My Cultural Diet

Thousands of years ago, the island empire of Mu ruled the entire world until it suddenly sank beneath the ocean waves. But now the empire’s back, and with their advanced technology, the people of Mu seek to once again control the world. Humanity’s only hope is an advanced submarine built and commanded by the renegade Captain Jinguji. Unfortunately, Jinguji refuses to believe that World War II is truly over and will only use his sub to ensure Japan’s supremacy. Just as Godzilla addressed the horrors of nuclear war and The Mysterians warned against science run amok, Ishirô Honda clearly intended Atragon as a criticism of unchecked patriotism and jingoism. What’s more, the film’s final scenes contain no small amount of grim irony in light of Japan’s own experience with wartime devastation. Normally, that would elevate Atragon above your average sci-fi flick. However, it feels like Honda was so focused on making a statement with Atragon that he forgot to tell an actual, entertaining story, and the film suffers as a result. (It doesn’t help that the horrible sea monster that Mu seeks to unleash upon the world is a bit on the goofy side.) In the end, I appreciated Atragon for what Honda sought to do more than I actually enjoyed it.

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