The Godzilla Thread

[gojikranz]

now on to mechagodzilla 

[Bob]

now on to mechagodzilla 

Hells yeah

[Henry88]

who can not like rainbow death beams

[Zandrax]

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)



Better than the previous few entries, but that's not saying much. It still makes this Jun Fukuda's best work. When compared to everything since Destroy All Monsters, it's pretty good though.

The venerable Akihiko Hirata once again plays a scientist (remember he was in the original Gojira as Dr. "Eyepatch" Serizawa), and his real life good friend Hiroshi Koizumi (whom he starred with in Mothra vs. Godzilla and Ghidorah) plays a relative.

Hirata's character, Hideto, is an expert on Space Titanium, which is found in a remote cavern. Don't ask me how "Space Titanium" is mined in a cavern on Earth and not from space. He also carries around a two-piece pipe that has magnetic repulsion capabilities.

Anyways, there is a prophecy that says that when a "black mountain appears in the sky" a monster will come and destroy the land. When "the sun rises in the west" two monsters will come and save everybody.  The two main characters (I forget their names) see a swirl of black clouds that look like a mountain in the sky. That rightfully conclude that this must mean the prophecy is coming true.

Cue Godzilla, who rises up out of a mountain and starts destroying everything. However, if you have been watching 'Zilla films, you'd notice that the distinctive roar of this Godzilla is not there. It's more of a screech. Recurring sidekick Anguiras pops up out of the ground and starts fighting him. This is noticed by one of the character... why would Anguiras fight Godzilla, when the two have basically been friends for so long.

"Godzilla" mops the floor with Anguiras, but is soon confronted by Godzilla... who has the familiar roar. A few fire breath blasts later, and it's revealed that the first Godzilla is a robot in disguise. Hideto deduces that Mechagodzilla is made of Space Titanium and is being controlled by a spaceman. He does this without any knowledge of aliens actually being around. Clever guy...

Godzilla and Mechagodzilla fight to a standstill. and Hideto and his family are soon captured. After a few brushes with evil on a cruise, our first hero (from the plane) comes in for the rescue. He has befriended an "Interpol agent" who violates the Godzilla movie code. He's in all black, with sunglasses, and is not a bad guy after all. Then it's on to breaking into the alien base. I kid you not, these guys infiltrate the base by calling a password through a solid wall. Keep in mind: These aliens come from outer space (a black hole, they claim) have all sorts of video cameras set up throughout their cavern, can control a Space Titanium robot via voice commands... and their main form of security is a PASSWORD WITHOUT A PEEPHOLE FOR VISUAL VERIFICATION!

In short, our group of heroes use an ancient statue( as well as the gift of song) to awaken King Seesar to defend Japan. King Seesar has the most awesome trait of just about any Kaiju. HE BLOCKS ENERGY BLASTS WITH HIS FACE!!! He can then deflect the blasts back. Too bad he looks like a giant mutant version of the dog Toto.

The real Godzilla, after being hit a few times with lightning, shows up and tagteams with Seesar. MG is able to rock ass on both of them at the same time. Probably because MG is somehow able to regenerate his missile fingers. Godzilla is also scraped and cut several times by a flying MG, making this only the second film where Godzilla actually bleeds (the first being Godzilla vs. Gigan).

But wait, it gets better. Somehow, getting struck several times by lightning grants Godzilla the ability to use magnetism. So he keeps MG from flying off Magneto style, and rips his head off for the three count win. The obligatory ensuing explosion knocks him off into the water.

I give this one about a 5. It's entertaining in a campy sense, and it's good monster schlock fun. But Mothra vs. Godzilla and Ghidorah proved that you can be more entertaining.

Firsts
-appearance of Mechagodzilla
-appearance of King Seesar

Last
-film directed by Jun Fukuda

Only
-Godzilla shows magnetic abilities

Akihiko Hirata Role: Dr. Hideto

[gojikranz]

this movie rocks.  everything about it is awesome and for me this is the best 70's film (I know blasphemy given the next movie but i prefer this one).  Ive already expressed my admiration for secret bases in sea monster and monster zero and this one has a very cool little underground base and that torture chamber was freaky.  I love the ape aliens when that guy gets clobbered on the boat and he goes apeshit (no pun intended) i was shocked as a boy.  and mecha godzilla.  mecha godzilla is just bitching awesome, when he is taking on seesar and godzilla from both sides it is pretty awe inspiring.  and i love satos music here, this is his highmoment, i love the jazzy battle track its not ifukube but it really works for me here.  there are all sorts of moments from this movie that are locked in my brain, godzilla coming over the ridge ready to kick some ass, blood spurting out of godzilla's wounds, anguiris getting his jaw snapped in half, godzilla inexplicable(but awesomely) rising out of a factory to confront his doppelganger.  ALPHA......CENTAURI
ahh i love it 9.5 of 10.

[Bob]

Just ordered a couple more Godzilla movies............ thanks for causing me to spend all my money 

[Zandrax]

Just ordered a couple more Godzilla movies............ thanks for causing me to spend all my money 

Just wait til we get to the Heisei series....

[Bob]

Just ordered a couple more Godzilla movies............ thanks for causing me to spend all my money 

Just wait til we get to the Heisei series....

Hmmmm, I have never seen any of those...... this could get ugly.

[Zandrax]

Terror Of Mechagodzilla (1975)



Finally, the series is once again put in the hands of Ishiro Honda, and it shows. The title is a bit misleading, as the majority of the terror wrought is by Titanosaurus. A more fitting title would have been Terror Of Titanosaurus.... with Mechagodzilla.

Gone is the funky jazz or disco soundtracks, and back is the haunting Akira Ifukube classical scores. This adds a lot to the enjoyment of the film. The overall tone is a lot darker than past movies.

One thing notable about this film is it is the first since Godzilla Raids Again that is a direct sequel. It opens up with the closing shots of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. It even has the same bad guy aliens who have rebuilt Mechagodzilla. They have recruited a mad scientist, Dr. Mafune (Akihiko Hirata in his final Godzilla related performance) who has studied a surviving species of dinosaur called Titanosaurus. It seems Mafune was once a respected scientist who fell out of favor for believing dinosaurs still existed underwater. Why the idea is so laughable when Tokyo has been decimated by giant lizards several times is never brought up. But since the execution of this movie is much better than the Jun Fukuda movies, it's not a big deal.

Titanosaurus attacks and destroys an Interpol submarine. Interpol is able to trace the knowledge of an underwater dinosaur to Dr. Mafune, but are are told by his daughter that he is dead. It turns out the Planet 3 aliens from the last movie are utilizing his talents to not only control Titanosaurus but rebuild Mechagodzilla as well.

As the plot progresses we learn that the daughter, Katsura, is actually a cyborg with the ability to control Mechagodzilla. The Planet 3 aliens intend to use Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus to destroy the major cities of the world, thus making Earth their new home. The Planet 3 aliens retain their silver jumpsuits from the previous movie, but have added one of the most ridiculous helmets known to man


The Gatchaman/G-Force team would be envious...

Katsura controls Mechagodzilla, who tagteams with Titanosaurus to beat down Godzilla and bury him. T even jumps up and down on the grave. Fortunately the humans have figured out T's weakness: Supersonic Waves. A helicopter flies in and runs off T with the blasts. This allows Godzilla to make a comeback and rip MG to shreds again. Godzilla then finishes off T by staggering him over a cliff.

Firsts:

-Godzilla film to feature any sort of nudity. The scene was cut in the G-rated version I watched, but I hear has been restored in the Toho Master Collection version. They show Katsura getting her cybernetic implants, on the operating table.
-film to be heavily edited in the states for the sake of violence and nudity.

