Sanda - Gaira's kinder, gentler "brother," that lives in the mountains of Japan. Once Sanda discovers that Gaira has a taste for human flesh, he battles his brother on land and sea for the fate of the Japanese people!

Back in the late eighties and early nineties, the world was, in my opinion, a much better place to live. What made it better for a (then) social misfit like myself, was the eager anticipation of late-night or all-day monster movie marathons on TNT, TBS, USA, and various other television networks. USA reveled in trash cinema with its weekend showings of Troma films on USA Up All Night!, TBS ("The Superstation!") introduced yours truly to the joy of "killer animal" cinema, and most importantly, TNT gave me my first taste of kaiju films!

Ah yes, life was good. But eventually TBS and USA stopped showing the films that I adored, and it was only a matter of time before TNT put the kibosh on its Monstervision marathons, as well as the Joe Bob Briggs-hosted weekend broadcasts. It was during this veritable "Golden Age" of monster movie TV programming that I came across a rare gem called War of the Gargantuas. While I most definitely enjoyed the monster action, this movie was easily overshadowed by the cinematic adventures of Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, and Toho's large stable of other fantastic creatures.

A little known fact: Toho dabbled in "tentacle rape" films in the late 1960s.

For years I had forgotten about the Tokyo-trashing escapades of Sanda and Gaira until I finally got a computer and began surfing the web. Eventually I rediscovered the film, bought a DVD-R copy of it online, and finally, just over a year ago, I picked up the official Region 1 release from Classic Media. Having just watched it recently, I can't quite figure out why this flick didn't etch itself into my kaiju-crazed mind, because it is easily one of the best films of its genre!

As the movie opens, we see a boat sailing upon a stormy sea at night. A lone sailor is on the bridge, manning the helm, and aside from the raging seas outside, all is quiet. So quiet that the sailor fails to notice a slimy tentacle slink through the door behind him until it wraps around one of his legs. He manages to free himself of the icky appendage, but soon other tentacles invade the bridge and capture him.

As if this wasn't enough to send this guy into a fit of hysteria, the owner of the phantom limbs pops up out of the sea to reveal its identity; it’s a giant octopus! But this guy luckily gets a reprieve when another giant creature suddenly appears and battles the enormous cephalopod. Unfortunately for the crew of the ship, this new kid on the block is Gaira, a large, green, mongoloid ape-elf who has a real hankering for human flesh.

After defeating the giant octopus (who was booted off Faro Island four years earlier by King Kong), Gaira turns his attention to the boat. He rocks it back and forth and then shoves it underwater, causing the five man crew (wait, that ship looked kind of big. Only five guys were on board?!) to leap overboard. The five men attempt to swim to safety, but Gaira gives chase and apparently catches four out of the five. The last man makes it to shore, gets hospitalized, and tells investigators that a giant monster sank his boat and ate the other crew members.

Gaira visits Haneda Airport to pick up some chicks.

For some reason, despite the obvious existence of other giant monsters, authorities seem hesitant to believe the man's story. Even after the discovery of shredded and bloodied clothes found near the doomed vessel from the film's opening, maritime officials are still skeptical. They just don't want to believe that the Jolly Green Giant is residing in Japanese waters and eating people. Eventually they are faced with the naked truth once Gaira comes strolling out of the ocean and strides toward Haneda Airport. The hungry beast causes a bit of damage and captures an unlucky female office worker who wasn't smart enough to stop screaming and run.

Gaira devours the shrieking woman and hilariously spits her tattered clothes out onto the tarmac, before making a hasty retreat back to the ocean. What could have scared off this gargantuan man-eating menace? Was it the mighty (useless) Japanese Self-Defense Forces? Another monster? A gigantic robot? Nope, it turns out that Gaira is afraid of sunlight (I guess he's part Mogwai), quite possibly because he spent most of his life in the dark ocean depths. With this new knowledge in hand, the people of Tokyo are told to "turn on all the lights" in order to keep this new menace at bay.

The Japanese government, eager to find a solution to this new problem, seeks out the aid of a one Dr. Paul Stewart, who five years prior to current events, was studying a strange ape-like creature at his lab. Said creature was a brown-haired primate that was supposedly related in some way to Frankenstein's Monster. The creature escaped from captivity, and now the authorities believe that it is the culprit. However, Doc Stewart, his colleague Dr. Yuzo Majida, and his gorgeous assistant Akemi are certain that Gaira is definitely not their cuddly escaped science project.

Robin Williams had a really strange childhood...

To prove their point, they travel to the Japanese Alps to investigate reports of a giant creature living in the solitude of the mountains. Though all they find is a trail of humongous footprints leading to a large cavern (which for some reason they never bother visiting), they are positive that they've found the lair of the long-lost pet Gargantua. Back in Tokyo, night falls and Gaira decides that it is time for a snack. Probably sick of getting hungry an hour after eating Japanese folks, Gaira decides to try American.

After singing her hit single, "The Words Get Stuck in My Throat," at an outdoor Japanese nightclub(?), American singer Kipp Hamilton is grabbed by Gaira, if only because her yellow dress made her seem like a delicious musical banana. But before Gaira can gulp her down, someone gets wise and turns on some lights. The sudden increase in illumination briefly blinds the hungry monster, and he drops his prize to her death before running off.

But instead of running back to the sea, Gaira heads inland toward the heavily forested mountains of central Japan. With an opportunity to attack and possibly kill the elusive monster, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces roll out and prepare to engage Gaira. Although Japan's brave military is armed with tanks, bazookas, machine guns, and an awesome military march conducted by the late (and oh, so very great) Akira Ifukube, they prove to be utterly useless against their flesh-eating foe.

Undaunted, the JSDF regroups and puts Plan-B into action. Instead of modern weaponry and explosives, they decide to utilize newly invented electricity-emitting weapons including batteries of laser guns, huge electric conductors (which are thrown into a nearby river), and MAZER CANNONS! With their arsenal of space-age weaponry set up, the army lures Gaira into the kill zone with a helicopter. Once he's in range, the Mazers open up and start dealing out some major punishment to the now utterly terrified monster.

Gaira feels the wrath of Japan's MAZER CANNONS!

Gaira at first attempts to hide from his attackers, but eventually gets angry enough to charge at the devastating MAZER CANNONS. When he does, he steps right into the army's trap and ends up taking a swim in a river of electric pain! Amazingly, the JSDF severely injures Gaira and have him on the ropes, but the marauding monster suddenly receives help from an unexpected source. Dr. Stewart's little brown Gargantua is all grown up now, and arrives on the scene to rescue his injured "brother."

Too shocked to press the attack, the military allows the evil Gaira to be whisked away by his kindly brother Sanda. Once Doctor Stewart and Akemi hear what happens, they attempt to dissuade the army from destroying Sanda, but their pleas fall upon deaf ears. So, while the army decides what to do next, Dr. Stewart and his team go out and pluck samples of Gargantua fur from the previous night's battleground in order to discover why there are two such creatures.

After analyzing the cells they gathered, they come to the conclusion that the monsters are (very technically) brothers that were created from the cells of the original Frankenstein kaiju. They also surmise that if either creature were blown to bits, an army of Gargantuas could rise up and destroy the world! Dr. Stewart makes sure to tell the army brass about his scientific findings (plus slip in a quick "Please don't kill the brown monster. He's nice. I swear!"), so that they don't obliterate either monster.

"Come on bro, I saved your life! Now give me fifty more push-ups!"

Taking that into consideration, the stone-faced General in charge of the operation decides to use napalm to burn out and/or suffocate the two monsters. In the meantime, Sanda has been tending to his injured brother and hides his aquatic twin at a nearby lake. While scouting around to make sure the coast is clear, Sanda comes across his old friends Doc Stewart and Akemi, the latter of which ends up hanging onto a tree branch for dear life, after falling over the side of a cliff. (Sheesh! Pay attention to where you're running woman!)

Sanda climbs down the sheer mountainside and rescues Akemi, but not before he ends up getting his kneecap busted by a falling boulder. Akemi and Doctor Stewart rush off to renew their "don't kill the brown monster" campaign, while Sanda limps back to his hiding place. This is probably my favorite part of the film, because it's kind of funny and because it humanizes the monsters a bit. When Sanda returns to his brother's side, he discovers that Gaira has eaten some people. Sanda gets riled up by this, rips a nearby tree out of the ground, and begins to beat up his green counterpart with it.

What I really enjoy about this moment in the film (other than the fact that it kicks off the titular "War of the Gargantuas") is that you can almost write your own script for this scene. That sounds weird, but trust me, as you watch it you can't help but come up with dialogue for the two monsters.

[SCENE: Gaira lies contented against a hillside; his belly full. A few seconds later Sanda limps around the corner.]

Sanda: "Hey bro. You won't believe what just happened to me. I was taking a stroll and I saw that girl I was telling you about and..." [Sanda sees shredded human clothes on ground. He looks disapprovingly at his brother, then rips a tree out of the ground.]

