GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (1971): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 12

GODZILLA vs. HEDORAH (1971)

aka. Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster

If you thought movies in which men in big rubber monster suits wrestle on miniature sets were bizarre by definition, prepare to have your definition of "bizarre" blown wide open. In the early 1970s, Toho released one of the strangest Godzilla movies to see the light of day: GODZILLA vs. HEDORAH. Whether fans hate it or love it, they usually point to the same reason: it's just so damn weird.

GODZILLA vs. THE SEA MONSTER (1966): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY EIGHT

GODZILLA vs. THE SEA MONSTER (1966)

aka. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep
aka. Godzilla, Ebirah, Mothra: Big Duel in the South Seas

Even the King of the Monsters needs a vacation. Tired of the hustle and grind that comes with destroying major Japanese landmarks, Godzilla decides to catch some R&R on a secluded tropical island with an all-you-can-beat lobster buffet and plenty of cute island babes in bikinis. Oh, and there's international terrorism. And slavery. And Mothra? Yeah...that's Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster for you.

GHIDORAH, THE THREE HEADED MONSTER (1964): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY SIX

GHIDORAH, THE THREE HEADED MONSTER (1964)

aka. Three Giant Monsters: Earth's Greatest Battle

aka. Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster

Aside from introducing one of Godzilla's classic enemies, Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monster is held up alongside Mothra vs. Godzilla as one of the best kaiju movies of the Showa series. At the same time, it is decried by many adult Godzilla fans. You see, Ghidorah heralded a monumental and culture-shifting transformation that many Godzilla purists are still not happy about. For 30 years following Ghidorah, Godzilla would be firmly and unequivocally depicted not as monster but as a kid-friendly hero. And it all started right here.

MOTHRA vs. GODZILLA (1964): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY FIVE

MOTHRA vs. GODZILLA (1964)
aka. Godzilla vs. The Thing

It's time to bug-out as we take a look at one of the best, if not THE BEST, Godzilla movies of the Show Era series. We've seen Godzilla tangle with Anguirus, an original creation for Godzilla Raids Again. He's even battled the big ape on loan from RKO in King Kong vs. Godzilla. But for the first time ever in film history, Godzilla fights the winged mother of destruction herself: MOTHRA!

KING KONG vs. GODZILLA (1962): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY FOUR

KING KONG vs. GODZILLA (1962)

Ladies and gentlemen, step right up to witness a cataclysmic, catastrophic clash of titanic terrors! Get y'er front-row seats to the knock-down, drag-out battle of the century! Tonight Japan's reigning monster supreme Godzilla goes toe-to-toe with the American ape of astonishing strength: King Kong! When the dust finally settles on the ruins of Japan, who will emerge the new King of the Monsters?

GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (1955): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY THREE

GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (1955)
aka: Gigantis, the Fire Monster

You can't keep the King of the Monsters down. A mere year after he destroyed Tokyo, Godzilla returns, and for the first time he's not the only monster in town.

GOJIRA (1954): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY ONE

GOJIRA (1954)

A legend is born! As we count down to Gareth Edwards' big American remake of Godzilla, we turn our attention to the monster's origins in his surprisingly emotional, sad, and haunting Japanese debut.

Monster Profile: SUFLAN (Ultraman)

SUFLAN

(aka. Sufuran)

Classification: Aggressive Carnivorous Vines

Although not as great a threat as the giant monsters in the Monster Lawless Zone, this carnivorous plant certainly made things difficult for the Science Patrol.

Height: 328 feet (100 meters)

Weight: 8 tons

Powers: As a plant, Suflan attacks from the canopy with long vines capable of constricting its prey to death.

Weaknesses: Suflan proves quite susceptible to fire since the Science Patrol was able to escape the deadly vines by utilizing flame throwers.

First Appearance

Ultraman (1966) - "Monster Lawless Zone"

ULTRAMAN MONDAYS: Shoot the Invader

Every Monday I review an episode from the classic Ultraman television series.



Episode 02: "Shoot the Invader" (catch up on past episodes)
Original Air date: July 24, 1966

Featured Monster:  Baltan Seijin

Synopsis

Ultraman encounters a dangerous foe in the Baltan Seijin, a hostile and elusive alien race determined to colonize the Earth.

