Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster - The Monster Mash

GoGhidorah, the Three Headed Monster is one of the absolute most important films in the series, and it really is something special. When I think of this movie and the build-up that went into it, I think about comparing it to the cinematic universes of today. Because really, Toho's Showa series of films and Universal's Monsters of the 30's and 40's really were the first two studios to make crossovers like what we see today. And it's interesting comparing how they came together. I remember being eight years old when Iron Man came out, and I left seeing Nick Fury and thinking to myself:
"WHOA! AVENGERS MOVIE!" And here we are, 11 years later, and with Avengers: Endgame coming out this Friday, it's just interesting to compare these experiments in film. Because who would have thought 10 years before Ghidorah came out with the release of Godzilla that he would eventually join forces with a giant moth larva and a pterodactyl to fight a giant three headed dragon from outer space that shoots lightning out of its mouths. This movie really firmly established the monster mash and is one of the best and most important movies that we are going to see in this series.

When the princess of the kingdom of Selgina begins spreading word of a prophecy of destruction, all seems to start going wrong. Rodan reawakens from Mount Aso, Godzilla returns from the sea less than a year after losing to Mothra and her twin larva, and a strange meteor crash into the Earth carrying with it the new monster: King Ghidorah. After already destroying Venus thousands of years ago, King Ghidorah now comes to Earth with the same goal. Now it's up to Mothra, Godzilla and Rodan to defend the Earth and send Ghidorah back to space.

So, this movie does almost everything right with its monsters. Let's start with the newest monster of the bunch, King Ghidorah. Ghidorah would easily go on to be the most popular enemy of Godzilla, and it really makes perfect sense. Every movie he's featured in is great. No, seriously. Even in Ghidorah is in, it is a great one. Ghidorah's character keeps getting expanded to become more and more with every movie. More evil, more violent, more dragon-like, it doesn't matter. But here in his introduction, he really makes a statement. Ghidorah doesn't fully appear until awhile into the movie, but when he does, he really steals the show. Everything about Ghidorah just stands out. His roar that sounds like a strange cackle at his might power, his three heads, his gravity beams that look like lightning, an incredibly menacing theme, the list goes on and on. Everything about Ghidorah just stands out in the best possible way. And he hangs over the movie like a shadow before he even first appears. With the princess warning of him early on, it's clear that when he does come, he's a threat to anything and anyone. And when he comes out of his meteor, it's a pretty awesome entrance. Creating his own magnetic field and bursting into the air like a giant ball of fire. Ghidorah really doesn't mess around, and it shows. The ONLY issue with Ghidorah in this entire movie is that he does ultimately get it handed to him pretty badly by all three monsters, but he still does put up a good fight.

Next I want to talk about Godzilla and Rodan in tandem. Since their first appearances, these two are by far the oldest monsters in this film. This is Godzilla's fifth film appearance and his 10th year in existence. So while he didn't need to be an utter badass in this movie, it's still nice that he is. Godzilla doesn't get introduced as early as Rodan or Mothra, but when he makes his first appearance, it's awesome. The princess warns the Shobijin who return yet again in this film played by Yumi and Emi Ito to not go on their boat back to Infant Island because the boat is doomed. So when we next see the boat and see it on the same path as some dolphins swimming by and then we see him: Godzilla just bursts out of the ocean with his theme playing and he's back and ready to kick some tail. Rodan gets introduced earlier when the princess warns tourists to leave Mount Aso, the location where the first two Rodan were last seen. So when Rodan emerges and just decimates the area, it's clear right off the bat that even if we don't know the proper origin of this Rodan (we don't know if it's one of the first two Rodan or one of their offspring, so, it's your call, really), it's clear that this one is just as dangerous as the original two. And then he flies away as Godzilla trails him and the two just start fighting. I wanted to talk about them in tandem, because they really are part of the reason this movie works so well: the monsters personalities are all incredibly distinct and help to separate them from all just being a destroyer of man. When Godzilla and Rodan are fighting each other, it's like watching two little kids arguing with one another. They launch boulders at each other, Rodan yanks Godzilla's tail and pecks him in the face, Godzilla blows atomic breath in Rodan's face, it's hilarious. The two even get a good laugh at each other once Mothra shows up and blasts silk at both of them. And they both are very clearly just angry in general even before the Shobijin start translating what the monsters are saying and thinking. And once they all start fighting Ghidorah, seeing their teamwork is great.

