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

For discussion of Toho produced and distributed films or shows released from 1980 up to 1998 (includes Gamera 3)
Post Reply
User avatar
G&G-Fan
Monsterland Worker
Posts: 191
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:47 am

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

Post by G&G-Fan »

I actually agree with more of the earlier positive comments (and Grevious' opinion as well, at least on this film) then a lot of the latest one's. I love this movie. It's my favorite. Everything just works for me.

It's story is interesting and engaging, definitely one of the most well-written. Having the story revolve around Godzilla trying to find BabyGodzilla is genius and honestly quite compelling. There's lots of moments where I found myself feeling for him. I mean, imagine after 10 years of living a lonely, painful life as an abomination with nothing but your rage and hatred of humanity to keep you going, finally finding out about another one of your kind, a youngster that you could raise as your own son, only to be attacked by a big bird and a mecha version of you whenever you try to retrieve him. You beat them and you find where the baby is, but then the people who kidnapped the baby hid him underground where you can't reach him and the only thing you can do is just destroy the building in rage and confusion before being forced to leave. I adore the end scene with Godzilla and BabyGodzilla together, as Godzilla let's go of his hate for humanity due to having found another purpose in life: raising his son. Kenpachiro Satsuma does an amazing performance, perfectly showing Godzilla's rage, pain, and tenderness when necessary, and his performance is accompanied by a very expressive, life-like animatronic head that perfectly shows Godzilla's emotions. This film gives us a lot of awesome Godzilla action, but also shows us his softer side. BabyGodzilla is also very well done, as Hurricane Ryu does a great job with the body movements (it's amazing that the same actor who played King Ghidorah and Battra Larva played BabyGodzilla and Godzilla Junior, and was able to give them both separate character traits, making King Ghidorah and Battra Larva ferocious and making BabyGodzilla and Godzilla Junior more tender) and having just as good of an animatronic head (and maybe even better) that again, perfectly shows his emotions.

The human characters are pretty memorable and quite sympathetic. Kazuma is a pretty likeable and comedic protagonist who's rather charismatic and, instead of being the generic emotionless and gruff soldier archetype who always does everything right, he has a personality and makes mistakes, making him more relatable. He learns to take responsibility for his actions throughout the film as he makes up for his absence during the first battle with Godzilla by piloting the Garuda in the final battle. The reason he still fights Godzilla and yet sympathizes with Baby is because he's seen more of Godzilla's destructive capabilities and none of his soft side, and he, like the rest of G-Force, probably assumes Azusa is going to take care of Baby till adulthood (and theropod dinosaurs can start hunting on their own at around age two, so it really isn't a stretch). However, at the end, he seems happy, as now that he's seen Godzilla's softer side, he realizes he's as emotional and intelligent creature as Baby, and is probably glad that Baby now has another member of his kind to be with. Azusa has to be my favorite character, though. Her bond with Baby is rather touching and it feels legitimate. She literally confronts one of the head honchos of G-Force to try and convince them not to use Baby and then risks her own life to make Baby feel better by being in the container with him. And the scenes where Baby bugs her into feeding him her own food in the truck and when Baby takes her shoe just make me go "Awwww". They're so sweet. Ryoko Sano did an excellent job interacting with a man in a baby dinosaur suit and an animatronic and actually making their interactions believable and heartfelt, and Hurricane Ryu interacts very well with Sano. And Miki's ark, though it would've worked better with the deleted scene of her and Baby interacting together, works and is also believable. I like how through her attachment to Baby, begins to sympathize for Godzilla as well. I love how she pretty much has the opposite reaction as everyone else when G-Crusher is implemented, as she feels horrible after Godzilla is paralyzed, and then gets excited when Godzilla is resurrected, while everyone else was happy when Godzilla was paralyzed and is horrified when Godzilla is resurrected. Even the supporting characters have their own personalities. Professor Omae is pretty much a father figure for Azusa, as he seems to care for her safety, asking her if she's sure if she wants to be in the container with Baby. Commander Aso is quite a serious, gruff, no-nonsense dude who, while it's understandable that he really wants to kill Godzilla, comes across as cruel as he only sees Baby as an asset and forces Miki to do something against her will. Secretary Takayuki Segawa, like Aso, does want to kill Godzilla, but he's much more lax about it and less blunt to Azusa and Miki, as he gives the bad news in a more calm manner. He's the one that allows her to ride in the container with Baby, in the process holding back Aso, who is about to step forward in that scene to pull her out of there personally. Captain Sasaki is the one that allows Kazuma to grow up, as he verbally destroys him every time he messes up. And ultimately, while he and his crew do everything they can to defeat Godzilla, at the end of the movie when they themselves have been defeated and after they watch Godzilla and BabyGodzilla leave together, Sasaki, like Kazuma, seems to have come to some kind of understanding that Godzilla was only doing what he was doing to protect and reunite with Baby, and that humans weren't so different from the kaiju after all, stating that both reptiles and humankind fight to protect their offspring (though maybe a slightly better line would've been "Reptiles or humankind, we all fight to protect the one's we love" as Baby isn't Godzilla's biological son and Rodan is Baby's surrogate brother, but I see what they were going for. Besides, the original Gojira and Godzilla vs. Biollante also have lines at the end that state their theme in a rather obvious way and those films are worshiped. It makes sense in the contexts of the situations).

