Gojira vs. Mekagojira

Despite the 'II' in the English title, "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993, 20th film in the franchise) is not a sequel to "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla" (1974) or "Terror of Mechagodzilla" (1975) and the fact that there has already been a gigantic robotic version of Godzilla seems to have been lost to the kaiju amnesia that affects Japan every decade or so (Rodan, on the other hand, is remembered by name). This time around, Mechagodzilla is not created by sneaky aliens, but rather by the 'UN Godzilla Countermeasures Center', a multinational, anti-kaiju taskforce. Why the robot needs to look like Godzilla is never explained, but it is bristling with weapons from laser eyes to a belly mounted 'pulse grenade' to assorted missiles to electrified grappling hooks. Needless to say, all get deployed during titanic battles with Godzilla and Rodan (who has been upgraded to field some kind of energy weapon to supplement flapping his wings and pecking with his beak). In the background of the mayhem, an egg has been found from which hatches a tiny (relatively) 'Godzillasaurus', promptly christened "Baby" by imprinted scientist Azusa Gojo (Ryoko Sano). The series continues to embrace new-age spirituality, as Miki Saegusa is back, and 'psychic links' and 'life forces' play pivotal roles in the plot. "Baby", as can be guessed, was included in an attempt to woo female viewers (who allegedly prefer 'creation and life' to 'destruction and death') and, while not as obnoxious and irritating as "Minilla" (i.a. "Son of Godzilla" 1967), this iteration of Godzilla's offspring is still pretty cloying. The special effects, which includes traditional suit-mation/puppetry and early CGI, looks pretty good, with an excellent Godzilla suit and some outstanding miniature work. Mechagodzilla looks OK, although it spends a lot of time flying/hovering or standing still, so I assume that the suit was not very mobile. Rodan still looks awkward and Baby has a toy-frog face with big, fake looking puppy-dog eyes. The film also features the 'Garuda', another in a line of highly improbable looking flying-tanks sent against the monsters, which in keeping with the 'transforming mecha' trend popular in the '90s, can attach to the Mechagodzilla to create a "Supermechagodzilla'. I watched a sub-titled Japanese version (although a lot of English is spoken in the film) and the acting is par for kaiju epics. The script is full of silly observations (e.g. despite having nothing but sharp teeth, Baby is confidently identified as a plant eater), quantum leaps of logic, and dramatic conclusions based on essentially no data, but that's nothing new for the genre. The battle scenes are good, as is the music, and, if you are the correct demographic (which I am not), you can coo over the baby Godzilla. Although not as good as the loopy "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah" (1991), this incarnation of Godzilla fighting his robotic doppleganger is an entertaining enough time-waster.

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.

This is the best of the new Heisei Godzilla series made. For one it features the return of many favorites including MechaGodzilla (bigger and badder than ever), Rodan (although he is called "Radon" which is his Japanese name) Baby Godzilla (who could kick Minya's @$$ in 5 seconds) and Godzilla (who who could kick the Tristar Godzilla's @$$ in about 1 second!). The story has characters that you care about, the effects are wonderful, the fight scenes are great, Rodan looks really cool as Fire Rodan, Garuda and MechaGodzilla are really awesome, and the dubbing matches 75% of the time! The story says that an egg, which hatches into a Baby Godzillasaur, is Godzilla's son. However, it was found in Rodan's nest so he thinks that it's his baby too. The UNGCC (United Nations Godzilla Countermeasures Center) takes Baby away for studying. Godzilla and Rodan go to Kyoto to find baby but instead find a huge battle with MechaGodzilla. Rodan is seriously injured and near death. Discovering Godzilla's 2nd brain, MechaGodzilla destroys it, paralyzing Godzilla. Then...you'll have to see it to find out what happens at the end. This a must for any true Godzilla nut like myself. Buy it, and you won't regret it at all!

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

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.