Lasts:

-appearance of Akihiko Hirata. He was set to star in Return Of Godzilla (aka Godzilla 1985) but passed away shortly before filming.
-film directed by Ishiro Honda. He was set to direct Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2 in 1993, but again passed away prior to filming.
-It is also the last film to depict Godzilla as a hero. All subsequent films have had Big G as the villain once again, or as the lesser of two evils destroying a planet threatening monster.
-And finally, this is the last of the "Showa" series of Godzilla films. There would not be another film for a good decade, and by that time regular 'Zilla movies were being made. Those films are categorized as the "Heisei" or Vs series. Though in the "fictional" timeline, Destroy All Monsterswould be the last film since it's set in 1999.

Only
-appearance of Titanosaurus

Akihiko Hirata Role: Dr. Mafune

Overall this one earns a 6. Maybe a 6.5. It is far more serious than previous entries, but the camp is still there.

[gojikranz]

Firsts:

-Godzilla film to feature any sort of nudity. The scene was cut in the G-rated version I watched, but I hear has been restored in the Toho Master Collection version. They show Katsura getting her cybernetic implants, on the operating table.
-film to be heavily edited in the states for the sake of violence and nudity.

those are actually both held by godzilla vs megalon...
be back in a bit with my thoughts

[gojikranz]

decided i oughta rewatch it before i said my piece becuase i had only seen the uncut version once before when it came out.  you really really need to see this one uncut noto nly cause it makes a lot more sense and is smoother(especially the ending), but for TOHOSCOPE.  i cant ever watch another 60-70s godzilla flick without the tohoscope it is so key to making the films look lovely.  and the action is just so much better with the breathing room. 

anyways i know a lot of people feel this is the best film of the seventies but i really prefer the first mechagodzilla.  i find this one to be sillier in a lot of ways.  hirata gives his worst performance in a godzilla film not his fault just the character is such a broad mad scientist stereotype down to hte einstein hair and glasses.  the aliens have silly hats as you mentioned(and what happened to those slick ape faces!).  the fights are not as good in this one in my opinion.  some of hte mechagodzilla stuff is breathtaking but there are some horrible moments like titanosaurus lifting godzilla by biting his lip and punching him.  frankly all of titanosaurus just isnt that great for me.  the idea of the girl cyborg controlling them is pretty good.  ifukubes new mechagodzilla theme is great but i still like satos work on the other film two sides of a coin i guess.  but even though i dont think its as good as the first its still pretty damn good!  8 of 10

[Zandrax]

Return Of Godzilla (1984)




First
-film of the Heisei era
-appearance of the Super-X
-Godzilla's first movie appearance in ten years
-first Godzilla film to completely ignore any previous films sans the original. This was a back to basics approach with Godzilla being a nuclear metaphor.
-Duplicate title. It was originally released as simply Godzilla, but has been retro-named Return Of Godzilla.
-one of only three movies to have American footage added to it for an American release. The other two were the original and King Kong vs. Godzilla.

Last
-Godzilla as the lone monster (not counting the 1998 American version)

As said above, this movie ignores all other movies except the original. So Japan has not seen or heard from Godzilla in 30 years. That is, until a fishing boat goes missing. Reporter Goro Maki (Ken Tanaka) stumbles across the vessel by accident. All of the crew are dead, apparently killed by some overgrown slug. The slug is killed by the only survivor, Hiroshi Okumura. After being in shock for some time, Hiroshi says that the ship encountered Godzilla.

Hiroshi's story is kept a secret from the public, much to Goro's dismay. Although he does tell Hiroshi's sister Naoko Okumura (Japanese beauty queen Yasuko Sawaguchi) who was afraid her brother was dead. The reason the story is kept a secret is because the press does not want the public to know about Godzilla, and be thrown into a panic. Goro also meets Dr. Hayashida (Yosuke Natsuki, who took over the role meant for his friend Akihiko Nirata) who educates them on what makes Godzilla. Longtime Godzilla fans may recognize Natsuki from Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monster.

Things are complicated when Godzilla attacks and destroys a Soviet submarine. The Soviets blame the Americans, and the Americans are afraid of retaliation. It's then that the existence of Godzilla is revealed. A long, exciting* political scene ensues of whether nuclear weapons should be used against Godzilla. Japan ultimately forbids it not only out of fear of nuclear effects, but realizing that Godzilla was creating from nuclear obsession.

