Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965)
Year: 1965
Director: Ishiro Honda
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese

I've heard of Frankenstein (1933), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) and just about every other adaptation/sequel/remake I can think of, but I had never heard of Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965) until recently- and apparently very few film-buffs have heard of it either. It was a victim of Toho's monster crazy in the late 50's and 60's. A co-production between Toho and American studio UPA that made the monster larger (literally and figuratively)  than ever before. 

During WWII, a human heart taken from a certain lab in Europe (Dr. Frankenstein's) is kept in a Japanese lab, when it gets exposed to the radiation of the bombing of Hiroshima. The heart grows in size, mutates and sprouts appendages. The creature grows to the height of 20 feet, escapes again, fights police and army, and is practically indestructible.

 James Whale’s Frankenstein becomes the obvious reference point here—from the Monster’s childlike demeanor to his flat forehead, it seems like Ishiro Honda is especially attempting to echo the cinematic legacy of Shelley’s story. The creature and his habits are similar to the Universal original, but where the original made some sort of logical sense, this picture is absolutely nuts. Not only is the monster hated by humans, but he also has an enemy in a Kaiju named Baragon!

If anything, Frankenstein saves the world, but that is neither here nor there. Baragon himself isn’t among Toho’s most memorable Kaiju because he also seems to be a patchwork creation—part lizard, part turtle, part triceratops, part rhinocero, but he is still quite an interesting visual. Did I mention that in the Japanese version Frankenstein eventually battles a GIANT OCTOPUS.

Frankenstein Conquers the World isn't the most intelligent film ever made, but what it lacks in brains it certainly makes up for in imagination. Toho was a champion in creating films that tested the limits of creativity and this film is no exception. It's memorable, at least in my mind, for being so off-the-wall insane.