Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

Dogora rules.

I quite like "Dogora." It may not be on the same level as some of Honda's other classics, but it's definitely an original and entertaining piece of film, as far as I'm concerned. The cops and robbers plot is pretty cool, and different for this kind of movie, and I love its sense of humor--confetti coming out of the gun, Wakabayashi's character asking where to make a phone call, and the guy lying down and singing while being moved about by Dogora (though I don't quite get that one, as I can't understand what the creature was trying to accomplish). The shots of Dogora over the bay are very impressive, the music is terrific, and I think the characters, while lacking substance, are a lot of fun to watch. I especially enjoy the interaction between Komai and Jackson and pretty much everything involving the diamond thieves. Fun stuff.

i may need to re-watch this movie...i only watched it once and i fell asleep a couple times (but I was tired)

from what i remember I kinda had similar feelings as Danno's original post...

although part of that could be that i watched it on the heels of Matango which IMHO is/was AMAZING

I guess I was fortunate to have not seen Dogora until just a few years ago when Media Blasters released it. Having already seen plenty of straight giant monster movies in my life, being presented with a character-driven heist movie that just happens to have a giant space squid get involved in the proceedings felt really refreshing. It's a splendid little treat tucked away among Toho's Golden Era classics.