Terror of Mechagodzilla

Starring: Katsuhiko Sasaki, Tomoko Ai, Akihiko Hirata, Katsumasa Uchida
Directed by: Ishiro Honda
Rating: G
Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Drama
1975

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Aliens rebuild Mechagodzilla and only the real Godzilla stands in its way.

Review:

Tim: Terror of Mechagodzilla is really a straight sequel to the last Godzilla film, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. That actually helps it, as it makes these two films feel like part of a larger story. I know all these movies are sequels, but the connections aren't often clear. Here, an alien race rebuilds Mechagodzilla after his destruction in the last film. The movie as a whole is about on par with the last one- better than the average in long-running franchise (this is the 15th film!) but still way, way below where it should be. I've read that this was the least successful film in the franchise, financially. That makes sense- while the movie is decent, it feels like a path we've traveled many times before.

It really does seem like this movie just combines different elements that we've seen multiple times in this franchise already. There's an alien species bent on world domination. We have our hero, Godzilla and he's pitted against a few other giant monsters. There's a small band of humans (with very little personality) trying to stop the aliens and stay alive amidst the giant monster carnage. This is all fine to watch, but we've seen this movie many times before. It's the downside of making this a direct sequel to the previous film- it feels all too similar to what we've seen again and again.

Now, while the movie feels redundant, I still had a decent time watching the film. It might be beyond absurd, but Godzilla fighting Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus was somewhat fun and entertaining. We don't get anything especially new, but there's a certain comfort in seeing this all take place. Now, my complaints about this movie are so similar to what I've said about many other movies in this franchise. The characters are always underdeveloped. Now, to be fair, it was slightly better here. While I didn't have an emotional connection with any of the characters, the subplot about the cyborg and some of the family relationships elevated the characters slightly in this film. The biggest problem is that they're always treated like an afterthought. The focus always seems to be on the giant monster battles and the human characters are an add-on. The movie needed to establish human characters first. It never does this effectively.

The special effects are fine, but I can't say I've noticed a significant improvement over the years. This movie came out 21 years after the original Gojira and the visual effects aren't any better. It feels like they plateaued years before. The positive is that we know exactly what to expect, but the major downside is that the film isn't pushing any boundaries. It feels like it's just cashing in with yet another Godzilla movie. That's likely why the film did so poorly- franchise fatigue has more than set in here.

While Terror of Mechagodzilla isn't a very good movie, it is still one of the better products of this franchise. It is noteworthy for a few reasons- it's the final Godzilla movie directed by Ishiro Honda. He directed an astonishing 7 films in the franchise (plus multiple other kaiju films). It's certainly the end of an era here. Plus, this would be the last Godzilla film for 9 years- the longest break in the history of the franchise. It's the final film in the Showa period of the franchise. This isn't a good movie, but it's a notable one.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla