Uchû daikaijû Dogora (1964)The Earth is attacked by a giant jellyfish monster from outer space that, for some reason, has a sweet tooth for diamonds. Director:Ishirô Honda |
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Uchû daikaijû Dogora (1964)The Earth is attacked by a giant jellyfish monster from outer space that, for some reason, has a sweet tooth for diamonds. Director:Ishirô Honda |
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| 0Share... |
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Yôsuke Natsuki | ... |
Inspector Kommei
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Yôko Fujiyama | ... |
Masayo Kirino
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Hiroshi Koizumi | ... |
Kirino
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Nobuo Nakamura | ... |
Dr. Munakata
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Robert Dunham | ... |
Mark Jackson
(as Dan Yuma)
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Akiko Wakabayashi | ... |
Hamako - Gangster Moll
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Jun Tazaki | ... |
Chief Inspector
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Susumu Fujita | ... |
General Iwasa
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Seizaburô Kawazu | ... |
Gangster Boss
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Hideyo Amamoto | ... |
Maki the Safecracker
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Haruya Katô | ... |
Sabu the Small Fry
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Yoshifumi Tajima | ... |
Gangster
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Nadao Kirino | ... |
Gangster
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Akira Wakamatsu | ... |
Gangster
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Hironobu Wakamoto | ... |
Nitta
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Several satellites have been destroyed without explanation. A few days later, a group of diamond thieves are thwarted when the gems they are after suddenly disappear. Strangely enough, the two incidents are connected when scientists discover that a giant jellyfish like creature, which was mutated due to a high amount of radiation hovering over Japan, is drawing up all carbon based matter, including coal and diamonds. Soon the creature is also attacking bridges and ships. Can anything be done to destroy the creature before he begins drawing up all mankind? Written by Brian Washington <Sargebri@att.net>
In the US, this is probably the least well known of the classic kaiju eiga. Sure, "Dogora" may not be a very good movie overall, but in my opinion it has one of the very best monsters in film history. Dogora is an enormous space jellyfish, vast, mindless, and cosmically terrifying. It floats through the atmosphere, draining the Earth of life-giving carbon. The full-grown Dogora is only on screen for five minutes (!!), but it's still an awe-inspiring sight as this huge, transparent creature, the size of a small town, sucks up buildings, vehicles, bridges and minerals.
The remainder of the movie is mostly an uninspired detective spoof, with two inept policemen and an enigmatic American agent hot on the trail of a gang of jewel thieves. It seems the monster has been getting to the diamonds first... With such an incredible monster, and such well-executed effects, it's a real shame the rest of the film is so mundane.
It's SUPPOSED to be a comedy. Unfortunately, the US television version dubbed the movie as a serious monster film, with disastrous results. Worse, though, is the Toho "international" version -- it may be more accurately translated, but it's performed by the most inept readers you'll hear outside of a Sandy Frank production. Anyway, even if you don't know Japanese, watching "Dogora" in the original language with no subtitles is still probably more enjoyable than suffering through the English versions.