I really, really wanted to love this film. Ishiro Honda directing, Ifukube score, relatively obscure giant monster, high-tech flying submarine; all the elements are there for a truly satisfying kaiju experience.
But, on that level, Atragon just ain't that great a movie, mainly due to a sad lack of giant monster scenes. It seems like Honda blew the entire budget on the sets and costumes for the Undersea Empire of Mu, and had nothing left for Manda. When cities get leveled, it happens off-camera, with only some newspaper headlines to clue in the viewer that something actually happened, somewhere.
Fortunately, it's not all bad. There's a lot of Japanese post-war angst thrown around on the screen, and that's at least interesting from a sociological point of view. You see, there's this Japanese submarine commander and engineering genius, Capt. Jinguji, who went missing at the end of WWII, leaving his baby daughter in the care of his commanding officer, Admiral Kosumi.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the ocean, the Muans are feeling peeved that they no longer control the world like they did in the days before they sunk into the depths, so they decide to reveal themselves and take over. Everyone quickly realizes that the only chance the surface world has against Mu is to find Jinguji and the secret project he's been working on all these years.
Unfortunately, Capt. J. has no interest in such petty concerns as saving the world; he built his Supersub solely to restore the glory of the Japanese Empire, and refuses to use it for anything more than (I guess) re-subjugating East Asia, and probably getting back at those meddlesome Americans.
Of course, this plan doesn't really fly in post-war Japan. Even the Admiral has pretty much resigned himself to Japan's surrender-enforced pacifism, and J.'s daughter and the other young members of the cast are absolutely horrified at the Captain's goals. This leads to extended debates over patriotism vs. realpolitik, until the Muans find J.'s secret base and attack. Now, it's personal. So, the Atragon is finally launched against Mu, and Manda finally gets let out to play with the sub in the movie's climactic scenes.
The scary part is how even-handedly the debate is handled. Neither side is presented as inherently above the other - concern for the fate of the world is seemingly on par with fanatical patriotism and the desire for Empire throughout much of the film. For every scene where, for instance, J.'s goals are equated with the Muans' (a fair comparison), there's a scene where one of the youngsters is scolded for not upholding the banner of Japanese supremacy. Actually, it explains a lot about the craziness of Japanese culture.
It's all quite interesting, but kind of dry, and totally lacking in any city-stomping goodness. So, if you're looking to see Manda run amok, you'll want to skip this. Try Destroy All Monsters, instead - Manda gets a few good scenes in that one.
But, on that level, Atragon just ain't that great a movie, mainly due to a sad lack of giant monster scenes. It seems like Honda blew the entire budget on the sets and costumes for the Undersea Empire of Mu, and had nothing left for Manda. When cities get leveled, it happens off-camera, with only some newspaper headlines to clue in the viewer that something actually happened, somewhere.
Fortunately, it's not all bad. There's a lot of Japanese post-war angst thrown around on the screen, and that's at least interesting from a sociological point of view. You see, there's this Japanese submarine commander and engineering genius, Capt. Jinguji, who went missing at the end of WWII, leaving his baby daughter in the care of his commanding officer, Admiral Kosumi.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the ocean, the Muans are feeling peeved that they no longer control the world like they did in the days before they sunk into the depths, so they decide to reveal themselves and take over. Everyone quickly realizes that the only chance the surface world has against Mu is to find Jinguji and the secret project he's been working on all these years.
Unfortunately, Capt. J. has no interest in such petty concerns as saving the world; he built his Supersub solely to restore the glory of the Japanese Empire, and refuses to use it for anything more than (I guess) re-subjugating East Asia, and probably getting back at those meddlesome Americans.
Of course, this plan doesn't really fly in post-war Japan. Even the Admiral has pretty much resigned himself to Japan's surrender-enforced pacifism, and J.'s daughter and the other young members of the cast are absolutely horrified at the Captain's goals. This leads to extended debates over patriotism vs. realpolitik, until the Muans find J.'s secret base and attack. Now, it's personal. So, the Atragon is finally launched against Mu, and Manda finally gets let out to play with the sub in the movie's climactic scenes.
The scary part is how even-handedly the debate is handled. Neither side is presented as inherently above the other - concern for the fate of the world is seemingly on par with fanatical patriotism and the desire for Empire throughout much of the film. For every scene where, for instance, J.'s goals are equated with the Muans' (a fair comparison), there's a scene where one of the youngsters is scolded for not upholding the banner of Japanese supremacy. Actually, it explains a lot about the craziness of Japanese culture.
It's all quite interesting, but kind of dry, and totally lacking in any city-stomping goodness. So, if you're looking to see Manda run amok, you'll want to skip this. Try Destroy All Monsters, instead - Manda gets a few good scenes in that one.