Search - Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster on DVD

FINALLY AVAILABLE: GODZILLA EPISODE 5

A. C. Cronvich | Planet Zeist | 04/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the fifth Godzilla film and its one of the best. Its really a follow up to MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA. This is the first release, in the US, of the unedited Japanese version. For competists, the strangely reedited US version has also been included. Both versions are entertaining.
This is the first time team up of Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra against the alien dragon King Ghidorah (aka Ghidrah). Along for the ride are the twin faeries from
Mothra's island who, telepathically orchestrate the colaboration. There is also a amnesiac Himalayan princess who is also a cross dressing Martian prophetess; three Blues Brothers look-alike assasins who are out to
finish her off and a tough police detective who wants to save her and his sister who wants to restore her memory. Basically, it tries to play like a Hitchcock thriller or an early Bond film. In the end the espianage plot
and the monster plot come together. This is the first time that Godzilla swithches from menace to hero.

The first half of the film is basically "GODZILLA VS. RODAN", with the two "bad" monsters convinced to "turn good" by the intelligent and telepathic Mothra. The following film MONSTER ZERO is basically a direct sequel to this with Godzilla and Rodan reteaming to fight Ghidorah in the futuristic (at the time at least) 1980s.

These are the GODZILLA titles not yet available on DVD, and that have no current release dates:
GODZILLA VS. MEGALON, GODZILLA 1985 (RETURN OF GODZILLA), GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE

Here is a list of the complete GODZILLA series for young fans:
#1 GOJIRA/GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS #2 GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (GIGANTIS, THE FIRE MONSTER)
#3 KING KONG VS. GODZILLA #4 MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA (GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA, GODZILLA VS. THE THING)
#5 GHIDORAH, THE THREE HEADED MONSTER (GHIDRAH, THE THREE HEADED MONSTER)
#6 INVASION OF ASTRO MONSTER (GODZILLA VS. MONSTER ZERO) #7 GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER
#8 SON OF GODZILLA #9 DESTROY ALL MONSTERS #10 GODZILLA'S REVENGE (ALL MONSTERS ATTACK)
#11 GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER)
#12 GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND) #13 GODZILLA VS. MEGALON
#14 GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA (GODZILLA VS. COSMIC MONSTER)
#15 TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA (TERROR OF GODZILLA) #16 GODZILLA 1985 (RETURN OF GODZILLA)
#17 GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE #18 GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH
#19 GODZILLA & MOTHRA: THE BATTLE FOR EARTH #20 GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA II
#21 GODZILLA VS. SPACEGODZILLA #22 GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH
#23 GODZILLA 1998 (MONSTER EDITION) #24 GODZILLA 2000 #25 GODZILLA VS. MEGAGUIRAS
#26 GODZILLA, MOTHRA & KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK
#27 GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA #28 GODZILLA TOKYO S.O.S. #29 GODZILLA: FINAL WARS

Direct spin-off's/Tie-in's to the GODZILLA series:

Television: GODZILLA: THE ORIGINAL ANIMATED SERIES, GODZILLA: THE SERIES (animated),
HUMAN COMET ZONE (ZONE FIGHTER), GO! POWERMAN (GO! GODMAN), GO! GREENMAN,
MONSTER PLANET OF GODZILLA, GODZILLA ISLAND

Movies: RODAN (RODAN: THE FLYING MONSTER), THE MYSTERIANS, VARAN: THE UNBELIEVABLE,
MOTHRA (MOTHRA: THE MONSTER GOD), ATRAGON, SPACE AMOEBA (YOG: MONSTER FROM SPACE),
FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD, WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS, KING KONG ESCAPES,
REBIRTH OF MOTHRA, REBIRTH OF MOTHRA 2, REBIRTH OF MOTHRA 3

Indirectly related movies and TV shows: HALF HUMAN, THE H MAN, BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE, GORATH,
THE WAR IN SPACE, MATANGO (ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE), LATITUDE ZERO,
LEGACY OF DRACULA, LAKE OF DRACULA, EVIL OF DRACULA, SECRET OF THE TELEGIAN,
DOGORA (DAGORA: THE SPACE MONSTER), HUMAN VAPOR, INVISIBLE MAN, ESPY (ESP SPY),
THE THREE TREASURES, OROCHI: THE EIGHT HEADED DRAGON, GUNHED, MIKADROID, LATITUDE ZERO, TIDAL WAVE, GRANSAZERS: SUPER BATTLE MEMORY, SAZER-X FIGHT! STAR SOLDIERS, RETURNER,
SAYONARA JUPITER, GIANT GORO VS. GOLIATH (DAIGORO VS. GORIASU)
MEGALOMAN (TV), GRANSAZERS (TV), JUSTRISERS (TV), SAZER-X (TV)