During this political turmoil, Godzilla surfaces again and attacks a nuclear power plant, and feeds off the radiation. Goro and Dr. Hayashida realize that Godzilla is somehow attracted to the calls of birds flying south. The put in motion a plan to create a synthesized version utilizing a loudspeaker, hoping to create a defense against him.

Godzilla arrives in Tokyo for his big rampage. He attacks a Soviet missile base, which triggers a nuclear failsafe. One Soviet soldier gives his life trying to stop the device, but ultimately fails. Remember that when we get to the American version.

Fortunately, Japan has a secret weapon, the Super-X! The Super-X uses cadmium weapons to poison Godzilla, and actually has the big guy down for the count....

...until the Soviet nuclear missile is shot down from orbit. The radioactive wave revives Godzilla, allowing him to destroy the Super-X and continue on his rampage.

Dr. Hayashida helps equip his artificial bird call, which leads G out of Tokyo, and near a vlocano, where a trap is triggered and Godzilla collapses into the volcano.

I give this one about a 5. It really dragged at times during the political scenes, and only having Godzilla as the monster seemed a bit dull compared to other movies. It is however a solidly executed film by monster schlock standards.

*really, REALLY boring

[gojikranz]

admissions up front i havent seen the japanese or even a widescreen version of this movie so my rating is heavily biased. 

well its got good effects!...   an attempt to get the plodding terror of the original just doesnt work quite as well in the 80's.  raymond burr's scenes are much more poorly included in this version but it does make me want to drink some dr pepper.  i also hate how the american version makes the russian the villain when in the original he was trying to stop the missile.  i think my ratng of the japanese widescreen version would be higher but based on what i have 4 of 10

[Henry88]

now bring on biollante and all that science talk

[Zandrax]

Godzilla 1985 (1984)



The American version of Return Of Godzilla. This is one of the few times where the American version of a Godzilla film is in my opinion superior to the original. Like the original Gojira, the Japanese cut ran over 100 minutes, while the American cut runs about 85. Also, many scenes are deleted to make room for American footage filmed in English. Most importantly, Raymond Burr reprises his role as Steve Martin. But likely due to actor Steve Martin becoming a household name, he is referred to as Mr. Martin.

The plot unfolds in the beginning much the same as the original, with the lost boat and the big green slug. A few scenes are inserted that take place in the States to show what Americans think. Gone is the subplot of the coverup to the public. The US government looks to Steve Martin, who has lived a relatively quiet life for the last 30 years, for help in dealing with a potential Godzilla threat.

Remember the Soviet soldier that died trying to stop the nuclear failsafe? Well in the American version he dies trying to launch the missile. See, you couldn't paint Soviets in a sympathetic light in 1985...

Anyways despite Martin's cynicism, the US Government goes ahead with precautionary measures as well as shooting the missile out of the sky as before. Martin correctly predicts that any physical measures to stop Godzilla will be futile ("General, I hope you succeed. But no matter the outcome... Godzilla will live").

The resolution is the same as well, with some streamlining of dialogue and deletion of scenes. The final dramatic scenes of Godzilla plummeting into the volcano are accompanied by Raymond Burr voicing over the motto of the film.

"Nature has a way sometimes of reminding Man of just how small he is. She occasionally throws up terrible offsprings of our pride and carelessness to remind us of how puny we really are in the face of a tornado, an earthquake, or a Godzilla. The reckless ambitions of Man are often dwarfed by their dangerous consequences. For now, Godzilla - that strangely innocent and tragic monster - has gone to earth. Whether he returns or not, or is never again seen by human eyes, the things he has taught us remain..."

Allegedly, New World pictures originally wanted to dub the film in a satirical manner, much like Woody Allen's What's Up Tiger Lilly? Raymond Burr objected to this, taking the nuclear metaphors of Godzilla seriously. The end result is an entertaining, but again campy attempt at a giant monster movie. I give it a 6, because as I said before, the American version was a better cut for once.

Lasts
-Appearance of Raymond Burr
-Film to have any American footage added
-Film to have any significant alteration for an American audience.