“Atragon,” one of my most favorite films of all time, really resonated with me (and still does) maybe in part because I’m an Air Force Brat. While I never served in the military, I could say that I did second-hand as my father, an Air Force Lt. Colonel, was assigned to various USAF bases across the south over the course of my childhood, finally settling down at MacDill AFB in Tampa, FL.
I’m sure anyone reading this knows the story, but I will give you a small capsule summary: The ancient but super-tech country of the undersea Mu Empire wages war against the Earth with super submarines and other high-tech forces. The world’s last hope resides with a former Japanese naval captain who has built a submarine that can win the war against Mu, but due to his patriotism, he will only use his sub—Atragon—to defend Japan and nothing more. Finally, his estranged daughter (very typical in military families, I know) convinces him that the whole world and not just Japan needs his help. And with the super-sonic flying submarine with an absolute zero cannon, he destroys the Mu Empire.
The musical score by Akira Ifubuke is outstanding. While the moral of the film is that extreme patriotism can blind you, the act of rising up and helping those in need is a strong one. I’ve always been a big believer of second chances; a chance to change things for the better with determination and grit and I would always hum the Atragon main theme to motivate me in my personal challenges.
The film features a lot of Toho contract players and features outstanding special effects. While really not necessary, the movie was the debut of Manda, a sea and land-going small-armed serpent monster who later appeared in “Destroy All Monsters,” minus his serpent “eyebrows” and “moustache” which I suppose was frozen off by the Zero Cannon.
Maybe times seen on Fright Night “Creature Feature” and “Fright Theater,” the film is still as powerful now as it was then on DVD. The film is based on a novel called “Kantei Gunkan” (or “Undersea Battleship”). The main attraction of the novel (and the film) is the featured drill point of the submarine which allows it to ground its way underground to attach the Mu Empire. You can also see this characterization in the anime called “Super Atragon.”
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