Tag: Eiji Tsuburaya
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Varan
Another prehistoric reptile threatens Tokyo, and the Japanese military throws everything in its arsenal at it. That’s pretty much the plot of Toho’s ill-fated 1958 movie Varan, a TV project that was hastily punched up to feature film status when the American buyer pulled out in the middle of filming.…
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The H-Man
The Tokyo police are flabbergasted when gangsters start melting. Ishiro Honda mixes the police procedural with gooey body horror in this 1958 cult classic. Fun effects and good atmosphere counteract a plodding and confusing script. 6/10
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The Mysterians
Aliens land in Japan, and demand to mate with Earth women. The united military might of Earth engage in battle with the aliens. Ishiro Honda’s 1957 epic is a visual feast, but unfortunately thin on plot. 6/10
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Rodan
In 1956 Toho unveiled a brand new monster in its first colour kaiju movie. Direction by Ishiro Honda and special effectsare peak Toho, but devoid of social allegory, the script struggles to carry the sombre tone of the film. 6/10
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Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
Adding new footage to “Americanize” a foreign film rarely works well. One of the exceptions is the 1956 version of Godzilla, which handles the re-edit tactfully and packs a punch that is almost equal to that of the 1954 original. 7/10
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Ju jin yuki otoko
A team of Japanese explorers search for a friend kidnapped by the Yeti, while besieged by evil monster hunters and superstitious natives. Visually stunning, Ishiro Honda’s 1955 cult classic suffers from a messy script and shoddy effects. 5/10
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Godzilla Raids Again
Godzilla and Anguirus take on Osaka in this 1955 sequel. While a quick cash-grabber, the second movie still retains some of the grittiness and gravitas of the original. 5/10
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The Invisible Avenger
An invisible ex-soldier breaks up a mob gang and saves a nightclub singer in Toho’s 1954 SF noir. An interesting premise of war-time test subjects living as outcasts is sadly pushed out by the clichéd gangster plot. Film has its moments, though. 4/10
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Gojira
spite its clumsy rubber monster and the under-developed characters, 1954’s Gojira (Godzilla) is a gripping allegory for Japan’s experiences during WWII, with beautifully grim visuals and intimate focus on the casualties of war. 7/10
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Top 10 Sci-Fi Films of the 1940s
The forties was not a good time for SF movies. But the genre sputtered along with mad scientist B-movies turned out by Hollywood. The decade produced none of the immortal classics of the twenties and thirties, but hidden among the low-budget dregg, one can find a few genuine gems worthy…
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Tômei ningen arawaru
A rare gem, Japan’s earliest preserved science fiction film The Invisible Man Appears is more inspired by Universal’s Invisible Man films than H.G. Wells’ novel. This 1949 crime mystery drama meets tokusatsu film boasts the special effects of the great Eiji Tsuburaya and some good performances. 5/10
Scifist. 