San daikaijû: Chikyû saidai no kessen (1964)

...aka: Biggest Fight on Earth, The

...aka: Earth's Greatest Battle

...aka: Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster

...aka: Godzilla vs. Ghidorah

...aka: Greatest Battle on Earth, The

...aka: Greatest Fight on Earth, The

...aka: Monster of Monsters: Ghidorah

...aka: Three Giant Monsters

Directed by:

Ishirô Honda

The Toho series continues with this follow-up to GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA (made the same year), which also turns out to be one of the best out of the 20+ Godzilla movies made during the 50s, 60s and 70s. It's also a first for Godzilla, who's now a good guy that must defend Earth from the lightning-spewing advances of Ghidrah, the triple-headed dragon, who arrives in a meteor and goes on a rampage. Godzilla ends up getting help from unlikely sources as former enemies Rodan the nuclear pterodactyl and Mothra (giant moth), each take on a head. This has everything Japanese monster buffs want in a movie and the Ghidhra design is pretty cool. Ghidrah returned in MONSTER ZERO (to fight Godzilla and Rodan) and GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (to fight Godzilla and Angillus), and never won a single fight.

Ghidrah: always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

★★1/2