Ishiro Honda Movies

Akira Kurosawa's swansong is a delicate, sentimental portrait of his long avowed hero, educator and literary figure Hyakken Uchida. At the film's opening, Uchida -- a professor of German literature at a military school where he is beloved for his wisdom and his impish humor -- is delivering his final lecture to his adoring students. Near the end of the speech, one student in the back rises up and declares, without guile or irony, that their teacher is "pure gold, gold without any impurities." He retires to his small Tokyo home to concentrate on his writing and to be with his wife (Kyoko Kagawa). In spite of his emeritus status, the bond between him and his students remains strong. Two students (Hisashi Igawa and George Tokoro) decide to tease their teacher by breaking into his house to steal his bowler. Uchida responds by placing a sign reading "Burglar's Entrance" over his garden door. In spite of an Allies raid on Tokyo, which levels his house, forcing he and his wife to move to an even more modest abode, Uchida's wit remains sharp and spirits remain high. The loss of his cat, Nora, proves to be a much more heartbreaking affair. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

A race of malevolent aliens bent on world domination unleash the ultimate weapon of destruction on mankind, leaving them with no hope for survival but the power of the mighty Godzilla. Their galaxy dying, the endangered aliens discover a planet that could save them from extinction if it wasn't already populated. In order to solve that significant problem, the scheming extraterrestrials construct Mechagodzilla, a 400 foot destroyer of worlds armed with powerful lasers and guided missiles. As Godzilla prepares to face off against his powerful intergalactic doppelganger, the traitorous Professor Mafuni lends his genius to the aliens to create the mighty Titanosauraus. Titanosauraus is a massive amphibious dinosaur that Professor Controls via a biomechanical connection with his android daughter Katsura. But just as it begins to appear as if all hope has been lost for both Godzilla and the human race, Interpol agents discover that Titanosauraus has one weakness that may give the Godzilla the crucial edge that he needs in order to emerge victorious. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The most unashamedly childish entry in the Godzilla franchise is basically a vehicle for recycled footage from previous Toho productions. The framing story involves a precocious little boy (Tomonori Yakazi) whose real-life traumas include harassment by bullies and kidnapping by a gang of bank robbers. He escapes these dilemmas mainly by taking frequent naps, during which he dreams of journeys to Monster Island to partake in Godzilla's exploits. He also befriends Godzilla's son, Minya, offering him some advice on how to defeat the monsters which have been pushing him around. Apparently the boy draws some kind of inspiration from these dreams and finds the bravery to outwit the kidnappers and make peace with the bullies. There is little worthwhile for Godzilla fans here, and all others will be completely confounded by the incoherent story. Highlights include the monster Gabara (who has the head of a cat!) and Minya's hilariously dubbed voice. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Packaged in the States with director Honda's 1964 feature Gorath, this sci-fi film tells the story of an ex-con who has undergone a substantial change on account of a scientific experiment. He is now able, at will, to transform himself into vapor. When his girlfiend is accused of theft, the Vapor Man leads the police to believe he is the perpetrator--and then continues to commit more crimes. The authorities use his girlfriend to intitiate a fool-proof plan to destroy the gaseous guy. Honda's frequent collaborator, Eiji Tsuburaya, is responsible for the first-rate special effects. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

Rhodes Reason is the requisite Hollywood "name" actor in the Japanese-produced King Kong Escapes. While hacking through the jungle, expedition leader Nelson (Reason) and his companions are attacked by a dinosaur. They are rescued by King Kong, who since his traumatic experiences in New York has evidently changed his spots and become a lovable old Joe. Susan (Linda Miller), the prettiest member of Nelson's expedition, takes quite a liking to the big ape (Kong, not Nelson), and the feeling is reciprocated. The emphasis then shifts to dome-headed mad scientist Dr. Who (Eisei Amamoto), whose plans to take over the world include building a huge "Mechni-Kong," a robot designed to put the real Kong out of commission (if Amamoto sounds familiar to you, that's because his voice is dubbed by the ubiquitous Paul Frees). The climactic battle between the two Kongs is staged on a tinker-toy replica of Tokyo Tower -- hardly as imposing a structure as the Empire State Building, but consider what they're working with here. The Rhodes Reason/Linda Miller scenes were directed in Canada by Arthur Rankin Jr., the man responsible for the King Kong animated TV series of the late 1960s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this Japanese sci-fi adventure, Japan and the rest of the planet is being destroyed by a deadly series of earthquakes. Explorers soon discover why: beneath the sea is an enormous city, Mu, and to keep it going, they have been stealing energy from the Earth's core. They refuse to stop and so the Japanese government pleads with the commander of the air, land, and sea supership, the Atragon, to help them destroy Mu. Unfortunately, the skipper cares nothing for saving the world. But when the Mu-folk steal his own daughter, the commander changes his mind. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Toho's bid to merge the Godzilla series with their popular alien-invasion films resulted in this entertainingly goofy entry. The plot involves the discovery of the mysterious Planet X in our solar system, leading to a joint U.S./Japanese space exploratory mission. The explorers bump into some aliens with no fashion sense whatsoever (even for 1965), who claim their planet has been under constant attack from the powerful Monster Zero -- also known to Godzilla fans as Ghidrah, the three-headed monster from the previous year. The aliens suggest a deal with the Earthlings: if they can "borrow" Godzilla and Rodan to help rid their planet of Ghidrah, they will cure all of humankind's diseases in return. Of course, this is actually an elaborate ruse to rid the Earth of its monstrous defenders, leaving it vulnerable to invasion. As always, it's up to a handful of resourceful characters -- including token American Nick Adams and series regular Akira Takarada -- to save the day and return Earth's monsters for the requisite city-smashing finale. After a slow start, this movie serves up a good portion of flashy pyrotechnics and noisy monster-grappling but lapses into several moments of deliberate silliness (particularly Godzilla's goofy Irish jig) and rampant use of ill-fitting footage from previous monster installments. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

