Trevor Writes

As if sensing the series was growing stale with Invasion of Astro-Monster , Toho hired a new director to helm the Godzilla series, Jun Fukuda. 12 years Ishiro Honda's junior, Fukuda had been directing modest sized comedy and mystery films since 1959, but nothing of note to Western audiences. After making four Godzilla films in four years, Honda's entries were growing less exciting. He would still have great 'Zilla films up his sleeve, but a little distance was necessary for him to recharge. Fukuda gave the series a much needed change in direction, his films brighter, friendlier, and a more guilt-free version of family entertainment that Toho likely appreciated. Fukuda makes his presence known early in Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966), also known as Godzilla vs The Sea Monster , in a lengthy dance competition sequence. In a wide shot, dozens of men and women are shown in brightly coloured shirts dancing their hearts out, the winner of the endurance contest recei...

Everyone is looking to the stars in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964), even before the titular planet devouring space monster swoops down and wrecks Earth. An astronomically bizarre heatwave strikes Japan in the dead of winter, with many more natural anomalies occurring the world over. Given the global hysteria the last several years saw in the wake of atomic bomb-created creatures of destruction, a fantasy which has become reality, astronomers have opened their minds to the possibilities of even more groundbreaking discoveries - such as life on other planets. It's a logical move for the Godzilla franchise to delve into science fiction, after its prior success in horror, action, and fantasy. There can only be so many human-made monsters before the concept runs dry, so it's a refreshing change to throw space aliens of mysterious origin into the mix. The fifth and sixth films, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster and Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965), both directed by...