Review

Last week's premiere episode of Ultraman was fun but left a lot to be desired. The monster suit was cheap-looking, the characters were flat, and the final monster fight was pretty standard stuff. Imagine my surprise when the second episode, "Shoot the Invader," came out of the gate delivering a sincerely funny and surprisingly exciting tokusatsu adventure with an unforgettable villain.

Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice...I mean Science Patrol headquarters

"Shoot the Invader" begins in a very welcoming fashion as the camera pans across the console room at Science Patrol headquarters. We feel like we're in the room with the cast even before Science Patrol member Ide, who's sporting a nasty black eye, stops to greet us. Ide breaks the fourth wall by addressing us, the viewer, and asking if we want to know how he got the shiner around his right eye. If you don't care, you don't have a choice because this is how the episode starts.

Ide begins to tell the story by flashing back to the previous night when he couldn't sleep because his bunk-mate Daisuke Arashi was snoring up a storm. To make matters worse, a piercing warning alarm begins to sound, rousing the Science Patrol out of bed and into action. They're so efficient at Science Patrol that they don't even have to get dressed.

.

Apparently the Science Patrol sleeps in uniform.

Captain "Cap" Muramatsu informs the Science Patrol that a mysterious energy wave has been detected over the Scientific Technical Center in Tokyo. After Cap admonishes Arashi for showing up on duty wearing his slippers instead of boots, Cap sends Arashi to check out what's going on. I don't think people like Arashi very much. Despite all the high-tech equipment at the Science Patrol's disposal, Arashi ends up driving nothing but a plain grey car with cheap stickers and decals on the roof and door. They couldn't let him take a VTOL? Even more humiliating, the show's obligatory kid sidekick, Hoshino, stows away in the back seat to annoy Arashi for the rest of the ride.

BOOM! Headshot.

Things go from bad to worse for Arashi when he arrives to find the staff frozen in place by a strange green glow. Then he runs head-first into danger and gets a face-full of alien laser. Oh, snap!

Damn it, Arashi. We've all seen your mime impression!

Hoshino, chilling in the car outside, manages to be useful by calling in reinforcements. Hayata (member of the Science Patrol and the secret identity of Ultraman) arrives with the defense force to investigate. What evil is afoot? Could it be another flimsy-looking reptile like last week?

VO-VO-VO-VO

Holy crap, that looks awesome.

Hayata comes face to face with a Baltan alien, aka. Baltan Seijin. Unlike last week's dime-store monster costume, the Baltan Seijin looks great. At first, it's human-sized with giant claw hands that fire paralyzing beams. It's spooky orange eyes can even rotate and move, giving the costume's face a surprising amount of life. And it's no pushover in the powers department.

Double your pleasure. Double your fun.

 First of all, the Baltan Seijin can teleport whenever it wants. Second, it can generate duplicates of itself as decoys. Hayata manages to keep his wits about him and avoid being zapped into suspended animation, but his laser gun has no effect on the Baltan alien. It disappears, emitting the species's trademark laugh, a deep and spooky "VO-VO-VO-VO."

Dude. I think that LSD's kicking in.

 The Baltan Seijin is clearly a force to be reckoned with, but nobody knows what it wants or how to locate its space craft. The government decides to attack the creature with a devastating, innovative nuclear device called the Hagetaka despite Cap's insistence that they open dialogue with the creature first to find out what it wants on Earth. The government scoffs at the idea. The only good bug is a nuked bug. Before the attack commences, Hayata and Ide are sent back to the Scientific Technical Center to confront the creature. Ide, played by Masanari Nihei, gives a great turn as the bumbling and cowardly, yet loveable, comic relief . Think of a Japanese take on the Cowardly Lion from Wizard of Oz. Predictably, Ide is captured by the Baltan Seijin and taken to the roof top.

Ide needs to see The Wizard about some Courage.

On the roof, the Baltan Seijin speaks through Arashi's brain to communicate with the humans. We learn that the Baltan Seijin came to Earth in search of a gravitational stabilizer for their invisible space craft, but they can't return to their world because a scientist back home destroyed the entire planet with a nuclear experiment. Somewhere, the Baltan Seijin equivalent of Charlton Heston has sunk to its knees shouting, "You blew it up! God damn you all to hell."

In a surprising show of good faith, Hayata offers the Baltan Seijin a place on Earth, but the Baltan Seijin have no intention of living by Earth laws or customs. After all, their invisible ship currently holds 2.3 billion Baltans (or over 60 billion according to the English dub). On the ship, they're the size of bacteria, but they're ready to colonize and grow to their full height. There is simply not enough room on Earth for both species. Well hell, Baltans, why don't you go live on Mars instead?

