During WWII, a human heart taken from Dr. Frankenstein's lab and is kept in Japan where it gets exposed to the radiation of the bombing of Hiroshima. The heart grows in size, mutates and eventually becomes an indestuctable humanoid. Later, a reptilian monster goes on a rampage. Eventually the Frankenstein creature and the reptile face off in a terrible battle.

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Guilala from Bridgewater, MA, USA
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A weird film with Nazis storming Dr. Frankenstein's lab and taking the heart of Frankenstein's monster to Hiroshima in 1945. What could happen but the Hiroshima blast. 20 years later eats the radioactive heart and literally becomes Frankenstein's monster. He eats a dog, a classroom bunny, and lots of garbage. He then starts growing and growing intill he is a 100 foot tall caveman Frankenstein and deuls with this bunny-eared dinosaur named Baragon in a fight to the death. Weird and very Japanese.

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Tin Man-5 from Auke Bay, Alaska
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Deep within the heart of me exists a love for films featuring giant creatures battling it out for supremecy in the streets of Tokyo. I just remember watching them with anticipation as a small child, waiting in anxiety to see who the victor would be of these mommoth clashes. Of course, with familiar characters like Gamera, Rodan, Mothra, Ghidra, Gigan, Baragon, King Kong, and, of course, Godzilla stomping Tokyo in each film, this one, titled "Frankenstein vs. Baragon" here in the U.S., takes the cake for taking the most risks.

This film sets up many important things for the Toho universe: It introduces Baragon, who would later become a favorite of the genre. In additon, it makes political statements on nuclear testing. Oh, and on a side-note, it also *takes Frankenstein's monster, grows him to giant heights, pits him against Baragon, and puts a classic Gothic monster's face into the gallery of gigantic monsters to rummage Japan.* If you aren't impressed by the first two factors, at least appretiate the third one simply for its camp value.

AND WHAT CAMP VALUE IT IS! The fights in this are some of the best of the Toho universe. Frankenstein looks like an overgrown caveman, and Baragon is effectively established as a leading monster. And while most of the battles simply take place in a few mountains outside of-- you guessed it-- Tokyo, the fun still exists, and its as just as a good time as you'll find in any given Godzilla or Gamera flick.

Silly, cliched, stupid, pointless...and one heckuva good time! LOOK OUT FOR THE BEATING HEART OF FRANKENSTEIN! AND WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T EAT IT!

*** out of ****

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Glenn Andreiev (gandreiev@aol.com) from Huntington, NY
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Here's a movie about a radioactive child growing into a large, homeless 100 foot tall looking brute who grunts, and then fights a nappy looking dinosaur. Okay, it's not Ingmar Bergman, but damn, is it silly, fun and entertaining. It's chock full of cliches, but the pace is amazingly fast. One of the best elements of this happy cinematic misfire is actor Tadao Takashima. His normally bland white-lab coated scientist has some fascinating charcater elements (He's an alky, and has an interesting dark streak) The VHS copy I have has tacked on the ending where Frankenstein vs. A-Big-Octopus-That-Comes-Out-Of-Nowhere. Silly, and fun. Cool party movie.

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ironjade from London UK
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This is one of the more entertaining (and yet still bonkers) Toho monster rallies and at some points you can actually feel your grip on sanity beginning to weaken. Like many Frankenstein movies you do feel a certain amount of sympathy for the monster (not Baragon though, who looks like he escaped from a toy shop) and actually wish he would deliver a massive ass-kicking to the immaculately dressed, white gloved troops who are shooting at him. Baragon spitting feathers and the pig-on-rails scenes alone are worth the admission price. The sheer lunacy of this movie even exceeds that of King Kong Lives! Sadly the best scene is missing: the one in which Nick Adams' agent persuaded him to turn up for this particular engagement.

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rogmeistr from Brooklyn, New York
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As a fan of the genre. I had the opportunity recently view this film. As a child I remembered watching this film during the days of "Afternoon Movie Theater" I believe that it was called at Channel 7? It was known as "Frankenstein Conquers the World" and it was quite entertaining. I was young and things of that nature would entertain me. Anyway, back to my review. The movie starts out with a very eerie tone accompanied by very chilling and memorable music, thanks to maestro of music, Akira Ifukube. I believe the score of this music was excellent which I believe help or even save the movie at times. The audience is presented with a World War II torn Germany who gives up Frankenstein's heart to the Japanese. After it's arrival in Japan for experiments, Hiroshima is destroyed by a A-bomb and shifts to present day in Japan. Helps the movie in the fact that gives off enough background information. Anyhow, the Frankestein's heart was supposedly eaten by a young boy who survived the destruction of Hiroshima. Scientist's find the boy for further experiments after he has committed criminal activities (eating dogs, rabbits, etc..)for his survival. The boy grows in a rapid pace and has to be placed in a larger cell for his own protection. He escapes and hides in the forest and hills of Japan. The second monster introduced and first appearance ever in the Kaiju genre is the ever popular, Baragon. He does his monster destruction and eventually meets up the overgrown and poorly designed Frankestein. Of course this is main attraction of this film. The fight scenes are pretty kool and enjoyable. I don't ever remember seeing two monsters going at it as much as this movie, maybe the exception of Baragon and Godzilla in "GMK: Giant Monsters All Out Attack". Sufficed it to say, Frankenstein wins out and kills Baragon surrounded by a forest of fire. I happen to watch the Japanese version where the Giant Octopus appears and engages in combat with Frankestein and eventually fell off the cliff, taking its entangled prey with him into the sea. A prequel to "The War of the Gargantuas"!! Although I've seen the "Americanized" version of this film with the ending deleted, an earthquake type scene. With the flames in the background, the land would open up and engulf both Baragon and Frankenstein to the bottom of the earth. I still prefer the Japanese version. Overall, very underrated and entertaining film. But, believe me, the score of the film is what gives an added punch. More like, destruction, despair and sadness with a touch of domination. If you're a fan of the Japanese Sci-Fi genre, I would view this one.

