Talkback Thread #20: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)

[SuperMonsterZero]

Then again, I've never got behind the standardized monster names and film titles Toho has adapted in the past decade or so. I'll never called Angilas "Anguirus" for example, and I think "Desghidorah" is a hilariously awful name that means absolutely nothing. Then there's the ridiculous titles Toho enforces in this country, using titles that these movies have never been called in the US or even using titles that no English language film prints carry. "All Monsters Attack"? That film only went by one title for 40 years and film prints still use the title. What jackass decided to "officially" change it? The film print used for CM DVD is called "Monster Zero" and before that the movie has been known for 20+ years as "Godzilla vs Monster Zero". Now Toho expects everyone to call it "Invasion of Astro Monster"? That's not even grammatically correct. "Godzilla vs the Sea Monster" has always been known by that title in the US, even to this day. But no, Toho's official title is now "Ebirah, Horror of the Deep". What the hell?

I don't think I'd be this aggravated if people didn't just accept this stuff on the grounds that it's "official", even though a lot of it makes no sense whatsoever.

I completely agree with this post.

As for the actual movie I'd say it's definitely one of the best of the Heisei series. Although maybe I'm a bit biased, since this is one of the first Godzilla movies I actually saw (on a bootleg VHS in around '94 or '95). Plus, it has a kickass soundtrack.

[godzillafan]

great movie, no flaws in it and loved the final battle

[Heisei Mechagodzilla]

Great story and the MG is great this time, my fav outta the 3.

[Goji]

Mechagodzilla was already "great" before this film. Mechaduckzilla was a downgrade if anything.

[HeiseiGodzilla117]

Favorite Mechagodzilla film, least favorite mechagodzilla design.

[GodzillaDude]

Favorite Mechagodzilla film, least favorite mechagodzilla design.

I couldn't agree more.

[GodzillavsJason]

My Favorite of the Heisei films and my second favorite godzilla film.

I enjoyed the music, the battles, and everything was great in this film.

I give this film a 5/5.

[DaiKamonohashi]

This movie is awful.

[Girlgan]

Overall, I wasn't in pain or anything as I watched the entire movie though I admit I was beginning to lose interest after awhile. I think what really urged me to continue watching it was the false assumption that Godzilla and Rodan had somehow made love and conceived Baby Godzilla. Yeah...Anyway, I never even noticed that MG's face kinda looks like a duck until I read some posts in this thread lol. I wasn't taken back or anything when he battled, I was looking forward to the ending battle mainly for Godzilla and Rodan.

[shinmattiathekaiju]

I really enjoy this movie the music score is one of the best i've ever heard,the monster designs are nice and realistic and the characters are just average.

3,5/5

[Goji]

This film just hasn't held up at ALL for me over the years. The best things going for it are the music, and a couple brief scenes here and there. The film just feels very tedious, and it's really easy to lose interest after a while (a common, and well deserved complaint of the later Heisei films). The actors are boring as hell (except for the great Kenji Sahara and vibrant Akira Nakao), and the movie just kind of plods along.. Not as bad as MOTHRA (92') or SPACEGODZILLA, but not much better.

[Arrow]

It's not a bad movie, but I see myself caring less and less about it. It's just not that interesting to me anymore. The music is great, the plot itself is admittedly not as badly executed as vs. Mothra or vs. Space Godzilla, and the effects are mostly pretty good. I also like the opening battle between Godzilla and Rodan, as well as the Rodan design in general. Hell, I even like the idea of Fire Rodan.

Aside from that, I can't really say I care for anything else. The Mechagodzilla design is my least favorite of all of them, I can't really get into the final battle anymore (though the end is pretty cool. I think it would have been a lot more effective for me if I were driven to actually care about Rodan), and the characters... blah.

The movie just feels very uneven to me. 2.5/5

[GodzillavsJason]

wow im just saying its kinda ironic for me because im like the only one here who thinks this one is my favorite heisei film while most people think GvB or GVKG is the best one.

[Goji]

Different strokes for different folks my friend.

[Cinematic Kaiju]

Movie wasn't bad. The Rodan revamp + spfx could have been better.

[Destroyer]

POSITIVES

1. Excellent new Rodan prop.
I know a lot may not agree with me on this, but I think the Rodan prop in the film is a great update from the Showa one. It looks more realistic, and is just a better overall look.

2. Excellent fight between Godzilla and Rodan.
I think this is something we could all agree upon. The fight between the two was just fantastic. In an era of 'beam wars,' this fight stood out.

3. Real, genuine emotion.
Some Godzilla films portray emotion well, some fall flat. (Though sometimes that's the dub's fault.) The point is, this film has emotion, such as any scene with Baby Godzilla. And the scene when Rodan dies to give Godzilla his energy is one of the most emotional scnes in all of Godzilla.

4. Excellent soundtrack.
Who doesn't like the updated version of Rodan's theme from Ghidorah? Mechagodzilla's theme is also very good, the soundtrack stands above in the Heisei series.

NEGATIVES

1. Too little Rodan.
Rodan gets knocked out by Godzilla, then doesn't appear until the third act. He needed more screen time than that.

2. Bland Mechagodzilla design.
Growing up, this was always my favorite Mechagodzilla. Nostalgic reasons aside, the look is a bit on the bland side. It's simple and effective, but could have used something more.

There's other stuff to mention, (Rodan being referred to as 'Radon' the entire time was annoying) but I'll stop here. I think the positives outweigh the negatives. I truly think this is one of the better G films, I think it's a tad underrated.

[Tohosaurus]

*updated 10/18/2013*

My opinion of this movie has fluctuated a little over the years, but I do consistently view this as better than the ones that immediately surround it, those being GvKG, BFE, and GvSG. This had hands down the best fight scenes in the Heisei series and probably the most action as well. It has much better pacing than what I recall in Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla, for example. So in those categories it has its merits. There are some significant downsides though. The characters are only tolerable if you're a Godzilla fan and will watch it anyway. The special effects, like the rest of the post-Biollante Heisei films, leave plenty to be desired. This was the Godzilla suit that first looked rather ungainly to me, too. Mechagodzilla's suit is also bulky, enough to the point that he can't physically fight that much; on the other hand, since it was primarily a beam-fighter, one could argue that it was logically not designed for tooth-and-claw battles. Rodan was mostly a good effort. The design itself is actually great IMO, but the prop could have been better. The origin and fast paced movements were nice characteristics. So unfortunately the film is entertaining for me but in some areas could be improved. Among Mechagodzilla movies, I prefer all the others. They have their flaws too but were much more imaginative at heart. Still, this is a pretty good Heisei Godzilla movie.
Critically 4/10 :: Personally 6/10

[Goji]

Destoroyer, the faults of the dub have nothing to do with the quality of the film.

The film may be a "tad underrated" because it's surrounded by some of the worst of the series. It's definitely not bad, but I wouldn't go as far as to call it "one of the best".

[Destroyer]

^Sometimes the dub affects the film. (Raids Again.)

I wouldn't say it's in the top 5 best, but at least top 10.

[Goji]

GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER is more than just a "dub", it's literally a completely different version of the film. So you're point is still kind of lost on me.

I do like this movie better than most of the 90s flicks, but it's definitely in my bottom 10.