Picky, picky, picky.

The Baltans won't discuss their dislike for Mars but make it clear that the Earth will soon be theirs. It's time to put up or shut up, and the Baltan Seijin makes its first move.

Magic wand, make my monster GROW

Growing into a 50 foot tall monster, the Baltan Seijin attacks. This move starts off a really exciting fight sequence between the Baltan Seijin and Ultraman that is surprising in many ways. First of all, the effects are great. The Baltan Seijin and the miniature sets look very real. The video compositing is quite convincing, as in the scene when a giant claw appears to knock Hayata into the background of the frame. The fight is filmed as if at night, and the shadows, misty smoke, and darker colours actually help hide the flaws in the Ultraman and Baltan Seijin costumes while amping up the tension. Second of all, the fight is refreshingly tense. In last week's episode, we saw Hayata use the Beta capsule to turn into Ultraman and beat the ever-loving monster tar out of space monster Bemular. There was never a sense that Ultraman was going to lose. In this episode -- only the second episode of the show -- Hayata is actually prevented from using the Beta capsule as an easy escape. It's knocked from his hand, over the side of the roof, and onto a window sill far below. In order to get the capsule to become Ultraman, Hayata has to throw himself off the building headfirst and hope he can grab the Beta capsule on the way down. If not, he's greasy street pizza.

Duh. He survives.

We wouldn't have much of a show if the main character fell to his death in the second episode, but this unexpected challenge put in Hayata's way does a lot to prevent the show from falling into a predictable pattern. Hayata grabs the Beta capsule, transforms, and takes to the sky to fight the Baltan Seijin that is flying around and firing destructive blasts from his claws. The government fires a few rounds of the Hagetaka at it, but the supposedly devastating missiles do diddly squat.

WHOOSH

 The third reason this fight is so exciting is that it takes place entirely in the air. Flying through the sky, Ultraman grapples with the alien and breaks one of its claws. This doesn't prevent the creature from using his good pincher to shoot at Ultraman, who dodges and lets Tokyo's expensive infrastructure take the blow instead.

BOOM! Ultraman doesn't care. He doesn't pay taxes.

Meanwhile, at headquarters, Cap realizes that the aliens must dislike Mars because it contains an element called specium (or "spacium," depending on whether you go with the anglicized version). Thankfully, Ultraman doesn't need to go to Mars for specium. He can shoot that damn stuff out of his hand using his signature weapon: the specium ray.

SPECIUM'D!

The creature literally goes down in flames, crashing and burning to death. Then Ultraman uses his powers to locate the invisible space craft, fly it away from Earth, and destroy it off screen. Just another day in the life of a giant alien space-cop.

Wait...didn't this whole story start with Ide getting a black eye? After Ultraman saves the world, Ide goes to bed, this time snoring so loudly as to keep Arashi awake. Oh, ho, but what's this? Ide falls out of bed and bangs up his eye! VO-VO-VO-VO. Ide, you silly goose. Will you ever learn?

Tell everyone you walked into a door knob.

So ends the second episode of Ultraman, a welcome improvement over the premiere. The Baltan Seijin are creepy villains with formidable powers. The final fight was also surprising and unconventional. We got a better sense of the characters and the show's comedy, and the story delivered a subtle anti-nuclear message. After all, the Baltan Seijin lost their home to a nuclear experiment, and the government's advanced nuclear weapons were useless against the alien threat. I guess the lesson is that violence is never the answer; it's always better to talk out your problems first. Then again, if the other side shows you any lip, it's okay to lay a specium smackdown on them. For justice. Space justice.

See you next Monday when I review the next episode: "Charge Forth, Science Patrol"

Don't forget to visit the MONSTER DATABASE for detailed profiles on all the creatures we encounter on Ultraman and the other movies I review.

ULTRAMAN MONDAYS: Ultra Operation #1

Episode 01: "Ultra Operation" (catch up on past episodes)
Original Airdate: July 17, 1966

Featured Monster: Bemular

Synopsis

The origin of Ultraman is revealed when the evil space monster Bemular escapes to Earth. The extraterrestrial space-cop pursuing Bemular must pause in his pursuit to save the life of an earthling, Science Patrol member Shin Hayata, by merging with him to create the superhero Ultraman.

