Frankenstein Conquers the World

"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.

Good movie I enjoy it brought back the old days.

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.

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!

Following the successes of Toho's other giant monster movies, FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD capitalizes on more World War II fears materialized in the form of a gigantic Frankenstein monster that brings with him mass destruction but also the hope of regenerating lost tissue to those afflicted by nuclear war. Japanese scientists recover the heart of the Frankenstein monster before the fall of Germany during the Second World War, with the intent of learning its secrets in order to benefit mankind. The heart and its observers are then buried in the Hiroshima blast, but 15 years later, it births a radioactive monster that begins growing at an accelerated rate. The monster takes to the hills with Japan's army hot on its tale, but when terror strikes in the form of the dinosaur Baragon, Japan's only hope lies in its would-be destroyer! Like his reptile counterpart, the monster is a condemnation of war and nuclear weaponry as told through this fantastic tale. Ishiro Honda delivers more incredible filming, superior miniatures, and high production values that stand up against many of Toho's greats. Composite shots pairing the miniature set designs, the monster, and the comparatively tiny cast are handled with flawless precision early on in the film. It is the final third that forgets all of the strength and originality of the plot and becomes just another average monster brawl. FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD is a winning effort from the Golden Age of Toho, and is sure to appeal to any Kaiju Eiga fan. -Carl Manes I Like Horror Movies

Fun film

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?

Fantastic transaction all around!

Great image and sound quality. There are three versions presented in this DVD, plus a commentary. A must for any collector of this classic film.

This DVD is so much more than the previous review might lead you to believe, the plot summary is spot on and needs no elaboration but there are so many extras included. WARNING CONTAINS SPOILERS... What you get here are 3 separate versions of the movie on 2 discs. Disc 1 contains 2 versions of the movie; both are in Japanese with English subtitles. The International version runs for 93 minutes and is the longest of the three versions and has a different ending to the other 2 which sees Frankenstein defeating Baragon by throwing him off a cliff then getting attacked by a giant octopus. It also has a very interesting commentary by Sadamasa Arikawa, the movies director of photographic special effects, who gives an insight into the making of the movie and throws up lots of nuggets of trivia. Director Ishiro Honda took the movies seriously and if you can suspend disbelief when you see the toy tanks rolling into action and the blatant use of toy models of people to emphasise Frankenstein's size they are definitely entertaining. In fact scale was an issue throughout the movie as Arikawa admits. The shorter Theatrical version (90 minutes) has Frankenstein and Baragon falling to their doom when the earth gives way beneath them, which oddly Arikawa appears to have forgotten about judging from his commentary. Disc 2 has the American release which is the version I was more familiar with which is very similar to the Theatrical version but has a running time of only 84 minutes and is dubbed into English. The second disc also contains missing and deleted scenes including the attack of the octopus and some funny footage of toy tanks getting stuck. It also has a great photo gallery that includes international movie lobby cards, stills, comics, toys and photographs of all sorts of promotional material. This is a superb collection that Toho and monster movie fans will enjoy. It would be great to get a similar package DVD of Ishiro Honda's sequel (of sorts) War of the Gargantuas, that would certainly go near the top of my Christmas wish list.

Like

A fun Japanese monster movie.

This is a great monster action movie. Yes, it is silly but if you love Toho monster movies, and lets face it who doesn't, this is an enjoyable movie. And you don't get two versions of the movie you get three! Baragon is a cool monster, which I have the Bandai figure to. Nick Adams makes a great hero. There is a lot to enjoy here. Well done Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters. More Toho movies please!