Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) User Reviews

Shinichi Sekizawa's masterpiece

[ebiros2 · 8/10 · 30 May 2010]

This is the seventh kaijyu (monster) movie written by Toho's screen writer Shinichi Sekizawa, and the first to portray the monsters in a comical light which would become Toho's style for the following 10 years. The story differs somewhat between the Japanese version and the American version. This commentary is about the Japanese version.

Princess Mars Dourina Salno (Eiko Wakabayashi) of Sergina requests Japanese police to give her protection due to political instability of her country. Detective Shindo (Yosuke Natsuki) is assigned by his boss Okita (Akihiko Hirata) to body guard the princess, but the plane carrying the princess explodes on its way to Japan. Shortly afterward a woman proclaiming to be from Venus appears and prophecies that Rodan and Godzilla will appear in Japan. Thinking that his assignment was over before it got started Shindo goes home, reads about mysterious Venusian woman who's attracting media's attention looks exactly like princess Mars. Convinced that the self proclaimed "Venusian" is princess Mars, he launches his own investigation. His sister Naoko who is a reporter is also on the heel of the Venusian woman. In the mean time a mysterious asteroid falls in the Kurobe area of Japan. Assistant professor Murai (Hiroshi Koizumi) is the team leader that's sent to investigate the asteroid witnesses the asteroid turning into a three headed monster. Naoko finally catches up with the Venusian woman and escorts her to a near by hotel. By this time assassins from Sergina is also on her trail suspecting that the Venusian woman is princess Mars. They converge at the hotel and shooting ensues between the assassins and detective Shindo. Assassins flees and detective Shindo, and Naoko escorts the Venusian to Dr. Tsukamoto's (Takashi Shimura) lab to see if her memories can be revived. In the mean time Rodan and Godzilla is sited and they converge near Mt. Fuji and starts a battle. Vanusian woman tells a story that 5000 years ago Venus was attacked by the monster King Gidora and was turned into a waste land, and that Gidora is now on earth. Mothra is called to Japan to ask Godzilla and Rodan to fight against King Gidora, but the two monsters aren't exactly interested in helping mankind.

The plot of this movie is superbly written with each element supporting the entire flow of the story. Many die hard Godzilla fans might not like the campy flavor of this movie, but so many elements crammed into this movie that runs just over 90 minutes has intricacies and originality never seen in previous Japanese monster movies. This movie by far has the most intricate plot of movies written by Shinichi Sekizawa, but is hidden behind the tong in cheek humor that runs throughout the movie.

In the US released DVD, three men accuses the Venusian woman as "kichigai" (crazy). The broadcast code in Japan has tightened up since this movie was made and this word is no longer allowed to be used in a movie, so the Japanese DVD has this word changed to another dialog, but you will hear it as it was in the US release DVD. Princess Mars' full name Mars, Dourina, Salno is a play on the Japanese phrase "Ma, sudori, nasaruno" (Are you just going to pass me by ?) and is intended to be an injoke.

You'll get much more out of this movie if you catch the details of the movie. It was the first time Gidora was seen on screen. Gidora became a staple of subsequent movies guaranteeing a crowd draw for Toho.

Watch this movie to see if you can catch the details.

The worm turns...

[xnet95 · 8/10 · 6 December 2009]

...into a mediator! Mothra has many talents, including the ability to be a monster counselor. I love it!

I've been watching all the Godzilla movies sequentially, and this one was surprisingly enjoyable and well done. The human characters are likable and actually have brains. The story is well-written and has a lot of elements in it that help keep your interest. For example, the parts where there are no monsters fighting are interesting. Usually, the human interaction parts are boring. Plus, we get to see FOUR monsters in this one - AWESOME! And last, but not least - The Peanuts. Any movie with the Peanuts has to be good (well, maybe...) And, I love the woman playing the princess/Venusian. She is drop-dead gorgeous. Her face is so beautiful. The story-line concerning her adds much to the film.

All of my comments are about the original Japanese version with English sub-titles. This is a very solid movie and can be enjoyed by people that might not love monster movies. If you love monster movies, you'll be in monster heaven...

San daikaijû: Chikyû saidai no kessen: One of the best Toho films

[Platypuschow · 6/10 · 17 July 2018]

When a world ending three headed monster by the name of Ghidorah arrives on earth chaos ensues!

Godzilla, Rodan & Mothra are all on the scene but fighting one another. Can Mothra and the martians convince them to work together to fight this seemingly unstoppable force?