Review

From the start, Ultraman doesn't waste any time getting to the action. The first episode begins with two strange spheres hurtling through space, chasing one another as they are pursued by Shin Hayata, member of the Science Patrol. The Science Patrol is an elite group of sharply-dressed astronauts, pilots, and researchers who stand on guard to defend Earth from supernatural and extraterrestrial threats. When they're not hanging out wearing blue blazers and fiddling with buttons in their futuristic headquarters (well, futuristic by 1960's standards), they slip into orange jumpsuits with shoulder flaps, grab motorcycle helmets, and strap on their laser guns to fight some aliens. And they always wear ties because, hey, you dress for the job you want, right?

Looking sharp, boys.

On this day, Hayata's pursuit of the traveling spheres will change his life forever. As the blue sphere enters earth's orbit, it descends into a nearby lake. Hayata's touch down isn't so lucky. His ship crashes with the red sphere, turning Hayata's futuristic VTOL jet into a flaming pile of scrap on the forest floor.

Are you looking at it?

To the astonishment of the locals, Hayata's lifeless body is engulfed by the red sphere and taken high into the sky. Within the sphere, where everything looks like a trippy acid flashback, Hayata meets a benevolent being from the "Land of Light" in nebula M78. The being is a kind of space-cop and was transporting a creature known as Bemular to the "grave of space" when it escaped (in the blue sphere). Chasing it, he accidentally crashed into Hayata's ship. In order to make ammends and save Hayata, the being vows to give Hayata his life. They will merge and become one. Hayata will remain in his human form with all his personality and memories until he uses a device known as the Beta capsule. Triggering the Beta capsule will allow Hayata to become the hero Ultraman and fight for Earth. Objectively, this is a very selfless act on Ultraman's part -- saving the life of one small human by giving up his own. On the other hand, Hayata doesn't get much choice. In neither the Japanese nor English dub does Ultraman ever get Hayata's permission to merge. In the Japanese dub, Ultraman doesn't even answer all of Hayata's questions; he just laughs creepily. Hey Ultraman, silence does not mean "Yes."

Ultraman: Origin Story or Date Rape Parable?

Anyways, the red sphere explodes and Hayata's teammates believe him to be dead, but they don't have much time to mourn. Soon, strange lights begin emanating from the lake and a giant figure begins to rear its ugly head. Bemular, you horrible cosmic monster, I wonder what you look like.

Here he comes. This is going to be awesome!

 I see something! Is it some horrific tentacled monstrosity?

It's a.....it's a.......it's a...........

Oh. It's a google-eyed dinosaur sea urchin with floppy arms

At this point, the endearing quality of Ultraman should be clear. Cheap rubber-suited monsters. Miniature space ships and model buildings. Outlandish costumes and out-dated optical effects. Ultraman's not a serious sci-fi show, but it's not an intentional farce like the 1960's Adam West Batman series either. It's an unintentionally funny yet intentionally fun extravaganza of low-budget television effects. It's monsters and lasers and home-made spaceships. It's goofy kaiju entertainment!

Blast'em!

The Science Patrol go on the offensive, but they're no match for Bemular's laser breath. Thankfully, they get help when Hayata reveals that he's still alive and has a plan to use the S16 submarine to drive Bemular out of the lake.

Splish splash, I was taking a bath

While in the submarine and blasting at Bemular's legs to drive him to the surface as the Science Patrol blast Bemular from the air, Hayata's plan only really succeeds in pissing off Bemular.  Bemular takes the submarine in his mouth, rises out of the lake, and tosses Hayata and the sub to the ground before blasting it at point-blank range with his powerful laser breath. Okay Hayata, what's Plan B?

Plan B(eta capsule)

Clearly out matched by the giant alien monster, Hayata emerges from the sub and triggers the Beta capsule to become.........

ULTRAMAN

Sure, Hayata knew he'd turn into an alien, but do you think he was prepared to turn into a 130 feet tall alien? If his sudden jump in size surprised him, he wasn't phased. Ultraman gets right down to work pummelling and beating Bemular up and down the shoreline.

Monster Mating Season

Ultraman and Bemular continue to tussle in the mud until a small orb on Ultraman's chest beings to blink. The Science Patrol reason, rightly so, that Ultraman only has a limited amount of energy. He has to finish Bemular quickly or risk running out of juice.

Gesundheit!