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anonymous from Carbondale Illinois
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I have seen this movie before and right away you know that it is a large man rampaging through a miniature city. But....who says the imagination has to florish on common every day stuff. I thought it was really funny and compared the flik to Attack of the 50 foot woman. It also borrowed some orchestration chords from my all time favorite child hood monster flik WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS. Every once in a while we all feel the need to see something cheezy and not common. This movie is that type of movie. We know it is not real and just a dream, but why knock it? I wish it would come to DVD. I am a collector of Cheezy horror movies from the 50's, 60's and other eras. Die hard Gozilla fans will get a kick out of this movie. I personally thought War of the Gargantuas really represented what a real hideous beast should look like. If the Studios in Japan ever read this comment, please put War of the Gargantuas on DVD!!!!

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jerekra from United States
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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.

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MightyGorga
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There's no denying that this movie is one of the oddest of Toho's creations, but it's surprisingly moving in some ways. The all-consuming, rock'n'roll-loving "Frankenstein" is a truly pathetic figure (as is Nick Adams, though in a different way), and his fight with Baragon, cheap as it is, is still impressive, something of a low-budget gladiator match. I actually felt sorry for the big lug. I'm not saying this movie is "Citizen Kane," but neither is it as terrible as, say, "The Starfighters" or "Night Train to Mundo Fine".

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gierran from Boulder City, Nevada
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This seems like a dreadful film, but can we really be sure about that. It's dubbed. Maybe the acting is brilliant but most of us will never know because we don't speak Japanese. Wouldn't that be embarrassing? To rant and roar about how bad these Japanese giant-monster-on-the-loose films are only to have them actually be works of art? Another thing I don't understand: The Frankenstein monster grows bigger and bigger in the most amazing growth spurt since "Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman" and his pants grow too? Shouldn't they have just split at the seams at some point, leaving him to strut around nude? And all the food he is consuming! It doesn't say much for the Japanese military that they can't find a 100 foot monster roaming the conutryside, leaving a trail of turds the size of busses.

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kevinxirau from United States
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Wow, just when I thought I've seen it all. This 1965 Toho classic brings the reanimated corpse to the world of giant monsters and elaborate miniatures, an oddball idea. Believe it or not, Frankenstein was originally suppose to fight the likes of Godzilla at the time, but the concept was sorta dropped and instead Godzilla ends up fighting King Kong, Mothra, and Ghidorah. Without wasting the basic idea, however, Toho created this film and the result was "Frankenstein Conquers the World aka Frankenstein vs Baragon."

Plot: During WW2, the Nazis deliver the still-beating heart of the Frankenstein monster to Japanese scientists in Hiroshima who plan to use it for medical purposes. However, the heart was presumed lost in the nuclear explosion that destroyed Hiroshima. Years later, scientists discover a strange wild boy running around and find out soon that the missing heart grew a new body resistant to radiation. With greater access to food in captivity, Frankentein grows rapidly and soon escapes. Then, mysterious, destructive incidents have occurred and everyone's quick to blame Frankenstein. That's not the case as it turns out that Baragon, a subterranean fire-breathing dinosaur, is the real culprit. Soon a battle between Frankenstein and Baragon commences and the fate of Japan hangs by a thread.

Overall, this is an interesting film. It's pretty scientifically accurate and the miniature sets are fairly impressive seeing as how the monsters are smaller that their larger kaiju brethren. The story is also good and the music by Akira Ifukube is a real treat to listen. Frankenstein does look a little goofy with his buck teeth and unsettling shriek.

The monster that steals the show, however, is Baragon. Arguably one of my favorite monsters, Baragon has a great design, cool roar, and a nice set of abilities. The movie starts out a little slow, but once Baragon shows up things get pretty exciting, especially when Franky and Baragon have their awesome lengthy fight. They pretty much beat the living crap out of each other, making this one of my favorite kaiju battles.

This is a fun edition to Toho's roster of creature features. Baragon became so popular thanks to this film that he actually now stars in a few Godzilla films and video games. If you're a fan of giant monsters, then check this action out. I recommend getting the 2-disc special edition for this one. Enjoy!

frankenstein|godzilla|

AKAs Titles:


Certifications:
Sweden:15 / USA:Unrated / West Germany:12 (cut)