This hilarious monster mess from the makers of the Godzilla series (including director Inoshiro Honda) essentially recruits Mary Shelley's classic creature into the ever-growing ranks of Japanese city-stomping behemoths -- albeit with a less colorful costume. The only nod to the original Frankenstein involves the monster's reanimated heart, rescued from Nazi Germany and blasted with radiation in the Hiroshima blast. When the heart is accidentally eaten (don't ask) by a Japanese youth, the poor kid bulks up to titanic (though hardly Godzilla-esque) proportions, apparently presenting a threat to Mount Fuji's current guardian, the lizard-monster Baragon. The two duke it out Toho-style while token yank Nick Adams comments on the proceedings. The plot originally pitted the colossal Frankenstein monster against a giant sea creature (the film's original title was Frankenstein vs. the Giant Devilfish), but the alternate opponent was edited out of the final print. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Ishiro Honda directed this fourth Godzilla film (the second for Mothra), which is bogged down at the start by an uninteresting set-up involving corporate intrigue and a pair of boring reporters. Godzilla's first appearance is not very impressive, as he rises from a sandy beach looking distinctly the worse for wear since his last outing in Kingukongu Tai Gojira (1963). The miniscule Peanut Sisters (Emi Ito, Yumi Ito) are around again, looking for one of the giant eggs which their moth goddess is always losing, and the usual heavy-handed moralizing about mankind's destructive nature is very much in evidence. Other than the peculiar set decoration on an irradiated island which looks as if it fell out of a 1930s adventure movie, the first 50 minutes or so are quite weak. After that, however, the toy tanks start firing, the natives start fleeing, the beasts start battling, and the film starts to be entertaining. The fight scenes are well-staged, given the clumsiness of the participants, and stand as some of the best such sequences of the 1960s. The eventual capture and electrocution of Godzilla in a giant net is nicely handled as well. This installment was followed by the much more interesting San Daikaiju: Chikyu Saidai No Kessen (1965), the first of the space-oriented entries in the series. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

This preposterous battle between the huge ape King Kong and the fire-breathing dinosaur Gojira marked the beginning of Toho Studios aiming their monster films at children rather than general audiences. Director Ishiro Honda stages the battle scenes atop Mt. Fuji for laughs, as the two lovable beasts play ball with a large boulder and generally behave like professional wrestlers horsing around for the camera. Persistent rumors claim that there exist two different endings to this film, with Godzilla winning in the Japanese version and Kong prevailing in the American print. These rumors are incorrect, as Kong wins in both versions. Gojira survived to battle Mothra the following year in Mosura Tai Gojira, while the Asian Kong returned in King Kong No Gyakushu (1967). ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Mothra was the third major addition to the Toho Studios' giant-monster stable after Godzilla and Rodan, and the first female beast in the series. The creature begins Ishiro Honda's entertaining film as a giant larva worshipped by island tribesmen and guarded by twin sisters (Emi and Yumi Ito) who stand only a few inches high. Eventually, the larva metamorphoses into a giant female moth and panic ensues as the creature attempts to regain her stolen egg and her tiny protectors. The usual pandemonium and destruction is tempered here by a softer edge which would come to dominate the genre for much of the decade. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

The H-Man rates as one of the most genuinely frightening Japanese horror films of the 1950s. When a minor-league drug runner completely vanishes, leaving only his clothes behind, detective Tominaga (Akihiko Hirata) investigates. Along the way, Tominaga makes the acquaintance of scientist Masada (Kenji Sahara), who theorizes that the missing doper was melted into a liquid "H-Man" as a result of being exposed to nuclear radiation. Sure enough, the H-Man soon resurfaces, seeking out victims to "dissolve" so that he can continue to survive. Director Inoshiro Honda's matter-of-fact approach to the material is far scarier than any of Honda's scream-and-shout "giant monster" pictures from the same era. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Most famous for his original Godzilla film in 1956, director Inoshiro Honda is primarily a screenwriter and quite seldom a director. One of his recurrent themes -- the deadly or mutant effects of atomic radiation (as in Godzilla), is also featured in this otherwise routine sci-fi film. The title characters are from a planet that has been destroyed by nuclear bombs. After the Mysterians land on Earth they ask the Japanese for some land to settle and a few nubile women to propagate their race. Scientists are dubious about the intentions of these aliens and so an offensive is launched against them, an offensive that looks like it has no hope of success. Special effects here are excellent considering that computer-generated effects were far in the future. The large robot may be the one exception. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi