Distruggete Kong! La Terra è in pericolo

Terror of MechaGodzilla was pretty much just a way to profit off of Godzilla Vs. MechaGodzilla for a second time. However, we all know why this film is so well known to fans, and that's because of Titanosaurus (which is also the name of a real dinosaur that has no relation). Titanosaurus is a highly loved Monster from the Godzilla series, and to be honest I feel like this film would have worked out just fine if it was just Godzilla vs. Titanosaurus. The monster is humongous and beautifully made, no one could live up to a semi aquatic Kaiju like him. I mean yes, the movie itself is watchable but, it does tend to focus a bit too much on the humans in my opinion, which is a problem a lot of monster movies have. I love Titanosaurus though, He's the centerpiece for this film.

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.

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

Toho realized something after their abysmal GODZILLA VS. MEGALON and hence were smart enough to put a bit more effort into their subsequent two films. GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA suffered from a lot of the same 70's goofiness of the previous films and some serious pacing issues, but overall was certainly a step in the right direction.

Wisely, Toho decided to go old-school with the sequel and brought back Inoshiro Honda to direct and Akira Ifukube to compose one of his best musical scores yet for the series. The result certainly brings this film a level of class lacking in most of the Godzilla films following VS. MOTHRA though unfortunately there's a lot of silliness yet to be had.

Plotwise we get the same tired old formula of aliens plotting to conquer earth with a monster (or two this time - Titanosaurus makes for an interesting newcomer) aided by a mad scientist hot for revenge against "those fools". Fortunately, Godzilla is out to stop them but isn't in full-blown hero mode. Instead, Godzilla seems to be fighting them more out of the fact that he's just plain pi**ed off, and he's got an impressive new suit to show it.

Effects-wise you have to understand that Teruyoshi Nakano was working at 1/3 to 1/2 the budget of what his mentor Tsuburaya had to work with, so in that respect his work is quite impressive. This film features a triumphant return of the city-stomp with a show-stopping sequence involving Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus laying waste to downtown Tokyo. Don't mind that they blow up the same row of buildings at least 4 times in a row - it's all great fun and showcases a lot of great pyrotechnics.

There's a lot of bizarre moments in the climactic monster-on-monster violence and a lot of iffy continuity. For instance, Godzilla knocks Titanosaurus out of the way and then tackles Mechagodzilla to the ground but in the very next shot, Godzilla is lying down alone and Titanosaurus is suddenly there kicking him in the head. (?) Most likely a case of bad editing more than anything.

Overall a worthy candidate for a way to spend a rainy afternoon. The 70's may have been a Godzilla nadir but this film is the highpoint of that lowpoint.

1975's "Terror of Mechagodzilla" is a direct follow-up to 1974's "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla."

"Terror of Mechagodzilla" was directed by the late great Ishiro Honda and co-stars the late great "Godzilla" series actor Akihiko Hirata (this would be the last "Godzilla" film the actor would appear in before his death from throat cancer in 1984) as a mad scientist named Dr. Mafune, who, years earlier, had discovered a giant dinosaur called Titanosaurus.

Titanosaurus is the first monster to appear in this movie, attacking an experimental submarine that was looking for the remains of Mechagodzilla, the evil cyborg monster that had met its demise at the hands of Godzilla in the previous film. The evil ape-like aliens the Simians have recruited Dr. Mafune and his daughter to help them rebuild Mechagodzilla in their plot to take over the world. They team up, and they use their monsters, Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus, both of which are now under the mental control of Dr. Mafune's now-cyborg daughter, to attack Japan. Godzilla soon appears on the scene to combat the two monsters and save the world.

"Terror of Mechagodzilla" is the last film of the Showa-Era series of "Godzilla" films and I can gladly say that this film was a great end to the series. One thing viewers will immediately notice is how dark this film is compared to its predecessor; apparently, Honda made a move to return the series to its dark, Atomic Age-inspired roots and it succeeds there. Still, however, a lot about this film crackles and is quite sensational and moves at a fast pace; there's even a poignant and tragic love story in there, too, and some James Bond-like spy intrigue (spy movies were quite popular at the time). One of the more outstanding qualities of the film is the ominous score by long-time "Godzilla" series composer Akira Ifukube. Ifukube's score is pretty dark and ominous, a total turn-around from Masaru Satoh's lush, beautiful, and exotic score from the previous "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla." A lot about "Terror of Mechagodzilla" simply makes it a fitting end to the Showa series of "Godzilla" films, despite its obvious flaws, because four main characters (Honda, Ifukube, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, and Hirata) from the production of "Godzilla" (1954) are on-board to make sure that "Terror of Mechagodzilla" counts as a satisfying end to the Showa series.

Godzilla is and always will be the greatest movie monster that ever lived. I love Godzilla and his films. I've been watching them since I was a kid. Godzilla's transformation from rampaging menace in "Godzilla" (1954) to hero over the course of the films in the Showa series was inevitable, in my opinion, from the second that a sequel to the film was hastily commissioned by Toho in 1955 called "Godzilla Raids Again." And not to mention that the monster had become highly bankable as a children's icon over the years since his debut.

But his return to menace in "Godzilla 1985" (1984) was the first instance that Godzilla had not outlived his usefulness as cinema's greatest movie monster.

7/10