Mecakong

As a longtime fan of Godzilla movies, I'm at a loss to explain why this film in particular is so hated. I loved this film as a child (perhaps I was already moving towards my love of tragedy), partly due to the coolness of the original Mechagodzilla, partly due to the fact I thought Titanosaurus was cool. There was also the part where I dug the little story of the mad scientist bent on his revenge for being laughed out of academia, and the whole love story angle between the scientist and the mad scientist's daughter. As you can see, there's a lot going on in this film, probably too much, but I enjoyed the attempt to have a more serious subplot going on in a Godzilla flick. The line from the horribly cut American version "But I can't love you, I'm a cyborg", is highlarious. Anyways, I finally tracked down a subtitled, uncut copy, and I was amazed to discover that the american distributors cut the scenes that explain a major character's sacrifice of her life-in the american version it just seems a senseless act. Anyways, don't expect much except a goofy star crossed lovers plot combined with a mad scientist plot and kaiju beating on one another and enjoy.

Things did not bode well at the start, with a seven-minute greatest hits sequence that never seemed to end, but by the time it was over I found myself grateful for so much action so early on. When the story proper started it was with some very impressive underwater model work (I couldn't see the seams at any rate).

But what really marked this out as a superior entry is the plot. A reclusive discredited scientist is employed by aliens to use his thought-controlled pet Titanosaurus to destroy Tokyo along with the newly-rebuilt Mechagodzilla, their combined might certain to overcome that pesky Godzilla. Meanwhile an Interpol agent and a marine scientist investigate the disappearance of an exploratory submarine, the trail leading them to the scientist's beautiful but non-too-helpful daughter.

It might sound like the usual gubbins on paper but there's genuine tension in many of the scenes, it's logical and exciting, and rather than feeling like drawn-out filler while we wait for the real action to begin it's successful on its own terms, even managing to pull off genuine pathos bordering on tragedy at the end.

When it does begin it's hands down the best destruction I've seen so far in the series. They're right in the centre of Tokyo surrounded by skyscrapers ready to be demolished and incinerated. The camera pans across the cityscape as whole swathes of it are destroyed, and it truly is spectacular. What makes it even more powerful is that it's not a fight sequence for the most part - it's just two big boys laying waste to the city.

Godzilla himself is given a wonderful entrance, and in those moments it's a thrill to see this (of all films) so overtly referencing The Third Man (of all films).

They do escape to the country for the final showdown, but there's still the odd power station to be sat on and let's face it, we've already had our money's worth with the destruction of Tokyo. The fight is lengthy too, with Godzilla on the back foot for most of it, and while we're never unsure of the outcome it does get pretty hairy for the big guy.

For the budget the special effects are often superb and always imaginative (like the alien technician walking inside Mechagodzilla's head or the shot that takes us from his massive, dormant frame as he's being worked on, through a window, and finishes with the aliens and doctor watching the progress from a lab).

The music throughout is excellent, and the female lead is impossibly gorgeous.

What's not to love?

It was obvious that the filmmakers were running out of inspiration by the time this entry was planned,and as well as tired plots and tiny budgets the films were doing less well at the box office. Of course,films like Godzilla V Gigan and Godzilla V Mechagodzilla were still fun if juvenile,but it was clear that the series was winding down and Godzilla needed a break,so a great deal of effort was put into this one,even to the point of getting Inoshiro Honda,the original and greatest Godzilla director,to return. Terror Of Mechagodzilla is uneven,but it's by far the best of the 70s Godzilla films.

The plot ONCE AGAIN rehashes the aliens-out-to-conquer-Earth-using-monsters plot,but at least here it is augmented by a few interesting elements,such as the tragic female cyborg who still retains human feelings,and it is handled a lot more seriously than before. Honda tones down the juvenile elements and even brings a touch of darkness to the film. The finale has most of the characters killed,and one person's sacrifice appropriately parallels Dr Serizawa's sacrifice in the original Godzilla {incidentally,the current version available in the US cuts so much of the violent and dark elements out that the ending makes little sense}.

Despite the general downbeat feel here is still plenty of monster action,with the best destruction sequence since Monster Zero,while Mechagodzilla is somewhat improved since the last film and Titanosaurus is a memorable new monster {why has he never returned?}. There is the odd shoddy moment,mainly due to the low budget,and signs of carelessness at times-for instance the final shot of Godzilla uses a different and pretty awful looking suit to the rest of the film. However overall this was the best Godzilla film since Destroy All Monsters,and a fairly worthy end to the 'Showa'series.

Following on from the perky Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla, Terror of Mechagodzilla is a very different movie in tone, possibly because series founder Ishiro Honda is directing. The story (about a beautiful female cyborg helping alien forces control the Earth by destroying it with monsters Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus) is perhaps more credible than you'd expect, given the superior level of acting on show from the cast. Naturally, the film really excels with the creatures and Akira Ifukube's doom-laden score. If more Godzilla movies were similar to this then perhaps the series would face less ridicule. Or maybe not. Still good though. 8/10

The currently available English-dub print of this film is a frightfully hash-re-edit from UPA, released to TV syndication in 1978. I hope this is not the best surviving print of the film, but it very well may be. It is transferred in grainy pan-and-scan, and there are obvious bits and pieces missing from it - it is certainly possible to follow the story, but not always possible to follow the action. For instance, there's a moment towards the end when Godzilla is knocked over by a blast of Mechagodzilla's light ray; then suddenly, he's up and swinging, and Mecha-G is sparking from a short-circuit - what happened? We may never know.

Quality of surviving prints aside, this is Ishiro Honda's final attempt to remind Godzilla-fans what the series was originally intended to be about. The opening soundtrack is amazing - it begins with a martial snare tattoo; then Akira Ifukube introduces the darkest, most menacing Godzilla music he ever composed - it's really a shame that his "Mechagodzilla theme" was never re-introduced to the later revival-Godzilla films of the 1990s. It is brooding and downright scary without any images - but it enhances some of the stark images of the film very well.

These images include the most frightening moment of Tokyo-destruction ever seen in a Godzilla film, when Mecha-G and Titanosaurus march on the Japanese capitol with a sadistic joy rarely exhibited by rubber monsters from Toho. Although the scene is relatively brief, it leaves a huge impact - The cinematography captures the essence of US military documentary footage of experimental nuclear bomb tests - truly frightening. Also, there are some quirky back-screen shots of the monsters wading through the city that manage to capture how insignificant their human victims are to such gigantic creatures - the over-all effect proves to be every bit as scary as Honda must have wished.

The opening martial tattoo on the snare tells us what this film is really about - it is a puppet-show metaphor for war, in all its hideously dehumanizing violence.

Towards the end, a scientist holds in his arms the dying form of the woman with whom he fell in love, robotized and short-circuited like the Mecha-G. she was used to control, and reassures her(it): "...even if you're a cyborg, I still love you; none of this is your fault - you aren't to blame.' The epitaph of a good chunk of the 20th Century - thank god it's over. The only weird thing is, we survived.

Or, perhaps we didn't; it is Godzilla who wades through this film unscathed. Perhaps only the monsters inherit the earth.