Perfectly adorable

good back-story, and good acting

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This Frankenstein grows out the Hiroshima bombings. It involves a boy who ingests radioactive material and who begins to grow dramatically. He is a sad figure who is left to fend for himself, and, of course, bothers the locals. Nick Adams (Johnny Yuma, the Rebel) is the only American actor and finds his talents wasted. I have a feeling he was a decent actor who had to grab on to junk like this so he could keep eating. I believe he eventually took his own life. He isn't asked to do much and doesn't. It's not an awful movie, but it isn't really very memorable.

It was a treat to finally see this classic film from my childhood. Of course, I was previously exposed to the truncated American cut. I was delighted to see that there were some better than average scenes underscoring the (at times) silly monster plot. I was very impressed with the relationship between Dr. Bowen and Dr. Togami. The ongoing dialog concerning the two cultures differences in cooking and humor was refreshing. I was also impressed with the sequences with Kazuko, the young girl dying from her exposure to the radioactive fallout from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima 15 years earlier. When she presented her handmade pillow to Dr. Bowen (as a remembrance of her since she knew she was dying), it was quite moving. This was a serious sidebar to the confrontations between the unfortunate looking Furankenshutain and Baragon monsters. The sequence when Drs. Bowen and Togami visit the grave of Kazuko was beautifully filmed and scored. If one saw that sequence alone outside of the film, one would never know that is was from a Japanese monster film. The entire film features one of Akira Ifukube's very best scores. As in other Toho productions, he really helped to humanize the monsters and give some pathos to the proceedings. His somber themes really do create a fair amount of sympathy for Furankenshutain. The ending of the International version is very different from the American version that most people are familiar with. The appearance of the Devil Fish comes out of left field and is rather awkward. As with all Toho productions, some of the visual effects are outstanding while others are less than convincing. This film is a welcome addition to my Japanese science fiction library. The film is a more somber than usual entry and it should be noted that the acting is better than average from the two leads - an effective Nick Adams and the very lovely Kumi Mizuno.

My above summary does puzzle me. It could be that those that gave this bottom of barrel ratings saw the dubbed American International Release. the running time was also reduced.I saw this last night(rental from NETFLIX) in Japanese with sub-titles & a 93 minute running time.The correct title is FRANKENSTEIN vs. BARAGONGranted the story line is very hokey, BUT there again MOST films of this type are & make no sense what so ever.I liked the background story, it was at least interesting, I have seen more incredible plot twists than shown here.The American actor Nick Adams has a major role & not just cast for Box-Office reasons.The acting is OK for this type of film. One does not expect award winning performances, same for production values.The special effects are good & final scene is the fight between ThE Monster (a mutant boy )& a giant reptile. we have seen these scenes many times. Nothing new or different..My good thumbs up rating is mainly because I enjoyed it. & that is why we see movies, isn't it, to enjoy them.. So my fellow film buffs, be sure to see the Japanese Version & you will think like I do about this film.Ratings *** (out of 4) 82 points out or 100) IMDb 7 (out of 10)

"Frankenstein Conquers the World" was a one-shot attempt by Toho Studios (the same company that gave us Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, etc.) to re-invent the Frankenstein monster. It's easy to see why there weren't any sequels. While the opening sequences set in Nazi Germany are intriguing (if you've always wondered what Japanese actors look like playing Germans, here's your chance!!) and Nick Adams gives a fine performance as the token American (a role he was to reprise in "Godzilla v. Monster Zero") the sad fact is that Frankenstein just doesn't work in a Japanese setting. The movie becomes progressively sillier until it turns into a complete travesty. Even Inoshiro Honda, who directed the original "Godzilla," couldn't save this turkey. As late night horror movies go, this one's not too bad, and it has a certain campy appeal, but the more you see it the less there is to like about it. See it when it comes on TV, but don't waste your money on the DVD if there is one.