Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster

Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster, released in Japan as San Daikaijū: Chikyū Saidai no Kessen ("Three Giant Monsters: Greatest Decisive Battle on Earth") and alternatively spelled Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster, is a 1964 tokusatsu kaiju film, and is the 5th film in Toho's Godzilla series, an immediate follow-up to the same year's Mothra vs. Godzilla. It was directed by Ishiro Honda with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya.

Plot
A princess from Selgina, a small Himalayan country, becomes possessed by the spirit of a Venusian (a Martian in the American version) and escapes a plane just as it explodes. As this happens a meteorite falls from the sky containing Ghidorah, the monster responsible for her planet's destruction. At the same time, Godzilla and Rodan emerge from hibernation and not only attack Japan, but each other as well. Mothra, along with its twin priestesses, attempt to convince Godzilla and Rodan to stop their fighting each other and to team up to fight the new monster. Meanwhile, the princess is being hunted by a group of assassins, led by Malness, who want to kill her so that her enemies can take over her homeland. Then, just when Malness is about to kill the princess, Ghidorah crushes him by knocking over a pile of boulders on him. Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra finally drive Ghidorah off. The movie ends with the princess going back to her home land and Godzilla and Rodan watching Mothra swim back to Infant island.

Trivia

 * Not once does Godzilla use his atomic breath aganst Ghidorah.


 * An early concept for Ghidorah had him with Rainbow-colored wings and his three heads spitting fire from their mouths, instead of lightning which was used in the final draft.


 * The first Godzilla film to not feature military weapons such as tanks and jets.


 * This film marks the first appearance of Rodan in a Godzilla film.


 * This is the first film to portray Godzilla as a hero. Also, in the conversation with Mothra he states that he only hates humans because humans hate him, suggesting that he was not really a villain in the first place.