Next up is Mothra. Mothra appears in this movie as a lone larva, as it's explained the other larva from Mothra vs. Godzilla died. Kind of a bummer, but it's kinda whatever. I just wonder why they didn't keep it around to give Mothra a bit more character. Mothra is still great in this one, for sure. But I feel like an opportunity was missed with just killing the other larva. I feel like a good beat could have been used if they kept the other one around and they both try fighting Ghidorah and the other dies, thus encouraging Godzilla and Rodan to fight because of Mothra's selflessness. But, that didn't happen. What we get instead is a really awesome single Mothra. The surviving male larva is one of the most selfless versions of Mothra we've ever seen. Of course, Mothra puts the time on her back, but this one really puts the team on his back. He journeys from Infant Island all the way to the mainland in the matter of about a day, a journey that took its mother about three days to get to land. It fights Ghidorah on his own at first because Mothra is fearless and has one of my favorite moments in the whole series, climbing on Rodan's back and blasting Ghidorah with silk from above. Mothra despite being the much weaker larva form really does a lot to stick around in the fight and contributes a ton despite being so much smaller and weaker than all three of the other monsters. All of the monsters get a fair shake, and none of them feel wasted even for a frame on film, which is really impressive considering this movie has four monsters to balance and they all really make the most of their time on screen.

Now, while of course the movie is about the monsters, that's not all the movie is about, of course. A lot of the human plots in the movies don't always feel perfect or like they add a ton to the film, but this movie does a pretty solid job incorporating the humans, in my opinion. Akiko Wakabayashi portrays the Princess Maas Doulina Salno (pictured left) in the movie, she has a lot she needs to accomplish. Of course most importantly, she has to really get across the seriousness of what is about to go down. As a descendant of the people of Venus, she basically seems to have a genetic memory of exactly what Ghidorah did. Which, by the way, that's some crazy stuff to accept. I mean, he wiped out all life on Venus! That's heavy! But, this isn't about Ghidorah, it's about the Princess. So, when she basically gets a message from what seems like a ghost of Venus (don't ask me, it's not that clear), and then JUMPS OUT OF AN AIRPLANE AND SURVIVES and then begins speaking of the danger that's about to ensue. She spends most of the movie in touch with her Venus blood of which she is able to prophecy and see into the future and warn the world about the danger that wiped out her people. And she does it really well. I imagine some people might think the performance is stiff or repetitive, but I think she performs it exactly as it is needed. Keeping a very straight face and a very grim tone, she is basically reliving the memory of her ancestors warning her how if she doesn't intervene, what happened to Venus will happen to her. So, I think it's a great job, honestly.


Tonally, this movie is an interesting point for the franchise, because I think it's where you can see the character of Godzilla fully change. Godzilla is a very different film from Ghidorah, and it's interesting seeing where Godzilla has gone in 10 years. Ghidorah is one of the most important films in this series because of how much it really does. It fully establishes the best and most important monsters in one central spot, introduces the greatest villain of the series, and establishes the new tone that we're going to be seeing for awhile. Starting with King Kong vs. Godzilla, the series started being a bit more lighthearted. In the case of movies like Mothra, comedic actors were hired to make the series more marketable towards kids and overall become lighter. And with this movie, the series has completed its transition from being a series solely intent on political commentary into what is essentially a superhero franchise. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It's just really interesting to see. Godzilla's journey so far has been interesting, and it's fun to see where his character will keep going.

So, Ghidorah is great. All the monsters get the proper justice they deserve, there is a human plot that never gets in the way and is actually quite interesting in its own right, it is fun to watch in every angle and it really sets a new standard of this series for awhile. Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster is one of the most important films in this series for a reason. So, set some time aside for this one if you have a chance, because this is a great and enjoyable time from every angle.

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Tomorrow we're going to get introduced to two whole new monsters in a battle that I haven't watched before. So come back tomorrow for a dive into two of Toho's more obscure monsters as we watch Frankenstein vs. Baragon, also known as Frankenstein Conquers the World!