Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (San daikaijû: Chikyû saidai no kessen) (1964)
Movie Info
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Cast
as Detective Shindo
as Naoko Shindo
as Professor Miura
as Dr. Tsukamoto
as Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
as Princess Salno of Sergina
as Malmess
as Assassin
as Chief Detective Okita
as Editor-in-Chief Kanamaki
as Assassin
as Ship Captain
as Fisherman
as Alien Expert
as Ghidrah
as Godzilla
as Wu
as Chief of Infant
as Murai's Assistant
as Meteorite Scientist
as Hat Retriever
as Leader
as Mothra
as Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
Critic Reviews for Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (San daikaijû: Chikyû saidai no kessen)
All Critics (12) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (9) | Rotten (3) | DVD (5)
Even with a deliberately lighter tone being enforced, this Godzilla film cannot help but lend itself to anti-technology warnings of the implicit kind.
Ghidrah at least provides a smile or two as it lurches and lunges through a veritable anthology of Japanese monster picture plots.
This is arguably one of the earliest moments of crossover hype, the kind that Marvel Studios excels in today.
Despite some basic incongruities and its occasionally silly tone, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster is a genuinely enjoyable film for the series.
The human half of the narrative is so captivatingly loopy and well-expressed, that the film would be just as good if there were no monsters in it at all.
The tag line for Ghidorah should be Shit Happens.
Audience Reviews for Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (San daikaijû: Chikyû saidai no kessen)
Rushed into theaters the same year as "Mothra vs. Godzilla", the debut film of Godzilla's most famous adversary is a very uneven affair. The movie starts out okay, a typical Toho science fiction affair, but then it goes crazy as a the film follows a police detective that is forced to protect a princess who is being targeted by a group of assassins. Not only that, but the princess is also the harbinger of a long dead alien race that is trying to warn Earth of the impending destruction from the three headed dragon named Ghidorah. This subplot takes up most of the screen time with the human characters and it feels like glorified time-killer because it has little impact on the monster action. The effects are also dodgy in this one. Rodan looks really fragile for a creature that flies at super sonic speeds and the Godzilla suit looks really worn out (along with a really ugly head). Plus there is not too much city smashing or military scenes, which is weird because military scenes are a long-standing tradition in the Godzilla series. It is obvious that most of the film's budget went into the elaborate Ghidorah suit, which does steal the show whenever Ghidorah is on-screen. It is just too bad that Ghidorah is only in the movie for a total of ten minutes. After the first half the monster action picks up considerably and the final fight involving Mothra, Rodan, and Godzilla banning together to fight the evil Ghidorah is pretty cool, although it does not live up to it's full potential. This is one of the few times were I recommend the American version over the Japanese because the American version cuts out some unnecessary scenes that help the pacing. If I have to sit through some questionable dubbing in order to get to the monster action faster, I'll take it. Overall, "Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster" is a sporadically enjoyable B-movie and one of the weaker entries in the Godzilla franchise.
Super Reviewer
starring godzilla, rodan and mothra, now reduced to a giant caterpillar, versus the triple headed fire breathing monster ghidorah. the effects here are pretty funny and the plot is kinda bizarre, with an amnesiac princess turned apocalyptic prophet, tiny twin fairies and even government assassins. it's all worth it for the crazy climactic fight scene. much fun!!
Super Reviewer
This is from the Godzilla series. These movies are always fun, I remember that after seeing this movie I became very afraid of lightning storms as a child thought for sure Ghidorah would show up at any moment. These movies from the 1964 time frame were outstanding for special effects and I wonder to this day just how they got Godzilla's eyes to move the way they did to show expression. The fight scenes were funny as they reminded me of the early days of wrestling. 4 Stars no less.
Super Reviewer
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (San daikaijû: Chikyû saidai no kessen) Quotes
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