Frankenstein Conquers the World / Frankenstein Vs. Baragon

"Frankenstein Conquers the World" (or "Frankenstein vs. Baragon") is a wonderful Japanese-American kaiju movie presented here by Tokyo Shock in a beautiful package. The package contains two discs and three versions of the movie, one primarily a Japanese release, one primarily for American audiences, and one for International audiences (which seems to be the Japanese version with the alternate giant octopus ending). Note that there are other versions out there, but three versions are plenty for me. The set has numerous extras including deleted scenes, extra footage, previews, still photos (of lobby cards, advertising materials, etc.), and a wonderful commentary by Sadamasa Arikawa, the chief cameraman and director of special effects (who appears over the International version). The short version of the plot is that the Germans realize defeat is imminent in World War Two, so they give the heart of Frankenstein's monster, which cannot be killed, to their ally, Japan, for secret military purposes. Unfortunately, the experiments get underway in Hiroshima early in the morning of August 6, 1945, just as a B-29 drops an atomic bomb on the city. Fast forward fifteen years and a mysterious mute waif who eats dogs starts terrorizing the community, while nearly simultaneously Baragon appears destroying some oil fields. Clearly the film is headed for a conflict of epic proportions, and over the remainder of the movie Frankenstein grows enormously, tangling with Baragon in amusing fight scenes. Depending on which version you watch, a third kaiju, in this case an enormous octopus, wanders through the forest to join the fight as well. This is a very entertaining film on a lot of levels, but mostly in a fun man-in-a-rubber suit (or lots of makeup) takes on all contenders way. The film is the first Japanese-American kaiju joint venture, and features Nick Adams as a scientist in the lead role. The supporting cast are largely Toho regulars, and the acting is above par for the genre. For me the single most enjoyable feature of this package is the commentary with Sadamasa Arikawa, who is very informative and entertaining. He reveals many techniques of technical filmmaking and discusses working on kaiju films (and especially provides insight on director Ishirô Honda). He addresses editorial differences between the versions and attempts to explain (with marginal success) the giant octopus issue. He is also to be commended, as the lighting and special effects on this film, while not totally perfect by today's standards, are excellent for the time. I highly recommend this set to fans of kaiju, and to people who just want to watch a great and unusual Japanese sci-fi picture from the 1960's.

Fun film

Love that I could get another hard to find film in the TOHO collection! The story is plain, but I mean, that is to be expected from a movie of it's time, but most people come from the monsters anyways!

Enjoyed film as I haven't seen it in years

I watched this movie for the first time about a week ago, with eager anticipation. And I watched it in the best setting possible: With a mixed group of friends. Some loathed this film. Some loved it. All were entertained. I thought it was a great, action-packed monster flick, and would recommend it to any Godzilla or daikaiju fan. It was fast paced with a fairly intriguing (if simple) plot. The opening sequence in Germany is a great throwback to the other Frankenstein films. And I was greatly impressed with the suitimation of Baragon. The big fight at the end was fast and furious. I found Baragon to be almost as well concieved here in his original appearance as he was in GMK (one of my favorites). The picture is beautiful, and the inclusion of both English and Japanese versions is always a treat. I do wish there were audio commentary, as the ones on the Classic Media DVDs I've found to be quite engaging. But for me the best special feature is the "international footage" which is an alternate ending. I saw this ending before seeing the movie itself, so when I was with my friends I told them they had to see it after the film. It got big reactions because it is so random, but I thought it was better then the real one, partially because of its random nature. Over all, the DVD was a great experiance. I found it just as good as its semi-sequal, War of the Gargantuas.

Hard to find

I picked this for the nostalga value. Like many purchasers/reviewers of this film, I remember watching it when I was younger and the world was (so much) simpler. Putting it in, I decided to watch the Japanese version (which I had never seen before). I was surprised at how much fun it was and how good the movie was. The plot actually wasn't stupid; it followed along well, and I really think that the fight scenes were good. You can get someone to watch a movie with a 200 foot tall Frankenstein just with that hook, but to get someone to sit through the whole film, you must have a good story and you have to tell it well. I think this succeeds. I know about dubbing, but I still wonder if Nick Adams speaks Japanese?

Received this DVD in excellent condition. Interesting flick that has been enjoyed for many years. While a 'creature feature' the movie moves along and keeps one fairly engaged. Great how they used this to move into "War of the Gargantuas."