(1960)
Overall: MEH
Toho's third and final in the "Transforming Human" series, (the first of which was likewise directed by Ishirō Honda), The Human Vapor, (Gasu Ningen Daiichigō, The First Gas Man), follows the usual pattern of police procedural/crime drama mixed with science fiction horror and small scale tokusatsu elements. It also may comparatively be the strongest entry out of the bunch, though the plot still adheres to a monotonous formula. The first two acts are told as a flashback montage with the title criminal/unwilling mutated specimen arrogantly regaling in his exploits with news reporters. An anti-hero of sorts, Yoshio Tsuchiya's once unassuming librarian both revels in his newfound, invincible abilities while also seeing them as a curse by film's end as his obsession/love interest falls victims to his bank-robbing/occasionally murdering scheme to advance her dancing career. The special effects are simple yet effective for the era, involving a rubber balloon mannequin that was rapidly deflated with dry ice particles inside of it to simulate Tsuchiya's non-corporeal form. Though it loses momentum at too many regular intervals, it is still a slightly above average genre mash-up.
(1961)
Overall: GOOD
Toho's team of giant monster creators lock-horns again with Mothra, (Mosura), a deliberately more family-friendly yet well-executed affair. Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, director Ishirō Honda, and special effects artist Eiji Tsuburaya re-create their Godzilla magic with screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa taking his first crack at the kaiju genre, adapting a serialized story commissioned by Tanaka that appeared in a magazine earlier the same year. Various political and fantasy elements were downplayed in its final cinematic form, making for more agreeably paced results than are often found with such movies that utilize a similar framework. While this does feature too little of the title monster flying around and causing destruction as well as military weapons that once again do absolutely nothing against it, the story has enough wacky elements to keep it engaging. The plot is rudimentary as it concerns a pair of doll-sized island fairies, (portrayed by the Japanese vocal group The Peanuts), that are captured for exploitative purposes by a sleazy sideshow man, only to enrage the wrath of the Mothra deity who eventually comes to their aid. Two different versions of the creature are used; a hulking caterpillar who ravages buildings and sea vessels and then, (after spending a night in a cocoon against the Tokyo Tower), the fully-grown one that causes hurricane-worthy winds by flapping its bug wings and making toy cars fly hither and tither.
(1962)
Overall: MEH
While Ishirō Honda's sci-fi disaster film Gorath, (Yōsei Gorasu, Ominous Star Gorath), ultimately has an uplifting, humane agenda, it cannot overcome its wearisome presentation. The script by Takeshi Kimura hinges the entire premise on the preposterous concept of purposely pulling the Earth out of orbit in order to bypass a collision with a rogue dwarf star that is smaller yet six-thousand times our gravity. Several nations collaborate their scientific efforts in order to do this by way of enormous mega-thrusters that will shift the planet enough to the side for a hundred days while Japan is now completely underwater and the moon has blown up. Also, a giant walrus monster emerges just to add insult to injury and put this in line with Toho's other kaijju spectacles. That said, its screen time is heavily limited to make way for terrible space travel effects, shots of explosions, and characters talking about everything that is going on for most of the eighty-eight minute running time. The finale does have an epic-scale, apocalyptic energy to it, but Honda cannot muster enough excitement before that with the repetitive plot and heavy emphasis on the same conversations happening over and over again amongst everyone on screen.
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