In Dogora (1964) the investigation into a series of international diamond thefts collides with the story of mutated space cells that have turned into atmospheric jellyfish-like monsters of Lovecraftian proportions. The monsters feed on masses amounts of carbon, vacuuming up entire coal fields in a feeding. A worldwide quest for a means of destroying them is sought out.
This is one of the most unusual of Toho's kaiju films. The bulk of the movie concerns a group of diamond thieves and the police men tracking them. Because diamonds are just a form of carbon, this tale intersects with the bigger story of a worldwide threat from massive space monsters, so big and so alien, that humankind seems beneath their notice. The special effects are imaginative and often breathtaking. The creature itself is eerie. The sound that accompanies the creature's presence is also effective. Unlike the human interest sections of many of the Godzilla films, the one here involving the diamond thieves is actually pretty engaging and effectively displays the impact of unexpected forces on normal human beings, including an awe inspiring moment early on involving a drunk man moving long a sidewalk in an unusual manner.
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