Gaira: [glance over] "Dude, what's with the tree?"

Sanda: "What is that on the ground Gaira?"

Gaira: [nonchalantly] "Huh? Oh, that was just my dinner. I'll clean up later."

Sanda: [limps over to Gaira and begins hitting him with the tree] "You dirty son of a bitch!"

Gaira: "Jesus Christ dude! You're hitting me with a tree!"

[Cursing and brawling breaks out and continues until Gaira throws his brother to the ground and runs off into the forest.]

Sanda: "Yeah, GO ON! GET OUT OF HERE! YOU'RE NO BROTHER OF MINE! YOU'RE DEAD TO ME!"

It is their difference in opinion over wether or not it's OK to eat humans, that causes an immediate rift between the Frankenstein brothers. After the brief scuffle with Sanda, Gaira runs off and makes a beeline for the ocean. Before the military can intercede, Gaira safely returns to his home under the sea, but he get the munchies once night falls, and strolls brazenly into the center of Tokyo in search of a meal. As the nocturnal terror begins combing the city for victims, Akemi decides that she's the only one who can find, control, and hopefully rescue Sanda.

"Clean up this mess you slob or else I'm gonna give you a timber enema!"

She stupidly runs out into the night, but Dr. Stewart is hot on her heels and manages to catch up with her. Instead of dragging her kicking and screaming to a safe location, Paul decides to join Akemi in her quest, and together they seek out their misunderstood kaiju friend. Moments after roaming the deserted streets of Tokyo, they run afoul of Gaira and quickly escape down into a subway tunnel. Gaira attempts to capture them, but they evade his grasp. Now at this point, any normal person would just stay put, keep quiet, and wait for the danger to pass, right?

Akemi on the other hand must be part lemming because for some reason she decides that "Sanda's here!" and runs into the waiting hands of Gaira! (To quote Ike from 1980's Mother's Day... "STUPID B*TCH!") Gaira slowly lifts Akemi toward his face, but Sanda shows up in time to stop his miniature gal pal from being devoured. Gaira drops the girl and backs away as the brown Gargantua tries to talk some sense into his carnivorous sibling. But communication quickly breaks down, and soon both monsters are grappling throughout Tokyo.

This is a pretty fun kaiju battle, with both monsters clawing and biting at one another, while occasionally pulling off a wrestling move or chucking one another through buildings. The military shows up and loses all their conventional weaponry during the first attack, so they send in the MAZER CANNONS to get the job done. (Why they didn't just do that before is a mystery.) As the two giant combatants struggle through the city scape, the Mazers fire volleys of electrical blasts at Gaira. (I guess the army is maybe thinking of letting Sanda live?)

Tokyo Kaiju Super Slam '66: Gaira has it won until Sanda gets unexpected help from the "Mazer Bros."

The battle eventually moves from land to the sea, when the monsters dive into Tokyo Bay and continue their wrestling match. As they duke it out and throw the occasional ship at each other, helicopters fly in from above and drop bombs all around them, which is more or less a pointless gesture, since both monsters are basically indestructible. Sure they can be hurt, but they can rapidly heal and regenerate lost tissue, and can theoretically reproduce from a tiny scrap of flesh. Is there truly anything man can toss at these two monsters that will truly wipe them out completely, with no messy Gargantua residue?

Aside from a nuclear bomb... no, so I guess humanity is pretty much screwed. But as luck would have it, an underwater volcano erupts without warning and permanently takes care of Japan's Gargantua / Frankenstein Monster problem. Why this is all well and good for humanity, I really wonder why this volcano just suddenly blew its top. You can argue that the monsters' fight was so fierce that the very Earth shook, or that the bombs dropped by the helicopters were a catalyst. But that just doesn't jive with me.

You may take the easy way out and just say that it was divine intervention or just plain old coincidence that caused the eruption. Heck, you may even be a realist and say "it was the screenwriter's fault. He wrote himself into a corner and didn't exactly know how to end the film." Me? I personally think that Japan hired a secret agent to scuba dive down to the volcano's location and rig it to blow in case of a giant monster attack.

The Vault Master Presents - THE BITTER END I imagine that guy, just sitting in his one room apartment, overlooking Tokyo Bay day in and day out, waiting for his one moment of glory. Then his day finally arrived when Sanda and Gaira showed up, and as they fought to the death, he ran over to the nearby wall, broke the glass surrounding a big red button, and then pushed said button, thus saving Japan and the world from the ravages of giant Frankensteinian Ape-Men! However, with his sole life's duty accomplished and nothing else to live for, he commits ritualistic suicide (SEPPUKU!).

