Legendary director who dragged the Kaiju genre into the mainstream. Honda did more than just the Godzilla franchise, but he'll be forever be remembered as the man behind the radioactive lizard. Not the greatest director, even so well worth checking out.
Movies
One of Honda's most serious films. The camp is almost entirely absent, which is a curse as well as a blessing. The plot is still pretty cheesy, but the execution is very straight-faced. Overall it's moodier and more atmospheric compared to his other work, but the radioactive mushroom stuff is just too goofy to be taken seriously. Quite fun though.
I'm not sure whether spectacular is the right word, with so much obvious model work involved, but Battle in Outer Space is of Honda's bigger undertakings. There are lots of space scenes and the film has a strong focus on action, sci-fi and adventure, keeping the drama and conversations to a minimum. Earth is under attack. An alien race has settled itself on our moon and is trying to take over our planet from there. All nations on Earth unite and they devise a plan to drive the aliens back. That's easier said than done, as the aliens have a strong fleet and they are able to mind control some of our crew. Battle in Outer Space looks surprisingly competent for a Honda film, that doesn't take away that you're clearly looking at small-scale models. Don't expect realistic-looking space battles here, but if you appreciate the charm of Honda's trademark model work then there's plenty to enjoy. After a somewhat slow start, the film really delivers a barrage of pleasant cheese.Read all
Feels like a classic Godzilla best-of film. All the monsters are here, there's a bunch of weird sci-fi stuff and some random extraterrestrial interference. Some Godzilla entries can be a little slow and tepid in between the fighting, there's simply so much happening here that they didn't have the time or money to waste film on any serious conversation. Good fun, but very, very cheesy.
This was pretty fun. You get a kaiju film and a space exploration film rolled into one. It's all very cheesy and cardboard-like of course, but there's hardly a dull moment and some there are some truly stand-out scenes. Apart from the original Godzilla film, this is one of the best Honda films I've seen so far.
A lesser known Honda film. Gorath isn't the name of a giant monster, but of a star that is on a collision course with Earth. Don't worry though, it's a vintage Honda film that has everything you'd expect to see in his films. Yes, even a giant monster (no matter how random his appearance may be). When scientists on Earth discover Gorath is racing towards Earth, they send a mission to investigate the mysterious planet. None of their attempts to stop the planet are successful, mankind's final desperate plan is to attach a ton of rockets to the South Pole, hoping to push Earth out of its trajectory. The first half hour is a bit sluggish, but once Honda is allowed to go crazy with his trademark miniatures sets and vehicles, Gorath becomes a lot more interesting. Add to that a giant sea lion and some good old destruction fun (poor Tokyo) and what you have is a pretty cheesy yet entertaining film.Read all
Godzilla is by far Honda's most popular property, but Mothra may very well have an even bigger cult following. I've seen the creature before in several Godzilla films, but never managed to catch the original one. While it fits very well within Honda's oeuvre, Mothra has a slightly different focus that may suprised seasoned Godzilla fans. The film is slightly more geared at adventure and spends quite a bit of time on the initial exploration of Mothra's island, including the tribal culture it houses, and in particular the two fairies. While there is room for the usual destruction, it doesn't come until very late into the film. Mothra is probably one of Honda's cuter creatures, looking more like a cuddly teddy bear than a fearsome monster. It appears slightly more menacing in its caterpillar state, but it never measures up to Godzilla's angrier adversaries. The start is pretty slow and 100 minutes it's a bit long for a film like this, but once Mothra finally take center stage there's enough Honda magic for faithful fans. Not bad, but I prefer Honda's crazier films.Read all
Honda's final film is another decent entry in the Godzilla franchise, without bringing anything too special or out of the ordinary. There's a lot of sci-fi cheese to brighten things up and the battles between Godzilla, Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus are plentiful, but there's not enough to make it stand out from the many other entries in the franchise.
Yog: The Space Amoeba
An Ishiro Honda film with a more international setup, but that doesn't really change a whole lot. I'm watching his films for the cheese and the cute model work, and both are available in spades here. It's a pretty decent adventure too, with a tad more happening than is usually the case. Scientists accompanied by a journalist are diving in a small submarine to unexplored places. An underground volcano goes off and the submarine is hurled off course. The men are saved by another sub, led by a captain who claims he is part of an underwater paradise. While he shows them his world, they are attacked by the captain's arch-nemesis. There's a bit of everything here, from lost/hidden worlds to laser fights and mutant animals. It makes little sense, but it allows Honda to play around like the giant kidult he is. It also makes sure there are few dull moments. It's not the most glorious or fancy cinema, but there's an undeniable charm that makes these films quite easy to watch.Read all
The War of the Gargantuas
Feels slightly more serious than most entries in the Godzilla franchise, at the same time also a little less entertaining. It's a decent film that is going to please fans of Honda, but the Frankenstein creatures aren't as enigmatic as Godzilla and even though the film is short, it does drag a little in places. Not bad, but not a stand-out Honda either.
