On 16th May 2014, Toho’s greatest monster will return to the big screen in an American reboot. With just 10 weeks to go, we here at THN are counting down the GODZILLA back catalogue.
Director: Takao Okawara,
Starring: Masahiro Takashima, Ryoko Sano, Megumi Odaka, Yusuke Kawazu, Daijiro Harada, Akira Nakao, Koichi Ueda, Kenji Sahara, Leo Meneghetti
Plot: Humanity uses the futuristic plans of MechaGhidorah to create a MechaGodzilla, just in case the real Godzilla ever returns. However, scientists also discover Rodan, a large Pteranodon, and an egg that looks close to hatching.
The onslaught of classic monsters continues in GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA II, a title that suggests this is a sequel to GODZILLA VS MECHAGODZILLA, released almost 20 years previously. This isn’t the case, and was merely a move during American distribution so as not to confuse viewers with two films with the same title. It’s best just to ignore the II, as this is certainly a continuation of the Heisei era. It could even be argued that this film is more of a sequel to GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH than it is to the previous entry, GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA. This wasn’t just the return of Mechagodzilla though, as Rodan also joined the party, as well as a new incarnation of a baby Godzilla, who wipes the memory clean of Minilla.
Takao Okawara returned to direct after his huge success with the last installment, and once again he proved he had what it took with a box-office that doubled the budget. It has been said that original GOJIRA director, Ishiro Honda, had been asked to direct but his death in February of 1993 prevented this. The film ended up being the most action-packed of the Godzilla films to date. In fact, pretty much the entire film is action and fighting sequences, which is both a positive and negative. It gives us plenty in terms of a visual feast, but also falters on the human side. The plot is also rather basic and works as an excuse to get some monsters together, although some would argue that the majority of Godzilla films do that anyway.
The film opens up in a very confusing way, as it is announced that Mechghidorah has been salvaged from the future. I hope something has been lost in translation there because it doesn’t make a lick of sense. But once we get past that paradoxical nightmare, we find out that the technology has been used to create Mechagodzilla and that the previous weapon of defence, Garuda, has been put on hold. The opening is very exposition-heavy, but it means that Mechagodzilla is ready for battle from the outset, leading to numerous fight sequences rather than constant build-up to the climax. Lead character Kazuma (Takashima) is transferred from working on Garuda over to G-Force, the awesomely titled government agency now tasked with defending against Godzilla. It’s a force that will be recurrent throughout the series to come and even reappear in the Millennium series. Upon arriving at G Force, Kazuma undergoes training via the magic of a montage, which includes everything from Judo, to Godzilla fighting simulations. No idea why he needs the Judo as a Mechagodzilla pilot, but it certainly goes some way to explain the martial arts in PACIFIC RIM.
Meanwhile, a team of scientists are exploring an island where they discover a Pteranodon fossil. Did I mention that Kazuma is also a Pteranodon nut? Well, he is and you can bet your life savings that these plots will intersect somehow. Near the fossil, an egg is found and just as the scientists take the egg, a huge Pteranodon appears. It’s none other than the wonderful Rodan, returning with an incredible new design. His facial features are so detailed and expressive that it puts to shame some of the older and tackier looking costumes. His eyes are so deep and menacing that, like Godzilla, he now looks as though he is thinking. As the egg glows, Godzilla arrives and an epic fight ensues. The fight is filled with astonishing close-ups that almost bate the audience into denying the attention to detail of the suits. The fighting comes across as two beasts going at one another, with a ferocity that makes this more gripping than ever. As the two fight, the scientists make off with the egg. Godzilla injures Rodan, who flies away resulting in an unsettling moment of silence as Godzilla stares off in contempt before roaring his classic roar.
Kazuma reveals himself to be a massive Pteranodon nerd. Everything he owns is Pteranodon related, much like my love for penguins. He’s a big child with great enthusiasm, which makes a nice change from characters just terrified by the kaiju on parade. He manages to gain entry to where the egg is being housed, and can’t help himself when it comes to taking pictures. He meets Azusa (Sano), a scientist who is growing quite attached to the egg. Azusa manages to get Kazuma removed, but he’s stolen a sample in order to ensure his return. That’s resourceful. Azusa seems to be able to calm the egg, which turns red when threatened. As Azusa bonds with the egg, Miki returns to work shit out. She returns to psychic school where music is played that awakens the egg. It hatches, revealing not a Pteranodon, but a Baby Godzilla. This is no Minilla though, as it actually looks like a smaller version of the titular lizard. It’s kind of freaky looking, but also kind of cute too. It’s mentioned that this Godzillasaurus is actually a herbivore and isn’t as aggressive as Godzilla. A scientist just seems to know this, as the plot must move forward quickly. The animatronics at least look great, and although many viewers will refuse to suspend disbelief to help Baby Godzilla come to life, at least it’s actually there and interacting with the humans.
