Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
The Biggest Battle on Earth
The Biggest Fight on Earth
Earth's Greatest Battle
Ghidora, the Three-Headed Monster
Godzilla contra Ghidorah, el Dragón de Tres Cabezas
Godzilla vs. Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster
Gojira Mosura Kingu Gidora: Chikyu Saidai no Kessen
The Greatest Battle on Earth
The Greatest Fight on Earth
Monster of Monsters: Ghidorah
San Daikaijû: Chikyû Saidai no Kessen
Three Giant Monsters: The Greatest Battle on Earth

Nomination Year: 2015
SYNOPSIS:  It's like a lazy day with the old friends in the old neighborhood when Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra (specifically, a Mothra caterpillar) team up to fight Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster. Also known as "King Gidorah" or "Monster Zero," he's the three-headed two-tailed bewinged menace from outer space.

The plot is a touch roundabout, but it eventually arrives at its destination. A meteor slams into a mountain. A foreign princess is assassinated via exploding airplane. The meteor is studied. The princess turns up in agitator garb, having escaped her assassination by virtue of being mind-controlled by a Martian spirit.

The possessed princess tries to warn people not to go on a boat (which will be attacked by Godzilla), not to hang around a mountain (where Rodan is about to emerge), but especially to stop Ghidrah before it can destroy the Earth in the same way it made Mars a lifeless planet. On this note, Ghidrah hatches from the meteor.

Meanwhile, the twin Mothra priestesses were to have returned to their island ... but they catch wind of this crazy woman. So, too, does the princess's would-be assassin. And the police officer assigned to bodyguard her when she reached Japan (if her plane had done so).

There is a merry chase, round and round, also involving some kids and the policeman's younger sister, who is a news reporter.

Eventually the priestesses ask Mothra-pillar to convince Godzilla and Rodan to stop fighting, and instead to team up against Ghidrah. This doesn't work out well at first. Godzilla and Rodan are too busy fighting each other, so Mothra-pillar goes up against Ghidrah alone. Ghidrah smacks Mothra-pillar all over the map, and finally Godzilla and Rodan realize that they all have to work together.

Giant Monstaz of Da Earth, Unitez!

The policeman catches up to the princess at about the same time as the assassin, and a blow to the princess's head dislodges the Martian spirit.

Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra-pillar successfully defeat Ghidrah, sending it sulking off into space ... and in the process dispatching the assassin with a timely rockslide.

Rocks fall. Everyone (bad) dies.

"Wanna Run That By Me Again?"

Something terrible is going to happen. Or at least something confusing.
The flying saucer people are late. They probably didn't show up because the reporter is a skeptic. Her cynical brain waves have probably gone up to the alien ships and kept them away. She doesn't believe in brain waves, so she's lectured on strange and terrible things, like heat waves in January. None of it makes much sense. "The comprehensible is one of the facts of the solar system."

Smithee Award Winner! Deus Ex Machina

Hot enough to fry an egg on your forehead.
A doctor and the princess' bodyguard are trying to use electroshock to zap the Martian spirit out of the princess. The bodyguard sets the voltage to 500, then leaves the room. The assassin sneaks in, and cranks it up to 3000 volts. The scientist is just about to throw the switch, when ... Rodan drops Godzilla onto an electrical line, knocking out the power.

Smithee Award Winner! Worst Science

That's a neat trick!
How did the princess survive the mid-air explosion that killed everyone else on the plane? "It doesn't make much sense, does it?"
Let's ask a scientist! That scientist explains that because space is curved, there are several dimensions surrounding every spacial body. The explosion caused a gap in the dimensions, and the princess fell into it.
Let's not ask any more scientists.

Actors/Directors of Note
Actor Claim to Fame
Hiroshi Koizumi  
Kenji Sahara  
Takashi Shimura Famous Japanese actor--was in Godzilla and Ikura 
Director Claim to Fame
Ishirô Honda arguably, the father of Godzilla -- in a metaphorical sense 

Kevin Hogan

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