Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

For discussions covering more than one Toho film or show that span across more than one “era.”
Post Reply
User avatar
Mr_Goji_and_Watch
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2711
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2016 4:34 pm
Location: キノプレックス
Contact:

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by Mr_Goji_and_Watch »

Man if you haven't watched The Human Vapor yet you're missing out. It's legit one of the best films I've ever seen. It's not as allegorical as Godzilla but it's easily Honda's second best science fiction films and comes pretty close to it.
Moogabunga wrote:Ive said it before and I'll gladly say it again, this is going to be the best Godzilla film ever and more importantly, its going to be the film that truly makes Godzilla mainstream (and cool)
SoggyNoodles2016 wrote:I'm glad to be a fake fan.

User avatar
PitchBlackProgress
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2189
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2017 12:15 pm

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by PitchBlackProgress »

Mr_Goji_and_Watch wrote:Man if you haven't watched The Human Vapor yet you're missing out. It's legit one of the best films I've ever seen. It's not as allegorical as Godzilla but it's easily Honda's second best science fiction films and comes pretty close to it.
This. I never really see anyone talk about this one on these forums.

Really love the characterizations and atmosphere, personally to me, the emotion is done far better than most of the other Toho Sci-Fi flicks.
Yeah, Godzilla wins... sometimes. I mean, he was killed by Dr. Serizawa's patented bubble-bath formula, heartburn, missiles, and poor box office returns, got his ass kicked by a drunken, circus-escaped gorilla, then he was beaten by two newborn worms, yeah some “king”.
#slatternking

User avatar
cloverfan98
Site Staff
Site Staff
Posts: 1358
Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2010 8:55 am

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by cloverfan98 »

Been catching up on alot of these that I've so far missed. Just saw Matango and Dogora. Matango was alot of fun and Dogora wasn't one of the best but I quite liked it. Really unique kaiju and I like the mix of kaiju and crime thriller.

User avatar
Godzilla21
Keizer
Posts: 8887
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2013 8:39 pm
Location: Colorado

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by Godzilla21 »

cloverfan98 wrote:Been catching up on alot of these that I've so far missed. Just saw Matango and Dogora. Matango was alot of fun and Dogora wasn't one of the best but I quite liked it. Really unique kaiju and I like the mix of kaiju and crime thriller.
Matango is one of Toho's best despite that strange part with the disappearing mushroom man.

Dogora is a bit of a slog to get through. And not nearly enough of the monster
SpaceG92 wrote:
<=25% joke. >=75% topic. Even then - that's pushing it.

User avatar
eabaker
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 13758
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:16 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by eabaker »

Godzilla21 wrote:Dogora is a bit of a slog to get through. And not nearly enough of the monster
I find Dogora a ton of fun. Love everything with Inspector Kommei and Mark Jackson, and everything with the quirky gangsters.
Tokyo, a smoldering memorial to the unknown, an unknown which at this very moment still prevails and could at any time lash out with its terrible destruction anywhere else in the world.

User avatar
Godzilla21
Keizer
Posts: 8887
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2013 8:39 pm
Location: Colorado

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by Godzilla21 »

eabaker wrote:
Godzilla21 wrote:Dogora is a bit of a slog to get through. And not nearly enough of the monster
I find Dogora a ton of fun. Love everything with Inspector Kommei and Mark Jackson, and everything with the quirky gangsters.
The characters just aren't interesting enough to me to hold interest.
SpaceG92 wrote:
<=25% joke. >=75% topic. Even then - that's pushing it.

User avatar
cloverfan98
Site Staff
Site Staff
Posts: 1358
Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2010 8:55 am

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by cloverfan98 »

Godzilla21 wrote:
eabaker wrote:
Godzilla21 wrote:Dogora is a bit of a slog to get through. And not nearly enough of the monster
I find Dogora a ton of fun. Love everything with Inspector Kommei and Mark Jackson, and everything with the quirky gangsters.
The characters just aren't interesting enough to me to hold interest.
Is it odd that I agree with you both? The characters aren't new at all but I like the constant backstabbing and switching sides. Also the few shots we get of Dogora hovering over different cities were awesome.

Mantango was good but didn't quite hit the mark for me but I want to see it again. The vanishing mushroom man was odd. Although he shows up later he acts like a ghost and there's also that Ghost ship one of the characters sees before they reach the island. Also why did it take so long for the original ship's crew to appear and attack the new people? I'm not questioning the pace of the film that worked fine for me, I just didn't get why the Matangos waited to attack till the very end.

User avatar
GojiDude95
Interpol Agent
Posts: 566
Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2018 9:36 pm

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by GojiDude95 »

Prophecies of Nostradamus.
I need to see it.

User avatar
Godzilla21
Keizer
Posts: 8887
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2013 8:39 pm
Location: Colorado

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by Godzilla21 »

GojiDude95 wrote:Prophecies of Nostradamus.
I need to see it.
You do. It's a strange, wonderful movie
SpaceG92 wrote:
<=25% joke. >=75% topic. Even then - that's pushing it.

User avatar
GojiDude95
Interpol Agent
Posts: 566
Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2018 9:36 pm

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by GojiDude95 »

Godzilla21 wrote:
GojiDude95 wrote:Prophecies of Nostradamus.
I need to see it.
You do. It's a strange, wonderful movie
Would you know where I can own a copy of this movie? I have had no luck on ebay.

User avatar
Mr_Goji_and_Watch
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2711
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2016 4:34 pm
Location: キノプレックス
Contact:

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by Mr_Goji_and_Watch »

There are no official home video releases of Nostradamus. If you want a physical copy you're stuck with bootlegs that take their video from a cancelled VHS release. You might as well download it somewhere online.
Moogabunga wrote:Ive said it before and I'll gladly say it again, this is going to be the best Godzilla film ever and more importantly, its going to be the film that truly makes Godzilla mainstream (and cool)
SoggyNoodles2016 wrote:I'm glad to be a fake fan.