To get the upper hand on Bemular, Ultraman exhibits one of his first powers: flight. Launching himself into the air and circling around behind Bemular, Ultraman is able to beat Bemular into submission using some tried-and-true wrestling moves.

It's complete pandemonium here at monster stadium. The crowd's going wild

As Bemular attempts to make his escape in the form of a sphere, Ultraman finishes him off with his second signature power: the powerful Specium Ray

Talk to the hand

And with that, Bemular explodes in a shower of sparks and Ultraman saves the day. Ultraman flies out of sight to revert back to Hayata, who returns to give some bullshit story about being saved by Ultraman and finding out that Ultraman will stay on Earth to protect all humanity. I guess that's a more believable alibi than Clark Kent's poorly disguised alter ego, but you'd think something called the Science Patrol would be a little more suspicious of this 130 foot tall silver man with the power to reduce monsters to dust.

This first episode of Ultraman is light on character but heavy on action. With rarely a dull moment, it establishes each character's broad personality and introduces us to the types of monsters we can expect from the series. "Ultra Operation #1" is hardly my favorite episode, but it's a fun mingling of sci-fi/fantasy and rubber suit wrestling.

 Come back next week as I look at the second episode: "Shoot the Invader"

ULTRAMAN MONDAYS Begin Tomorrow

Tomorrow, we launch a new, ongoing feature here at All Monsters Blog! I'm calling it ULTRAMAN MONDAYS. For the next 39 weeks, every Monday I will review an episode from the original Ultraman television series, moving in chronological order from premiere to finale. Since Ultraman debuted in 1967 during the giant monster (daikaiju) craze in Japan, prepare to start your weeks with a healthy dose of campy model spaceships, cheap rubber-suited monsters, and giant alien superheroes. It's like sugary cereal for your eyes.

Some of you, like me until recently, may be unfamiliar with Ultraman. In Ultraman, evil aliens and giant monsters appear to threaten the earth and its people. These creatures are investigated and stopped by members of the International Science Police Organization's Science Special Search Party (or just "Space Patrol" in the English dub). In the first episode, a deadly accident occurs and Science Patrol member Shin Hayata is saved from death when a benevolent alien space-cop from "The Land Of Light," Nebula M78, fuses with Hayata's life force. Now, whenever the Science Patrol needs help, Hayata uses a device known as the Beta capsule to unlock his alien power and become Ultraman, a 131 feet tall alien superhero. Each episode he battles a different monster.

"Suck it, Jet Jaguar."

Ultraman originally aired in Japan, but it did reach American shores in 1968 with an English dub. While a small number of western fans got to watch the adventures of Ultraman, few realized the show was actually the followup series to another sci-fi/fantasy show in Japan: Ultra Q. Ultra Q was a sort of Japanese fusion of The Outer Limits' monster-of-the-week structure and the kaiju monster explosion that had compelled Godzilla and Gamera into popularity. Ultra Q (January 1966- July 1966) was a black-and-white series about a pilot with a passion for science fiction, his assistant pilot, and a newspaper photographer who would stumble upon and then investigate strange phenomena (often involving giant monsters). Ultra Q was created by special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya, the man who helped bring Godzilla to life for Toho before starting Tsuburaya Productions in 1966 to produce Ultra Q and then Ultraman.

Toho's Godzilla costume is redressed to star as a new monster in Ultra Q

So what's the connection between Ultra Q and Ultraman? Nothing really except an interest in monsters and sci-fi fantasy. There's no ties in overt continuity (although Ultraman would reuse monster suits from Ultra Q, which itself reused Tsuburaya`s monster suits from Toho`s Godzilla creature features). The popularity of Ultra Q's giant monsters, however, served as a launching pad for Ultraman which brought audiences even more monsters and colourful sci-fi/fantasy diversions.

Ultra destruction!

Starting tomorrow, we will devote every Monday to reviewing an episode of the original Ultraman series. Tomorrow, we'll begin with the first broadcast episode; however, it's worth pointing out that the first episode was not the first appearence of Ultraman on TV. To prepare kids for the coming of Ultraman, the last episode of Ultra Q was preempted in order to show "The Birth of Ultraman," a special live stage performance to introduce the cast, characters, and concept of Ultraman. Here's an undubbed clip:






Ready for some giant monster mayhem? Then I'll see you tomorrow as I look at the first episode of Ultraman: "Ultra Operation #1".

What's your favorite Ultraman episode? Post in the comments.