The action and special effects are some of the best in the Heisei series. There's not a single bad effects shot. The suits, pyrotechnics, explosions, opticals, mattes, miniatures, puppets, everything looks superb. The fight scenes are really entertaining, as there's lots of awesome, brutal physical combat (even the beam combat is pretty brutal, and the stuff with the shock anchors makes me cringe, in a good way) and the fights are very well choreographed. Even when it's just beams, it doesn't drag on for too long, as there's physical combat in between to break the monotony, it's fast-paced, and logically staged. The fights are fast-paced, well-choreographed and shot with the use of many different camera angles, the monsters are often moving and dodging very quickly, and the battles often come across as downright brutal and hard-hitting. I read that Kawakita made a conscious effort to have more physical fighting, but the material the Mechagodzilla suit was made of preventing Mechagodzilla from fighting up close, but he was able to compensate by having Godzilla and Rodan fight physically a lot. Besides, Mechagodzilla didn't really fight physically in Showa either. Godzilla and Rodan's fight is exhilarating, the first battle between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla and the Fire Rodan and Mechagodzilla fight are pretty cool, and the final battle is just an awesome spectacle. It's easily the most entertaining film in the Heisei series and the franchise for me.

Until I heard the complaint that the Rodan puppet was stiff I never even though about that, I thought it was pretty good (though kind of awkward in some places), and his character motivation, protecting his baby brother (at least who he thinks is his baby brother, as even though they aren't related, they were born in the same nest), is quite interesting. Of course I did mention earlier how Godzilla and BabyGodzilla look fantastic, and both are very sympathetic and compelling characters with personalities. Mechagodzilla is where everyone seems to have their problem, but people are missing the point. Mechagodzilla is supposed to have no personality. It's supposed to just be a machine, a killing machine. It's not a character, and this film never attempts to make it a character. Instead, it focuses on the characters and the monsters (who are given so much personality they could be called characters in their own right). It works as the thing in Godzilla's way of finding baby, and because it's not a character, it allows you to effectively sympathize and root for Godzilla, as well as Commander Aso just being so blunt and aggressive.

And of course, Akira Ifukube's score is brilliant. That goes without saying. This is just a great film for me. It's exciting, intriguing, and touching. I was never bored watching it. The pacing is excellent, as the monster action is plentiful and very well spread out, the human drama is interesting, and the story never convolutes itself with any random, unnecessary subplots being thrown in, and instead, has a very straightforward, focused yet interesting story, with every scene contributing to the narrative in some way. It’s elegant in its simplicity, creating a very rich, engaging, and endearing story. It's everything I want in a Godzilla film, which is why it's my favorite. If you don't like it, that's ok. This is just my opinion.
Last edited by G&G-Fan on Mon Dec 03, 2018 1:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Grievous
Terminated
Terminated
Posts: 1564
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2018 6:27 pm

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

Post by Grievous »

G&G-Fan wrote:I actually agree with more of the earlier positive comments (and Grievous' opinion as well, at least on this film) I love this movie. It's my favorite. Everything just works for me.
:thumbsup:
Image
The A.D.F Needs You! Join The Anguirus Defense Force via Private Message Today!

