Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla – Review

After a string of films ranging from terrible to poor/mediocre you should have just about lost faith in Godzilla I know personally the last ones have been brutal to get through without the help of liquid courage. Then Godzilla vs. Mecha-Godzilla happens. For the 20th anniversary of the original Toho decided to switch the series up and go back to the dark content and themes of the past. Its jarring to see the concept taken seriously again coming off the last eight or so that were mostly directed at children. The 14th film in the series introduced a mechanical version of Godzilla called Mecha-Godzilla possibly the most famous of his villains, and also introduced a character called King Caesar based off an old legend. This was Jun Fukuda final Godzilla film he never as prolific or made any as good as Ishiro Honda but I would say this is far and above his best attempt in the series.

This movie came up with a brilliant way to show off Godzilla’s destructive power but also keep him the good guy we have known for the last bunch of movies, with two Godzilla’s for the price of one. But I am getting a little ahead of myself. Godzilla emerges from a mountain and goes on a destructive rampage which is obviously not something we have seen in a long time maybe he just needs a hug. Anguirus comes up to him and a fight ensues. Remember King Kong’s finishing move where he kills Gorosaurus in King Kong Escapes? Well after scraping some of his skin off revealing some metal Anguirus quickly gets overtaken by this imposter Godzilla and gets his Jaw ripped off in the same way. It’s a violently gory scene and even though I like Anguirus this quickly draws me in.

The real Godzilla shows up to battle the rampaging Godzilla and reveals it to be an impostor. Mecha-Godzilla was created by ape aliens of the Third Planet from the Black Hole to destroy the real Godzilla and conquer Earth it’s so lovably cliché. I mean yeah the alien invasion plotlines are my favorite ones of the original series but I think they should have tooled with their motives a little bit more from time to time. Honestly it’s great to see something more substantive then Godzilla’s Revenge plot but wanting to “conquer the world” just to do it is uncommitted and comes across as lazy. But anyway the battle between Godzilla’s is fantastic definitely the most intense battle in the original series. Mecha-Godzilla unleashes its full arsenal and a wounded Godzilla collapses into the sea leaving the fight a draw.

King Cesar is introduced as a sleeping God the people are turning to in light if Godzilla’s defeat. After a singing scene (because singing wakes him up???) that lasts a million years KC eventually takes on Mecha-Godzilla for long enough for Godzilla to return for a fantastic finale. KC is an odd looking thing I don’t really know how to describe him he’s not bad looking just kind of uninspired. He looks like a second rate Mighty Morphing Power Rangers villain. Mecha-Godzilla on the other hand commands this movie. It has multiple special weapons ranging from standard missiles to laser beams to energy shields. The polished look of the armor is especially appealing. The other Special effects are beautifully shot especially a scene involving an industrial park the miniatures look fantastic. This is the saving grace of the late original series; I would compare it to any of the first six. It’s the highest quality (and only) monster mash involving ape aliens I know of. The violence is sometimes shocking, the blood flows from people as well as Godzilla himself, and the monsters are took serious. I like this one.

Best Scene of Destruction: Mecha-Godzilla has missile fingers and he fights like a boss.