So once again we have the grade A cheese, men in monster suits, stop motion animation, ridiculous fight scenes and terrible acting. And yet somehow/someway this is actually the best Toho film I've seen.

It suffers with all the usual tropes and arguably the plot is even worse than usual but it works and makes for a fun monster epic.

The Godzilla films are certainly niche and not for everyone but this is a fun little effort.

The Good:

By this point it's actually starting to feel like a franchise

Builds up to a solid climax

The Bad:

Opening is really daft

Some of the outfits are embarassingly bad

Plot is a tad confuddled

Godzilla moves like a teletubby

Franchise is getting goofy

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

The mini martian ladies are growing on me

Mid battle giant monsters often enjoy games of catch with boulders

Enormously entertaining Godzilla movie-one of the best

[DrLenera · 10 March 2004]

Many fans of Japanese monster movies regard the late 50s/early 60s as the Golden Age,and they are generally right.There is a terrific feel to the Toho Studios films made in that period-imaginative,exciting,fun without generally descending into camp,a good stock company of actors,etc.This film,to call it by it's western name Ghidorah the 3 Headed Monster,is a direct sequel to Godzilla Vs Mothra,perhaps the apex of the Godzilla series.It is not as completely satisfying as the previous instalment but it is probably even more entertaining.

The build-up is somewhat muddled and lengthy,but the plot is just about intriguing enough to keep one ticking over until,after perhaps too long a wait,the monsters appear and the film really kicks into high gear.The appearance of Godzilla,the pterosaur-like Rodan,and the three headed dragon Ghidorah {surely Godzilla's greatest foe} are all well staged and effective,while Ghidorah's attack on Tokyo remains impressive and was often 're-used' in later films.The Godzilla/Rodan battle is just funny,as is the bit where Mothra tries to communicate with Godzilla and Rodan and get them to fight Ghidorah,a really wacky scene that could only exist in a Japnese monster movie, but the climactic fight,as the three Earth monsters Godzilla,Rodan and Mothra combine their strength against the alien creature is the most rousing climax of a Godzilla film,aided by Akira Ifikube's fantastic theme music.

As usual,the US version was altered and,once again,for the worst,although not as badly as King Kong Vs Godzilla.Still,scenes were cut and shifted about,tightening the pace of the first half and weakening continuity,and some of the music was replaced.Once again,to get a real appreciation of this tremendously enjoyable and exciting movie,you need to seek out the Japanese version.

"People of Earth, I call your attention to the ever-expanding universe..."

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 29 December 2014]

One of the best Godzilla sequels. A fun monster rally that introduces the title monster, King Ghidorah, a three-headed dragon from space. There's a lot of silliness in this involving a Martian princess and the two singing fairy twins from the last two Mothra movies. They can communicate with the monsters. They play a big part in the film, convincing Godzilla and Rodan to join forces with Mothra and save Earth from Ghidorah. This would mark Godzilla's official turn to hero for future sequels. The special effects are a lot of fun. If you see the American version you'll get lots of amusing dubbing. As with most of these Godzilla movies, there's a lot of time before any monsters show up. I haven't seen one of the sequels yet that couldn't have benefited from losing 10 or 15 minutes of people standing around talking. At least with the American versions the most boring segments have some cheesy entertainment value from the silly dubbed voices. Anyway, it's all harmless fun with nice visuals and ideas. The selling point, of course, is when Godzilla & co. do their thing. The monster battles are awesome. The rock fight between Godzilla and Rodan is especially goofy. The climactic battle has Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra versus King Ghidorah -- what's not to love about that?

Entertaining, but has it's flaws

[tyrantlizardthad · 6/10 · 27 April 2019]

Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster has been considered a classic by many kaiju fans, and for good reason: introducing Godzilla's arch nemesis, the titular monster King Ghidorah. And while it is overall an entertaining flick, it does have it's flaws. The story is rather simple: Godzilla, Rodan, and Ghidorah all show up at the same time, and Mothra has to convince Godzilla and Rodan to fight Ghidorah with her. It's pretty simple stuff and works effectively. One of the categories where it faults, though, is the characters. While they're likable enough that you're not bored, they're not really particularly memorable or interesting either. They're one-dimensional but the plot happening with them is interesting enough that it keeps you invested during the human scenes. King Ghidorah looks great, Mothra Larva is an improvement over her previous appearance, and Godzilla looks good too, but Rodan's design is a downgrade from his debut film, but he still looks fine, and the overly dopey look has yet to come. Godzilla's character ark occurs here, where he goes from destroyer to defender, though the reason why he decides to help against Ghidorah after refusing several times is questionable. He just sees Mothra get blasted and suddenly decides to help. The same is true for Rodan, and even more questionable, is what exactly this Rodan is. In the original Rodan, there were two: a male and a female. Both were killed. Then one Rodan comes out of the same mountain in this movie, and it's supposedly a male. Did the male regenerate? Did the male actually not die? Is this they're unknown offspring? It's unknown even to this very day, not even official Toho books ever really clarify. While it's nice to see Rodan appear in a Godzilla movie, this is rather jarring. The special effects, while quite a bit looks impressive considering the especially big time constraints, it does falter quite a bit during the Godzilla and Rodan fight, especially with the cringey puppetry. Despite this, the fights are entertaining, with Godzilla and Rodan's fight still being a joy to watch, and having quite a few memorable moments. And of course, the final battle with all four monsters is also quite entertaining, even more so, and the special effects in that scene are a big improvement, and everywhere else they are consistently well-done. Akira Ifukube once again delivers the goods with this film's soundtrack; his music sours. It's no wonder many of it is still used and remembered today. Overall, Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster is a flawed movie, but it's positives outweigh the negatives and is an enjoyable and memorable entry in the franchise. It's not one of the best, but it's far, far from the worst.

A Lot of Fun!

[Space_Mafune · 7/10 · 11 May 2003]

Despite the fact that the Monsters Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra look and act a little goofy in this one, it doesn't change the fact that this film is loads of fun to watch.

When a new monster named Ghidrah (who doesn't love seeing this three-headed beastie?) threatens to destroy the world, our only hope is Mothra. However Mothra is still much too young to possibly have any chance in a battle with Ghidrah and so seeks the unlikely aid of both Godzilla and Rodan, who prove most stubborn yet in the end neither it seems can resist a good fight.

The film has some great lines (here's one example: "these Monsters are as bad as human beings!") and some fun subplots (a police Inspector trying to protect a Princess who claims she's really a Martian from assassination attempts, the involvement of Mothra twin fairy protectors). All around great Kaiju fun!

Mediocre multiple monster mayhem

[jamesrupert2014 · 7/10 · 14 December 2017]

Other than introducing "Ghidorah", perhaps the second most popular monster in Toho's bestiary, "Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster" (1964) has little to recommend it*. The fifth entry into the Godzilla canon opens with an unnecessary background story involving a missing princess who inexplicitly survives the in-flight destruction of her airplane after hearing voices. She resurfaces as a self-proclaimed Venusian oracle who predicts a number of kaiju-based disasters in involving Rodan, Godzilla and the space monster who was responsible for the destruction of Venusian culture. All of this comes true, as Rodan frees himself from entombing lava, Godzilla wades ashore, and Ghidorah materialises from a mysterious meteorite. While secret agents continue to attempt to kill the princess/Venusian (James Bond films having become very popular), the miniature twins from Infant Island appear and recruit Mothra to fight Ghidorah. This leads to the climatic brawl on the slopes of Mt. Fuji, with the three 'Earth's monsters' squaring off against Ghidorah (the first of many external existential threats our planet). The movie marks the beginning of the 'Godzilla as a hero' trend that continued into the '70s. The overall story is relatively dark, but the monsters are almost comic, and the fight includes lots of rocks being batted back and forth, and child pleasers such as Godzilla scampering around after being burned on the butt by one of Ghidorah's lasers. Rodan, who was almost majestic in his debut movie ("Rodan",1956), is now a bit bug-eyed and, as suit-mation doesn't really work well for bird-like kaiju, unconvincing when not in flight. Another revision to the canon is the obvious sentiency of the monsters as Mothra (in her larval form) argues with Godzilla and Rodan (translated by the twins) about the ethical and pragmatic pros and cons of helping mankind defend the Earth. The debate includes odd statements from the monsters, such as Godzilla's complaint that he was bullied by mankind. Like many of the later entries in the "Showa" era films, "Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster" is the kind of silly fun that most "westerners' expect from Godzilla films. Although there is a bit of blood spilled as the assassin stalks the princess and some of the language in the subtitles is more adult that the story calls for, the movie is essentially for the kids, with heroic monsters cooperating to take on a three-headed bully and a simple 'why can't we all get along' message. (*note: this review refers to a subtitled Japanese version).

I Love This Film!