User avatar
Gojirawars 03
Monarch Researcher
Posts: 375
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2018 7:18 am
Contact:

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

Post by Gojirawars 03 »

Favorite movie in the entire franchise by far. Best score, best plot, best monster action, best monster designs...





AND BEST MECHAGODZILLA.
Last edited by Gojirawars 03 on Wed Dec 05, 2018 8:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
"The time has come, finally, to put our technology to the final test."
-Dr. Asimov

Image
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8S9Rq ... r78nzbs-FQ

GojiDog
G-Grasper
Posts: 1223
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2018 6:16 pm

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

Post by GojiDog »

I always really liked this one. This is one of the entries where the continuity of the Heisei series really paid off by using Mecha King Ghidorah (a cyborg made of futuristic technology) as the basis for setting up this series' version of Mechagodzilla. Things like that added to the comic book nature of the 90s films and made it feel like the events of one film could impact an entry two or three down the line.

Also, if you like monster action, this is probably the most loaded entry of the Heisei series. You get two Mechagodzilla Vs. Godzilla showdowns, Mechagodzilla Vs. Rodan, and Rodan Vs. Godzilla (one of my favorite fights in the whole series actually). Its pretty loaded in that regard.

One thing I always liked about this one is that this is probably the only Godzilla movie that doesn't have a "bad" monster. I mean Mechagodzilla is a tool of the government to protect against Godzilla, a noble cause. But Godzilla isn't out to cause mass destruction this time, he just wants the egg that was stolen, and that is what Rodan is after as well. But G-Force is using the egg/Baby Godzilla as a device to lure the monsters into their trap, which seems a bit devious or at least callous. But on the other hand, Godzilla and Rodan kill people...like ALOT of people, so its hard to say G-Force isn't justified. There is a lot of grey area there and I appreciate that as opposed to the standard "Good Monster" (or at least lesser of two evils) Vs. "Bad Monster" approach.

As for the designs, I mean, its 90s Godzilla, so that looks great by default (still my favorite design for the Big Guy). Mechagodzilla looks okay, though admittedly, I do prefer the more industrial look of the 70s version. Actually, now that I think about it, wouldn't it have made more sense for the shiny 90s version to be the alien one and the grimy dirty industrial one to be the Earth made one? Oh well. Rodan, a personal favorite of mine, could have been better. The sleeker design they went with only made him look puny compared to everyone else, but he had his moments to shine. And hey, it is nice that the Son of Godzilla actually looks like Godzilla this time, am I right?

I also have to give this entry credit for one of the biggest butthole tightening moments of the series as Mechagodzilla successfully defeated Godzilla. It was one of those "jaw hitting the floor moments". And even the build up to it with Miki unsure if she should pull the trigger was all well done for keeping the tension up. Of course Rodan magic powder brought Godzilla back, but it got super tense there for a minute.

Now, this isn't a perfect entry. To this day, I'll never understand the logic of drafting/assigning Aoki to G-Force. I always love the bit where he gets mocked for being a Pteranodon enthusiast (a weirdly specific thing to be interested in, but hey, who am I to judge one's hobbies) by his superior officer. I was like "Well if you don't want a Pteranodon nut on your team, why'd you draft him?". Its very weird. Some of the Baby Godzilla stuff is cute, and once again, THANK GOD they designed the son to actually look like Godzilla this time around, but some of the stuff with Azuza as a bit schmaltzy.

But this is one of those movies where I am totally in it for the monsters and on that front, I feel like this entry delivers in abundance.
White Male Genocide is necessary.

Kill all white men.

User avatar
Godzillian
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5789
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 9:36 pm

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

Post by Godzillian »

Gojirawars 03 wrote:Favorite movie in the entire franchise by far. Best score, best plot, best monster action, best monster designs...





