The War of the Gargantuas (1970)

I love this movie so much

Wonderful character development!

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Ostensibly a sequel to 1965's "Frankenstein Conquers the World", the connection between "War of the Gargantuas" and that film is pretty tenuous (especially if watching an English-dubbed version* in which the name 'Frankenstein' is never used). Apparently, despite Frankenstein's supposed demise at the end of FCtW, some of his tissue developed into a savage green clone named 'Gaira' AND either the original Frankenstein survived to become the mellow brown giant 'Sanda' OR both 'Gargantuas/Frankensteins' are clones grown from the discarded tissue (this is far from clear). The evil Gaira dispatches a giant octopus, sinks a ship (where he demonstrates an appetite for humans), and then attacks an airport (an amazing miniature set considering its brief screen-time). As usual, the JDF's conventional weapons are useless against the marauding colossus but the new maser cannons carve him up pretty badly. At this point Sanda appears and the two monsters go into hiding. An American professor working in Japan (a non-dancing Russ Tamblyn) points out to the military that, if a fragment of the original Frankenstein's tissue begat the behemoths (one or both), then blowing Gaira to pieces would be ill advised. This complicates anti-Frankenstein strategies, but the gigantic pair begin to fight each other so the JDF is off the hook for saving Japan (yet again). The humanoid 'Gargantuas/Frankensteins' are a bit of a departure for Toho's monster factory but are surprisingly engaging. The miniature cityscapes that they destroy are as good as any in the Showa-era Godzilla films and in general, the optical effects (maser beams, back projections, mattes, etc) are quite effective. The presence of Russ Tamblyn (best known for his energetic choreography in "West Side Story" (1961) or "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (1954)) adds little to the film (apparently he was a pain in the ass to work with) and the American professor character was likely included to make the film more marketable in the USA. His assistant (Akemi Togawa (Kumi Mizuno)) supposedly worked with a young Sanda (hence the inconsistency with Sanda being a clone of the original Frankenstein), which is all very confusing, as Kumi Mizuno was in FCtW and did interact with the young Frankenstein, but as a character named Dr. Sueko Togami. While definitely a kaiju film not to be thought about too carefully, "War of the Gargantuas" is fast-paced, well-executed, and quite entertaining in a silly sort of way. * there appear to be a number of versions in circulation, I am commenting on the Classic Media subtitled Japanese version on DVD.

I've never liked Tamblyn much anyway, but he was still below his normal level of performance here. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with the dubbing, but still… some of it was just Tamblyn. He looked bored and self-conscious. I don't think his facial expression changed once in the hour and a half running time. He looked like he was waiting for a bus, and that saying his lines posed something of an inconvenience.A few outstanding moments: love the scene where the fisherman looks into the water and sees the green gargantua glaring up at him; that was a real nice "jump". I also like the scene where the green one is emerging from the sea at a distance; it's not clear (aside from the title of the film) what exactly that thing is at first since it's so far away, and it gives quite a creepy effect. And, of course, the scene where the green one runs away, leaps off the land and into the sea is just hilarious… that was the scene my little brother and I always waited for and then howled at.The brown one took longer to show up than I remembered from previous viewings; I almost forgot he was coming. The interaction between the two is nice… not all that subtle, perhaps, but subtle for a Japanese monster movie. The usual big mess is made by the warring creatures, with much destruction of model buildings and vehicles. I got a chuckle out of the female lead's plea not to kill the "good" gargantua… lady, the two of them are rolling all over the entire city locked in mortal combat; if we don't do something pretty darn quick, they're going to level the whole metropolitan area! The less that is said about the female lounge singer, the better. I'd like to stick something in her throat that would preclude her from ever singing again; she has absolutely no talent whatsoever. Yes, the song was terrible, but that wasn't where the entire fault lay.I don't know how it would be to watch this for the first time as an adult. As an adult who loved it as a kid, it's a fun way to spend 90 minutes. First time I'd ever seen it with the proper aspect ratio; I was so used to watching it on a small, square analog TV that it really seemed new and fresh on a 32" flat-screen… not to mention that it's much easier to tell the gargantuas apart in living color!

