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La Guerre des monstres (1966)

User reviews

La Guerre des monstres

88 reviews
7/10

The War of the Gargantuas (1966) ***

For monster lovers, this has to rank up there as one of Toho Studio's greatest and most satisfying giant monster movies. For those looking for it, there's plenty of nonstop monster mayhem and devastation on tap. However, it's hard for me to decide which of the two versions I prefer; the Japanese original (which calls our creatures "Frankenstein's" and is a direct sequel to Toho's own FRANKENSTEIN VS BARUGON, aka FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD) or the U.S. edition (which christens the beasts "Garganutas" and works better as a separate stand alone story). This may be a rare occasion where the American rendition proves to be more entertaining, for a few reasons...

One grisly sequence shows the evil monster chewing a woman victim up like a piece of meat and spitting something out; in the Japanese version it's a bouquet of flowers, while in America it works more effectively as the girl's clothes.

Another quality I prefer in the U.S. edition is some of the music. Just works better for me during the action sequences of the monsters being fought off by the army as well as when they're beating each other up.

In the American film, Russ Tamblyn is especially funny to hear while looping his own embarrassed voice into English. And no matter which version you settle on, you'll still get the treat of hearing a female nightclub singer belting out that horrendous and long-vilified classic tune with hilarious lyrics that include "the words get stuck in my throat"! Worth watching for this alone! *** out of ****
  • Cinemayo
  • Sep 4, 2004
  • Permalink
6/10

Non-stop movie monster fun.

You have to simply take this type of movies for what they are. It's quite hard to say anything serious about them because they are all looking very outdated, features some bad acting and of course also don't have the most clever or original scripts.

What makes this movie very fun and watchable is the fact that it's almost non-stop movie monster action. Halve of the time during this movie you're watching a bunch of guys in suits walking around at a set with miniatures but it's all simply fun and good to watch. Lots of things get destroyed and the army is basically using everything it got to stop the two Gargantuas from reaching Tokyo. At the same time the two Gargantuas 'brothers' are also battling each other, so we have some action coming from basically every angle here.

It means that the 'human' story of the movie gets sort of pushed to the background but this is not necessarily a bad thing. It only means that the movie decided to go for entertainment rather than depth. Also not a bad movie, considering that the acting in this movie isn't exactly the best. Russ Tamblyn's overacting is quite laughable.

The movie is not necessarily a sequel to "Furankenshutain tai chitei kaijû Baragon", since this one doesn't even feature any of the original characters from that movie. It means that you don't necessarily need to see the first movie before watching and enjoying this one. The movie is from the same director and pretty much features the same crew as well, who did lots of movies like this together. Honda is also the director of the first original "Gojira" movie.

This movie is simply good and entertaining for what it is.

6/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
  • Boba_Fett1138
  • Apr 19, 2010
  • Permalink
5/10

Not Russ Tamblyn's crowning glory

  • irishm
  • May 5, 2014
  • Permalink

Another Classic 60s Kaiju Flick

"War Of The Gargantuas" comes from my favorite era of Toho's kaiju flicks, the 1960s, when the emphasis was relatively straightforward action and fun, and thankfully no annoying little kids making friends with the monsters. And this time, we have a monster in the Green Gargantua (Gaira) who is really frightening and who eats people to boot (not even Godzilla ever went that far). It left me unnerved the first time I saw it as a kid.

Like most kaiju films, the original Japanese version is much better than the later dubbed American version. Russ Tamblyn (generally okay but clearly bored and resentful of his sudden fall from the heights of "West Side Story" and "The Haunting") might have gotten his own voice back in the U.S version (the Japanese actor who dubs him in the original doesn't sound anything like him at all and in Toho's European market English dub they used another actor), but everything else about it is decidedly inferior. The dubbing is awful, and sections of Akira Ifukube's score are replaced with an endless, monotonous theme for the military that I think was first used in "Earth Versus The Flying Saucers." Cropped and faded, as existing American video prints are now, the film really looks cheap and silly and the flaws are magnified. The original Japanese version in widescreen format, has beautiful color and sound that immediately conjure the image of a stylish late 60s action flick with reasonably good FX for the time, and the results far more entertaining in the end. Also in the Japanese version, we learn that this movie is actually a sequel to "Frankenstein Conquers The World" since the monsters are referred to as "Frankensteins" rather than "Gargantuas" as they are in the dubbed version.

