by Giganfan » Sat Apr 03, 2010 11:40 am
Here is my take on Beauty and The Liquid People, as the original Japanese title roughly translates (a snicker-inducing title, if you ask me, which makes you wonder whether or not the film was intended as a black comedy of some sort). Ishiro Honda directed giant monster movies, and epic space operas. Those types of films were his specialty. Plain and simple. So, to see him do a straight sci-fi/horror film is always intriguing, because there are no space ships or daikaiju anywhere in sight. Movies like The H-Man and Matango are made to exist on the merits of the acting, the story, cinematography, etc. These are the movies that showcase Honda's talents as a director (along with Gorath, but that's another discussion entirely). Being his first such genre film, The H-Man succeeds in my eyes as a first-rate, entertaining sci-fi thriller. It's well directed, well-written, acted, etc. I wasn't drawn into the story as fully as Benjamin was, rather what stimulated me was the pure filmmaking aspects. The verdict here is that Ishiro Honda was a very good director. Not an artist, per say, but he was a professional at telling a story, visually. The "ghost ship" sequence is a tour de force by Honda, and it showcases what was to come with Matango.
The H-Man is far from perfect though. Did anyone else feel that the car-chase sequence was one of the worst you have ever seen in a movie? It was shot and scored with an urgency that is inappropriate for two cars that seem to be going AT THE MOST, twenty miles an hour! It's totally unlike a similar sequence in Terror of Mechagodzilla, where rather than shooting a car-chase, Honda was simply filming two cars chasing each other (in case you're wondering, it's when Ichinose goes to Dr. Mafune's house the second time, and is dodged by a speeding car, presumably containing Katsura and Mugar's No. 2 henchman). Honda was a careful craftsman, but he often wasn't very cinematic, as is evident here. His documentary-style approach didn't always work to the betterment of a film.
All things considered, I like The H-Man. It's well-made, and a lot of fun. Nothing groundbreaking, but then again, had anyone other than Honda made it, you can rest-assured that it would have been pretty forgettable. Ishiro Honda's films and his filmmaking style are very subtle. He wasn't the riskiest of auteurs, but there was always something unique about the films he directed (and co-wrote, for that matter). Despite all of its flaws, The H-Man is a good movie, and entertaining as hell. To some, those two aspects are one-and-the same.
"EVERYONE FORGET YOUR TROUBLES! ENJOY YOURSELVES!THERE'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!" - Gigantis The Fire Monster
"It was HUGE...It was...IT WAS LIKE A MONSTER!!! Suddenly the rocks rose...ALIVE!" - Godzilla 1985