Volcano = Japan's most effective kaiju removal tool.

Ok, yeah I know, that's pretty bleak, but its infinitely more interesting and satisfying conclusion to this tale than, "volcano erupts, monsters die, the end!"

Click on the banner to read more reviews that'll make a monkey out of you!

Film Review: War of the Gargantuas is a film that giant monster movie fans should love, but it seems to always be the "red-headed stepchild" of kaiju cinema. In all the conversations I've had over the years with fellow monster movie buffs, this movie rarely, if ever, gets brought up; I've never really understood why. For one thing, this is one of the few kaiju films where the monsters get a lot of screen time and seem like fully realized characters, instead of just special effects setpieces.

Sanda, the monstrous protagonist of the film, is gentle, docile, and risks life and limb to save people. This is due in part to his brief stay with Akemi and Dr. Stewart, who nurtured the square-headed man-beast. Gaira on the other hand is totally feral and bestial, and sees humanity as a source of food. Having survived on his own in the harshest environment on Earth, it is no wonder that he is the way he is. If you look at Gaira from that perspective, you almost feel sorry him... and then you realize you're watching a Japanese suitmation epic and feel kind of stupid for analyzing the emotions of a guy in a furry Bigfoot costume.

All jokes aside, it's this tiny attention to detail that makes the monsters in this film so interesting, and really gives them a solid motivation to duke it out. Usually a giant monster duel is simply a territorial dispute; here it's more of a clash of morals. And despite being relatives (more like clones really), Sanda doesn't allow the whole "blood is thicker than water" mindset stop him from being Japan's somewhat savior. He sees humans as friends, not food, and is truly pissed when he discovers his green-skinned sibling thrives on human flesh.

Another fantastic thing about this overlooked classic is the men that were behind the cameras. Godzilla's founding fathers are all present and accounted for including Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, Director Ishirô Honda, Composer Akira Ifukube, and special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya. Whenever these four men got together, magic happened, and you can really see that in this film. Everything, from the camera work, to the lighting, to the effects, to the storyline and music is just so well done, and its hard not to immerse yourself in the movie.

The cast of War of the Gargantuas is made up of a lot of familiar faces, but sadly, they aren't given much to do. And that's one of the film's weak points; the human characters just aren't very interesting. Kenji Sahara, (Dr. Yuzo Majida) who has had some very memorable performances in other kaiju films (the devilishly greedy Benzo Torahata in Godzilla vs. Mothra; the alien-possessed Makoto Obata in Space Amoeba), is totally wasted here, playing a (usually quiet) scientist that chimes in with some interesting theories and exposition from time to time.

The same goes for both Kumi Mizuno (Daiyo from Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster; Miss Namikawa from Invasion of the Astro-Monster), who pulls double duty as the film's eye candy and damsel in distress, and Jun Tazaki (the stalwart Captain Hachiro Jinguji from Atragon) who is thrust into another stereotypical role as a military leader. In my opinion, the film makers should have just cut out American actor Russ Tamblyn (who is only here to make the film more digestible for us gaijin anyway), and had Kenji Sahara play his role. And if that wasn't a possibility, then they should have hired Nick Adams to play the lead American character, because quite frankly, Nick Adams is awesome personified!

Though the human element in War of the Gargantuas is lacking, there's plenty of monster mayhem onscreen to make up for it. Usually in these types of films, the humans hog all the screen time in their search for the film's gigantic antagonist(s) during the first half, then the monster(s) get all the glory in the second half. Here, we get to see plenty of Gaira (and eventually Sanda) on an average of every seven or eight minutes, which is almost unheard of!

So why, despite having so many advantages, has this film not gotten as much love as all the other Toho kaiju classics? I think part of the problem lies in the designs of the monsters themselves; Gaira and Sanda are just a pair of gigantic goofy-looking Bigfeet. They don't fly or have any special beam or energy attacks; they're not from outer space, and the JSDF can, oddly enough, put a big hurtin' on them with modern (1960s) weaponry. I suppose then, that everything is to blame on the film's "third tier" monsters, who probably rank below the likes of Varan, Manda, and Jet Jaguar.

Regardless, this movie should be given a lot more love, and needs to be seen by more people. For those of you who claim to be kaiju fans and haven't seen this movie, shame on you. For those of you who write off giant monster films as "kiddie fare," shame on you too. This is, believe it or not, a brilliant dramatic piece about two quarreling brothers, that is merely disguised as a goofy Japanese monster movie. And that, ladies and gents, makes it all the more special.