The GAMERA series:
#1 GAMERA/GAMMERA THE INVINCIBLE #2 WAR OF THE MONSTERS (GAMERA VS. BARUGON)
#3 RETURN OF THE GIANT MONSTERS (GAMERA VS. GAOS) #4 DESTROY ALL PLANETS
#5 ATTACK OF THE MONSTERS (GAMERA VS. GUIRON) #6 GAMERA VS. MONSTER X
#7 GAMERA VS. ZIGRA #8 GAMERA: SUPER MONSTER #9 GAMERA: GUARDIAN OF THE UNVERSE
#10 GAMERA: ATTACK OF LEGION #11 GAMERA: REVENGE OF IRIS #12 GAMERA: THE BRAVE

The KING KONG series:
#1 KING KONG 1933 #2 SON OF KONG #3 MIGHTY JOE YOUNG #4 KING KONG VS. GODZILLA
#5 KING KONG ESCAPES #6 KING KONG 1976 #7 KING KONG LIVES (KING KONG 2)
#8 MIGHTY JOE YOUNG 1997 #9 THE MIGHTY KONG #10 KONG:KING OF ATLANTIS
#11 KING KONG 2005 #12 KONG: RETURN TO THE JUNGLE
Official KING KONG TV shows: KING KONG: THE ANIMATED SERIES, KONG: THE SERIES
Unnofficial KING KONG spin-offs:
JAPANESE KING KONG, KING KONG APPEARED IN EDO, KONGA, KONG ISLAND (KING OF KONG ISLAND), SUPER KING KONG (APE)
Others:
NABONGA (NABONGA GORILLA) WHITE PONGO, THE WHITE GORILLA, UNKNOWN ISLAND,
THE MIGHTY GORGA, THE MIGHTY PEKING MAN (GOLIATHON), YETI, GIANT OF THE 20TH CENTURY,
KING OF THE LOST WORLD

The GIANT MAJIN series:
#1 MAJIN: THE MONSTER OF TERROR (DAIMAJIN) #2 RETURN OF THE GIANT MAJIN (WRATH OF DAIMAJIN)
#3 RETURN OF DAIMAJIN

Also of interest:
GAPPA: THE TRIPHIBIAN MONSTERS (MONSTER FROM A PREHISTORIC PLANET), WARNING FROM SPACE,
THE X FROM OUTER SPACE, YONGARY: MONSTER FROM THE DEEP, REPTILIAN (YONG-GARY),
GORGO, REPTILICUS, THE GIANT CLAW, THE LAND UNKNOWN, EARTH VS. THE SPIDER,
WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST, THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN, ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN,
EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS, TERROR BENEATH THE SEA, PRINCE OF SPACE,
INVASION OF THE NEPTUNE MEN, THE LAST DINOSAUR, TARANTULA, THE BLACK SCORPION,
THE DEADLY MANTIS, ATOMIC SUBMARINE, THE GIANY BEHEMOTH, THE LOST WORLD,
BEAST FROM TWENTY THOUSAND FATHOMS, TWENTY MILLION MILES TO EARTH,
CALTIKI: THE IMMORTAL MONSTER, X- THE UNKNOWN, THE MILPITAS MONSTER (THE MUTANT BEAST),
DINOSAURUS!!!, KRONOS, BEGINNING OF THE END, THEM!"

At Last !

James Baack | Monster Island | 04/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let's see.
Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Wizard of Oz, 2001, and finally Ghidorah- The Three Headed Monster!!!!!!
I feel like I have been pregnant for 30 years and the baby is beautiful!
"Oh Godzilla, What terrible language!"
This is reason for rejoice.
Champange Wishes!!!!!"

Enjoyable DVD of one of the more rare of the Classic Godzill

Movie fan from another galaxy | 06/06/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While just having this Godzilla film finally on region 1 DVD, is cause for celebration, there is much more to this release than just the movie itself. With the addition of a great bundle of extra features adding to the fun, and a nicely designed package this becomes a very worthy purchase. But while the film quality is mostly above average or acceptable, it is unfortunately (though not unexpected) a bit below average at times. Just don't expect crystal clarity all the way through the entire film.


Good points:

1) The movie itself is one of the best of the Godzilla films. This is from the originators of the franchise and this being the fifth in the series, Toho studios and this production crew are at the height of their game here. Ghidorah's introduction as mentioned in other reviews, is very memorable. The human characterizations are fully realized and completely believable. Very interesting and compelling interaction between all the main characters. This is actually one of the better plotlines in a Godzilla film and if you subtract the Godzilla part of the movie, it's still a fairly compelling plot. Princess escapes death by unseen alien assistance, she becomes a spokesperson for the aliens and pleads with the earthlings to be forewarned of the emminent disasters that await. Foreign assasins attempt to find her and kill her. Police are involved in her protection as well in finding out why she now has the personality of an alien. The structure of the story is very well formed and does not have the hokey kind of plots that are reminescent of the low budget 1960's era sci-fi genre.

2) The package has a very unique look and design to it. The Obi band is a nice touch. And it appears much like the "Mothra vs Godzilla" package or the "Godzilla Raids Again" package. Very distinct, utilizing poster art from the era in which it was originally released, encapsulated in what appears like a film canister "look" to it, as a fold open style book. The center spine creaks a bit too much when it opens though. But perhaps it's appropriate as it further reflects the age of the original film.