AND BEST MECHAGODZILLA.
and why is it the best at all those things?
Image

User avatar
Gojirawars 03
Monarch Researcher
Posts: 375
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2018 7:18 am
Contact:

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

Post by Gojirawars 03 »

Godzillian wrote:
Gojirawars 03 wrote:Favorite movie in the entire franchise by far. Best score, best plot, best monster action, best monster designs...





AND BEST MECHAGODZILLA.
and why is it the best at all those things?
Best Score: Akira Ifukube creates a brilliant new theme for Mechagodzilla, a great remaster of both Godzilla and Rodan's Showa themes, and creates that haunting choir song that awakens the egg.

Best Plot: Straightforward and follows on from the previous movies. Rodan is found on an island with a Baby Godzilla egg. They bring the egg back to mainland, Godzilla follows. Unfortunately for him, mankind has been building a weapon from the wreckage of Mecha-King Ghidorah to fight him with. Godzilla gets into a three way battle between himself, a super-powered Rodan, and his Mechanical doppelganger. all the while, a young scientist and two G-Force operatives discuss the ethics of killing a creature who is the last of his kind. Simple and effective.

Best Action: Godzilla has more screen time in this movie than he does in any other film in the entire franchise. Mechagodzilla has plenty of screen time, as does Rodan, and they all have unique battles with one another. Godzilla vs Rodan on the island, which was basically a straight, Showa-Style slap fight. Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla, a brutal first test that lets the audience know just how powerful Mechagodzilla can be. The final night battle, a great three way smack-down between the three, that ups the ante with the new and improved versions of the monsters. Rodan becomes Fire Rodan, Godzilla eventually gains his Spiral Ray, and Mechagodzilla becomes Super Mechagodzilla. Great action all around.

Best Monster Designs: This is one is definitely the most subjective, but to me, Heisei Godzilla is the most iconic look for the character, outside of maybe the 1954 version. TOHO seems to agree with me on that, because they have been using Heisei Godzilla as the main design for all of their merchandise and advertising, up to Heisei Godzilla's head sticking out of that Japanese Hotel! Rodan is probably at his second best here. I'd say my favorite Rodan design would be his 2004 incarnation. I'm just a sucker for Rodan being bright red, I guess. Mechagodzilla is probably my most controversial one here, but I love his design. everything from the ports and vents on his body to his Plasma Grenade port, and he looks even better as Super Mechagodzilla. The cannons on his shoulders make him look like War Machine from the Marvel Universe! Anyway, like I said, this particular subject is up for debate. But this is still my favorite movie in the series.
Last edited by Gojirawars 03 on Fri Dec 07, 2018 8:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
"The time has come, finally, to put our technology to the final test."
-Dr. Asimov

Image
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8S9Rq ... r78nzbs-FQ

GojiDog
G-Grasper
Posts: 1223
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2018 6:16 pm

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

Post by GojiDog »

Gojirawars 03 wrote: Best Score: Akira Ifukube creates a brilliant new theme for Mechagodzilla, a great remaster of both Godzilla and Rodan's Showa themes, and creates that haunting choir song that awakens the egg.
I agree the score is great and one of my favorites in the series, but I do have a question for people more knowledgeable than me.

I know Ifukube liked to reused themes and motifs for his scores. Did that awesome military march + Terminator motif he cooked up for Mechagodzilla originate in this film or was that something pulled from an older work and adapted for this one?
White Male Genocide is necessary.

Kill all white men.

User avatar
G&G-Fan
Monsterland Worker
Posts: 191
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:47 am

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

Post by G&G-Fan »

GojiDog wrote: To this day, I'll never understand the logic of drafting/assigning Aoki to G-Force. I always love the bit where he gets mocked for being a Pteranodon enthusiast (a weirdly specific thing to be interested in, but hey, who am I to judge one's hobbies) by his superior officer. I was like "Well if you don't want a Pteranodon nut on your team, why'd you draft him?". Its very weird.
Kazuma was a mechanic. He helped build the Garuda. After the Garuda was decommissioned, they needed to reassign him. If you take notice in the training simulation, Kazuma is in charge of reporting damages and diagnostics, something that seems like a good job for a mechanic. Mechagodzilla was built from the same technology as the Garuda, so it makes sense.
Last edited by G&G-Fan on Sun Jan 06, 2019 6:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Gojirawars 03
Monarch Researcher
Posts: 375
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2018 7:18 am
Contact:

