Gojira vs. Mekagojira

The 1993 version of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is one of the best "kaiju" (giant monster) films ever made and is an action-packed, exciting film in general. Full of great effects as well as drama and fun, this film delivers where other films of its type fall flat. For the price of admission, you get Godzilla, the updated version of Rodan, the new and improved MechaGodzilla and the introduction of Baby Godzilla. Not to be missed not only by Godzilla fans, but any serious science fiction/fantasy lover.

By 1993 the Heisei era of the Godzilla series was well in swing. Here production company Toho bring back Mechagodzilla, Rodan and sadly - they birth Baby Godzilla. Plot is nutty of course, top level government organisation want rid of Godzilla, so using various mechanics and creature science from previous Godzilla foes, construct a new Mechagodzilla, who is soon to be souped up to be Super Mechagodzilla. Carnage, telepathy, hidden brains and maternal instincts do follow.

It's actually one of the better films from the Heisei wave. Standard city destruction via model work is always good fun, but it's nice to find the effects work is of a much better standard than from previous instalments. The action sequences are smartly constructed by Takao Okawara, with the crowning smack-down between Zilla and Metalzilla absolutely joyous, a fun packed blend of cartoonish chaos and death ray destruction. Akira Ifukube once again provides an outstanding musical score, and while you will search long and hard for acting performances of note, it all just falls into place in the grand scheme of things.

Now if only we didn't have that goddamn Baby Godzilla! So cute! So annoying... 7/10

This one was really good...I finally saw it after many missed chances. This Godzilla movie had more action than some of the other ones made in the 90's and it also had multiple battles as well. This special force has made a robot version of Godzilla to protect Japan from the real one. Complications arise as a giant flying dinosaur also appears as well as a strange egg. The flying dinosaur seems to be Rodan, but they call it Radon here. Maybe this is what it was meant to be called back in the days? The egg ends up being a baby Godzilla and scientist stupidly bring it into a city and of course not only does Godzilla come for it, but so does Radon. MechaGodzilla though pretty much tears Godzilla apart in their first meeting using its various weapons (I was disappointed when it did not have its finger missiles like the one from the earlier movies), unfortunately it malfunctions and it can not continue the fight. They devise a new plan that involves another ship to combine with MechaGodzilla to form a Super-MechaGodzilla. There is also a rather dumb point of Godzilla having two brains and apparently the second one is in his butt (no joke). All in all a really good Godzilla flick with just a couple of flaws. Lots of action as well.

One of the top 10 grossing Godzilla films. Though no new monsters were introduced, this movie brought back Godzilla and updated versions of Rodan, Mechagodzilla and the Son of Godzilla. Rodan looks excellent and his action sequences were executed well. He's quicker and even gets to spit radioactive beams.

Instead of a space alien (referring back to 1974's Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla), Mechagodzilla is the ultimate weapon created by G-Force to defeat Godzilla. The Son of Godzilla returns as BabyGodzilla, looking more dinosaur-like and closely resembling Godzilla more.

It is notable that many past Godzilla movie actors appear in this movie. Actor Tadao Takashima (from 1962's King Kong vs. Godzilla) made a cameo appearance as Chief Hosono, director of the psychic institute. Actor Kenji Sahara (from 1956's Rodan) starred as Minister Segawa, director of the defense force. Actress Megumi Odaka returned as psychic Miki Saegusa, as well as Keiko Imanura and Sayaka Osawa (both appeared as the Cosmos in this film's prequel).

Miki befriended Godzilla and BabyGodzilla and told the commanders of G-Force to let the monsters be. However, she was forced to be among the crew in Mechagodzilla so she can use her psychic powers to locate Godzilla's secondary brain and destroy it. BabyGodzilla was used as bait to lure Godzilla to Tokyo. What follows are action-packed monster sequences - some of the best in the series.

This film has a plain plot, but the excessive scenes of the monsters and the colorful characters made this an enjoyable movie. You could see the interiors of the G-Force building and the psychic institute. Composer Akira Ifukube gave another spectacular music score, providing us one of his most memorable marches - the G-Force March. He used a lot of his music from 1964's Godzilla vs. Mothra and 1991's Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. When you watch his film closely, you could catch a brief scan of Tokyo Disneyland when Rodan flies over it (it is notable that Tokyo Disneyland opened in 1983 and this movie was released in 1993, marking 10 years of the theme park's anniversary).

