'Gorath' is a super-massive stellar core careening through the solar system on a collision course with Earth and our only hope is to push our planet out of the way. While not really a scientifically sound premise or production, Gorath is much 'harder' science fiction than Toho's monster films, with characters discussing issues such as gravity, orbits, thrust requirements for moving the Earth etc., as they count down to what may be Doomsday. As 1960's tokusatsu go, the movie has great design and production values, especially the miniature sets, the vehicles (the VTOL planes are quite clever), the 'disaster scenes', and the 'outer space' segments. There are some pacing problems (we are treated to a helicopter tour of Japan while a bunch of astronauts sing), an unnecessary side plot involving an astronaut with amnesia, and, most egregiously, a gratuitous kaiju in the form of an immense walrus* (allegedly inserted against director Ishiro Honda's wishes). The walrus, "Maguma", is a one-timer in Toho's kaiju zoo, not evening earning a cameo in the multi-monster epics "Destroy All Monsters" (1968) and "Final Wars" (2004), which is just as well as the suit is not very convincing and looks jarringly out of place compared to the meticulously detailed models of "Operation South Pole", Earth's final hope. While the special effects in science fiction films of this vintage cannot compare with modern CGI (1969's "2001, A Space Odyssey" being an exception), Gorath is a fun, creative and imaginative film that showcases the talent of the Toho's production team in the 1960's and is well worth watching. *The walrus scenes are cut from the dubbed American release of the film, my comments pertain to an English-subtitled Japanese version, which is worth finding if you want to view the entire film.
Review of Gorath
