TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA
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| Rated G
| | Copyright 1975 Toho Company Ltd.
| | Reviewed by Andrew Borntreger on 'a long time ago'
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- Godzilla - Guardian monster of Japan, though he bites off more than he can chew at times.
- Mechagodzilla - Rebuilt by the aliens to continue their planned conquest of Earth, dismantled by Godzilla.
- Titanosaurus - A giant underwater dinosaur controlled by Mafune that can not stand sonar (he must hate dolphins). Badly hurt if not killed by Godzilla.
- Ichinose - Interpol agent who falls in love with Katsura. It always happens, find a girl you like and she needs an oil change...
- Katsura - Mafune's cyborg daughter, able to control Titanosaurus and Mechagodzilla. Shot by Murakoshi.
- Mafune - Brilliant scientist who is resentful for being outcast, shot by Murakoshi.
- Murakoshi - Interpol agent.
- Aliens - Once again hailing from the "Third Planet of the Black Hole, Outer Space." Either chased off planet or roasted by Godzilla.
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"Terror of Mechagodzilla" heralded the end of an era, it was the last Godzilla film produced until 1984. The plot is the usual blend of aliens (wearing neat hats) and kaiju, with an encore performance from one of the deadliest foes faced by Toho's heavyweight.
Earthly scientists are attempting to locate the shattered hulk of Mechagodzilla where it rests on the ocean floor, but things go wrong. That is, if you can call the attack of an aquatic dinosaur destroying their research submarine "going wrong." I guess we should reserve that distinction for screw ups like, "Blub, blub, blub. BLUB!" This means, "Buttheadsura left the outside door open when we submerged! Help!" in drowningese.
Titanosaurus is not just another territorial animal though, he is performing watchdog duties for the aliens' secret project. They have been rebuilding Mechagodzilla! Faster, better, stronger!
When the robot is complete they unleash it and their pet dinosaur on Japan. Godzilla knows when trouble is brewing for his little friends and shows up to stop the urban renewal program. Unfortunately he finds himself entirely outmatched until Titanosaurus is distracted by human jamming.
Two scenes stand out in my mind as exceptional pieces of work, in the world of rubber monsters at least. First and foremost is when Godzilla charges at his robotic impostor through a hail of fire. Every munition you can think of is sending dirt and sparks skyward, the Godzilla suit even catches on fire! He seems to only have one thought in mind though, get close enough to this bastard to make him sorry. The other scene is when the king of monsters uses a shoulder block to send Titanosaurus sprawling, inventive tactics for a towering monster, but every effective.
I've always been fond of this Godzilla incarnation, the face is detailed and he is acting more like a monster (with some quirks here and there). Watching him battle two foes is just icing on the cake. It is only unfortunate that the plot has a very disjointed feel, but nothing a few rubber monsters can't mitigate. |
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| Things I Learned From This Movie: | |
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- Whirlpools drag things to the surface.
- Japan really is a small country.
- Interpol takes care of investigating aquatic dinosaur attacks.
- Laser pointers can be used as stun guns.
- The only way to save someone whose heart has stopped is to replace their organs with machinery.
- Evil beings the universe over all sound like Nazis, even if they look very Japanese.
- Conversing with people who lack vocal chords is just like talking to Lassie.
- Godzilla is flammable.
- If you must wear a funny helmet I suggest including a neck guard, just in case.
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- 7 mins - What is Titanosaurus standing on?
- 17 mins - That was a very poorly dubbed clinking of glasses.
- 21 mins - I might be nit picking, but even on this scale we should be able to see the workers.
- 23 mins - Only one thousand meters?
- 31 mins - She died? What? Could we get a flashback please? Thank you!
- 41 mins - Hey mad scientist dude, I think Mechagodzilla would kick your dinosaur's ass.
- 43 mins - Legos?
- 61 mins - An annoying kid named Kenny, damn you Kenny!
- 69 mins - Notice that he fires this weapon (it looks like an RPG) from inside the helicopter. There is a problem, it is called "back blast." The man behind him would be very miserable right now.
- 79 mins - The "Mechagodzilla as Godzilla" suit? What in the world?
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- Alien Commander: "The last of our planets is fading into the black hole. We must act soon."
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| | Audio clips in wav format | SOUNDS | Starving actors speak out | |
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| File | Dialog |  | terrormecha1.wav
| Researcher: "Allow me to build a giant supersonic wave oscillator!"
| | terrormecha2.wav
| Mafune: "Mechagodzilla is just a machine; he's no match for Titanosaurus. Titanosaurus has brains, he's alive. I want to show them what he can really do."
| | terrormecha3.wav
| Alien Commander: "Katsura is now a cyborg. Her hatred now controls Mechagodzilla. When we tell her to get even more angry Mechagodzilla is going to destroy everything in his path, until nothing's left."
| | terrormecha4.wav
| Katsura: "I may look like a girl but I'm not; I'm a cyborg!"
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| | Click for a larger image | IMAGES | Scenes from the movie | |
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| | Watch a scene | VIDEO | MPEG video files | |
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 | terrormecha1.mpg
- 2.5m
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| Who needs to watch professional football when you have twenty thousand tons of kaiju knocking other monsters over? Pay attention to the rope attached to Titanosaurus' ankle, maybe it was supposed to be a toppled power line?
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| | Leave a comment | EXTRAS | Buy the movie | |
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