Terror of Mechagodzilla
AKA
Mechagodzilla's Counterattack
Terror of Godzilla
(1975)
Page 2
One of the more interesting notes about the film's production is that Toho actually held a contest for young screenwriters for the next Godzilla screenplay. The chosen winner was, of course, Terror of Mechagodzilla, though the final product is reworked from the original screenplay. The primary difference between the screenplay and the finished film is that Titanosaurus was originally two monsters called the Titans who merged together to become the giant Titanosaurus.
This is the first of two times Toho has done this for Godzilla, the other resulting in 1989's Godzilla vs. Biollante (and which also brought about the existance of the film Gunhed, which was a runner up).
Brought in to bring the champion script to life is none other than the great Ishiro Honda, directing not only his final Godzilla movie, but his final kaiju film and his final film period (not including two co-directing credits with, his lifelong friend, the legendary Akira Kurosawa in the early 90's). After taking a breather from the franchise after the disaster that is Godzilla's Revenge, Honda corrects what Jun Fukuda did wrong in the previous entry by telling a story that not only shows respect for it's franchise, but is playful enough to make it an enjoyable romp.
The human arch, while not groundbreaking, is far more interesting than Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla's half-hearted "spies, monkeys, and sacred relics are cool" script. The story between a man and his cyborg love interest is decently original, and not as boring as it probably could have been. Dr. Mafune's rage against mankind acts as an interesting counter-arc, displaying an argument for the destruction of mankind.
One could accuse this film of being monster-light, however. During an 80 minute span, Godzilla isn't even mentioned until 45 minutes in. The setup demands payoff. How are the brawls?
The monster scenes are energetic and fun, but have one problem that makes them somewhat lacking in retrospect, they defy pretty much the any law of physics that you know via common sense. The monsters are tossed all over the place, yet instead falling in a downward motion like you know they should, they kind of hover and float upward before dropping and hitting the ground. I don't know if this was an intentional stylistic decision or just something they didn't have the money to do better on, but it happens several times during the course of the film.
But for the most part, they're really fun to watch. I believe this is the first time Godzilla has ever had his enemies gang up on him while he fights solo (unless one counts the three Kamacuras in Son of Godzilla). Usually it's the other way around as Godzilla enlists the aid of others to kick some kaiju ass. The new kaiju, Titanosaurus, isn't bad. He doesn't seem to be popular, though, since Toho never opted to include him in any future instalment in the series.
However, the ultimate monster moment happens in Godzilla's entrance in the film. While Titanosaurus is destroying Tokyo, the camera pans to a dark portion of the city where a shadow rises up from behind a building. Cut back to Titanosaurus who gets a facefull of radioactive fire. Pan back to the building and zoom in...Godzilla lets out a mighty roar! That is why Ishiro Honda is the master of the monster, people. That's fucking amazing.
Ultimatly the problems with the film are that the Godzilla series is on it's last legs and Toho desperatly didn't want this series to die. The aliens from the previous film are changed from Blue Space-Monkeys to scared humanoids with silly helmets. It's a change that goes without explaination, but is obviously just something they did to cut costs and make the film on the cheap.
But by the time Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and Terror of Mechagodzilla came out, the damage done by films like Godzilla vs. Gigan and Godzilla vs. Megalon had already been done and the series was beyond repair. Audiences didn't respond to Toho's late attempt to return the series to form, and Terror of Mechagodzilla became the least attended Godzilla movie of all time (and still is).
And thus, the Showa series ends, not with a bang, but with a solid and energetic entry that leaves a smile on our face. The final image is fitting, as Godzilla just simply swims off in the lonely sea. Goodnight sweet king. See you in nine years.
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