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

Post by Gojirawars 03 »

GojiDog wrote:I know Ifukube liked to reused themes and motifs for his scores. Did that awesome military march + Terminator motif he cooked up for Mechagodzilla originate in this film or was that something pulled from an older work and adapted for this one?
He created that theme specifically for that film. Although he really liked to reuse themes from older movies in new ways. As a person who appreciates musical continuity, I'm always happy whenever I hear one of Ifukube's older tracks referenced in a newer film.
"The time has come, finally, to put our technology to the final test."
-Dr. Asimov

Image
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8S9Rq ... r78nzbs-FQ

User avatar
SoggyNoodles2016
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 6133
Joined: Wed May 30, 2018 7:37 am
Location: My parents' basement

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

Post by SoggyNoodles2016 »

Gojirawars 03 wrote:
GojiDog wrote:I know Ifukube liked to reused themes and motifs for his scores. Did that awesome military march + Terminator motif he cooked up for Mechagodzilla originate in this film or was that something pulled from an older work and adapted for this one?
He created that theme specifically for that film. Although he really liked to reuse themes from older movies in new ways. As a person who appreciates musical continuity, I'm always happy whenever I hear one of Ifukube's older tracks referenced in a newer film.
Really? I remember hearing it was part of Mechani-Kong's theme in King Kong Escapes.
Image

RIP Evan.

User avatar
Godzillian
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5789
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 9:36 pm

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

Post by Godzillian »

They def put themselves in a corner at the end of this movie with their plan to take down Godzilla lol Thank God for the Rodan ex Machina to bail them out.
Image

User avatar
G&G-Fan
Monsterland Worker
Posts: 191
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:47 am

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

Post by G&G-Fan »

Godzillian wrote:They def put themselves in a corner at the end of this movie with their plan to take down Godzilla lol Thank God for the Rodan ex Machina to bail them out.
God, I hate it when people call it ex-machina and contrived writing. It perfectly fits Rodan’s motivations and character. Throughout the film, Rodan is looking out for who he believes to be his baby brother, Baby, as they were born from the same nest, and they probably became telepathically connected when their eggs sat next to each other in the nest. Rodan saves Godzilla’s life because he knows that he is dying, and that if Godzilla dies, then Baby will be an orphan (he doesn’t know Azusa exists). So, he saves Godzilla’s life so ensure the safety of his baby brother and making sure he has a father figure to look after him.

User avatar
eabaker
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 13758
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:16 pm
Location: Portland, OR

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

Post by eabaker »

Also, Rodan merging with Godzilla nicely parallels the Garuda merging with MG.
Tokyo, a smoldering memorial to the unknown, an unknown which at this very moment still prevails and could at any time lash out with its terrible destruction anywhere else in the world.

User avatar
Godzillian
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5789
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 9:36 pm

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

Post by Godzillian »

G&G-Fan wrote:
Godzillian wrote:They def put themselves in a corner at the end of this movie with their plan to take down Godzilla lol Thank God for the Rodan ex Machina to bail them out.
God, I hate it when people call it ex-machina and contrived writing. It perfectly fits Rodan’s motivations and character. Throughout the film, Rodan is looking out for who he believes to be his baby brother, Baby, as they were born from the same nest, and they probably became telepathically connected when their eggs sat next to each other in the nest. Rodan saves Godzilla’s life because he knows that he is dying, and that if Godzilla dies, then Baby will be an orphan (he doesn’t know Azusa exists). So, he saves Godzilla’s life so ensure the safety of his baby brother and making sure he has a father figure to look after him.
Except the film doesn't do it in a clever or smooth way. Rodan is gotten rid of for the final battle and then brought back just to give Godzilla it's life force (which is another can of contrived worms). A much better way would've been for Rodan to battle Super Mechag with Godzilla and die to prevent a killing blow to Godzilla, not just magic instant revive.
Image

