Review: There's no shame in not automatically thinking "Godzilla" when Ishiro Honda comes to mind. Honda's catalogue of wild, otherworldly kaiju/sci-fi flicks is pretty staggering even when omitting the most obvious King of Monsters. Take, for example, his 1964 yarn about a jellyfish-ish...ish monster from space descending on us peons, hungering for carbon and more than willing to ignore those that stand in its way.

All of this sounds like a fairly normal setup for city stomping and the like. But the interesting thing about DOGORA is that, despite the looming presence of its titular daikaiju, special effects and balsa wood homicide take a back seat to some pretty fun (if not a bit vanilla) diamond heist fare. The term "vanilla" is used loosely (and, as such, parenthetically) here, because it shouldn't be misconstrued that this makes the movie boring. On the contrary; it just seems that when the screen isn't filled with deep space fluctuation, a different movie is happening entirely.

Regardless of the amount of screen-time the invertebrate menace of the hour takes up, the special effects are pretty extraordinary; eschewing any need for a "for its time" clause. Eiji Tsuburaya never ceases to amaze in this department, as Dogora whips and flails translucently over pluming storm clouds, sending off smaller units to suck up carbon and confuse onlookers. It's pretty bizarre, and a lot of the menace seems very End Times. Establishing shots of the Earth may remind you that we're home, but in those same twenty-five seconds, you'll wonder just how much longer that home is going to be there.

Certain images, such as a sequence in which Dogora floats defensively above the city while missiles spark and split in the air around it, are almost iconic of the genre. There's a frame in the film during this scene that you could show to almost anyone, not taking into account their enjoyment or distaste of kaiju flicks, and they would recognize the sheer scope of Honda's vision; one that goes beyond Japanese people screaming in fear of becoming foot fodder. This stuff is a blast.

Atypical monstrosities, safe-robbing, and wacky gaijin hijinx are but a few things that make DOGORA a lot of fun. It's not really a sci-fi epic by any means, and the astounding effects tend to be overshadowed by the whodunnit narrative. Still, it has that Weekly World News flavor to it that makes Ishiro Honda flicks special. The feeling that you're watching a retro-styled video from the future; something sinisterly campy found inside of a time capsule in your neighbor's backyard. So hey, after you're done with it, be sure to pop it back in the capsule for the next generation.