Really Surprised!

Let's be realistic.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Ostensibly a sequel to 1965's "Frankenstein Conquers the World", the connection between "War of the Gargantuas" and that film is pretty tenuous (especially if watching an English-dubbed version* in which the name 'Frankenstein' is never used). Apparently, despite Frankenstein's supposed demise at the end of FCtW, some of his tissue developed into a savage green clone named 'Gaira' AND either the original Frankenstein survived to become the mellow brown giant 'Sanda' OR both 'Gargantuas/Frankensteins' are clones grown from the discarded tissue (this is far from clear). The evil Gaira dispatches a giant octopus, sinks a ship (where he demonstrates an appetite for humans), and then attacks an airport (an amazing miniature set considering its brief screen-time). As usual, the JDF's conventional weapons are useless against the marauding colossus but the new maser cannons carve him up pretty badly. At this point Sanda appears and the two monsters go into hiding. An American professor working in Japan (a non-dancing Russ Tamblyn) points out to the military that, if a fragment of the original Frankenstein's tissue begat the behemoths (one or both), then blowing Gaira to pieces would be ill advised. This complicates anti-Frankenstein strategies, but the gigantic pair begin to fight each other so the JDF is off the hook for saving Japan (yet again). The humanoid 'Gargantuas/Frankensteins' are a bit of a departure for Toho's monster factory but are surprisingly engaging. The miniature cityscapes that they destroy are as good as any in the Showa-era Godzilla films and in general, the optical effects (maser beams, back projections, mattes, etc) are quite effective. The presence of Russ Tamblyn (best known for his energetic choreography in "West Side Story" (1961) or "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (1954)) adds little to the film (apparently he was a pain in the ass to work with) and the American professor character was likely included to make the film more marketable in the USA. His assistant (Akemi Togawa (Kumi Mizuno)) supposedly worked with a young Sanda (hence the inconsistency with Sanda being a clone of the original Frankenstein), which is all very confusing, as Kumi Mizuno was in FCtW and did interact with the young Frankenstein, but as a character named Dr. Sueko Togami. While definitely a kaiju film not to be thought about too carefully, "War of the Gargantuas" is fast-paced, well-executed, and quite entertaining in a silly sort of way. * there appear to be a number of versions in circulation, I am commenting on the Classic Media subtitled Japanese version on DVD.

From the masters of kaiju films comes the sequel to the thrilling movie "Frankenstein Conquers the World aka Frankenstein vs Baragon". For longest time, I never gave this classic Toho film any serious thought for some reason. However, having recently saw various reviews as well as learning that celebrities like Tim Burton grew up loving this flick, I decided to give this Japanese classic another try and boy was my mind changed for the better. Get ready to crumble because this is "War of the Garnagtuas" (known as "Frankenstein's Monsters: Sanda vs Gaira" in Japan).Plot: From the remains of the Frankenstein monster spawns a hairy brown gargantua named Sanda. Though raised by kind scientists in captivity, he escapes one day and a part of his flesh was snagged off a rock and made its way into the sea, spawning a green gargantua called Gaira. Gaira goes on a rampage through Japan killing countless civilians, but soon finds himself overwhelmed by man's great weapons. Before the military could finish off the beast, Sanda arrives to help his brother. However, it becomes apparent that while Sanda is kind and gentle, Gaira is savage and violent and so their opposing personalities clash as the two behemoth brothers have a vicious fight to the death for the fate of the world.On the surface, "War of the Gargantuas" may seem like a typical monster movie, but that description would not do this film justice. There's a good deal of thought-provoking dialogue and some surprisingly well-done social commentary regarding the nature of humanity, reflected by both the humans and the gargantuas, which can be interpreted in a variety of levels. One example would be that while the military and Gaira represent the people/country that is eager to go to war, the scientists and Sanda represent a people/country that prefers a more peaceful solution to a problem. That's what's great about many of these kaiju flicks, they're not just simple, mindless entertainment but rather allegories for varying aspects of life.The special effects are definitely impressive. Since the gargantuas are smaller than most kaiju, the miniatures and sets are made larger for a more accurate scale and they all look great, especially when they're destroyed. One noteworthy thing to point out is that this is the first appearance of the famous maser cannons, which later appear throughout the Godzilla series. Sanda and Gaira look fantastic, having a combination of fur and scales and being more slim than other kaiju, allowing the actor greater mobility. Given the humanoid nature of the creatures, you basically get to see the actors' faces, especially their eyes, and this allows them to better convey emotions.As one might expect from the title, there's tons of action throughout the film. This is some really top notch kaiju action and this time the military isn't completely helpless as the gargantuas are actually harmed by their weapons. The battles between Sanda and Gaira are awesome as they are fast-paced and really vicious as they roll around, bite each other, toss one another into buildings, etc. Throw in some military in between and it becomes more than just fight, it's an all-out war.With good kaiju, lots of impressive action scenes, interesting social commentary, nice acting, great special effects, and fitting music by Akira Ifukube, it's easy why "War of the Gargantuas" has had quite the impact on pop culture. Even if you're not a kaiju fan, this film will be worth your time, though you should fast forward through the song "The Word Get Stuck in My Throat" sung by this terrible American singer. Check it out for some good old-fashioned, building smashing fun.

