The much-maligned Spacegodzilla was one of my favorites growing up- probably because of the very visual, sci-fi nature of it. I compared the Heisei kaiju to tanks in my Mechagodzilla II review, and nowhere is it more evident than here- Mogeura and Spacegodzilla especially are heavily-fortified beasts, blasting at each other with a variety of energy weapons unrivaled, I think, in any G-film before or since.
And yet... and yet, there's something missing. I like the characters, and their arcs are very clear. Miki gets a bigger role, and a romance. Spacegodzilla is visually striking (with more than a few evident Biollante traits, so that's the origin I'm going with), and a very clear, mustache-twirling black hat, nasty in a way that only Destroyah will manage to top. The score is very recognizable, and the effects- while uneven- are plentiful. The plot is straightforward. And heck, I'm a sucker for Little Godzilla; I don't mind cute.
All the pieces are there for a great film. And yet, for some reason, they don't get into a cohesive whole, for some reason.
The final battle is well-staged, proceeds in identifiable stages and steps with clear goals, and is not too one-sided. It ought to be a fantastic battle-royale, but somehow, the pacing just leaves it feeling way too long. Similarly, the character-bits, though workable, and nicely tied back to the prior films, just don't engage either. This is possibly Miki's best showcase- certainly since her introduction- but beyond that, the characters just... aren't that interesting, even though they should be.
I can't put my finger on what it is, but this is a series of good ideas whose excution fails them; all the right ingredients, but undercooked to make a bad dish.
Honestly, out of nostalgia, I'm still rooting for this one. And there are a lot of elements to love. There's one long shot of Godzilla wading ashore that's truly gorgeous, one of the best 'scale' shots in the Heisei series. It looks so good... it really belongs in vs. Mothra.
There are good effects, good setpieces, a nice villain theme... there's good stuff. But it just doesn't gel.
Little Godzilla's fate is probably a perfect example. He should be sympathetic (he is to me)- but to a lot fo people, he isn't. His plight should be Godzilla's driving force- 'this time, it's personal'- but they don't even show Godzilla trying to free him from the crystal trap; the movie just seems to forget about him until the end. This should be a great idea, and a way to truly make the 'evil' (or at least 'force of unthinking destruction that must be stopped') Godzilla of the Heisei series sympathetic... but they just don't pull it off. Your imagination can fill in those blanks and generate the sympathy... but the film itself doesn't.
And one could argue that the romances of the film are the same way. Your imagination can fill in the blanks to make the relationships work, but the film doesn't really give us enough to.
Maybe they focused a little too much on that spectacle that my juvenile self loved, and the rest of the film suffered for it. I don't know. Either way, I still like this better than GvMGII, Return of Godzilla, and possibly vs. Destroyah, so it's not an absolute flop... but it is a flop, and it shouldn't be. The elements are all there, and perhaps that's what's so frustrating about this film. It could've been a winner, should've been... but it isn't.
I don't remember any monster other than Jet that was created through random science at all, unless you count the German Dubs.
I was specifically thinking of that kind of nonsense science rather actual direct creation.
