Three Giant Monsters: Greatest Battle on Earth, known famously as
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, is the fifth Godzilla film, and the turning point that would shape the films after it. This film holds a special place in my collection. Why? Is it because this was the first time Godzilla started being a hero? Is it because this was King Ghidoah's first appearance? Those reasons are part of it, but the main reason is that this was my first ever Godzilla film. I got this thing on tape when I was four years old. It was so magical, seeing Mothra rally up Godzilla and Rodan to battle the intimidating King Ghidorah. It's been some time since I've last watched it, now I can finally give my thoughts on this gem.
The plot follows a mysterious meteorite that crash lands in Japan. A princess starts acting strange, claiming she is a martian and that earth will be destroyed by the space monster, Ghidorah. Meanwhile, Godzilla and Rodan have awoken from their slumber, and preside to annihilate each other. Can Mothra convince the two monsters to unite and stop Ghidorah, or is earth doomed?
Yeah, the plot sounds pretty awesome on paper. How it's executed is another story. (But it's a good story.)
This film is a dark and serious film, before the series became more light-hearted. The acting is pretty well I have to say, movie theater quality stuff here folks. The dialogue isn't cheesy, it was serious, and well-written. It's an amazing difference when you compare this to say
Godzilla vs. Megalon.
The main character is Mas Selina Salno, Princess of Sergina. (Portrayed by Akiko Wakabayashi.)A stand out performance, especially when she turns martian on everyone. Giving haunting prophecies, by far the best performance.
The other characters, such as Detective Shindo, were good. We have something hardly seen in the Godzilla movies: Assassination! The villain other than Ghidorah, Chief Assassin Malmess (portrayed by Hisaya Ito) was a surprisingly good performance. I don't expect much from the human antagonists of the these films, but he was pretty good. (He even has the whole sunglasses thing going.) Female lead Naoko Shindo, (portrayed by Yuriko Hoshi) is actually pretty good, in fact, she was very good, not annoying or useless like some of the later female leads. All of the main performances was good, then again, this was famed Godzilla director Ishiro Honda, he knows how to make a Godzilla film.
But the reason why we're here is the monsters naturally. This was Godzilla's last bout as a villain, destroying buildings and such. The suit used is pretty menacing, complete with rotating eyes. (Much better than some of the ones we'll see later on, like from
Godzilla vs. Gigan.) Rodan is looking pretty awesome, standing and even looking MORE menacing than the big G. In fact, he looked far more impressive than Godzilla in this film. Gone was the days when Godzilla stomped on everyone, there are now monsters up to, and even more powerful. Mothra larva is good, though it's always sad but a little funny every time she, (though in the film, it's a "he" this time) gets blown away.
Ah, King Ghidorah. Little did they know that this beast would become an iconic legend in the franchise. At the time, it was a big deal. Who wouldn't have liked a three-headed dragon from space?! He is portrayed excellent, with a towering demeanor, more so than Godzilla himself. Complete with gravity beams and a cackling roar, this monster is a highlight. A true evil villain, complete with his own watch-out-he's-here theme.
Effects are pretty good in this film. All of the suits work great, move realistically, and are just a sight to behold even to this day. (This was all the way back in 65.) King Ghidorah's gravity beam looks great, though Godzilla's atomic breath looks like a cloud of smoke, a downside.
Pacing is a problem with this film. It takes way too long for the monsters to show up. At least the humans scenes aren't as dull as
Destroy All Monsters. Still, it takes about 40 minutes to get some monster action. Also, a noticiable mistake was when Rodan rises for the first time, Godzilla's roar is used for him.
Stand out scenes include King Ghidorah's entrance. That was truly something else. Awesome effect right there. Rodan picking up Godzilla and throwing him like a rag doll was truly a shocking spectacle to behold. The final fight was was just plain epic, an example of teamwork in a film. But my favorite scene I'll never forget is the dialogue between Mothra and the two monsters. All of the wording, it gives the monsters deep character. I'll never forget that scene. When Mothra goes on to fight alone, Godzilla and Rodan look at him with honor and go on to help. A great classic scene I'll never forget.
The soundtrack is really, really great. The themes would be used again for the years to come. These are some of the best, they bring up the drama level greatly.
In closing, I'll always enjoy
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. It's a great entry in the franchise, not as high quality as its sequel:
Monster Zero, but it is a worthy entry. With a little more monster scenes, it could have been one of the best. Still, it stands out in the Showa lineup.
I give this film an 8/10.