Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster

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Director: Ishirō Honda Year: 1964 Runtime: 85 min IMDb: ⭐ 6.5
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Synopsis

After a meteorite unleashes a three-headed beast upon Tokyo, Mothra tries to unite with Godzilla and Rodan to battle the extraterrestrial threat.

Plot[edit | edit source] Reporter Naoko Shindo attends a communications session with the UFO society for her television program. However, it is deemed a failure due to Naoko's skepticism. A meteor shower soon descends on Japan, with the largest meteor crashing on Mount Kurodake. Naoko's brother, Detective Shindo, is assigned to guard Princess Salno of Selgina from a political assassination during an unannounced visit to Japan. En route to Japan, an alien entity leads Salno to jump from her plane before it explodes. Professor Miura leads a research team to Mt. Kurodake to investigate the large meteor, where they discover it randomly emitting magnetic waves. Naoko is sent to investigate a prophetess claiming to be from Venus, who predicts that the Pteranodon-like creature, Rodan will emerge from Mount Aso. The Prophetess catches the attention of both Shindo and Salno's uncle, both of whom recognize her as the supposedly dead Salno. Responsible for the assassination plot, Salno's uncle sends the assassin, Malmess, to kill her. After participating in a TV program, the Shobijin, Mothra's twin fairies, prepare to depart for home but are warned by the Prophetess to not sail. Naoko takes the Prophetess to a hotel to interview her, and discovers that the Shobijin have been following them, heeding the Prophetess' warning before the prehistoric sea monster Godzilla sunk their ship. After confirming that the Prophetess is Salno, Shindo finds her at the hotel and saves her from Malmess. They evacuate after Godzilla and Rodan converge on the city and battle throughout the countryside. After psychiatrist Dr. Tsukamoto concludes that the Prophetess is human, she predicts the arrival of the alien-dragon King Ghidorah, a monster that destroyed her home on Venus. Miura and his team witness the meteor explode, unleashing the golden three-headed space dragon Ghidorah, who proceeds to attack Matsumoto. The authorities plea with the Shobijin to summon the larva monster Mothra for help, but they warn that Mothra alone could not defeat Ghidorah, and their only hope would be for Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra to join forces. Under hypnosis, the Prophetess reveals that some Venusians escaped to Earth from Ghidorah and assimilated with humans, but at the cost of losing most of their abilities except prediction. After Malmess overhears Tsukamoto recommending shock therapy next, he increases the voltage to a fatal degree, but fails after the power lines are destroyed by Godzilla. After thwarting Malmess and his crew, Shindo evacuates to the mountains with the Prophetess, Tsukamoto, Naoko, Miura, and the Shobijin. Mothra attempts to convince Godzilla and Rodan to set aside their differences to save the planet, but both refuse due to years of harassment from humans. However, after seeing Mothra attempt to battle Ghidorah on her own, Godzilla and Rodan change their minds and rush to her aid. The Prophetess wanders off and regains her memories after Malmess nearly kills her. Shindo manages to protect her just in time and Malmess falls to his death. The monsters overwhelm Ghidorah and force it to flee into outer space. Prior to departing for home, Princess Salno reveals to Shindo that she has no memory as the Prophetess, but remembers the three events when Shindo saved her, and thanks him and Naoko for their help. Godzilla and Rodan watch as Mothra journeys back home with the Shobijin, who bid farewell to all.

Summary adapted from TMDb and Wikipedia sources.

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Content Warnings

⭐ IMDb Parents Guide 🛡️ Common Sense Media

someone is stalked
spoiler The princess is followed by assassins through out the film.
someone uses drugs
spoiler The doctor uses a new drug to put the 'alien' under to better integrate her, nothing graphic tho [1:04:20]
there are bugs
spoiler Mothra is a giant grub
there's genital trauma/mutilation
spoiler It's kinda abstract and played as a joke, but Godzilla gets shocked by lightning and motions that it hurt his crotch. [1:26:10]
someone is drugged
Yes
someone is restrained
spoiler Ghidorah is sprayed and covered with Mothra's silk
someone dies
Yes
someone is possessed
spoiler Spoilers, but the princess is put into a trance by some flashing lights and is possessed by the spirit of and alien. She is possessed throughout the film.
there's natural bodies of water
Yes
there's spitting
spoiler Mothra shoots silk as an attack a couple times in the film.
there's a mental institution scene
spoiler For a good portion of the film, they visit a psychiatrist to figure out if the Alien is telling the truth of the Princess has gone insane.
electro-therapy is used
spoiler In the end no, but the doctor suggests they use shock-therapy on the alien. The thing is all set up and ready to go, but Godzilla causes a power outage. I would skip this if your uncomfortable with the imagery. [1:07:00 to 1:09:00]
there's a hospital scene
spoiler For a good portion of the film, they visit a psychiatrist to figure out if the Alien is telling the truth of the Princess has gone insane.
there's flashing lights or images
spoiler There are a multitude of flashing lights in this film. [7:35 to 7:50] are flashing white lights. [46:30] some red lights flash from outside a window to indicate an explosion. [49:30 to 49:50] white lights from a medical device. [52:50 to 54:20] when Ghidorah hatches, this scene has the brightest and quickest lights in my opinion, I would be careful with it. Ghidorah also uses lighting attacks throughout the film, but they aren't as bright.
there's screaming
Yes
someone is watched without knowing
Yes
someone is misgendered
spoiler Someone in a crowd wonders out loud if a cis woman wearing masculine clothes is a man or a woman. It doesn't really have any transphobic connotations
a minority is misrepresented
spoiler There are the natives of infant island, they are clearly appropriated from the Polynesian people, and portrayed by Japanese actors in brown-face. There is also a fictional country, that the princess is from, and is based on middle-eastern countries, the Japanese actors also are in brown-face for these charaters.
there is sexual content
spoiler Around 14 mins into the film, a man yells from the crowd asking if the 'alien' is a man or a woman and to perform a strip show.
someone is sexually objectified
spoiler Around 14 mins into the film, a man yells from the crowd asking if the 'alien' is a man or a woman and to perform a strip show.
a car crashes
spoiler The assasins get crushed in their car under falling rocks [1:16:50]
a plane crashes
spoiler Kind of, it's gets exploded mid-air about 14 mins into the movie
a car honks or tires screech
spoiler In the chaos of multiple monster attacks, there is many people trying to escape in their cars, causing traffic jams
there's blood/gore
spoiler There is blood during and after gun fights, but nothing too graphic.
there's gun violence
spoiler There are three shootouts throughout the film, some people get shot and their is blood, but there are no deaths in result of guns.
there's a nuclear explosion
spoiler There is no mention of radiation or radioactivity in this flim, however Godzilla is associated with radiation, and uses atomic breathes as attacks.
someone is crushed to death
spoiler In two instances yes, the assassins get crushed under falling rocks [1:16:50 & 1:25:20] The first one is more graphic as it shows blood.
someone falls to their death
spoiler An assassin gets hit off a cliff by some falling rocks. [1:25:20]
Someone becomes unconscious
spoiler The doctor uses a new drug to put the 'alien' to sleep to see if he can get answers, she appears more groggy than asleep though. [1:04:20] The princess later falls and gets knocked unconscious for a moment. [1:23:00]

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