[gigan-92 · 9/10 · 13 April 2009]

This film is one of the original series' best in my opinion. Four of my favorite monsters coming together for the hugest battle yet seen (at the time of course). This film also holds a very special place in my heart, seeing as it was the first GOOD Godzilla movie I ever owned. Back when I must've been four I'd estimate. The only G-film I'd seen prior to this was "Godzilla vs. Megalon", but compared to this film it only looks even crappier! I unfortunately broke my VHS copy of it at nine due to excitement over a new G-film I'd been given as a present and up until 2007 I thought I would never see the film again. Fortunately, Classic Media recognized its greatness and released on a spectacular DVD. Another reason I love this film is the fun plot. Of course it's dropped any mention of nukes or strong themes, but I still find it one of Sekizawa's best. Next time around let's say Princess Salno used a parachute instead of "leaping in between dimensions". As for the characters, this film has a really good cast. Akikko Wakabayashi (the Princess/Martian prophet) is excellent and fine by the way. Takashi Shimura stars as another 'Dr.' character and his performance is as usual, top notch. Akihiko Hirata stars in a small role where as Yuriko Hoshi returns playing a very similar character to her previous role in "Mothra vs. Godzilla", done well. Along with all the other actors, every one gives entertaining performances, Honda even adding some cool shoot out scenes.

The special effects are mostly good. King Ghidorah was an incredible accomplishment for Eiji Tsubaraya. The three headed dragon looks magnificent both on the ground and flying. The gravity beams were done exceptionally well, where as Godzilla's heat ray became a mist due to the money spent on Ghidorah. Anyways, the space demons rampage scenes are beautiful and I love the odd shriek. All the sets are huge and well constructed, my favorite being the downwards sloping hill where Ghidorah (or Ghidrah as he's called in the dubbing) is first confronted by Godzilla and Mothra. Godzilla and Rodan's battle is just cool and full of energy and Ifukube's music fits it perfectly. The best two parts were Godzilla using his tail and Rodan lifting the King of the Monsters into the sky and dropping him onto the electrical tower. The continuity is still there and still no aliens (although King Ghidorah is technically an extraterrestrial). Godzilla looked great, considering it's the incredible suit from the last film. Except for its eyes, which didn't look as imposing. Rodan looked decent, but nowhere near as impressive as the 1956 original. The final battle is an excellent display of SFX and real action. Total highlight of the film no doubt.

When you're a seven or nine year old watching these films you don't notice these things but times change. Whereas Sekizawa was quite the writer, it can be noted he brung the first essences of campiness into the original Godzilla series. The monster summit isn't really campy per say, but it does lower the seriousness of the film. It is the beginning of Godzilla's hero stance, which will soon become the beginning of the end for his career till 1984 ("Godzilla 1985" begins the second series of films). Luckily, Godzilla still gets his menacing scenes at Yokohama harbor and he does kill hundreds of innocent people on a cruise boat when he first emerges from the ocean depths, done nicely. The characters still fear him and don't look at him as a hero just yet. In a way he just settled a brief negotiation. But I didn't know Godzilla cursed: "Oohhh, Godzilla what horrible language", twin fairies translating at the monster summit. In the end it's rather funny so I appreciate it more and more with each viewing. And seeing as I as I watch the film on a weekly basis, you get the idea.

Well, the first three G-films had elaborate and often unnecessary Americanization's, with added American scenes, changes to the SCORE, and even changing Godzilla's name to Gigantis! "Mothra vs. Godzilla" was the first to avoid it, but this film to a degree didn't. The story is left intact and there are no American actors edited in but Ifukube's score is AGAIN tampered with!! Thankfully not as much as in "King Kong vs. Godzilla". Other than that the American cuts actually make sense and actually fix that continuity error with King Ghidorah (buy the Classic Media DVD and watch the Japanese version). Overall, I love this film for several reasons and if you haven't seen it, you most definitely should.

Classic Kaiju flick

[ezh_1999 · 7/10 · 14 July 2012]