---

So how radioactive is this monstrous tale of sibling rivalry?

Geiger Counter Reading:

- FOUR 'RADS' -

WARNING: This movie is very radioactive! Mazers, a giant octopus,
and a kaiju-sized wrestling match through Tokyo, make this one
of the best films in the kaiju-eiga genre!

---

DVD Review: Classic Media has once again done kaiju fans a huge service with their DVD release of War of the Gargantuas. The film comes within a nifty two-disc collector's set with Rodan and features both the original Japanese cut (with English subtitles) and the slightly longer (English dubbed) American cut of the film.

Both versions are featured in the movie's original 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio, but interestingly enough, it is the American version that looks the best of the two. (Don't get me wrong here, the Japanese cut boasts a good transfer, but the picture is just so damned dark!) Both versions of War of the Gargantuas utilize a clear, crisp Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack, and the rest of the disc lacks any special features.

Though the disc is devoid of extras (not even a trailer?), you can pop in the Rodan disc to check out the 69-minute feature, Bringing Godzilla Down to Size. I have yet to sit down and watch it, but I have heard great things about this fan-made documentary.

All in all, this is a very good release of a long-forgotten kaiju classic. Though I would have liked to at least have a trailer or perhaps in interview with any one of the major stars, like Russ Tamblyn, Kumi Mizuno, or Kenji Sahara (who are all, as of my writing this, still very much alive and well), I'm more than pleased with this two-disc collector's set, and highly recommend it to any and all kaiju fans!

Akemi: "I still cannot believe it."
Dr. Stewart: "Neither can I."
Akemi: "... that Frankenstein lives under the sea."
Dr. Stewart: "He may have fallen in love with a whale."
(Vault Master's comment: Akemi, this video should explain why 'Frankenstein' lives under the sea. And Doc Stewart... nice attempt at humor jackass.)

Dr. Stewart: "We cannot leave here until we discover the secret of immortal cells."

The General: "At dawn we will discharge electricity into the lake, and burn the forest with napalm."
(Vault Master's comment: Hell General, why not nuke Japan in order to wipe out the Gargantua twins? Cripes, this guy plays for keeps!)

• Beginning - Enjoy the soothing power of the majestic Toho logo.
• 2:44 - Egads! It's the Kraken!
• 3:53 - The giant octopus and Gaira battle for the chance to eat Japanese sailors. Winner eats all!
• 11:09 - "Jeez lady, how do you open this purse? I want a piece of gum!"
• 12:39 - This is just one of many reasons why I'm not a fisherman.
• 16:09 - Paramount Pictures presents...
• 18:07 - Bad Kaiju Joke: "Why did Gaira go to the airport? To catch a flight... and eat all the passengers!"
• 19:42 - Hahahaha. Gaira spits out the shredded clothes of an unlucky victim.
• 21:24 - "He may have fallen in love with a whale."
• 26:17 - I wonder if the cruel irony of the song she was just singing has dawned on her yet...
• 26:42 - So if I want to dial 911 in Japan, I dial 110?
• 28:04 - Japanese Self-Defense Forces.... LET'S ROLL OUT!
• 31:31 - Why not build a giant robot paparazzi with an enormous flash camera to battle Gaira?
• 34:30 - ... and the first line of defense is obliterated because the JSDF is useless.
• 40:00 - Yeah, that should kill every living thing in the river!
• 41:46 - Ouch! I bet that chopper pilot felt pretty stupid before being smashed and roasted alive.
• 41:57 - Ditto.
• 43:47 - Holy cow! Three minutes of Mazer cannon blasts nearly kills Gaira! Go JSDF, GO!
• 46:43 - Sanda: "RAWR! Leave my brother alone!"
• 58:08 - The Hell? Did a giant Jeff Gilhooly throw that boulder?
• 72:45 - AKEMI! YOU STUPID B*TCH!
• 79:34 - Come on Sanda, Gaira is whooping you! Get angry!
• 79:48 - All right! The "War of the Gargantuas" is on like donkey kong!
• 81:23 - Hahahaha! Gaira gets "mazered" in the ass twice!
• 83:35 - Gaira: "Hey Sanda! Here's a special SHIP-ment for ya!"
• 83:44 - Sanda: "Oh yeah? Well here's a return SHIP-ment!"
• 85:23 - Cue random underwater volcanic eruption! (Deus ex Volcano?)
• 87:24 - Those damn natives are burning tires on Infant Island again.
• 87:40 - THE END.

