Godzilla, Mothra, Mechagodzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.

I agree with reviewers who write that the film is competently made and reasonably entertaining, but I also agree that with this movie, the series seemed to have gotten stuck in a rut.

In fact, towards the end of what is known as the "Hesei" period of Godzilla films, the film-makers of the series developed a formula which became standardized for the "Millenium" phase: as the movie opens, we find the humans worried about a possible attack from Godzilla. Then they either build another monster, or have one flown in. The two (or three) monsters have a big fight in down-town Tokyo, Godzilla is tossed back into the sea, the end.

Of course, all genre films use formulas and conventions. But the stronger entries in any genre are precisely those in which the film-makers try out new approaches and variations to these formulas. In the so-called "Showa" phase of the Godzilla films (1954- 1985), there were plenty of multi-monster wrestling matches and attacks on Tokyo, etc.; but there were also some weird experiments, some that worked (Son of Godzilla is highly entertaining, if one doesn't ask for much) and some that didn't (Godzilla's Revenge). But the real point is that they were different, and challenged their viewers to decide whether the differences ought to be kept or scratched for the next episode in the series.

But with Tokyo S.O.S, it became clear that the 'Millenium" series writers and directors could only rarely innovate or improvise. The fight scenes in Tokyo became pretty much same-old same-old, film-to-film, and this is a dangerous thing to do when your protagonist is a guy in a rubber monster suit. When we see the same thing, film after film, we start getting bored, and when we start getting bored, we get distracted, and notice things like, hey, isn't that really just a guy in a rubber monster suit? Tokyo S.O.S. isn't quite down to this level; it is very professionally made. But there's no doubt that by the time it was made, it was time for something new.

First, a disappointment: Megumi Odaka, the young woman with the very large ears who communicates with Godzilla telepathically, is NOT in this one...My children and I have dubbed her "Mickey Mouse" and enjoy seeing her in the series...

This movie has the BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS of ANY Godzilla movie that I have seen. The planes look like planes; the tanks look like tanks; and, Godzilla looks so COOL! He has gone through another make-over and has been given a cobra-like neck to go with the newer, smaller head and the glowing spinal plates.

Who else has a new look? The women that Dennis Miller refers to as the Mothra Chicks. New outfits, bare midriffs, ugly shoes...more contemporary ideals of beauty. And, they sing just as well as the originals...

The effects are most spectacular with Mothra, although I hear that Mothra is not really a moth, but a stunt butterfly in a moth-suit. The look of the giant insect is most realistic and the effects of his near miss flybys can almost be felt by the viewer.

Mechagodzilla looks pretty neat as well.

I won't give much of the plot away. There is less screen time for the child actors, but the movie is perfectly fine for children. No discernible death, just a lot of good clean monster fun...

So I took a break from the world of Godzilla after MECHAGODZILLA II and SPACE GODZILLA disappointed me and the 1954 original (which I appreciated for what it was) bored me. But I'm a glutton for punishment, and I decided to try again and find a Godzilla movie that's more my speed. My next excursion brought me to GODZILLA: TOKYO S.O.S. While it has a lot in common with his run-in with Space Godzilla, I found that I enjoyed it a bit more. I don't know if I'm just getting used to the genre or it the movies just got better as the years went on. I guess TOKYO S.O.S. was the second-to-last of the Toho series films so I guess it's better late than never. Just because the movie's an improvement over the previous installments I've seen, that doesn't mean it's any less insane. The movie opens with the arrival of Mothra, heralded by his twin space fairies warning Dr. Shinichi Chujo that Mothra demands that Godzilla's remains (which had been used in the construction of Mechagodzilla) be returned to the sea where they belong. It never really explains why so I just assume Mothra's a stickler for proper burial procedures. Anyway Godzilla awakens (I thought he was dead and his bones were in Mechagodzilla?) and returns to Tokyo to exact revenge on Mechagodzilla for…having his bones? Mothra has offered to defend Tokyo in Mechagodzilla's place if the Japanese government comply with his request, and he is summoned to battle Godzilla when the beast arrives. Then, human characters step aside and we're treated to an hour of Godzilla, Mothra, and Mechagodzilla going to battle.

So, the first thing I noticed is that this movie trades in some elements of crazy (there are no psychics in this movie) for others (space fairies and a giant benevolent moth). Let's go ahead and just get this reminder out of the way. I am not a long-term Godzilla fan and only started watching the series when I realized that I was excited to see Gareth Edwards' 2014 reboot and wanted to get some history on the series. I did not watch them in order and I've only seen a handful of them. So I'm sure there are perfectly "logical" explanations for all of the weirdness I get such a kick out of but I'm more entertained by just assuming it was the writer's love for LSD. For example, why is Mothra's offspring born from an egg more resembling that of a bird than any insect? It doesn't matter. He's a space moth with hot twin space fairies that act as his voice to mankind. I'd always wondered why it appeared that Mothra had such a huge fan base and I think I get it. It's probably the most interesting of the monsters I've seen so far. It's not just some mindless beast rampaging through Japan. It's got personality and it's own agenda. It wants Godzilla's remains returned to the sea (again, for reasons unknown to me) and it's willing to become the nation's guardian in exchange for the disassembly of Mechagodzilla.

