JLRVancouver In the dying days of the Third Reich, Nazis commandeer Frankenstein's (the creation's, not the creator's) immortal heart and transport it by U-boat to the Pacific where it is transferred to an Imperial Navy submarine to be taken to Japan. As scientists in Hiroshima begin to study the still beating organ, a solitary B-29 bomber is seen overhead, followed by nuclear conflagration that destroys the city, the scientists and the heart, or so we think. Flash forward to the 1960's, an American doctor (Nick Adams) and his assistant who are treating survivors of the atomic blast encounter a strange mute boy living on the streets of the recovering city. After saving the youngster from a mob, the scientists discover that he's resistant to radiation poisoning - a goal toward which they have been working. As soon as the child receives sufficient nourishment he begins to grow in size until he is too large for the hospital to accommodate and is transferred to a giant jail-cell. Thinking him well secured, several obnoxious (and short-lived) reporters provoke him with bright camera lights, resulting in his escape. Strange things begin to happen around Mt. Fuji, for which Frankenstein is blamed but maybe, just maybe, there's another monster on the loose. "Frankenstein Conquers the World" (a very misleading title) is a strange, cross-cultural monster concoction from Toho Studios, that combines an iconic Western 'monster' (albeit not exactly what Mary Shelly had in mind) with a somewhat less-than-iconic Japanese monster, and a Western leading man (Adams) with a predominantly Japanese cast (despite being explicitly told that the titular character is 'Caucasian', he's played by Japanese actors). Frankenstein starts off as an odd-looking kid with a pronounced brow and bad teeth. As he gets older (and larger) his teeth get worse and he develops green eyes and a pronounced Karloffian flat-top. His foe, Baragon in his debut performance, is believed to be descended from fossorial dinosaurs who survived extinction by burrowing into the Earth. Baragon is not one of Toho's better beasts, being a rubbery looking lizard with a glowing yellow horn and big floppy ears who emits some kind of heat-ray (?). The last characteristic suggesting that he's more than simply a Mesozoic survivor although the humans never comment on this surprising ability. Baragon also suffers from a common problem with quadruped kaiju - he seems to walk on his knees instead of his hind feet, making the suspension of disbelief necessary when watching suit-mation even more challenging. The human cast is pretty good, and the story, while far-fetched even by kaiju standards, holds together surprisingly well. The special effects are a mixed bag: there's some fine miniature work and, while a few of the matte and back-projection shots are weak, the scenes with Frankenstein rising out of the water to menace a party ship or being backlit by the forest fire at the climax of the film are very effective. Oddly for a movie that would be popular with kids, there are some unpleasant moments: pets are stolen and eaten (off camera), and a group of school children find a graphically dismembered rabbit on the floor of their classroom. Definitely one-of-a-kind example of multiculturalism, and with direction, special effects, and music by Toho's top kaiju team, the film is surprisingly effective and quite entertaining in an offbeat way.

AaronCapenBanner Ishiro Honda directed this incredibly bizarre and perfectly awful film that starts off in WWII, where Dr. Frankenstein(!) has been working with the Japanese, and created a living heart, but it is later taken to Hiroshima where it is irradiated by the H-bomb being dropped. Years later, that heart has somehow grown into a full-sized boy, who then mutates even more into a giant man, who attacks the city, then battles a giant lizard named Baragon, also recently awakened. Preposterous story and poor F/X make this a tacky and laughable effort, that only gets worse as it goes along. No relation to Mary Shelley or Boris Karloff at least!

jerekra 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.

rixrex 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.