From the masters of kaiju films comes the sequel to the thrilling movie "Frankenstein Conquers the World aka Frankenstein vs Baragon". For longest time, I never gave this classic Toho film any serious thought for some reason. However, having recently saw various reviews as well as learning that celebrities like Tim Burton grew up loving this flick, I decided to give this Japanese classic another try and boy was my mind changed for the better. Get ready to crumble because this is "War of the Garnagtuas" (known as "Frankenstein's Monsters: Sanda vs Gaira" in Japan).Plot: From the remains of the Frankenstein monster spawns a hairy brown gargantua named Sanda. Though raised by kind scientists in captivity, he escapes one day and a part of his flesh was snagged off a rock and made its way into the sea, spawning a green gargantua called Gaira. Gaira goes on a rampage through Japan killing countless civilians, but soon finds himself overwhelmed by man's great weapons. Before the military could finish off the beast, Sanda arrives to help his brother. However, it becomes apparent that while Sanda is kind and gentle, Gaira is savage and violent and so their opposing personalities clash as the two behemoth brothers have a vicious fight to the death for the fate of the world.On the surface, "War of the Gargantuas" may seem like a typical monster movie, but that description would not do this film justice. There's a good deal of thought-provoking dialogue and some surprisingly well-done social commentary regarding the nature of humanity, reflected by both the humans and the gargantuas, which can be interpreted in a variety of levels. One example would be that while the military and Gaira represent the people/country that is eager to go to war, the scientists and Sanda represent a people/country that prefers a more peaceful solution to a problem. That's what's great about many of these kaiju flicks, they're not just simple, mindless entertainment but rather allegories for varying aspects of life.The special effects are definitely impressive. Since the gargantuas are smaller than most kaiju, the miniatures and sets are made larger for a more accurate scale and they all look great, especially when they're destroyed. One noteworthy thing to point out is that this is the first appearance of the famous maser cannons, which later appear throughout the Godzilla series. Sanda and Gaira look fantastic, having a combination of fur and scales and being more slim than other kaiju, allowing the actor greater mobility. Given the humanoid nature of the creatures, you basically get to see the actors' faces, especially their eyes, and this allows them to better convey emotions.As one might expect from the title, there's tons of action throughout the film. This is some really top notch kaiju action and this time the military isn't completely helpless as the gargantuas are actually harmed by their weapons. The battles between Sanda and Gaira are awesome as they are fast-paced and really vicious as they roll around, bite each other, toss one another into buildings, etc. Throw in some military in between and it becomes more than just fight, it's an all-out war.With good kaiju, lots of impressive action scenes, interesting social commentary, nice acting, great special effects, and fitting music by Akira Ifukube, it's easy why "War of the Gargantuas" has had quite the impact on pop culture. Even if you're not a kaiju fan, this film will be worth your time, though you should fast forward through the song "The Word Get Stuck in My Throat" sung by this terrible American singer. Check it out for some good old-fashioned, building smashing fun.

An experimental lab animal called a gargantua escapes from his captors and is suspected to be the creature that is killing people all over the countryside. But when the gargantua from the lab appears at the same time as the evil gargantua, the two begin to battle across Japan.I love seeing Russ Tamblyn in any movie, and here he is so young (and yet somehow a respected doctor... well played). He really made the film for me, and distinguishes it from many other monster movies.I do love the awesome monsters, the effects, the suits. The squid creature in the beginning was excellent and very creepy. The gargantuas are cool... like giant Sasquatches.My only real complaint was the inclusion of the most terrible singer who ever lived. Apparently this was Kipp Hamilton, who had an otherwise lackluster career and died young (age 45). I hate to be rude, but her "talent" is not missed.