Terror of Mechagodzilla
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Movie Reviews of Terror of Mechagodzilla
Movie Review: A fav from childhood
Summary: 4 Stars
I always loved this Godzilla film because of the humor level. The monsters aren't the toughest or coolest, but they're unique and the battles are fun. Corny space aliens and uber sci-fi plot makes it one of "those 70's films." If you're not into that then this film isn't for you.Movie Review: Those Black Hole Guys Are At It Again
Summary: 3 Stars
After a string of juvenile, budget-strapped Godzilla movies in the early 1970s, the big G's 15th film was touted as a "return to greatness," with veteran director Ishiro Honda at the helm and maestro Akira Ifukube providing the score. Without question, the film has more going for it than several of Godzilla's previous outings, but as for a "return to greatness," well...it just kind of ain't. It is, overall, an entertaining if still highly juvenile monster romp.
Those ugly space aliens from the doomed Third Planet of the Black Hole system (from the previous film, Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla) have returned and created a new mecha-monster with the head of the original robot, which Godzilla had destroyed. However, to avoid the prior pitfalls of a purely robotic construct, they opt to use a living being as its control center, in the person of Katsura Mafune (Tomoko Ai), the daughter of disgraced scientist Shinzo Mafune (Akihiko Hirata), who was cast out of the scientific community because of his radical beliefs about mind control and the existence of a dinosaur called Titanosaurus. Mafune is happy to help the aliens because they have saved Katsura's life on more than one occasion--in effect, turning her into a cyborg. Katsura herself is ambivalent until she finds herself attracted to Professor Ichinose (Katsuhiko Sasaki), who is leading the search for Titanosaurus. The Black Hole guys unleash MechaGodzilla and Titanosaurus on Tokyo, but Godzilla appears to tangle with them, and Katsura is electrocuted. Once again, the Black Hole guys restore her, but now she is more mechanical than human. Ichinose has faith in her humanity, however, and in the end, she kills herself, allowing Godzilla to destroy MechaGodzilla II. Dr. Mafune is killed as Ichinose and Interpol destroy the aliens' base. Titanosaurus falls into the sea, and Godzilla returns to Monster Island, or wherever he happens to reside at this go-round.
The people scenes in Terror of MechaGodzilla to some extent mark a return to the familiar Honda style of direction, with a far grimmer atmosphere than any of the films since Godzilla vs. Hedorah. Akira Ifukube's score adds an element of the eerie in numerous scenes, and his powerful MechaGodzilla and Godzilla themes, the latter of which is based on motifs from the original Godzilla, inject a note of seriousness completely absent from other entries in the late Showa-era series. While the scenario is completely outlandish, an undeniable air of tragedy hovers over Katsura, who is at once villain and unfortunate victim of the story.
Sadly, a disproportionate number of the monster scenes fall back on the goofball antics of the previous films with effects directed by Teruyoshi Nakano. Time after time, Godzilla appears as nothing more than an empty suit, being tossed and bounced around like a helium balloon, to such embarrassing effect that even Ifukube's majestic score can't salvage the scenes. In fact, they're prevalent enough to spoil the entire picture, leaving such a bad taste that it's hard to appreciate many of the finer scenes, such as Godzilla staggering against the powerful wind whipped up by Titanosaurus's tail; or MechaGodzilla II and Titanosaurus marching side by side, razing everything in their path; or MechaGodzilla II unleashing an awesome barrage of missiles that blow a city block literally sky-high. These laughable scenes are so incompatible with the tone of the movie that, even having some understanding of how Japanese audience's expectations differ from their western counterparts, I still find the reasoning of the moviemakers utterly inexplicable. A touch of comic relief is one thing; total incongruity is another.
It doesn't help that the Godzilla suit, while a little fiercer looking than its previous incarnations in Godzilla vs. Megalon and Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla, still resembles a Muppet more than the King of the Monsters, with big, balloon-like dorsal fins and oversized, rounded feet. Titanosaurus's design is interesting enough, with fish-like fins that give it the distinct appearance of a sea animal. MechaGodzilla II, similar in appearance to the original, with a few modifications, certainly makes for an impressive mecha-monster, and in most cases, its movements are convincingly mechanical.
The Classic Media DVD includes the original, uncut Japanese version and the extended U.S. version originally released by Henry Saperstein directly to television. The Bob Conn Enterprises theatrical version, which saw only limited release in 1978, was originally known as Terror of Godzilla and was significantly edited to excise scenes of violence (and the infamous scene of Katsura's naked, obviously artificial breasts)--so much so that the ending makes no sense whatsoever. Interestingly, Saperstein's television version retained these scenes, which runs counter to expectations from that day and age, when it was typically television releases that were so heavily edited.
The Classic Media DVD release, of course, is a big winner. It does the movie justice and then some.
Movie Review: This is a Sequel...Make Sure to Watch the 1st Part
Summary: 3 Stars
"Terror of Mechagodzilla" features the return of fan favorite Mechagodzilla. This is a direct sequel to "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla", and while this film does stand on its own, it makes for a much better viewing experience when it's watched back to back with the first film.
Basically a group of aliens want to tear down old Tokyo and replace it with one of their own cities. They hope to use the off-line Mechagodzilla (now controlled by the good looking daughter of a mad scientist) and a newly discovered giant reptile that lives on the bottom of the ocean named Titanosaurus. The only thing standing in their way is Godzilla.
This is a fun little flick. There are some great fight scenes, the special effects are on par with the rest of the series. The Titanosaurus is pretty impressive looking, and while not exactly a top notch fighter, he's still a cool addition to Godzilla's list of foes. Mechagodzilla isn't as impressive as he was in his debut, but he still looks cool as hell.
One of the best aspects of this film is the opening 10 minutes or so where the viewer is treated to a nifty little Godzilla montage featuring the history of Tokyo's gigantic menace turned friend. I see some reviews carried over from older DVD listings. Just to clarify, this DVD (in the silver packaging with the original Japanese post art in the center) is the uncut original version. You can access both the original Japanese film with English subtitles or watch the Americanized dubbed version. 3 out 5 stars on it's own, 4 out of 5 when watched with "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla" together.
Movie Review: The end of the Showa series.
Summary: 2 Stars
Ishiro Honda & Akira Ifukube both make a welcome return to the G series after a few years away (I am not counting Godzilla vs. Gigan's use of Ifukube's music for other films). Honda's direction, while not as assured as his work on such earlier classics as Mothra vs. Godzilla and Invasion of Astro-Monster (aka Monster Zero), really adds to the proceedings & helps propel the story along. Akira Ifukube once again contributes a masterful score (the best moments are the cues for Katsura & the new Mechagodzilla theme). Mechagodzilla (MG2 per an insignia on his arm) looks great, all robotic fury and icy malevolence. He's the star of the show here. Godzilla's look is a modified version of the previous film's design. Titanosaurus is okay but I just can't seem to make myself like him. Sure, his backstory (a dinosaur forced to attack mankind by alien invaders) is interesting & his design is decent enough but... I don't know. Maybe it's that silly roar or maybe it's his "power tail." The spfx are generally executed well. As usual, there's a lot of impressive pyro on display here. The scene where Mechagodzilla decimates city blocks is definitely a highlight. I have to say, the aliens do look rather silly in their 1930's era space invader helmets. Also, the scene where the "godzilla air balloon" is repeatedly knocked into the air does not work at all. This film is uneven but it's not a bad way for Godzilla to bid farewell to the '70s.