Godzilla arrives on land with some of the biggest explosions in the series. It’s an absolute destructive mess on show and really highlights the force that Godzilla represents. He is here to find the baby, who I now realise looks a bit like Baby Sinclair from Dinosaurs. Mechagodzilla is activated in order to stop Godzilla, and it’s wonderful to see such an expansive team having to help control the robot. It’s not just the job of a single pilot, but feels like a huge vessel that needs people both inside and outside in order to operate it correctly. It also takes time for Mechagodzilla to set up, placing it far away from any suspicions that there’s a man inside that suit. The pilots are made up of an international group, with commands given in English, expanding the threat of Godzilla and co. to a worldwide crisis. Mechagodzilla isn’t quite finished though, leading to a power failure once Godzilla manages to redirect all the electricity back into the machine. A full on assault follows thanks to the air based Green Hornet Division, but with so much action going on it’s easy to forget about Rodan and Baby Godzilla.
Thinking quickly, it is decided to hide Baby Godzilla in order to prevent his cries from attracting Godzilla. This isn’t too hard to do, since the infant imprinted on Azusa while still an egg, which is just a little less creepy than that whole wolf/baby thing in TWILIGHT. Once again the Heisei series shows off its stunning effects by not being afraid to superimpose and layer footage of just about anything. We’re treated to a real sense of scale and disaster, with buildings looking so much more real than their 70s predecessors. One fun way to watch Godzilla films, after you’ve seen them all in order, is to pick ones made far apart. This allows you to just relish in the improvements. As Baby Godzilla is sent to a handy reservation, studies show that it has two brains, with one situated in the lower body. It is surmised that Godzilla must share such a time-lordian abnormality, and if they can destroy the second brain then Godzilla will be unable to walk.
After a bizarre scene in which choir girls sing to Baby Godzilla, Rodan is awakened after recovering from his injuries. Meanwhile, Mechagodzilla has been rebuilt and Garuda is given the go-ahead to be a support weapon against Godzilla. Once again the fighting is brutal and brilliant. The action seems 100% non-stop and each time it looks like the end is in sight, a new twist continues the destruction. Mechagodzilla joins with Garuda echoing the Power Rangers ability to combine robots. Rodan soon shows up, and is even able to regenerate Godzilla after a harsh beating from his metallic doppelganger. The film ends with Godzilla being convinced to adopt his vegetarian relative thanks to Miki, whose psychic powers are able to advance the plot whenever necessary.
GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA II is a real treat for action lovers. More focus than ever has been put on the monster fights and little attempt to complicate the plot. Everything included has existed previously, and ideas such as time-travel, aliens, ancient mythology etc. is all kept at a distance. A simple ‘here to there’ plot keps the monsters encountering one another. This is the third time Mechagodzilla shows up, and he was to reappear in the Millennium series for two more outings. Mechagodzilla is always going to work, because it puts the humans on a level playing field with the king of all monsters. We finally get to feel as though we’re beating Godzilla’s ass, and that’s quite the accomplishment.
Dub-Misstep: Again this was a fairly simple dub that was neither terrible nor great. Interestingly enough though, Rodan is called Radon, which is his original Japanese name.
Monsters: Rodan returns to the series and looks better than ever. Out of all the redesigned monsters, this is possibly the best one. Godzilla Jr. is a much better son than Minilla, mostly because he looks like Godzilla, although the stuff about him being a herbivore is confusing. If he’s a different species then is he actually related to the big G?
Notes For GODZILLA (2014): This film is action, action, action, which many seem to love, but for me it lessens the impact of the battles. Not as much time is spent with the humans, and there isn’t a lot of breathing space. Granted, the plot doesn’t become overcomplicated, but the fights don’t seem to mean much when we don’t feel that anything is at stake.
G-RATING:
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GODZILLA will be released 16th May 2014. It stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Ken Watanabe, Bryan Cranston, Sally Hawkins, Akira Takarada, and David Strathairn.