At the start of the movie, Mechagodzilla is in a state of disrepair and the government is weighing the option of shutting down the program. If Godzilla's thought to be gone, why continue shelling money out to repair their giant robot? While the government gives it consideration, Godzilla decides to pop in for some Tokyo- stomping and Mothra steps in, quickly proving that his offer to protect Japan was worthless. While I actually really liked the human story element here better than I have in any of the other movies, TOKYO S.O.S. suffers from the same issue that really bothered me about SPACE GODZILLA. The movie is 90 minutes long and 60 of those minutes is dedicated to the final battle. No joke. I'm sure all the loyal Godzilla fans out there are shrugging and mumbling to themselves, "Well, yeah, man. That's what these movies are all about." Well, I need more than just 60 solid minutes of monster vs. monster vs. giant robot. Admittedly, this battle was way more entertaining than those in both MECHAGODZILLA II and SPACE GODZILLA and the ending was a nice resolution, even if I didn't totally follow it. I was unaware that Mechagodzilla has a history of spirit possession, but there it went. Anyways, my final verdict on GODZILLA: TOKYO S.O.S. is that it's a nice improvement over the other Godzilla movies I've seen. Mothra was way cooler than I thought a giant space moth had any right to be. The final battle, while still excessive, was pretty cool and the visual effects have gotten much better so if I were going to recommend any Godzilla movie to a newbie, it would probably be this one.

Godzilla: Tokyo SOS is the only film of the Millennium series that is preceded by another film. Picking where Godzilla X Mechagodzilla left off, the Japanese Defense Force is in the process of repairing Mechagodzilla after his last outing with Godzilla. Yoshito Chûjô, played by Noboru Kaneko, is an mechanic working on Mechagodzilla and was visited by the tiny twin fairies of Mothra, the Shobijin. They warned him that the people must return Mechagodzilla to the sea, for the dead must not be disturbed (Mechagodzilla was created from the bones of the original Godzilla). If the people do not heed to their warnings, Mothra will declare war on mankind, which I think is a departure from Mothra because she has always been depicted as a benevolent creature. But, without Mechagodzilla, Japan has no defense against Godzilla.

This film provides many references to previous Toho films, including bringing back the two character leads from Godzilla X Mechgodzilla, containing footage from the previous movies and even bringing back Kameba, the gigantic turtle from "Yog, Monster from Space" (1970). Perhaps the most notable mention is the return of Professor Shinichi Chujo, played by Hiroshi Koizumi, from the original 1961 Mothra movie. Koizumi reprises the role he did 42 years earlier, and delivers drama about Mothra's previous attack on Tokyo and referenced photographs from his trip to Infant Island in the original Mothra film.

The movie is filled with drama and heroism. The part where Chujo's grandson made the Mothra sign to call her for help was one of my favorite scenes. Michiru Ôshima gave another brilliant music score and Eiichi Asada did an awesome job on the special effects. Mechagodzilla's rockets and Mothra's wing attacks were among my favorite special effects in the film - all contributed to exciting action-packed monster mayhem. Some downsides to this movie is that as this movie also serves as a sequel to the original Mothra movie, Mothra and her larvae were not emphasized enough. Godzilla was also portrayed as very weak - in some of the battle sequences with the robot, Godzilla just stands there as if he is letting Mechagodzilla attack him. And, Godzilla rarely gets any chance to do some city stomping. As with most films in the Millennium series, this movie focuses on the military - an element that gets repetitive. But, on another note, the cast of characters are likable for the most part and Mothra's design is this film is my favorite of the monster, though she is really overused by this time.

Grade B-

The one thing that gets me is how some reviewers rate movies, but only tells the parts that they hated. What about the rest of the movie. This one is much better than the first (Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla 2002) by far. The story is very interesting this go around. The people of Japan are warned that if they do not dismantle Kiryu then Mothra will not fight for them rather against them.

This movie also has key elements from previous movies such as Mothra, and Godzilla vs Mothra, while still staying true to the 2002 flick. The special effects get better with each movie especially Godzilla's thermanuclear blast. The monster battles in this one were good as well, some reviewers think Godzilla has to be super evil to have good monster battles, shame on them. Mothra did her parts to hold off Godzilla until Hio and Mana (the larva) shows up.

I won't spoil the movie or the ending for you, but the doorway for Godzilla Final Wars has been busted open. Again don't trust reviews from critics whom couldn't tell you the difference between Godzilla and Zilla. This is a definite buy and an enjoyable movie. Who says you have to be a kid to appreciate the action of a Godzilla movie? Check this one out, you won't be disappointed.