Frankenstein Conquers the World
A typical Honda film, with a couple of huge monsters battling it out after a relatively lengthy intro and a drawn-out middle part. Of course the atom bomb has its role to play in the setup of the story, but ultimately these films are all about campy fun and elaborate destruction. It's decent filler, but I don't think I'll ever become a big fan of Honda's work.
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Ghidorah may be one of the most appealing monsters within the Godzilla universe, his introduction to the series is rather plain. Mothra and Rodan are present for the battle, but all they really do is flick stones at each other, in a rural landscape. The result is a pretty plain and uneventful entry in the Godzilla franchise.
A very simple Godzilla knock-off by Honda, the Kaiju master himself. If you like giant lizards with spiky backsides and grueling howls, destroying Japanese villages (small and large), this film has everything you need. The monster is somewhat pointless though and the film is extremely predictable, but it's fun enough while it lasts.
Not too long after releasing the original Godzilla movie, Honda came with Rodan. It's a pretty classic Kaiju film that neatly sticks to genre conventions. Then again, Honda is the one who created half of these conventions, so that probably shouldn't come as a big surprise. The result is a little basic, but good fun nonetheless. A small rural village gets swamped by creatures. When a team goes down in the tunnels that run underneath the town, they find more than they bargained for. Rodan is a prehistoric flying creature that, when set free, goes on a violent rampage throughout Japan. Things get even trickier when a second Rodan pops up. Men in rubber suits, miniature sets that get trashed, a tiny bit of adventuring and some war tactics. The human vs nature theme is also very present, making this a very typical early Kaiju flick. It's not one of Honda's more inspired films, the monster itself is a bit too boring for that, but there's enough cheesy charm to fill the short runtime.Read all
All Monsters Attack
A nonsensical Godzilla film that slaps two unrelated plot lines together and still manages to get some additional Godzilla action in there. There's a lot of different monsters present, but they only appear in a kid's dream, and they're just battling it out on their own territory. It feels pretty cheap, but at least it's short and the scenes on Monster Island are decent.
One of Honda's lesser-known kaiju films. It's not that different from his other work, apart from some minor details. Too much time is spent on human squabbles, and not enough attention goes to the kaiju. The effects are cheesy but fun, but seeing how they only feature in a small part of the film, the cheese doesn't quite work. A huge alien is threatening Earth, and this time the creature is coming from outer space. A big, squid-like animal is sucking up Earth's carbon, hoping to turn it into diamonds. His technique creates devastating tornados that ravage cities and countryside alike. Mankind will have to be crafty if they want to stop this extraterrestrial threat. The alien concept is pretty cool, but the effects are way too obvious and the monster scenes are way too scarce for a film of this caliber. The performance and the human drama are horrible. I do understand the budgetary and technical limitations, but the balance is just off. Not the best Honda, but the kaiju bits are still fun.Read all
A pretty disappointing Honda. I even had to double-check whether I got the right film, as it starts as a plain police/crime thriller. Not really what I expected from a Honda film, later on minor horror elements are added and his signature style starts to shine through a little, but overall it remained quite boring. The police are trying to track down a gang of criminals who have the uncanny capability to disappear on the spot. The police is clueless, until one of the cops discovers they might have taken part in a nuclear test. Their bodies became unstable and they turn to goo whenever they're touched. The effects are crummy, Honda isn't really suited to direct cop thrillers and the performances are quite poor. It's just a very sluggish and dull film. The finale quarter is slightly better as things heat up (quite literally), but watching transparent goo isn't as much fun as seeing someone prance around in a rubber suit. Not a fan.Read all
A pre-Godzilla, and so pre-Kaiju film from Honda. Honda's main draw has always been his miniature work, which still comes in handy when doing a war flick. Without the Kaiju cheese though, it's not really the same thing. Eagle of the Pacific is a more serious take on the Pearl Harbor attack. Yamamoto is a tactical genius and loyal to the emperor of Japan. That puts him in an awkward position, as he is ordered to lead the attack on Pearl Harbor, a mission he opposes. Yamamoto is overruled, so even though he feels the mission should be aborted, he'll do his best to make it work. The first hour is pretty slow, it isn't until the second half that the war scenes introduce some much-needed action. With people like Mifune and Shimura on board this was certainly not an inconspicuous project, though it's not a film that really stands out as majestic nowadays. I'm not surprised Honda took a different path after this.Read all
