Talkback: Matango (1963)

[Arbok]

Matango



Oh Matango ... Personally, not only my favorite Ishiro Honda film, but one of my favorite films of all time. I love the atmosphere, the serious nature of the film, the acting, the characters... everything. Find it to be a terrific little movie.

[GotengoXGodzilla]

Outside of Mothra vs. Godzilla and Gojira, Matango is my favorite Honda film. Its got a great cast, a spectacular plot and has a great atmosphere going for it. I always got a sense of dread going on throughout the entire film.

[Ethan]

Its got a great cast, a spectacular plot and has a great atmosphere going for it. I always got a sense of dread going on throughout the entire film.

My thoughts exactly. The only aspect I dislike is the score, which I found quite dull for a film like this. I do like Kumi Mizuno's song, but both Ifukube and Sato were better suited for the job.

[tokyostateofmind]

. It was the type of movie that creeped you out, psychological rather than boo. The thing that really gets me is that "nowhere to run" story where surviving the fate posed in the said story was slim to none. Being a "grown up", I have to admit i was slightly freaked out. The visuals, the plot, everything was just so unnerving. It didn't suck. Honestly, it wasn't a bad movie one bit, coming from any perspective. Except the one where Toho is only allowed to make giant monster movies. If you give it a chance, it is worth it, if not, its a loss.

[Orgasmatron]

i really would love to see this movie

has it gotten an official dvd release ever?

[Legionmaster]

i really would love to see this movie

has it gotten an official dvd release ever?

http://www.tohokingdom.com/web_pages/dv ... _shock.htm

Yup. 2005. Tokyo Shock.

[I, Da Ca$hman]

Matango is one of my all time favorite films, along with the original Godzilla and the 70's Godzilla movies. But Matango doesn't just deliver on cheese and monsters, the psychology of it is absolutely genius! It is to complicated for some to understand, but I played Star Fox Assault enough to understand it. Matango represents the Devil, the way the mushroom temps the suffering voyagers and eventually captures them in their grasp. Then, he takes control of the voyagers and breeds them into his own as they hypnotize the others. One is strong enough to resist, but in the end wishes that he had suffered. It is a story beyond any proportions, it is one of the greatest ideas ever written. Anybody who says it sucks doesn't know real film and probably loves Gone With the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird or X-Men 3.

[Arrow]

I like Matango, but I was honestly a bit bored watching it. Perhaps it just isn't my type of movie, but I don't really think it's as great as some people claim. It's good, but a bit overrated.

[ZigraDude]

Matango may not be my absolute favorite Honda film ever, but it's fairly high on the list. I like how it concentrates on the human characters and how they are forced to survive on an unknown island with little resources for food. I guess it's not the movie for everybody, but it certainly doesn't suck.

[Spirit Ghidorah 2010]

I'm going to go buy the DVD and enjoy it, just to piss you off.

[Drunken Kong]

Matango and Gorath are both f'n amazing.

[tokyostateofmind]

Matango and Gorath are both f'n amazing.

I need to see Gorath with Maguma.

[NebulaMSpacehunter]

I think Matango is a great film

[Guardian7]

I also liked Matango a lot.
I thought it was filmed well and the acting was some of the best from the TOHO films that I watch.

Yeah... it has a few dull moments.
But I honestly think the build up to "What the hell is going on here!?!" was an amazing amount of fun.

I advocate everyone watching it that hasn't. It may not be or become your favorite film, but it certainly is a good one.

G7

[CommanderJoe]

Just finished re-watching Matango and apart from one or two characters, the cast of this creepy film is not unlike that of Gilligan's Island. I wonder if Sherwood saw the dubbed version in LA before he created his show?

[ScootaVaran]

Ok I can see the similarities with the women and skipper but who would be Gilligan? Akira Kubo?

[CommanderJoe]

Since Kobo is the professor in the film than that's the character he reminds me of. Kenji Sahara is the sailor in the film, albeit a surly and selfish one. He even wears a red top.

[DaiKamonohashi]

Matango wasn't released in the U.S. until a year after Gilligan's Island premiere, which was itself barely a year after the Japanese release. It's purely coincidental, albeit a really bizarre coincidence.

[CommanderJoe]

Its possible Sherwood Schwartz was in Japan and saw the original. Or maybe he saw a print at one of the Toho cinemas in LA back in 63?

[omgitsgodzilla]

I find the coincidence interesting, but again, just a coincidence.