3) The extras are well done. Poster gallery, commentary by godzilla "expert" and trailers and a fine documentary on Eiji Tsuburaya. The poster gallery includes brief explanations regarding each poster, which is a helpful addition.

4) Sound quality is very good. The introductory score grabs your attention and sustains throughout the movie. Dialogue mix has been improved over previous releases and there is a very noticable difference between the 50's era toho pictures and this time period of mid to late sixties. All the groundbreaking sound effects are here in bright and full mono, with both the Japanese and U.S. dialogue tracks fully represented. Some will be disappointed by a lack of sound options, but the sound is as it was originally released in 1964 with a mono soundtrack.

5) The anamorphic widescreen picture and image for the Japanese edited version while not pristine, and considering it's 40+ year old age, is not bad. Spots and scratches appear from time to time, though not glaringly so. It's hard to believe that this movie could look perfect after all these years, and it certainly does not. But here in all it's full color glory is about as good as it can look, which isn't bad at all and actually quite clear for most of the movie. Contrast is sharp, color is balanced well, images are crisp. And while there is some expected minor fading and it is at times too dark or too light, it does not detract from the overall presentation and most viewers will be satisfied with the film quality. Of course it will not compare favorably to a film released recently, but with the age that this film is and the fact it is of the low budget variety, it is comparable to other DVD releases from movies of this time period.



Bad points:

1) The American edit otherwise known as "Ghidrah, the Three Headed Monster" suffers from a worse looking image quality than the Japanese edit version. Right from the opening titles, the picture is blurry, colors are washed out, scratches and spots exist throughout. Contrast is poor and unbalanced, and though the majority of it looks about average or above, at times it looks like a VHS quality image. Most of the other Godzilla releases are superior in image quality compared to this U.S. edited version. The American Ghidrah definitely shows it's age. In addition several edits and changes from the original Japanese edit, detract needlessly. For example, editing out nearly the entire Mothra song that the peanut twins sing in calling for Mothra's assistance. There was no valid reason for cutting the song out. The images remain but different music has been inserted at that point. Sometimes the U.S. edit works better with dramatic music at certain points. In this particular instance it was ill advised.

2) The commentary, while much appreciated for all the vast amounts of information and anecdotal memories, becomes extremely tedious after a while. David Kalat proves from the outset that his knowledge of the subject matter is robust and authoritative as he covers a lot of ground in small bursts. But with one person talking almost non stop, it becomes tiresome to listen to. Perhaps another commentator teamed with him might have broken the monotony a bit, and could have offered another viewpoint to certain details. Also, while Kalat touches upon the differences in the U.S. and Japanese releases in a very detailed manner, it would have helped to have screen shots accompany his descriptions. Sometimes his knowledge goes beyond that of most viewers and he seems to assume everyone is able to follow right along. On the other hand, the personal stories of his own children's interest in Godzilla and it being the main reason he himself has altered his attitude towards dubbing, was a very interesting and illuminating observation. He definitely hit the nail on the head with those comments, which could apply to practically every person watching, be they longtime fans or casual viewers. Also, his information regarding the toho studios production schedules and how they were producing quite a few films in short periods of time, with some productions overlapping others, whilst using the same production teams, was quite interesting. It illustrates for me, the achievements made in special effects, miniatures, and production values that many of these toho movies are unfairly denigrated for.

So all in all a very good release, and while not perfect is still a very fine, complete movie package. Classic Media have proven with previous releases that they are capable of producing great products, and they continue that trend here with this release of one of the older, more rare Godzilla films and one that has not truly had a legitimate U.S. release...until now. I rate it 4 stars and a recommended purchase, with great extra features and a generously informative, though sometimes monotonous commentary track."

Another solid Godzilla release with both US & Japanese versi

Valnastar | Deep 13, USA | 12/18/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Like the other releases in this series, Classic Media has done an excellent job presenting both the original Japanese language version of this movie as well as the US theatrical version. The film quality and DVD quality is crisp and clear and the sound and color are terrific. My only criticism is that the commentary was not done by Ed Godziszewski and or Steve Ryfle as it was on some of the other releases. While their commentary was thoughtful, selective and well-paced, the commentary on this disc, presented by David Kalat, is done in an unceasing and hurried manner with a highly affected voice that seems to be trying to squeeze everything he's ever learned about Godzilla film history into just 85 minutes. It's irritating and over-the-top manner proves that even for avid Godzilla film buffs it's possible to try and present too much information all at once. There is good information in there, but it's surrounded by breathless clutter that I at least found to be highly irritating. Good effort, but poor delivery.

However, Ghidrah (aka Ghidorah) is still one of the coolest monsters in film history and the film is enjoyable, both versions. After all, what monster movie buff doesn't love a giant, three-headed, electrical dragon from outer space? Ghidorah has everything a monster buff could want in a single package! Godzilla fans will enjoy this release quite a bit. I definitely recommend it."