This is the fifth entry in the Godzilla series. This is also the first film appearance of Godzilla's Arh nemesis, King Ghidorah. The plot goes something like this: Detective Shindo is assigned to protect princess Selina Salno. However her plane is destroyed en route by a bomb and is assumed dead. She turns up again claiming she's a princess from mars, and making prophecies of forthcoming disaster. However her predictions start coming true, and Rodan rises from a crater and Godzilla emerges from the sea. Meanwhile a meteor crashes. The Shobijin( Mothra's fairies) don't go on a boat taking them to birth island because of Selina's prediction, and it ends up being destroyed by Godzilla. Selina then reveals that mars was destroyed by a space dragon, King Ghidorah. And that he's already arrived on earth in a meteor. Anyway thats the main plot. What I wanna talk about is Ghidorah. He has a rather interesting design. Three heads, two tails, big wings and no arms, plus the ability to fire bolts of gravitational from his mouth. This film has its action-orientated parts, like the the gunfights between Shindo and Selina's assassins and the giant monster battles. It also has its comedic parts such as when Ghidorah zaps Godzilla in the nuts, or when Rodan and Godzilla laugh at each other, after getting sprayed by Mothra. The special effects are average for a Japanese film. Rodan's hand puppet looks like crap. The acting is suburb and feels pretty real, except for a few scenes. Overall this is one of the better films in the series.

Ghidorah the Planet Killer

[rhinocerosfive-1 · 5/10 · 29 November 2007]

Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah. That's the four major Toho food groups right there. Of course they're only around for about twenty minutes, which really isn't enough in a 90 minute movie; Mothra never even metamorphoses. But don't forget - there's the absolute lunacy of the rubber suit universe to confound us while we wait for fights.

It can be a wonderful plane of existence, this manga world where rules are made to be stomped on. A chic princess steps out of an exploding airplane at 30,000 feet and lands on earth, dressed as Che Guevara and claiming to be the Venusian Cassandra - in a nod to the Greeks, nobody listens to her. In fact conspirators in Foster Grants and Elizabethan syphilis collars try to assassinate her with a letter opener. She is aided by 8-inch sisters who have a flying carpet but sometimes travel by pet carrier. The sight of these Liliputian twins singing "Do not forget to smile!" to a giant maggot, on a "Where Are They Now?" TV show, is not one I will soon forget.

King Ghidorah is my favorite rubber monster for a couple of reasons. One is his three heads, which always look dangerously out of control, whipping manically as they spit their death-rays. Another is the death-rays themselves, which except for Toshiro Mifune's sword are the most destructive force in any Toho film. This is after all the monster who killed Venus - usually it takes an entire civilization of alien monkeys to threaten a whole planet. These rays rip up cityscapes and topple buildings more effectively than Rodan's wings or Godzilla's breath, which has all the damaging power of tepid steam. However, the premium placed on puppeteers and pyrotechnics made Ghidorah the most expensive monster to film, so we never really get enough of him, especially this time, when he's barely on screen long enough to blow up an amusement park.

Also appearing are the standard early-60s Garfield-eyed punchy boxer version of Godzilla, a buzzard-like incarnation of Rodan, several snazzy suits and more stingy-brim hats than James Bond could toss onto a hat rack, all photographed in a very pretty, if staid, use of 70 millimeter Tohovision. Plus the selfless line:

"This is rather primitive, and not scientific, but..."

and this exchange:

"No doubt. She is the princess."

"Okay. Let's try shock treatment."

Classic Sci-Fi masterpiece ahead of its time

[UniqueParticle · 8/10 · 31 May 2019]

Yes it's goofy but damn it's awesome! I keep wondering how the creatures/effects were made back then. Sometimes hard to keep up with the subtitles too, but still nice to enjoy occasionally - I'm not judging. Japanese uniqueness can be quite a wonderful thing!

Monsters Fighting All Over!

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 6 May 2014]

After a meteorite unleashes a three-headed beast upon Tokyo, Mothra tries to unite with Godzilla and Rodan to battle the extraterrestrial threat.

This film has pretty decent effects, particularly during the "birth" of Ghidorah. It also happens to be pretty much the dividing point between the earlier, more serious films, and the later, more fun (and sometimes campy) versions of the monster that would become an international pop culture icon (if he had not already).

As with other Godzilla releases, the David Kalat commentary is worth the price of the film. Not only is he informed, but he speaks fast, meaning you get about 180 minutes of information packed into 90 minutes of film. He also makes a good case for dubbing, while still expressing the preference for subtitles when critically analyzing a film.

This film has received acclaim among many Godzilla fans and is considered to be one of the best Godzilla films of the Showa era. Reviewing the American version, Leonard Maltin gives the film two and a half stars, calling it "one of the better Toho monster rallies".