This is one of those movies that all normally intelligent, mature, sensible folk will avoid like some mutant deadly strain of poison ivy, and that kids from 1 to 101 will lap up like they would a bowlful of chilled Hershey's chocolate milk on a hot, hot afternoon. Well, obviously, I'm among the later, or I wouldn't be typing these comments, I'd probably be writing some instead about, oh, "Brokeback Mountain" or "Munich" or "The Da Vinci Code" or other piece of critic-friendly equine slop. (God, I shudder to think what it must be like to be one of them intelligent, mature, sensible folk.) Yeah, and I'd probably avoid "War of the Gargantuas" like (WARNING: gratuitous reference to annoying right-wing female pundit ahead)—well, like Ann Coulter's bed. (shudder again) Okay, so what I wanna know is how in the place-Beelzebub-carries-a-mortgage-on does one comment on—let alone rate—a film like this? I mean, what it is, it IS, which to say it's preposterous, it's absurd, and it bears not the slightest resemblance to lived reality on this or any other (I'll wager) planet—which is precisely what makes it worth seeing once, twice, thrice for those of us who adore such stuff. Put another way: I canNOT imagine ANYone who would even conSIDer placing this flick in his DVD tray being reMOTEly disappointed, any more than I can imagine anyone whose idea of two hours well-spent at the cinema is something directed by Bob Redford getting past the opening sequence of the Green Gargantua wrassling a giant rubbery octopus, assuming such an individual had somehow been deceived by the packaging into thinking this was a prequel to "The Horse Whisperer." To sum up, then: too much talk, as usual, consisting of the usual observation, speculation, and needless EXplanation, regarding the whences and wherefores of the two title beasts, before the monster action heats up, but along the way there's some nice destruction of model tanks and such, an attack on a lady lounge singer aboard a cruise ship swallowed in the midst of crooning a swinging tune about how "the words get stuck in her throat", not to mention a blossoming love between the Brown (or benevolent) Gargie and the lady scientist who showed him kindness growing up. And when the title war, eye-filling and brain cell-killing, kicks off in earnest, you'll feel (I did) it's been worth the wait.So if you've ever enjoyed another Japanese giant monster flick, THIS one's not about to let you down. And if you're a fan of Ron Howard or Amy Heckerling or Rob Reiner movies—well, get help, A.S.A.P.P.S. By ALL means, seek out the Japanese-language version, available periodically on eBay, which features the late Akira Ifukube's menacing score whole and intact. Said score may well be the only reason a non-fan of the genre might be tempted to check this title out, though if you're a Redford fan, it may be a bit of stretch for you.

This wonderfully ridiculous Japanese giant monsters wreaking mucho mondo destructo havoc hoot was originally done as a sequel to "Frankenstein Conquers the World" until American distributors momkeyed around with it and omitted any connections this baby has with that previous picture. That minor issue aside, what's left is quite simply one of the wildest, most energetic and brutally violent behemoth beast bashes to ever grunt, growl and glower its way across the big screen.The titular titanic terrors represent the two radically contrasting polar opposite sides of the existential coin; i.e., any living, sentient animal's latent capacity for being either very good or extremely evil. A decidedly malevolent hairy, scaly, uglier-than-dirt green leviathan fights an octopus and ravages the countryside before engaging in a rousingly savage and lengthy toe-to-toe, claw-to-claw, thingo-to-thingo knock-down, drag-out climactic confrontation with its more gentle and benign brown brother. The monster fight seriously smokes something stirring: Our two beastly behemoths vigorously mix it up and lay waste to half the landscape while beating the living tar out of each other like a couple of deranged wrestlers in a totally uninhibited anything-goes cage match. An insufferably smug'n'smirky Russ Tamblyn looks and acts properly embarrassed as the absurdly earnest young scientist who created the leaping, roaring and running simian humanoid Goliaths. Musical guest star Kipp Hamilton warbles the unforgettably atrocious'n'asinine ballad "The Words Get Stuck in My Throat" while doing the twist on stage at a swanky nightclub. A great, delectably dopey humongous creature feature treat.