User avatar
G&G-Fan
Monsterland Worker
Posts: 191
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:47 am

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

Post by G&G-Fan »

Godzillian wrote:Except the film doesn't do it in a clever or smooth way. Rodan is gotten rid of for the final battle and then brought back just to give Godzilla it's life force (which is another can of contrived worms). A much better way would've been for Rodan to battle Super Mechag with Godzilla and die to prevent a killing blow to Godzilla, not just magic instant revive.
1. You've got Mechagodzilla vs. a Rodan that's less then a year old and that got blasted at point blank range with the mega buster that instantly knocked down Godzilla from a distance. It makes total sense that he's taken out quickly.
2. Rodan woke up because Baby called out to him because he was panicking and feeling pain due to his telepathic connection to Godzilla.
3. It isn't instant, it takes a few minutes. About as long as Godzilla's meltdown. In fact, that's what it is; him melting down. He was dying anyway, so he decided to die where Godzilla could easily absorb his energy.
Last edited by G&G-Fan on Mon Jan 07, 2019 2:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
MechaGoji Bro7503
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 6117
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2016 6:02 pm
Location: Black Hole Planet 3 branch of Majima Construction.
Contact:

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

Post by MechaGoji Bro7503 »

I understand what they were going for with the telepathic stuff, but I just don't remember it having much of a presence in the story if that makes sense. Honestly, I was never a fan of how telepathy stuff was incorporated in the Heisei series. I might as well get around to rewatching this one to see if I see something else this time around.
"Bang on, mate.", - Murdoc Niccals 2018.

"Right, wrong... Nobody's got a clue what the difference is in this town. So I'm gonna have more fun... and live crazier than any of 'em." - Goro Majima.

Our G-Force a Kaiju Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g ... 1509725595

For unique discussions on Ultraman, Godzilla, and much more check out my channel Tiger Drop Films: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCng0uL ... VCg/videos

User avatar
Godzillian
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5789
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 9:36 pm

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

Post by Godzillian »

G&G-Fan wrote:
Godzillian wrote:Except the film doesn't do it in a clever or smooth way. Rodan is gotten rid of for the final battle and then brought back just to give Godzilla it's life force (which is another can of contrived worms). A much better way would've been for Rodan to battle Super Mechag with Godzilla and die to prevent a killing blow to Godzilla, not just magic instant revive.
1. You've got Mechagodzilla vs. a Rodan that's less then a year old and that got blasted at point blank range with the mega buster that instantly knocked down Godzilla from a distance. It makes total sense that he's taken out quickly.
2. Rodan woke up because Baby called out to him because he was panicking and feeling pain due to his telepathic connection to Godzilla.
3. It isn't instant, it takes a few minutes. About as long as Godzilla's meltdown. In fact, that's what it is; him melting down. He was dying anyway, so he decided to die where Godzilla could easily absorb his energy.
1. Its a boring action scene that gets Rodan out of the way of the final battle. Like I said it would be more interesting to have Godzilla and rodan work together
2. Piggy backing on a half backed and lazy plot point is still terrible writing
3. Oh so it's even worse because the mechag crew stand around and do nothing while it happens? Also Godzilla melting down has weight, this doesn't.
Image

User avatar
G&G-Fan
Monsterland Worker
Posts: 191
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:47 am

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

Post by G&G-Fan »

Godzillian wrote:2. Piggy backing on a half backed and lazy plot point is still terrible writing.
Huh? It's established that Godzilla and Baby have a telepathic connection earlier in the film when Godzilla is searching for Baby in Kyoto. Anyone with a brain could then put together all Godzillasaurus' have telepathy, and are connected to one another through that. It's a communication form the species shares amongst themselves. They are shown to be a really intelligent species. So I guess the fact that humans can talk to each other is contrived? Man, evolution is a terrible writer I guess. You can accept giant monsters that break the square cube law and apes that can magically transform into people and somehow gain intelligence but you can't accept telepathic dinosaurs?

