In 1974, Inoshiro Honda, the original and best Godzilla director, returned after a five-year absence to direct this 20th-anniversary commemoration to Gojira (the original Japanese name for Godzilla, before the West Anglici... more »zed it). This is the fifteenth film in the Godzilla series, and the eleventh by director Honda. Yet again the aliens (from the third planet of the black hole, whatever that means; they don't really provide directions) stage a takeover of Earth, this time with the aid of Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus (they're just what they sound like). They owe the mad scientist Mafuni for the use of Titanosaurus, who in turn owes the aliens for resurrecting his daughter, Katsura, badly hurt in an accident, albeit now as a cyborg with the ability to control their two mecha-monsters. It shapes up as the fight of the century when Godzilla is pressed into service for our side. The battling behemoths afford the most dramatic and vivid fight scenes in all of Godzilladom in this one. Let's hope the aliens don't win; they're so smug. --Jim Gay« less
A mad scientist teams up with space aliens intent on world conquest and together they sic Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus on Tokyo with the help of a hot psychic cyborg chick. Naturally all of this attracts the attention of The Big Green Guy, who does the usual Monster Mash to protect his turf. Nonsensical but fun.
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Movie Reviews
Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla: The Rematch
Daniel Jolley | Shelby, North Carolina USA | 04/21/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Overall, this last film in the original Godzilla series is one of the better ones, due primarily to the fight scenes. If you've seen Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla, though, you pretty much know the plot in this one; aliens from "the black hole" are once again trying to conquer Earth with their mechanized Godzilla monster. The only significant difference between this film and its predecessor is the addition of the monster Titanosauras. The brilliant scientist who discovered the living dinosaur Titanosauras turned away from mankind when his colleagues ridiculed his theories; now his daughter, his only companion for 15 years, can somehow control Titanosauras. The aliens, who are rebuilding the vanquished MechaGodzilla, recruit the evil scientist for their cause, believing Godzilla cannot possibly defeat both monsters single-handed. Titanosauras is a pretty cool monster at first, but he loses his charm toward the end of the film. He has basically no offensive weapons (being a peaceful dinosaur by nature) except for a fan-like tail he uses to produce a powerful wind. MechaGodzilla is as impressive as ever but is basically the same creature he was in the previous movie. Godzilla looks pretty good and seems to be in fine form, despite the unsurprising setbacks he encounters in the opening moments of the battle. I love the grand entrance he makes here; he unleashes his breath from the shadows, then the camera quickly zooms to his eyes. Some say Godzilla is meaner in this movie, but I don't necessarily think so. When you encounter both MechaGodzilla and Titanosauras together, it probably doesn't do much to brighten your day. While the fighting is pretty good, MechaGodzilla just didn't seem to have his heart in the fight this time around. He basically just stands there unleashing his arsenal of weapons, eschewing the different forms of attack he showed us in his first encounter with Godzilla.This movie just seems to lack something, but I can't say for sure what it is. The movie seems to end very quickly, yet it is of a comparable length with other Godzilla movies. I think part of the problem is the fact that we have seen most of this before--space aliens controlling MechaGodzilla, agents searching for the alien base of operations, etc. Had I seen this movie before watching Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla, maybe my feelings would be reversed, but I consider the first movie to be far superior to this one. This is not to say that this is a bad movie; it is in fact better than most of the original series of 15 films, and it is historically important because it is the last of those 15. We would not see Godzilla again for 10 years after this movie, so certainly Terror of MechaGodzilla is a film you will want to add to your Godzilla collection."
Only half the movie!!!
L. Brubaker | Whittier CA | 08/24/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This final entry in the original Godzilla series is, in the original form, one of the better 70,s sequels. I read the other reviews saying that this film had a confusing story, and that it was just TRYING to be more serious than its predecessors, and no wonder. This dvd version is missing about 20 minutes of the original film. Several important scenes have been cut out, damaging the story. I have read that this was an edited version that played to the kiddies in matinees back in the day, and indeed all the missing scenes are the darker and more violent parts of the story. And worst of all, the very cool "history of Godzilla" intro is missing! This dvd is okay for the price, and if you are just buying for the kids. But if you are a serious fan, search for the complete version, this one will be a big dissapointment."
Not one of my favorites, but still worth buying for both ver
Low-Ranking Reviewer | US of A | 05/04/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The film takes too long to get going. And as other have pointed out, you don't get to see Godzilla until about 2/3 into the film(unless you count the US prelude of stock footage, which is fun, or the credits sequence). But that last 3rd has lots of monster action and really has a wonderful 3-way battle including a scene where Mecha-G just unloads on Godzilla with tons of firepower. For casual G-fans like me, it's worth adding to your collection cause these dvd's are put togther quite nicely and at a very affordable price(got mine for under $12). I have only 4 from this collection but plan on completing it.
Besides picture quality, subtitles for Japanese version, and widescreen presentation, these dvd's don't skimp on extras either. There's a 2-member(Keith Aiken & Bob Johnson) audio commentary on the US version that sounds too scripted for my tastes, but on the plus side it's very informative and worth a listen. There's also an image gallery complete with liner notes. Here's where it gets weird though: my copy says it has the original Japanese trailer on the back of the dvd case, but i can't find it. However, in its place is the featurette "Women of Godzilla". 10 minutes of cute, attractive Japanese starlets kinda make up for a trailer imho. All i can say is...Mie Hama!!!
Sorry. So, a 3-star movie for me personally, rounded up to 4 for this dvd edition. Recommended."
THE LONG AWAITED VERSION WITH PLASTIC BOOBS
JACK LOBO | Greenwich,CT USA | 06/04/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a review of the recently released TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA. Not to be confused with the edited poor quality releases of the past. First I'll tell you about the English dubbed version. The film starts off in 1:66.1 widescreen with some amateurish narration showing clips from Godzilla's Revenge and Invasion Of The Astro Monster. Then the familiar opening scene with highlights from Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla. When the opening credits are done the picture converts to Tohoscope 2:35.1. I won't go into spoilers, but there's a lot of stuff that was going on during the film that I didn't even know was happening because they were blocked by the inferior fullscreen presentation. There are also quick shown extra scenes and dialogue. The Bonus features for the English version are a commentary, art gallery, and a documentary, The Women of Godzilla. Now for the Japanese version. Basically the same movie minus the boring montage and of course more convincing due to hearing the actual voices of the actors. This is the version with the infamous revealed breasts on the operating table. For concerned parents like me, don't worry (too much) and for perverts like me, don't get excited. The boobs are plastic, strongly resembling the kind you can buy at a novelty store. Bonus features are art gallery, minus the commentary and the addition of the Japanese theatrical trailer. A film that seemed some what low key due to previous inferior releases is now vindicated with great picture and sound. This is the dvd version definately worth getting. The one that looks like a silver hardcover book."
Mechagodzilla in classic mode..............
George Carabetsos | Chicago Ridge, IL USA | 04/19/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Brought this dvd in the box-set. I strongly recommend this for any Godzilla fan. You get both the u.s. and the japanese version. But the main reason is the u.s. version, you get the origin of Godzilla. If you saw Terror of Mechagodzilla on tv years back. You would remeber the beginning. It shows the history of Godzilla, clips from other G-films. Glad see the u.s. version getting release with respect, as well as the japanese."