take a pretty good beating in the previous movie.
however, the "real" reason is that they needed two for GODZILLA VS THE THING, and only one for this movie. since all the original Godzilla movies don't have a strict continuity, most of the time they didn't bother with such things in the script. the screenwriters never figured that obsessed fans would think about such things! 
great movie though!
David
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| Re: Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster (Capsule Review)
Good review did the film justice. But I dislike the little stab at the pit bulls. They get enough bad rep as is.
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Re: Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster (Capsule Review)
Reply #4. Posted on November 24, 2007, 09:03:56 PM by Andrew
Good review did the film justice. But I dislike the little stab at the pit bulls. They get enough bad rep as is.
Unfortunately, the Pit Bull breed itself has been damaged by the image fostered of them as aggressive dogs. People have been breeding Pit Bulls for aggressiveness and that poisons the breed as a whole. There is a reason that descriptions of traits desirable in a breed include temperament. Unless the process is halted and reversed, Pit Bulls might become a breed that should disappear. | | Pages: [1] | |
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Little girls will happily substitute a big, ugly toad for a doll. 