Evengyny
Thanks for the memories!
ThedevilChoose
When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
AshUnow
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
JLRVancouver
'Gorath' is a super-massive stellar core careening through the solar system on a collision course with Earth and our only hope is to push our planet out of the way. While not really a scientifically sound premise or production, Gorath is much 'harder' science fiction than Toho's monster films, with characters discussing issues such as gravity, orbits, thrust requirements for moving the Earth etc., as they count down to what may be Doomsday. As 1960's tokusatsu go, the movie has great design and production values, especially the miniature sets, the vehicles (the VTOL planes are quite clever), the 'disaster scenes', and the 'outer space' segments. There are some pacing problems (we are treated to a helicopter tour of Japan while a bunch of astronauts sing), an unnecessary side plot involving an astronaut with amnesia, and, most egregiously, a gratuitous kaiju in the form of an immense walrus* (allegedly inserted against director Ishiro Honda's wishes). The walrus, "Maguma", is a one-timer in Toho's kaiju zoo, not evening earning a cameo in the multi-monster epics "Destroy All Monsters" (1968) and "Final Wars" (2004), which is just as well as the suit is not very convincing and looks jarringly out of place compared to the meticulously detailed models of "Operation South Pole", Earth's final hope. While the special effects in science fiction films of this vintage cannot compare with modern CGI (1969's "2001, A Space Odyssey" being an exception), Gorath is a fun, creative and imaginative film that showcases the talent of the Toho's production team in the 1960's and is well worth watching. *The walrus scenes are cut from the dubbed American release of the film, my comments pertain to an English-subtitled Japanese version, which is worth finding if you want to view the entire film.
r-c-s
This movie presents some shortcoming typical of TOHO/low budget Japanese productions, EG some miniatures look like garage sale toys and some SFX are poor, yet i found it extremely enjoyable. Remember it was 1962, much before big budgeted Hollywood movies. The movie is easily watchable (got a letter-boxed edition), images are very clear, SFX very good period-wise. The plot (albeit very simple) unfolds nicely. There are many far fetched assumptions and scientific nonsense, EG the moon gets destroyed, earth is moved 400.000 km, YET nothing major happens as Gorath drifts away in the deep space. The space mission obsession continues. In 1982 (that's when Gorath was supposed to collide with earth ) they portray dozens of space stations, and tremendous ease to travel upto Saturn, Jupiter etc. We're 25 years past 1982 and not the tiniest fraction of such advancements has been made. There are a few subplots, which do not get in the way. Character development is extremely limited, if any. All in all an enjoyable movie worth watching twice. I saw the giant walrus, too. I suppose it was a diversion to improve the rhythm, which was running in circles around the Pole operation. A giant planet, whose extension is barely 3/4 earth's but whose mass is 6000+ times, is on collision course with earth. A first space mission perishes while trying to investigate the matter. Yet UN scientists have been alerted and plan to install reactors to the pole to propel earth 400.000 away, to avoid Gorath's devastating gravity. Pretty much all there.The scientific rationale behind stars of incredible density/gravity was popular back then and stemmed from (incorrect) assumptions about the origins of gamma ray bursts first uncovered by US spy satellites looking for Soviet nuclear tests. Gamma ray bursts (according to a theory popular back then) originated from Gorasu kind of stars.
hideyotsuburaya
U.S. version GORATH editor @Brenco Pictures was none other than KENNETH WANNBERG in his 'salad days', who's of course gone onto be John Williams right-hand man as music editor on STAR WARS, et. al. (an interesting thematic link). I once asked him about it and he said way back then he carried around a print of GORATH in his car trunk as part of his resume.Certain U.S. release advertising states "in stereophonic sound", which I can assure you is domestic wishful thinking (the same applies to Brenco Pictures distributed THE HUMAN VAPOR). Not so the original Japanese release, which can boast (authentic) stereo track.Frederick S. Clarke, late CINEFANTASTIQUE mag. editor/publisher, said he thought GORATH contained the best Toho Co. special-effects work of all their outer-space films. I agree.Stan Timmons (BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA in print) remarked he thought the dubbed-voices in the English GORATH version sound all like old Rocky & Bulwinkle cartoons. Well yes, they do.And GORATH actor George Farness, mentioned in another viewer comment, not only has a major role in THE LAST VOYAGE, but also narrates that film.Director Ishiro Honda did GORATH immediately before KING KONG VS. GODZILLA in 1962. Yes this truly was the golden age of TOHO. But from what I've heard in the past this film's not highly regarded by fans in his home country.
Brian Washington
This was the first Japanese film that I saw that didn't rely on a giant monster to make it an interesting story (there is a giant monster, but it is mainly used as filler). Essentially, the message of this film is about how the people of Earth should learn to cooperate, especially when faced with extinction. We do not need an extreme threat like an onrushing planetoid to learn to cooperate due to the fact that we have such threats as global warming, pollution, crime and hunger that are already eating away at us. Also, I hope one day that an uncut version of this film is released in this country. The message of this film has all but been hacked to pieces by the American distributors of this classic piece of Japanese science fiction.
