San daikaijû: Chikyû saidai no kessen (1964)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Ishirô Honda

Writer:

Shinichi Sekizawa (writer)

Release Date:

13 September 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The Three-Headed Monster battles Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan for the world!

Plot:

After a meteorite unleashes a three-headed beast upon Tokyo, Mothra tries to unite with Godzilla and Rodan to battle the extraterrestrial threat.

Plot Keywords:

Rodan | Godzilla | Mothra | Princess | Monster

Cast

Yosuke Natsuki	...	Detective Shindo
Yuriko Hoshi	...	Naoko Shindo
Hiroshi Koizumi	...	Professor Miura
Akiko Wakabayashi	...	Mas Selina Salno, Princess of Sergina
Emi Ito	...	Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
Yûmi Ito	...	Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
Takashi Shimura	...	Dr. Tsukamoto
Akihiko Hirata	...	Chief Detective Okita
Hisaya Ito	...	Malmess, Chief Assassin
Minoru Takada	...	Prime Minister
Senshô Matsumoto	...	Alien Expert
Ikio Sawamura	...	Honest Fisherman
Kôzô Nomura	...	Geologist
Kenji Sahara	...	Editor in Chief Kanamaki
Susumu Kurobe	...	Moustachoied Assassin

Also Known As:

Earth's Greatest Battle (literal English title)
Ghidora, the Three-Headed Monster
Ghidrah
Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster (USA)
Gojira Mosura Kingu Gidora: Chikyu saidai no kessen (Japan) (reissue title)
Monster of Monsters: Ghidorah (International: English title)
The Biggest Battle on Earth
The Biggest Fight on Earth
The Greatest Battle on Earth
The Greatest Fight on Earth
Three Giant Monsters: The Greatest Battle on Earth (International: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

92 min | Japan:73 min (1971 reissue) | USA:85 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

Cameo(Frankie Sakai): Man addressing the Diet.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During one of the scenes in which the pick axes and rocks are being attracted to Ghidorah's meteor, a hand is seen throwing the last rock.

Quotes:

Naoko Shindo: [Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra are conversing]
Naoko Shindo: Oh it looks like they're having a conversation. Oh Shindo, what do you think they're saying to each other?
Detective Shindo: Huh, how would I know? You expect me to understand monster talk?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Godzilla and Other Movie Monsters (1998) (V)

Significant "Godzilla" film.

Ghidorah the Three Headed MOnster is a very significant Godzilla Film. It has a lot of first in it.

This time a meteor hits earth and scientists go to investigate it. Also around the same time a meteor destroys the plane of a princess who jumps out of the plane before it is hit. Later she shows up but thinks that she is a martian from Venus, or mars in the American version. She warns people that the Earth is coming to an end. The police feel that she will be a target and if she is killed her country will revert to communism. So they try to keep her protected. Soon she warns that the monster Rodan will reappear and Rodan emerges from Mount Asho. Later she warns of Godzilla. Attackers who plan on killing the princess are constantly after her but she believes that she is from another planet. The princess/martian warns of a terrible monster named Ghidorah that emerges from an area that was impacted by the meteor. THe shobjin are contacted to help with the threat of Ghidorah. THey fear that Mothra, in its larval stage, will be no match for Ghidorah but they think that if ROdan, Godzilla, and Mothra work together they could beat Ghidorah. Will it work, or will it fail.

This film is very good. It introduces Ghidorah for the first time. Ghidorah is truly a breathtaking monster. He can fly, has three heads, shoots gravity beams, and seemingly is unbeatable. Ghidorah would go on to be Godzilla's most popular foe and a constant reappear.

This is really the first Godzilla Film to be made in which the main focus is not on Godzilla. Godzilla is in it, but so are Rodan, Mothra, and GHidorah. Also this is the first film in which Godzilla saves Japan and acts more as a hero than a villain. I never was a fan of this aspect of Godzilla, he is much better as a bad guy. THe aspect of a bad guy turning good has worked on other characters in movies and comics and television but I do not like how they did this with Godzilla. Godzilla being good is just something that does not feel right, why would he change his ways just like that? But it is not the end of the world, I just like him way better as a bad guy.

Rodan shows up for his first appearance in a Godzilla film. WHich of the two Rodan it is, well if it was either I would say that it is the male since this Rodan is referred to as being a male. I guess he survived but he could be another Rodan altogether, if it is a survivor from that climatic ending in "Rodan" I feel bad for him having lost his mate but I think the events of that film really do not matter at all in Ghidorah. Rodan looksa lot worse in this film than he did in "Rodan". When he is on his feet on the ground his neck is too long and he is taller than Godzilla. Also his head looks a little different, not as evil looking. Maybe they wanted to make him look nicer to appeal to public, after all they did this with Godzilla. This is easily the worst look for Rodan in a film when he is walking around but he looks much better in other films but he never looks as cool as he did in "Rodan". His roar is the same though and that is good. Rodan looks better when he is flying in this film, helps tremendously against Ghidorah and also he gets in some good action with Godzilla. THey put on an evenly matched fight against each other. I like Rodan a lot, way more than Mothra and he is a lot cooler than Mothra in my opinion.

Mothra comes back, unfortunately. I always disliked mothra. Probably because he defeated Godzilla in Godzilla vs Mothra. I just hate Mothra, especially in his larval stage which is what he is in in this film. How can a little grub like him beat Godzilla? OK I am getting a little off track. Mothra shows up and stops Rodan and GOdzilla from fighting. WHAT THE HELL???? That bugged me because Rodan and Godzilla never got their own film against each other and when they actually do fight Mothra comes in and stops it. I wish they just would have gone after Mothra for doing that.

The fight scenes are great in this film. Both the fight between Godzilla and ROdan and Godzilla, ROdan, and Mothra against Ghidorah are great. Another thing I did not get is why Godzilla's atomic breath looks so bad in this film? It just looks like dust or sand.

The human scenes are kind of weird at times. The princess who believes that she is a martian survived a fall from her plane down to the ocean? And how does she get the powers that allow her to predict when monsters are going to appear. It is also interesting that she talks about how Ghidorah destroyed other planets but I have to wonder how reliable a source she is. After all she did know when Rodan and Godzilla would show up so I am guessing that she is right about Ghidorah also. But I love the part where the guy gets hit in the head by the wrench and he yells "Eeeeee Yahhhhh!!!!" This is also the first time Godzilla works with other monsters to fight a different monster. This idea would be re used again.

So I think this movie is very good, one of the best. Definitely a significant film that had a lot of firsts. Go and see it and you will not be disappointed.