JLRVancouver
The police are in pursuit of a man who can change into gas and who is using that ability to rob banks so that he can pay for a recital by a dancer with whom he is in love. The film is an imaginative thriller from Toho, directed by Ishiro Honda and with effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The third act, in which the police set a trap for 'the gas man', seems a bit weak - surely the titular character would have suspected a trap when he is the only person at the recital; however, I was watching a subtitled version and might have missed something (perhaps 'the gas man's' behaviour was in keeping with his obsession with the dancer). The special effects are simple but effective, and overall, the film is an entertaining example of Toho's early 1960's non-Kaiju tokusatsu (although not as good as 1958's "The H-man").
oscar-35
*Spoiler/plot- The Human Vapor, 1960. A lowly Japanese librarian is subject to a scientific experiment which goes wrong. It transforms him into 'The Human Vapour' or a living cloud. He uses that new ability to rob banks to fund the career of his girlfriend, a beautiful dancer. The Human Vapour is ruthless in his quest for money and kills anyone who stands in his way, especially police. He soon becomes Tokyo's most wanted criminal.*Special Stars- Yoshio Tsuchiya, Kaoru Yachigusa, Tatsuya Mihashi. English Narrator: James Hong.*Theme- Experiment on humans should be never routine.*Trivia/location/goofs- Japanese. Color. The dialog for this film is badly dubbed into English.*Emotion- Another sad and weak Japanese 60's film to make it to USA drive-ins. The production mistakes make this film only watchable to a special cult-like audience. I was not one of them. Too many US film's were better made on the same plot scenario to bother with this early effort.*Based on- Atomic and radiation mutation fears, especially in Japan Post WW2.
OllieSuave-007
Somber screenplay writer Takeshi Kimura at his best. Probably the most sad and dramatic of all Toho sci-fi epics. Here, we have the title character, who is a librarian in his real life, willing to make sacrifices to pamper his lover, the Kabuki dancer, even if it resorts to chaos and havoc. Caught in the mix is a policeman and a reporter, out to catch the rampaging "Vapor Man" before he causes any more harm. I usually prefer more light-heated pieces, like the works of writer Shinichi Sekizawa. Though this is a really dark film, which could use more lighter themes, it is a movie with a very compelling story with an astounding climax. A good thriller even by today's standards.Grade B
Infofreak
The Human Vapour shows that there was a lot more to 60s Japanese science fiction movies than Godzilla and Mothra. While the version I watched was badly dubbed and transferred to video, it still stood out as superior b-grade sci-fi. The FX may be quite primitive but the concept was handled well, the acting more than adequate, and the central relationship between the Vapour and the Kabuki dancer was suprisingly touching. Try and track this one down if you're looking for something different.
AD
