How to side step a planet.
In 1979 Japan's rocket ship JX-1 Hawk, with its crew of 30, was launched from the Interstellar Exploration Agency into space. Its mission was a nine month journey to explore the planet Saturn. The ship was diverted to investigate a rogue planet heading toward Earth. The planet is given the name “Gorath” by the scientific community. Some scientists believe it is really a collapsed star. The exploration team discover that Gorath is smaller than Earth but with 6000 times the gravity. The JX-1 gets caught in Gorath’s gravity and is sucked into the planet.
In 1980 astronomers and astrophysicists announce that the planet will collide with the Earth in two years. The scientific community pools its resources to come up with a plan on what to do to save the Earth. They call their final resolution the "South Pole Operation".
The plan is to construct huge rocket thruster engines 500 meters below the surface and in an area 600 kilometers in diameter. The thrusters need to produce an atomic force equal to that of 6,600,000,000 megatons. When completed the thrusters would move the Earth more than 400,000 kilometers out of its orbit in 100 days until it is out of the range of Gorath and its gravity. Then the Earth would need to be moved back to its original orbit. There is an additional problem the Earth faces. As Gorath goes on its devastating path it is absorbing whatever is in its way. As it does it is adding mass to itself. Gorath is getting bigger and badder.
"Gorath" was released in 1962 and was directed by Ishiro Honda. Toho had a whole list of movies that had nothing to do with Godzilla. “Gorath” is one of those movies. It is the third in TOHO’s “Space Trilogy”. The first being “The Mysterians” in 1957 and the second “Battle in Outer Space” in 1959. Some like to place it in the monster movie genre because of the walrus, but it’s a Japanese space opera through and through.
Speaking of the walrus; I prefer my movies dubbed. I know. I know. But, I prefer to watch my movies not read my movies. If I’m trying to read subtitles that speed along faster than I can read I miss a lot of action. Then I either deal with it or watch the movie again to get what I missed the first time. In this case, however, if you watch the American version with subtitles you will miss the fabulous giant walrus. The American version cut out the giant “Maguma”. Maguma is a giant (guy in a felt puppet suit) walrus that was released from the Antarctic ice when the polar construction melted its icy tomb. Maguma is the only TOHO monster that never appeared in any of the Godzilla movies.
“Gorath” like all the other wonderful TOHO movies has lots and lots of fantastic miniatures. The outer space sequences are great. The building of the South Pole Operation and the destruction to Tokyo when Gorath is approaching are the biggest. The miniatures for these scenes are quite expansive. Of the three space movies I enjoyed Gorath the most. Subtitles and all. I especially like the miniatures of the South Pole Operation and that dopy walrus.