The Three Kaijuteers Fight Ghidorah

[TheRedDeath30 · 4/10 · 26 August 2014]

Let's be genuinely honest with each other as we review this movie. Your opinion and rating of this movie is going to depend VERY HIGHLY on how you feel about Kaiju (giant monster) movies and even more, guys in giant rubber suit movies. Most of the reviews written on this site now seem to come from fanboys (or girls) and there's nothing wrong with that. We all have guilty pleasures, but to call this movie a 10 seems more than a little bit silly. On the other hand, very few people are probably stumbling into these reviews not knowing a little bit beforehand that they're at least somewhat interested in the genre.

I'll start with the fanboy perspective. The original GOJIRA is one of the greatest horror movies ever made, in my opinion. It is a bleak portrayal of Japan in a post-nuclear era that used a giant monster as metaphor for nuclear annihilation. In the sequels that followed, they began introducing other monsters to act as Godzilla's nemesis and eventually the series becomes what is essentially studio wrestling in monster suits.

This movie is important for several reasons. It is the turning point at which Godzilla becomes a hero out to save Japan, rather than a monster bent on destroying it. It also features a fan's dream team as he teams up with Rodan and Mothra to combat what many would consider to be Godzilla's greatest enemy, King Ghidorah, introduced here in this movie. There would be bigger monster mashes to come in this series, but this is the beginning of the mass team ups. There is a lot of campy fun to be had here as the monsters wage war with each other and try to drive this outer space entity back where he belongs. Not necessarily the greatest of the Godzilla sequels or even the best of the Showa era (Godzilla fans typically divide the movies into three eras), but it's generally one of the most popular.

Now, let's take a step back, just for a moment, and review this movie as an outsider with little experience in Kaiju. I'm not a noob to the genre, at all, but I'm really not a fanatic. I have seen a few, mostly in my childhood. This movie is bad....I mean, really bad. The humans in the movie make no sense and the dialog and dubbing is a giant mess. The plot is an incoherent mess of sci-fi ramblings, complete with brain waves, fairies, odd songs and some sort of pseudo-James Bond storyline involving a princess who's being threatened with assassination. There is far more bad human drama than monster goodness and let's talk about those monsters. Yes, they're guys in big, rubber suits, throwing and kicking rocks at each other, for the most part. They spend a lot of time just staring at each other shaking their arms and heads around. We get four legendary monsters fighting each other and the big climax basically comes down to the same method Spider-Man uses to catch two-bit crooks.

I realize by now that the fanboys have already clicked NOT HELPFUL on this review because I dared to trounce one of their favorite movies. As I said earlier, there are two very different ways you can look at this movie. If you're a fan of Kaiju you would judge it much differently, I am sure. As more of an outsider, this is a fun movie to laugh at with some friends and drink a beer or two, but in the grand scheme of cinema history, it's pretty laughable.

Leapin Lizard...and Moth, and Giant Pterodactyl

[BaronBl00d · 3 August 2001]

A giant meteor crashes on the Earth's surface in Japan(where else?). Out from this comes a monster from Mars that destroyed the Martian race and now wants to destroy humankind. The monster is none other than Ghidrah(Ghidorah), perhaps the greatest enemy faced by Godzilla in any of his films. Ghidrah is a neat monster with his three heads and tails. He spews electrical currents from his mouths. Is mankind's existence to be forever extinguished? No. With the help of Mothra's fairies who just happen to be visiting Japan during this "global" crisis, Mothra is sent to Godzilla and Rodan to try and convince them to help the people of the world and fight Ghidrah. The twin fairies, probably fatigued from singing a couple fine songs, translate what the mosters say. Rodan and Godzilla are wary of helping mankind, and would rather beat on each other, making one Japanese spectator remark, "These monsters are as stupid as human beings!" This is a fun film. The monsters look as you would expect. Rodan, for whatever reasons, looks particularly cheesy and fake, but Godzilla is fitted with a neat rubber suit. Yep, miniature towns are destroyed in this one too. The acting all around is very good for a film like this. The story is pretty good too. You cannot go wrong with a giant lizard, a giant reptillian prehistoric bird, and a giant caterpillar duking it out with a three-headed space monster. Throw in two charming, musically-inclined island fairies and an assasination plot of a princess into the mix as well... not to mention the directing skill of Inshiro Honda and the fabulous music of Akira Ifukube and you just cannot miss!

Attention! Godzilla and Rodan are heading this way! Evacuate at once! But which way?

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 22 February 2022]

If the two fairies guarding Mothra can't get Rodan and Godzilla to join forces together (eventually bringing Mothra into the mix) to save the earth, then nobody can. They've got their hands full with the presence of a three-headed creature from outer space, Ghidirah, probably the most fierce creature Godzilla has gone up against ever. Three heads definitely are better than one, at least when it comes to destroying Tokyo as seen here. There's the subplot of a kidnapped princess (said to be from Mars) who knows the strength of Ghidirah, and it's obvious that this creature is very strong, even able to pick Godzilla up and drop him onto an electrucal tower.

