BLOOD WORK: THE SAGA OF THE KING OF THE MONSTERS ~ PART 14: GODZILLA VS MECHAGODZILLA (1974)

The 1970's was a difficult period for the Japanese movie industry. Television was taking over and as a result the movie companies were trying all sorts of different approaches to reinvigorate their film franchises. The Godzilla series was no exception. Characters like ULTRA-MAN and giant robots, which were so popular on TV, were being shamelessly copied and featured in the Godzilla series in an attempt to win audiences back. GODZILLA VS MECHAGODZILLA marks the first time the king of the monsters ever fought a giant mechanized monster.

Two directors are primarily responsible for the Godzilla films of the Showa Era: Ishiro Honda and Jun Fukuda. Fukuda directed five of the fifteen Godzilla films of the first series. He is the one who brought giant crustaceans, massive insects and arachnids, an Ultra-Man parody, cyborgs, giant robots, and some of the craziest kaiju designs ever seen to the series. Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla was his last film entry into the series and quite possibly his best effort.

THE PLOT

This was the United States title for the film

An heiress to the Azumi Royal family has a premonition of doom: A monster will set fire to the city and trample on the people who try to run away. Godzilla appears and begins wreaking havoc. The king of the monsters doesn't seem like himself though. When his kaiju friend Anguirus arrives and the two monsters fight, everyone realizes something is wrong. Godzilla next attacks a city only to encounter Godzilla blocking his path. The two Godzillas fight and in the battle one of them is revealed to be a robot wearing a fake skin, a Mechagodzilla. The giant mechanical menace proves too much for Godzilla to triumph against alone. It will take a series of prophecies, secret agents, and an ancient god to help Godzilla win the day and save the Earth from destruction.

THE GOOD

The pace. This movie has its slow moments but when the action hits the movie takes off! Toho really pulled out all the stops here and gave director Jun Fukuda everything he needed. The battle between Anguirus and disguised Mechagodzilla is fast and furious, both monsters moving rapidly as opposed to the dramatic slow motion photography that typify many Godzilla battles. And the final battle is perhaps the most flashy, explosive, and effects heavy fights of the entire Godzilla series (outside of Destroy All Monsters of course). And the score. It's a completely new and memorable film score that's dynamic and moves at a hundred miles an hour during that last battle.

King Seesar, Mechagodzilla, and Godzilla

All new. During the waning years of the Japanese film industry seeing reused footage, often referred to as Stock Footage, was quite common. There is no stock footage in this film. 1974 was Godzilla's twentieth anniversary and Toho celebrated with extravagance and excess. Godzilla had never fought a robot before nor had he gushed blood as copiously as he does in this film. The graphic violence reached a whole new level, from Anguirus having his jaw bloodied and broken in two places to missiles stabbing into Godzilla's flesh and hanging there (it's pretty intense). And two completely new monsters in Mechagodzilla and King Seesar.

A crazy plot. First seeing this movie you wonder what the heck is wrong with Godzilla. He doesn't sound right and he's acting like a total jerk. Then you see the real Godzilla and the impostor is revealed to be a machine! A machine from space! Now we've seen the space alien plot before but now they're green skinned ape-men from the third planet of the black hole (it seriously looks like they're trying to appeal to the Planet of the Apes crowd). Not only that, the film brings in secret agents (no doubt trying to draw in fans of James Bond). And then there's the apocalyptic predictions of the shrine priestess and prophecies coming true making this film one part religious, one part spy thriller, one part alien invasion, one part giant monster movie. Like I said, crazy.

THE BAD

Planet of the Apes part 6?

Shameless. Everything I mentioned above about the plot is an equal indication for something gone terribly wrong. You can interpret it in one of two ways: either completely ludicrous or completely amazing! I subscribe to the latter opinion but I can easily see how someone could view a melding of four or five different genres as a desperate attempt to right a sinking ship, and it is, but in this case it makes the film wild, crazy, and completely unique. It's sort of a leave it or embrace it kinda film. I'm also not a fan of Anguirus getting his jaw busted up so bad. I didn't like it as a kid and I still don't like it now, although it simply serves to get you to hate Mechagodzilla all the more (which is what you're supposed to feel). I also don't like that the DVD is still out of print!

THE VERDICT

Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla is my favorite Godzilla film that came after Destroy All Monsters. It's sets out to give you everything you love about super spies, robots, ape-men, giant monsters, and Armageddon scenarios and does it better than all the rests. Mechagodzilla is given top shelf treatment and is a big step up from the previous four films in the series. As a child I watched this movie end on end and as an adult it still holds my attention because there really is no other movie like it. One of my favorites.