With five monsters appearing (one of the most in a "Heisei" Godzilla movie), this movie is not to be missed by any Sci-Fi fans.

Grade A-

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II is a fantastic Godzilla film, easily the best Mechagodzilla film, and the best film of the Heisei era.

This film has a very compelling, well-written, intriguing, and elegantly simplicit story. It very much revolves around the monster action, which was a fantastic choice, as it allows for a very action-packed film with a very tightly knitted story.

At the same time, the characters are not left on the back burner, and are likable and interesting. Kazuma Aoki makes for a very charming lead who is initially a goofball but learns to take responsibility for his actions throughout the film and becomes a more competent man. Azusa Gojo is a very sympathetic protagonist with her touching mother-son relationship with BabyGodzilla pulling at your heart strings. Miki Saegusa is just as sympathetic and more developed then ever before as she begins to see Godzilla in a different light due to BabyGodzilla. All of the soldiers, commanders, generals, and scientists at G-Force each have their own motivations and character traits as well, such as the big, gruff Commander Aso who has a very deep vendetta against Godzilla. Even the side characters with not much screen time and very little lines have notable character traits, which is partially due to the really well-done acting.

The new Mechagodzilla design is sleek and awesome, looking smoother and more modern than the Showa incarnation, and it looks even better when it combines with the flying machine Garuda, making it look like an even more powerful killing machine. Godzilla looks just as great as ever, still retaining the iconic look introduced in Godzilla vs. Biollante with another excellent suit that happens to be my personal favorite. Rodan's redesign is more majestic and pterosaur-like, an improvement over his very derpy post-1956 Showa era design. He not only looks cooler, but more natural and believable. And finally, BabyGodzilla is a vast improvement over Minilla, looking absolutely adorable and yet still looking very lifelike, like a real theropod dinosaur infant. The three organic monsters are brought to life in such a way that they have their own personalities and could be considered actual dynamic, well-rounded characters on their own. Godzilla has his character ark here, as he starts out being the same rage-filled nuclear leviathan from the previous films only to become a father that can actually show compassion by the end of the film, as he spends the majority of it searching for BabyGodzilla, only to cross paths with Rodan and Mechagodzilla whenever he tries to do so. His goal is clearly to unite with and protect the infant Godzillasaurus to raise him as his own son, and he risks life and limb over it. He's still a badass throughout the film, but we also get to see a bit of his softer side. Rodan also has an emotional attachment to BabyGodzilla, but in a different way; since they were born in the same nest, he sees BabyGodzilla as his little brother and therefore does everything to protect him. BabyGodzilla is the heart of the film, as an innocent and intelligent being that cares deeply about those he sees as his parental figures. On the other side of things, Mechagodzilla moves and acts realistically for a robot, never making it seem like a living thing and therefore solidifying the theme of life vs. artificial life. The decision to make Mechagodzilla lifeless also supports this theme and, along with BabyGodzilla and our main characters, helps drive the audience to an emotional connection to the monsters as the film progresses.

One of the most powerful and unique aspects of the film is indeed the conflict it brings about within the characters and even the audience. It begins with Mechagodzilla being the good guy and Godzilla being the bad guy, but by the middle, it becomes greyer rather than black and white, with both G-Force and Godzilla having reasons to be doing what they're doing and both are reasonable from their point of view. This also creates high stakes and tension with the battles between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla, making for some of the most gripping fight scenes in the franchise.

The special effects are incredibly solid and well-done, with some astounding attention to detail. Despite the film's abundance of action scenes, there aren't any extremely noticeable lapses in the quality of the visual effects: all of it looks top notch (with the exception of some brief funky matte shots that don't look the best, and the prop used when Mechagodzilla is flying does look kind of wonky, though definitely better then the Showa one). In particular, the animatronic heads for all three monsters look notably impressive and extremely organic. The film is also packed with tons of exhilarating and memorable action sequences that are spread out so well that it's very well-paced and highly entertaining. Godzilla and Rodan's battle on Adonoa Island is one of the most exciting fights in the franchise, and the battles where Godzilla and Rodan fight Mechagodzilla are very excitingly choreographed and directed and have no shortage of physical brawling.

And finally, Akira Ifukube's musical score is brilliant; while he usually always delivers fantastic scores, this one is particularity good, with very many memorable, riveting, and haunting yet beautiful pieces.

Overall, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II is an absolutely fantastic Godzilla film all around. It succeeds in practically every category and therefore is definitely one of the finest and most consistently entertaining entries in the entire franchise.