What's so hard to understand about Baby, feeling pain and panicking because Godzilla is in pain, calling out to Rodan, and Rodan deciding that since he can't save Baby, he saves Godzilla, the one who can. If you're telepathically connected to someone feeling pain, you're going to react, and again, what Rodan does makes perfect sense.
Godzillian wrote:3. Oh so it's even worse because the mechag crew stand around and do nothing while it happens?
What can they do? Rodan is dying, you can't prevent him from dying and expelling energy, and you can't prevent Godzilla from absorbing it. There's nothing they can do.
Last edited by G&G-Fan on Mon Jan 07, 2019 3:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
Godzillian
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5789
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 9:36 pm

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

Post by Godzillian »

G&G-Fan wrote:
Godzillian wrote:2. Piggy backing on a half backed and lazy plot point is still terrible writing.
Huh? It's established that Godzilla and Baby have a telepathic connection earlier in the film when Godzilla is searching for Baby in Kyoto. Anyone with a brain could then put together all Godzillasaurus' have telepathy, and are connected to one another through that. It's a communication form the species shares amongst themselves. They are shown to be a really intelligent species. So I guess the fact that humans can talk to each other is contrived? Man, evolution is a terrible writer I guess. You can accept giant monsters that break the square cube law and apes that can magically transform into people and somehow gain intelligence but you can't accept telepathic dinosaurs?

What's so hard to understand about Baby, feeling pain and panicking because Godzilla is in pain, calling out to Rodan, and Rodan deciding that since he can't save Baby, he saves Godzilla, the one who can. If you're telepathically connected to someone feeling pain, you're going to react, and again, what Rodan does makes perfect sense.
Godzillian wrote:3. Oh so it's even worse because the mechag crew stand around and do nothing while it happens?
What can they do? Rodan is dying, you can't prevent him from dying and expelling energy, and you can't prevent Godzilla from absorbing it. There's nothing they can do.
2. I can accept anything in a movie if its written smart enough but man nice strawman with the evolution. I can accept baby crying out and that awakening the plot device, you are trying to turn it into something it isn't. Where does it say the telepathic link is what made baby cry out in pain (as you head canon it) and then said link waking up rodan. Again it's a lazy and terribly written plot point.
3. Literally shoot their weapons to actually kill rodan or kill Godzilla before he gets up?
Image

User avatar
G&G-Fan
Monsterland Worker
Posts: 191
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:47 am

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

Post by G&G-Fan »

Godzillian wrote:2. I can accept anything in a movie if its written smart enough but man nice strawman with the evolution. I can accept baby crying out and that awakening the plot device, you are trying to turn it into something it isn't. Where does it say the telepathic link is what made baby cry out in pain (as you head canon it) and then said link waking up rodan. Again it's a lazy and terribly written plot point.
3. Literally shoot their weapons to actually kill rodan or kill Godzilla before he gets up?
2. It cuts from Godzilla being blasted over and over right to Baby freaking out and panicking. Then back to Godzilla getting blasted over and over, then back to Baby panicking. Right after Baby roars, it cuts to Rodan waking up. It's really painfully obvious. Why else would Baby suddenly go into a frenzy? Why else would Rodan wake up right after Baby roars? It's called inferencing and subtlety, using cuts to show that things happening from a distance are effecting things away from them.
3. Rodan is already dead, it's just taking time for him to melt away, and blowing him up right then and there would just expel the energy in one big blast immediately instead of slowly. The radioactive energy in Godzilla and Rodan doesn't just disappear when either of them die, it gets released into the air, allowing for it to be absorbed. Blowing Rodan up wouldn't have changed anything.

About Godzilla, first, the pilots were in shock so it's understandable that they didn't respond logically immediately. Second, it's really hard to hit Godzilla with a beam when Rodan's on top of him. Third, Godzilla would continue absorbing the energy anyway, so he would still be revived. And fourth, Godzilla immediately after getting up released a nuclear pulse that really badly damaged Mechagodzilla and melted the diamond shield. After that Mechagodzilla could only fire one mega buster, and the damage from the explosion from the beam clash and Godzilla's following blast probably damaged it to the point it could no longer do anything.
Last edited by G&G-Fan on Mon Jan 07, 2019 3:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Post Reply