Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965)

I love this movie so much

Don't listen to the negative reviews

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Frankenstein vs Baragon is one of the most under rated of the Toho Series. It is a highly entertaining film and one of only two Toho Films to star actor Nick Adams. Adams adds something special to the Toho Films he is in. Maybe because he is an American Actor who does not need his lines to be voiced over when the Japanese movies he is in are transferred over to English.Basically the story goes that part of the Frankenstein Monster is taken over seas during a war and spawns into a giant monster. Basically this monster does not do anything wrong, he is just out of place. But he is blamed for many different incidents that are not his doing but actually the doing of the burrowing dinosaur Baragon.For the most part I like this movie because Baragon is my favorite monster/kaiju. Baragon is what makes this film, not Frankenstein. Baragon looks awesome, has great abilities,(breathing fire, burrowing, jumps far) and has a great roar. THe Frankenstein monster just looks like a guy who has big teeth, bad hair, and walks around in a caveman outfit.Baragon gets to have his only starring role in a movie, and I know I am being biased but I think that it is one of the best villain roles for a Toho Monster ever. THis is mainly because he is so secretive by burrowing underground and is undetected. Baragon gets in a lot of solid action towards the final half an hour. The fact that Baragon is responsible for the destruction that Frankenstein is blamed for is very similar to some parts of the original Frankenstein book by Mary Shelley. Strangely enough Baragon is not referred to by his name in this film.The final battle between Frankenstein and Baragon is pretty good. Having to wait until the end to witness it definitely is worth it.SO for the most part, the Frankenstein Monster is not what makes this film. Baragon makes the film. Watch it for my favorite monster Baragon.

I recently purchased the film and haven't seen it in years. It was entertaining if not a bit ridiculous in parts but that's what makes these type of films fun! The premise goes like this: the heart of the Frankenstein monster is kept alive in a protein solution(it is later revealed that the heart can never die). When the Nazis steal it, it is brought to Hiroshima immediately before the atomic bombing of that city. 15 years later, a wild boy is discovered and it is the Frankenstein monster. The heart was radiated from the atomic blast and the heart grew into human form. The boy is studied by American Doctor Nick Adams and Japanese Doctor Kumi Mizuno(the two paired up together in Godzilla vs. Monster Zero). The boy escapes while continuing to grow until he reaches typical monster height. Baragon arrives and the two battle it out to the end. The dubbing is quite good for an import film and the DVD audio/video is sharp. The Frankenstein make-up does look a bit silly but that adds to the charm of the movie. Acting and direction is what you would expect from Toho Studios(actually it is pretty decent here). If you are a fan of Toho Studios monster films, you will enjoy this.

Furankenshutain tai Chitei Kaiju Baragon, or Frankenstein Conquers the World as it was renamed for American audiences, starts during '1945 - Somewhere in Germany' as a group of Japanese soldiers steal the immortal heart of the Frankenstein monster, they take it back to Japan & as they are about to start experimenting on it the Americans drop a load of atomic bombs... Jump forward 'Fifteen Years Later' at the 'Hiroshima Government Facility of Radiation Studies' where American scientist Dr. James Bowen (Nick Adams) along with his assistants Dr. Sueko Togami (Kumi Mizuno) & Dr. Yuzo Kawaji (Tadao Takashima) are unsurprisingly researching the effects of radiation, a young vagrant boy (Kenichiro Kawaji) who likes to eat animals catches the attention of Bowen who gives hims shelter at his hospital. However this is no ordinary boy, he seems to be growing at an incredible rate & once he outgrows his cage he breaks out & goes on a rampage across Japan. The Japanese military wants to kill him while the scientist dudes want to study it, who will win the war of wills?This Japanese production was directed by Godzilla veteran Ishiro Honda & I am pleased to announce that I saw the uncut, original language sub-titled full 2:35:1 widescreen version complete with Japanese opening & closing credits & if that wasn't enough folks I also managed to get hold of the deleted/alternate ending scene where Frankenstein fights a giant Octopus! The script by Jerry Sohl which was apparently originally going to have the Frankenstein monster fight Godzilla but was scraped because the studio felt it would be too implausible has one of the most bizarre & preposterous ideas behind it I've seen in a while, I mean the heart of Frankenstein stolen during World War II is taken back to Japan where radiation from American nuclear bombs makes it grow into a 100 foot Frankenstein monster with a distinctly Japanese complexion which then comes to the rescue of the country as an ancient dinosaur comes to life & causes havoc across Japan, they actually thought the Godzilla idea was implausible compared to what ended up on screen?! The first half of the film focuses on the Frankenstein monster & it's escape while the second half feels more like a Godzilla film as the dinosaur monster Baragon turns up to upset everyone, the film moves along at a decent pace & despite being one of the silliest films I've seen in a while it makes for good entertainment & there's some fun to be had here although how the Japanese military manage to keep losing track of a 100 foot Frankenstein monster is beyond me.Director Honda does an OK job, Baragon looks like a cute reptilian puppy with a glowing horn while the Frankenstein monster looks a bit silly with a huge gap in his front teeth & a poorly fitting skull cap. As mentioned I watched the Octopus deleted scene which is actually an extended ending, after Frankenstein defeats Baragon unlike the regular version where they are both engulfed in flames as the ground gives way Frankenstein throws Baragons body off a cliff & then turns round to see a giant Octopus crawling along the ground & they have a fight. The Octopus comes from absolutely nowhere & feels very odd, the Octopus special effects aren't too bad though & in fact are probably the best in the film.Technically the film is alright, some of the model shots are absolutely terrible as you would expect but you sense this had a budget. There's not much style here & it's certainly not scary but there's some fun to be had if you can enjoy it simply for what it is. Since I watched a sub-titled version it's difficult to tell about the acting.Furankenshutain tai Chitei Kaiju Baragon is childish silly fun that entertains to a degree but just can't be taken seriously, for monster film fans only really. Followed by the sequel The War of the Gargantuas (1966) which wisely plays down the Frankenstein connection in it's title.

The complete version as released in Japan is the one to watch if you can get it. There's a very nicely done opening that shows the Frankenstein monster's heart being taken by the Nazis and sent to Japan near the end of WW2. This whole sequence is most eerie, nicely photographed, and puts the whole story into complete perspective of how Frankenstein came to be a Japanese giant monster, something lacking in the American release dubbed version. It almost makes up for the horrible costume of Baragon, one of the worst I've ever seen from Toho. You'll wish Frankenstein was a bit more built here, as he tends to look like a giant adolescent. It's a great battle scene with the forest fire in the background, and generally the whole film is a nice, if uneven, precursor to the constantly misunderstood Frankenstein going on to bigger and better things in War of the Gargantuas.