Starring Akira Kubo, Atsuko Takahashi, Yukiko Kobayashi, Kenji Sahara, Yoshio Tsuchiya
Directed by Ishiro Honda
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
An alien intelligence hijacks an Earth space capsule and takes it back to our planet, where it creates giant creatures that menace a tropical island's population.
An entertaining picture from Gojira auteur Honda, it's very colorful with fine cinematography by Taiichi Kankura, and a good score from Akira Ifukube. My favorite of the creatures was the giant crab with continually moving jaws that made it unique from past creature suits, but an immense armored turtle with an extending neck also impressed. The giant octopus that drives the first part of the film wasn't as striking, with immobile eyes and tentacles that had to be replaced with animation in several scenes, but it was certainly memorable. The cast of dependable Toho veterans, including Kubo and Sahara, brought an enjoyable comfort to my viewing. I didn't find the story to be overall that strong, but the movie was certainly a fun diversion, and unique in its own way from other Toho product.
Took me years to finally see this film! I enjoyed it, but I tend to agree with you. Cant wait to read what you have to say about other Toho monster movies.
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