When the two fairies first appear, it appears that they have gone into show business, appearing on a TV variety show in a very silly manner, but that's only one of just a few silly moments in a film that for the most part isn't over the top. A scene with a reporter heading down a crevasse after dropping his hat has him interrupted by the call Penang of the ground which results in Rodan's entrance, and when Ghidirah makes his entrance more than halfway through the film, it's a very impressive moment. The fact that three monsters can work together after having been foes is an amazing feat, and it's thanks to the sweetness of the fairies for getting this to happen.

This is probably the last of the genuinely good Godzilla films as they just proceeded to get sillier and sillier. The shot of Mothra in caterpillar form crawling against the ground as Godzilla, Rodan and Ghidarah go at it is a comical sight for sure, as is the site of Godzilla and Rodan tossing around boulders as if they were kids playing ball. But in spite of all the silliness and the nonsense of Godzilla and Rodan fighting before joining forces (ending their fight thanks to Mothra interrupting them), it's a genuinely good sci-fi where monster talk is understandable no matter what species they are. This could have been so much worse, and compared to later entries, it looks like a masterpiece.

Rather enjoyable...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 17 December 2019]

"Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster" (aka "San daikaijû: Chikyû saidai no kessen") is actually a glorious addition in the "Godzilla" franchise. I must admit that I was somewhat surprised with the movie, as I hadn't really expected it to be all that it turned out to be.

The storyline in "Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster" is essentially the same as it is in every "Godzilla" movie, for better or worse. The Earth is threatened by a monstrous kaiju, and Godzilla comes to the rescue. Sure, it is like this in every movie, but isn't that the charm of the "Godzilla" movies?

For a movie from 1964, then the special effects and the creature designs were actually quite spectacular. While Godzilla was looking like he was on crack cocaine, it should be said that Ghidorah looked rather amazing.

There is a good amount of destruction and mayhem throughout the course of the movie. And yeah, some scenes are eyesores in terms of it being so clearly visible that it was scale models being used, but again, this is part of the charm of the "Godzilla" movies.

"Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster" is enjoyable and quite watchable, even if you aren't particularly familiar with the "Godzilla" franchise.

My rating of this 1964 movie from writer Shin'ichi Sekizawa and director Ishirô Honda is a six out of ten stars.

Monster of Monsters: Ghidorah (1964)

[SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain · 6/10 · 27 December 2011]

A meteorite from space lands in Japan. At about the same time Godzilla and Rodan also awaken to wreak some havoc. It soon transpires that the asteroid is Ghidrah, destroyer of planets, and a missing princess has had her body taken over by one of the last remaining Venusians. Eventually the humans must call on Mothra to convince Rodan and Godzilla to stop kicking rocks at each other and help save the planet. Same, same, but packs less of a punch. The main reason may be due to Ghidrah's origins. His three foes are all products of humanities mistakes regarding nuclear weaponry. Ghidrah is just a planet destroyer from space. You will enjoy this if you've seen the other films, and Godzilla and Rodan's quarreling is brilliantly comical. There's certainly more life in Godzilla's face than there has been before. Monster smack down time!

Definitely in the top 10

[NerdBat · 6/10 · 29 April 2018]

Well, at least in MY top ten. I love this Godzilla film, it really does have everything you want in a giant monster film. Plenty of monster action to balance out all the human drama. The effects ad quality are pretty great when you take all the Godzilla films into account, so it makes it just as much better. Its definitely one you should see if you have even slight interest in the film series.

One of Toho's best!

[OllieSuave-007 · 10/10 · 1 October 1999]

Wow! Certainly one of the best of the Godzilla series (and my personal favorite). This movie introduces Godzilla's most popular villain, King Ghidorah! With Ghidorah threatening to destroy Earth, it requires the combined strength of Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra to stop him. By the way, this is the first movie that Godzilla journeys into as "the good guy." While Godzilla and Rodan weren't too happy to meet each other, it was actually Mothra who urged the two monsters to cooperate to battle Ghidorah and help mankind. And, this movie has a whole lot- towering monsters, a Martian, a princess, detectives, doctors, reporters, and, of course, Mothra's tiny twin fairy priestesses, who once again did their little song and dance and chat in unison. Honda's solid directing, Sekizawa's terrific script, and Ifukube's fantastic music score permeated the movie's success. There may be a lot more "human" scenes than "monster" scenes but since the plot is so solid, it made each human scene interesting and inspiring. Would this actually happen to Mars (Venus in the Japanese version) one day as stated in the movie? Go figure...........