Recommended Viewing:

• Without a doubt, you must watch Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965) (a.k.a. Frankenstein Conquers the World) which War of the Gargantuas is technically a sequel to. In that 1965 Toho classic, a giant Japanese mongoloid (the ahm, Frankenstein Monster) saves Japan from a burrowing prehistoric terror named Baragon.
  
  
• Though Godzilla was Toho's bread and butter, they made plenty of other nifty monster movies without their trademark kaiju star. Some of the better kaiju films include Mothra (1961), Rodan (1956), Space Amoeba (1970), Varan the Unbelievable (1958), Atragon (1963) (which features the debut of Manda), and King Kong Escapes (1967).
  
  War of the Gargantuas featured American actor Russ Tamblyn in a lead role but truthfully he is easily eclipsed by another American actor named Nick Adams, who starred in Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) (a.k.a. Godzilla vs. Monster Zero) where he played the ultra-heroic astronaut Glenn Miller! Interestingly enough, Nick played Dr. James Bowen in 1965's Frankenstein vs. Baragon.
  
  

Useless Trivia:

• When War of the Gargantuas was released in the United States, actor Russ Tamblyn had to re-dub all of his lines due to a soundtrack malfunction.
  
  
• Actor Tab Hunter was originally going to play the role of Dr. Paul Stewart in War of the Gargantuas.
  
  
• In an earlier draft of the script, the volcano that erupts at the climax destroyed both Sanda and Gaira, and flooded Tokyo with lava, thus completely destroying all of the "Frankenstein cells" left behind by both monsters.
  
  
• Much of the military and Mazer cannon footage from War of the Gargantuas was later used as stock footage in several Godzilla films, particularly Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973).
  
  
• The song, "The Words Get Stuck in My Throat" which is sung in the film by Kipp Hamilton was covered by Devo in the late seventies! Check out Devo's version here!
  
  
• Gaira the "Green Gargantua" appeared in Episode #4 of Ike! Greenman (a.k.a. Go! Greenman) in 1973. Check out Gaira's "epic" battle with Greenman (complete with humorous commentary) here.
  
  
• Stock footage of Gaira can be seen briefly in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002).
  
  
• If the roars of both Gaira and Sanda sound familiar, it's because those sound effects have been used before for Toho's version of King Kong (King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962); King Kong Escapes (1967)), as well as King Caesar (Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974); Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)).
  
  
• During Godzilla's "break" after the final Showa film (Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)) many ideas were tossed around for the next entry into the Godzilla series. One such idea was Godzilla vs. Gargantua, in which the Big-G was to duke it out with a lone Gargantua in order to save Japan. The idea was eventually scrapped and Godzilla's ten-year hiatus continued until the release of Gojira (1984) (a.k.a. Godzilla 1985), which ushered in the Heisei series of Godzilla films.
  
  
• The Americanized version of War of the Gargantuas made a few additions and subtractions from the Japanese original. A bit of extra footage was added in, such as one shot where some chewed-up clothes hit the tarmac at Haneda Airport after Gaira eats someone. Nearly all references to the previous film were removed, except for an offhand mention of a desiccated hand of unknown origin, which refers to the disembodied hand of Frankenstein's Monster as seen in the previous movie. The biggest change however, was the (bad) decision to pare down the original score by Akira Ifukube and occasionally replace it altogether with stock music from The Blood Waters of Dr. Z.
  
  

---

Download(s):

CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO LISTEN TO "THE WORDS GET STUCK IN MY THROAT!"

Filesize: 4.83 MB | Length: 2:06 | Bitrate: 320 kbps

* This mp3 was ripped from the September 2008 DVD release of War of the Gargantuas. To download it to your hard drive, right click on the image and select "Save Target/Link As." *Please do not link directly to this download. Instead, link to the review URL and let people know where the download it located. My bandwidth is precious and I need every bit of it to keep hosting cool downloads like this.

---

LEAVE YOUR OWN COMMENTS ABOUT THIS MOVIE IN...

And feel free to e-mail me at vault_master[at]bmoviefilmvault[dot]com if you have any questions, personal recommendations, or information about the films reviewed here on the site! Don't be shy! Your feedback helps make The Vault better!

---

Review posted on February 5, 2010.

B-MOVIE REVIEWS

CAPSULE REVIEWS

DISCUSSION FORUM

MAIN PAGE [FRAMES]

MAIN PAGE [NO FRAMES]