As for the infamous nightclub scene featuring ex-Fox starlet Kipp Hamilton's infamously bad song before she gets attacked (but contrary to what others say here, not eaten), even that somehow comes off better in the Japanese version. When you stop to think of it, the Japanese audiences had it better since they couldn't understand a word of those inane lyrics when they were watching! But what the heck, how many other bad songs did we suffer through in all those James Bond film knockoffs in the late 60s? ("Your Zowie Face" in "In Like Flint" anyone?) I prefer to write that off to the goofy spirit of the times. And "War Of The Gargantuas" is in the best tradition of the goofy spirit of fun 60s kaiju that remains a guilty pleasure to savor again and again in my book.
  • Eric-62-2
  • Mar 28, 2001
  • Permalink
7/10

Silly,Creepy Fun

  • scarlton-2
  • Aug 10, 2005
  • Permalink
7/10

Incredible non-Godzilla kaiju magic!

  • BandSAboutMovies
  • Oct 6, 2019
  • Permalink
6/10

Lab of the Giants.

  • mark.waltz
  • Jan 7, 2021
  • Permalink
4/10

A Jerky Turkey--DON'T MISS IT!!!

  • Flixer1957
  • Aug 22, 2002
  • Permalink
8/10

Great movie from my childhood!

This is one of the more original Toho productions out there, and it's also one of the more frightening. The Green Gartantua is the bad one, and he is only too happy to eat people whole whenever he gets the chance. The classic seen in this movie is when the Green Gargantua comes ashore near a hotel/apartment complex and tears the walls off exposing people inside. Then he grabs one and pops them into this mouth, chewing with gusto! To top off this great scene he *spits out* the chewed clothes of the person he ate, sort of like a person would spit out a cherry pit.

This movie really needs a re-release on DVD!
  • otto4
  • Jun 9, 2005
  • Permalink
7/10

Brother Against Brother(Not really...More Like Kaiju Against Kaiju)

  • BaronBl00d
  • Nov 22, 2012
  • Permalink
4/10

The War of the Gargantuas: Disappointing

Supposedly a sequel to Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965) make no mistake that the two movies have zero connection and you won't be seeing Frankenstein joining the fray here.

Another Toho monster film it see's two giant monsters appear and the threat they may pose to mankind.

The monsters are dudes in monster suits and to the films credit actually don't look all too bad. The rest of the sfx are what you'd expect from Toho so lots of miniatures and the usual array of scores.

So the general premise is monster vs monster vs mankind, we've seen it before and it's one of those mixed bag concepts that usually misses more than a beat. Sadly it doesn't really work here, we have our good monster, we have our bad monster, we have the scientific protagonists and we have the gung-ho military but none are exactly engaging.

I actually went into this with fairly high hopes but sadly they weren't met. I like Toho but generally their serious work is considerably better than the likes of this, especially when the monster movie isn't part of the Godzilla universe.

I want to say nice try, but it wasn't.

The Good:

Looks the part

Not the worst of concepts

The Bad:

Manages to be oddly boring
  • Platypuschow
  • Feb 21, 2019
  • Permalink
8/10

Damn Good

  • gigan-92
  • Apr 8, 2009
  • Permalink
6/10

Actors running amuck in monster suits, again

We'll give credit to TOHO productions, it is different from the Godzilla films, which I adore. It seems they just used different monsters while using the same scaled army vehicles and scenery. Having viewed Frankenstein Conquers the World, this "Sequel" doesn't quite add up to it's previous storyline which was a little vague, blame it on poor editing? Had they expanded on why and where these 2 monsters originated from, it would make more sense, while still leaving out human dialogue. I saw this film as a child, it scared me into believing there really were creatures walking around stomping on people! When you hear the lady singing on the cruise ship, and that poorly written song sticks in your head, believe me, you'll wish she had been eaten first. The movie is a classic, worth a look see.
  • cburgner
  • Jun 15, 2020
  • Permalink
3/10

Gargantuan Franken-Apes Quarrel Over the Ethics of Eating People

Supposedly a sequel to "Frankenstein Conquers the World" (1965), this monster mash, or "kaiju" film, abandons its predecessor's recycling of clever concepts from prior narratives in favor of focusing on two guys in monkey costumes making a mess on miniature sets and being shocked with animated lasers from the Japanese army. Some movie-goers seem to be into that sort of thing, as indicated by this sequel generally being higher rated than the first installment. Admittedly, it features superior action-packed pacing, more elaborate and frequent giant monster attacks and somewhat better visual effects and costumes. The opening scene involves one of the gargantuan brothers wrestling a giant octopus, and, indeed, the Baragon dinosaur that the Frankenstein creature fought in the first picture looked ridiculous. But, all of it is pretty silly. It was the concepts that "Frankenstein Conquers the World" borrowed from "Gojira" (1954), "King Kong" (1933), Universal's Frankenstein films, and even Mary Shelley's book, that lifted that picture a bit beyond mere junk best enjoyed by laughing at it.

I viewed the original Japanese version of this, translated as "Frankenstein's Monsters: Sanda vs. Gaira," in addition to the Americanized "The War of the Gargantuas," because my main interest in it is as part of my quest to see a bunch of Frankenstein-related films (this makes 48 reviewed on my list thus far). Nothing of value is lost in the complete withdrawal of "Frankenstein" references in the English-language-dubbed version, though, which were as pointless as the names made up on the spot, for no apparent reason, for the monsters: "Sanda" and "Gaira" (or the "brown" and "green" ones, as they say in English). They are merely giant yeti-looking creatures on the loose. There's exposition and a flashback informing that one of these monsters originated in the lab, and the supposed scientific importance of the creatures is repeatedly mentioned, but none of this is of interest, nor does it make any sense. (What's the scientific value? Why did they became gargantuan? Etc.) The entire science-y subplot comes off as backstory filler. In the first film, it made sense in the tradition of "Gojira," with the Frankenstein monster being a metaphor for Japan after the devastation of two atomic bombs. His escape from captivity and climactic battle with another monster also echoed themes from "Frankenstein" (1931) and "King Kong." None of that appears in the sequel. Like the people-eating gargantuan clone here, it's an unholy abomination.
  • Cineanalyst
  • Sep 23, 2019
  • Permalink

Can you say Guilty Pleasure?

Yep, another monster is menacing Japan. This time it's a large ape-like monster called "Gargantua" After it causes some havoc, the military chases it down in a forest and believes they have killed it. Just then, a larger gargantua comes in, tears the place apart, and rescues it's monster brother.

A visiting American scientist (Russ Tamblyn, who is likable here) deals with the conflict of keeping the military from making hash of the monsters.

The film is fast paced, has the energy of a children's story. From the first moment, there's excitement. Try and catch the original Japanese language version, with the better music score. Another fun building-smashing fest by Inoshira Honda.
  • boris-26
  • Dec 12, 2004
  • Permalink
6/10

The comments get stuck in my throat.

This is a rock'em, sock'em monster flick from Toho - pure monster wrestling action. This is the sequel to "Frankenstein Conquers the World" (1965), a story about scientists discovering monster cells in the sea and detect they might be related to the Frankenstein Monster. You would only know this film is a sequel if you saw the original Japanese version. The American version edited out all references to the previous film. I first saw parts of this movie on TV, and didn't see the entire thing until years later. I did remember seeing Gaira, the Green Gargantua, eating a woman, and seeing Sanda, the Brown Gargantua, saving one. The two monster brothers didn't seem to agree on each other much, and take it out on each other in hapless Tokyo.

For the acting, Russ Tamblyn did an absolute poor job. Just the part when he walks (instead of running) to save Kumi Mizuno's character while the monster is attacking a few feet away shows complete lack of emotion and urgency. In addition, there are more of those dumb and defiant reporters. Kumi Mizuno saved the film, as well as Kipp Hamilton (The Words Get Stuck in my Throat). I loved her music scene.

Overall, not much plot to the movie, just the scientists trying to discover the origin of Gaira while he is loose in the city with the military (and later Sanda) trying to stop him. Not much hope and zest either. The human characters generally weren't all that remarkable. Lots of monster and military action though, supported by another great Ifukube score.