User avatar
Terasawa
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5841
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:06 am

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by Terasawa »

The American release, The Last Days of Planet Earth, was officially released in the US on VHS and Laserdisc. That’s your best legal bet to seeing any of the movie, even though the US version is re-edited from an already flawed edited export version.
寺沢. He/him/his, etc.

User avatar
Godzilla21
Keizer
Posts: 8887
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2013 8:39 pm
Location: Colorado

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by Godzilla21 »

Ya you really want to see the original Japanese version. I sent you a PM GojiDude95
SpaceG92 wrote:
<=25% joke. >=75% topic. Even then - that's pushing it.

User avatar
Terasawa
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5841
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:06 am

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by Terasawa »

Prophecies of Nostradamus is one of my least favorite Toho movies. I think a lot of the hoopla around it stems from its obscurity. I first saw the "butchered" US version on AMC in 2000. Thanks to the now-long-dead Tohotopia website I knew it was a Toho production so I recorded it expecting something more in line with the Godzilla or kaiju movies I'd seen. Of course it's nothing like that. In fact, it's so weird that it freaked me out (also probably because I was young). When I was older and knew that it had been pulled by Toho I really built it up in my head as this awesome movie, even after finally obtaining the three major versions (114 minute theatrical release, the ~90 minute export version, and UPA's 88 minute TV hackjob). Eventually I developed some taste and I've turned it off every time I've tried to watch the Japanese version since. Submersion of Japan, Toho's first big disaster film, is probably more conventionally boring -lacking giant slugs and freeway explosions and mutated humans- but it's a better dramatic film. I think Toho got carried away with the success of that film and tried to one-up it by pulling out all the stops with Nostradamus. To me the major difference is that while Submersion has a strong Sakyo Komatsu story about Japanese identity, Nostradamus is just a shoddy exploitation film that takes itself much too seriously. I mean if you want the same dramatic story in PON done with some class just watch The Last War. That's an overrated movie too (way too melodramatic) but it's far less tasteless and absurd and has stronger special effects.

If I ever have a PON itch I'll watch The Last Days of Planet Earth. It's the shortest version, it retains all the big SFX scenes, and the new narration and inane editing make it a more entertaining WTF experience for me. Basically I only show it to friends that want to watch something "really weird." They get a kick out of it.
Last edited by Terasawa on Thu Dec 13, 2018 10:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
寺沢. He/him/his, etc.

User avatar
UltramanGoji
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 17719
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2010 11:40 am

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by UltramanGoji »

Have, but not watched:
- Dogora
- The Mysterians
- Battle in Outer Space
- The H-Man
- The Return of Godzilla (I've seen 1985 countless times but never the original Japanese version)
- Latitude Zero

Don't own, never seen:
- The Secret of the Telegian
- The Human Vapor
- The Last War
- Submersion of Japan
- Bloodthirsty Trilogy
- The Three Treasures
- ESPY
- The War in Space
- Sayonara Jupiter
- Gunhed
- Princess from the Moon

I'm currently watching PON for a school paper and it's alright so far. The lead scientist is really enjoyable to watch and I'm a fan of the drab, downer atmosphere. Script leaves something to be desired, I feel like half the time it's just people saying bad things will happen to the Earth if we don't stop pollution, save the environment, etc.
Last edited by UltramanGoji on Thu Dec 13, 2018 10:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
Image

User avatar
Godzilla21
Keizer
Posts: 8887
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2013 8:39 pm
Location: Colorado

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by Godzilla21 »

Princess from the Moon is an interesting one. An older Mifune and Yasuko Sawaguchi (who still looks great btw, look her up). Also Peter Cetera!!
SpaceG92 wrote:
<=25% joke. >=75% topic. Even then - that's pushing it.

User avatar
UltramanGoji
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 17719
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2010 11:40 am

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by UltramanGoji »

I just wish Filmstruck hadn't gone belly up, otherwise I would've checked it out.

Oh well, there's always the possibility of a Criterion release or the good ol' torrent machine.
Image

User avatar
Mr_Goji_and_Watch
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2711
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2016 4:34 pm
Location: キノプレックス
Contact:

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by Mr_Goji_and_Watch »

Criterion is starting up another on demand service next year, it might be put up on there and easily available again. Not sci-fi but if Jun Fukuda's Goldeneyes and Ironfinger are available as well they're worth a watch too.
Moogabunga wrote:Ive said it before and I'll gladly say it again, this is going to be the best Godzilla film ever and more importantly, its going to be the film that truly makes Godzilla mainstream (and cool)
SoggyNoodles2016 wrote:I'm glad to be a fake fan.

User avatar
LSD Jellyfish
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 14252
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2015 11:57 pm

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Mr_Goji_and_Watch wrote:Criterion is starting up another on demand service next year, it might be put up on there and easily available again. Not sci-fi but if Jun Fukuda's Goldeneyes and Ironfinger are available as well they're worth a watch too.
I liked Ironfinger! It’s funny seeing similarities in some of the action IN Ebirah Horror of the deep and GVMG As well as very similar aesthetics.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

User avatar
Dr. Professor
Futurian
Posts: 3575
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2013 5:37 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Re: Toho Sci-Fi Films you haven't seen

Post by Dr. Professor »

I've owned a copy of Atragon for months now and still haven't watched it. I've been waiting for my brother to come over to watch it with him (he loves Manda) but he hasn't had the time. -_-
Resized Image
(Art by Lisa Naffziger)

Co-host (Nick) of G-Force: A Kaiju Podcast
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

RIP Evan A. Baker :serizawa:

Post Reply