Grade A

campy monster mash

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 12 October 2019]

Princess Selina Salno facing assassination threat is on a plane to Japan. There is a meteor shower of UFOs. She is drawn to open the plane's door when a meteor destroys the plane. She miraculously reappears in Japan claiming to be from Venus and warning of the rise of King Ghidorah from space. She also predicts the reappearance of Rodan and Godzilla. The Shobijin twins call upon Mothra who is only in its larva stage to save the world. Mothra tries to recruit Rodan and Godzilla but they don't have any reason to save humanity.

There is a good bit of camp in this one and the movie knows it. First of all, the princess story is unnecessarily complicate. It would have been fine for her to simply be an alien from Venus warning about Ghidorah. The movie adds layers where layers are wasting time and space. I like the twins. There's no reason why I wouldn't like an alien in a ball gown. This movie has some fun with the fighting starting with Rodan and Godzilla playing tennis for awhile. That's the moment when it becomes obvious that the filmmaker is having a bit of fun. Instead of the hullabaloo with the princess, the movie could use the twins more and find xenophobic villains looking to kill an alien princess.

Ghidorah is a monster that ranks with the best!

[MightyGorga · 5/10 · 16 April 1999]

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster is one of the best of the Godzilla series. Who couldn't be impressed by a three-headed dragon who makes his entrance spitting lightning? And Mothra's solo attack against Ghidorah is one of the surprisingly poignant moments that come along occasionally in Gojira's films. Be warned, though: the Alienas' talking to Godzilla and Rodan, as if they were human, is a harbinger of the campier movies to come in the series (anyone who's seen Godzilla v. Gigan remembers the "conversation" between Godzilla and Anguirus; well, here's where that bad idea got started).

One of my personal favorites, it's a must see.

[Horror Fan · 9/10 · 21 February 1999]

I loved this one. I especially liked Ifukube's score. This is definitely the best in its original Japanese form. A three headed horror named King Ghidorah from the stars arrives and begins a destruction spree. Ghidora looks definitely the best in this film, the scenes of him flying in and out of Tokyo and demolishing landmarks with his lightning breath look incredible. Mothra (larval) tries to ask Godzilla and Rodan (who are still evil) to help her fight Ghidorah. They refuse until they see King Ghidorah destroy a town and brutally attack poor Mothra and then they leap into action and the battle for Earth begins. This is a great creature feature film, it has everything a creature feature film should: the four most famous monsters, missing princesses, martians, killers, scientists. The effects by Eiji Tsuburaya are dazzling and the Godzilla and King Ghidorah suits look the best they've ever looked while unfortunately Mothra looks like a living poop and Rodan looks like a chicken. I recommend this to kids and adults alike!

Monsters assemble

[Jithindurden · 7/10 · 22 November 2023]

There's so much going on here with the human side of the story itself, that it could have been the entire film without the monster fights and it would've been as good. The alien mind control, international political assassination and the curious people in the middle of it all with four kaiju monsters! The monster fights were silly coming from a pretty serious human side. The wrestling of humans in rubber suits and the communication being translated by Peanuts were quite funny. But the way it kept the themes from the previous movie even if it ends up as a team-up movie against an alien monster is surprisingly made to work. I just wish they'd have used the original Mothra song instead of this new one, not as catchy as the one used in the previous two movies. Best in the Franchise since the first Godzilla and Mothra.

No wonder he's the king

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 6 May 2017]

This one has some of Earth's best and most patriotic monsters teaming up to defeat a new creation from the Japanese film makers. Ghidorah is a three headed Cerberus like creature who spits fire from each head. He already destroyed the planet Venus or Mars depending on which version you watch. A princess from a small Himalayan country has been possessed by the spirit of the now dead world and is trying to warn of Ghidorah's coming and his powers. There's a subplot in this involving an attempted kidnapping of the princess.

In the end it's Mothra and his two fairy companions who persuade Godzilla and Rodan to team up and the three of them face Ghidorah in a handicap match and combine their skills to defeat the really alien dude. You have to admire the way Rodan and Mothra worked together on this with Godzilla providing a finishing move with some foreign objects.

These films are so cheesy, but they're lots of fun.