Grade C
  • OllieSuave-007
  • Dec 20, 2004
  • Permalink
7/10

If you like giant monster movies, this one is legendary

  • FilmExpertWannabe
  • Apr 24, 2011
  • Permalink
7/10

Silly but fun

Story of two giant gargantuas. One is good and brown--the other is green and evil. The brown one tries to stop the green one from attacking and killing people. It doesn't work and it leads to an all-out battle at the end with the military trying to kill both. Russ Tamblyn who bought up and taught the brown gargantua to be peace-loving tries to convince the military to not destroy the brown one.

Silly but lots of fun! The movie has plenty of action and (for a Japanese monster movie) good special effects. Tamblyn originally hated the movie but seems to have come to like it. The gargantuas themselves are impressive creations. They're giants and ugly but move fluidly. I remember this film scaring me as a kid but as an adult I just find it fun.
  • preppy-3
  • Feb 22, 2025
  • Permalink
1/10

Brokenhearted

To think that only a few short years earlier Russ Tamblyn was a lead in a musical that won tons of Oscars and now he's subjected to doing THIS STUFF! Sad!
  • luckymackypacky
  • Nov 28, 2020
  • Permalink
10/10

War of the Gargantuas is a great film!

I am a huge Godzilla fan and Gamera fan I grew up with Godzilla and Gamera. I have a;ways been a big monsters fan to begin with. I just love seeing these awesome monsters just destroy cities and fighting other monsters. I also like other monster films especially Toho's other monster movies!

This monster film is one most exciting giant monster films ever in My opinion! The story is excellent! The Gargantuas are cool looking. I love it when they roar and run. The fights between the two monsters and the army is really good. The special effects are outstanding in My opinion. The acting by the film's human stars are also good. The music is great by Akira Ifukube! I really love this monsters film for many reasons and its arguably the best ever! If you love Godzilla, Gamera, and other giant monster film I strongly recommend that you do what I did and buy War of the Gargantuas today!
  • Movie Nuttball
  • Jan 17, 2005
  • Permalink
6/10

American version review

  • Adirondack
  • Jul 11, 2005
  • Permalink
3/10

So Stupid Its Amusing

War of the Gargantuas has entertainment value, only it mostly isn't in the ways intended. The stupid dialouge and dubbed voices are so bad it's funny and right in sync with the goofy gargantuans. However, you can be interested in a movie only for so long through laughing at it and the charm does wear off; leaving you with a piece of schlock.
  • RonellSowes
  • Feb 8, 2022
  • Permalink
10/10

I like to call it "War of the West Side Story Gargantuas"

  • zenzelmo
  • Dec 20, 2005
  • Permalink
6/10

Fun Japanese Monster Fest

An experimental lab animal called a gargantua escapes from his captors and is suspected to be the creature that is killing people all over the countryside. But when the gargantua from the lab appears at the same time as the evil gargantua, the two begin to battle across Japan.

I love seeing Russ Tamblyn in any movie, and here he is so young (and yet somehow a respected doctor... well played). He really made the film for me, and distinguishes it from many other monster movies.

I do love the awesome monsters, the effects, the suits. The squid creature in the beginning was excellent and very creepy. The gargantuas are cool... like giant Sasquatches.

My only real complaint was the inclusion of the most terrible singer who ever lived. Apparently this was Kipp Hamilton, who had an otherwise lackluster career and died young (age 45). I hate to be rude, but her "talent" is not missed.
  • gavin6942
  • May 8, 2013
  • Permalink
4/10

Among The Weakest Of The Showa Era Kaijus.

Of all the kaijus, War of the Gargantuans is among the most basic.

It's essentially a rehashing of the Cain and Abel tale, about two brothers pit against one another.

In this case, we have two giant yetis fighting it out over love.

There's not much lead up in this one...the storyline is basically a half-assed ripoff of King Kong, and is merely thrown in to plod the action forward.

It centers on a group of scientists who have been tasked with raising and studying a baby yeti...that inevitably escapes.

This leads to a search, which turns up an aquatic based creature they don't believe is 'their' yeti, or 'gargantuan'.

Because theirs was always so tender and kind, while this one is so violent and aggressive.

The military seeks to quell this problem with violence...but the scientists encourage a more nuanced approach, based on understanding and communicating with the second, more empathetic beast.

But when technology fails, nature is left to take it's course...

War Of The Gargantuans is definitely one of the weakest of the Showa era kaijus, in my opinion.

It does have some cool special effects...but that's about it.

4.5 out of 10.
  • meddlecore
  • Oct 5, 2021
  • Permalink

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