Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

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Arrow
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Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by Arrow »

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla

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Time for the second to last Showa Godzilla film, and the introduction of one of the most popular Toho characters, Mechagodzilla. Use this thread to discuss anything related to Jun Fukuda's last Godzilla movie, complete with Anguirus, King Caesar, Black Hole Aliens and Interpol Agents.

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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by HayesAJones »

A very fun movie that introduces one of Godzilla's most iconic villains. And Anguirus's appearance is a plus, even if he just got his ass kicked

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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by Hedorah »

Ahhh what a fun movie to watch. It introduces a great villain and a cool new monster (King Caesar). I love this film. It's one of my favorites, I watched the VHS so much as a kid. It also introduces a cool new ability for Godzilla when he makes himself magnetic.
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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by TokyoVigilante »

My first Godzilla film and it's fantastic. Music is great, special effects are the strongest of a 70s era film, the fights are brutal and engaging, and it has the only in-continuity returning invaders who are pretty unique in their own right as far as Toho Invaders go. King Ceesar is a sorely unloved C-list kaiju, and Mechagodzilla went on to become synonymous with the character. This film really solidifies Jun Fukuda's "style' of Kaiju flick.
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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by JVM »

Okay, I'm going to do something I've been holding back on for a few days and give my actual opinion:

I love this movie. It's one of the most fun and enthralling Godzilla films of the era, and it manages to not take itself seriously, but without at the same time seeming too childish like many of it's predecessors. It's just a movie that's not concerned with appealing to anyone - it's just a movie. We've got an all-star monster cast with some oldies and newies, Godzilla's role is heroic, but not superheroic, MechaGodzilla is an amazing antagonist and seems truly all-powerful, and King Caesar is a great fiddle to the King of Monsters who manages to hold his own without seeing like he's hogging too much or too little time.
I used to be a lot more optimistic and outgoing, believe it or not. I used to actually be passionate about this stuff.

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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by godzilla1996 »

Awesome film. I don't quite remember the score, but plot is great the Godzilla suit is great, Anguiras' cameo is cool, King Caesar is alright, the pacing is okay, Mechagodzilla is awesome, and the pacing is okay. Overall, I give this movie 4.5/5
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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by Hellblaze »

Loved this film way back too I watched it on VHS with a friend and it was a good movie :D The VHS I had was not called this but instead called Godzilla vs the Cosmic Monster by Goodtimes. One thing I like about Goodtimes's VHS on Godzilla is the front cover with the artwork it was amazing :shock: :mrgreen: I like the part when King Cesar comes over and starts ramming into Mechagodzilla while Godzilla was holding him good. XD Then Godzilla like rips the head off of Mecha G. :mrgreen:
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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by Showa Gyaos »

This was my first Godzilla movie. If it weren't for this, I probably wouldn't be here right now. It was magical the first time I saw it, and it still is, really. :D
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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by GotengoXGodzilla »

This is one of my favorite Godzilla films. An interesting plot, great characters to watch, one of the best scores of the Showa series, and of course some of the best fight scenes of the entire series. The Godzilla vs. Fake Godzilla at the oil refinery is just amazing to look at. My only complaint is the pacing and how slow the film can get at some points. Other than that, though, its one of the best of Showa series.
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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by Jesse »

This is definitely one of my favorites of the Showa era. I love Godzilla's design for this film. It did premiere in Godzilla vs. Megalon, but this film helped to make it my second favorite Godzilla suit behind the Heisei series. This film and Terror of Mechagodzilla felt much darker then the other films in the late 60's to early 70's. Mechagodzilla just seemed unstoppable to me as he tossed Anguirus around and made even the tag team of Godzilla/King Caesar look pitiful.

Great film...a big step up from some of the films at that time.

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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by KaneLocke »

The first, and best, of all of the Mechagodzilla films. That's all there is to it. Easily one of the best of the Showa era films.

And it has a KICK ASS score.
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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by ThunderScore »

Wish they would've kept this title...
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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by Guardian7 »

First off I want to say ThunderScore... SWEET ASS PIC! I have not seen a Bionic Monster ad since the whole thing first was introduced WAY back in the mid seventies.

THIS... this is one of my absolutely favorite Godzilla films!

I used to dislike MG as a kid... For me because it had been done with Kong (Mechakong - KKE) and seemed like such a rip off of that!

Once I was over that hump and actually gave it a go as a maturing teen... I found this was a VERY fun and (for me) exciting story.

Usually I will start with the cast of such films... but this time I will start off with the Kaiju.

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GODZILLA: He is awesome. I could care less if people dislike his heroic mode or not. I think he is just incredible in this film. His entrance in this film is actually kind of spectacular. The way he just pops up sizes up this "Other" (fake) Godzilla and the two kick into high combat mode to his overall resilience in the MG onslaught with everything scene. He is just so amazingly cool! I also LOVE this suit. I know a lot of people don't think this is either his best or his worst. But this is one of my personal favorites (Next to the DAM+ suits).
Plus he does that visually cool looking electromagnetic lighting rod thing on Monster Island.

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ANGUIRUS: From his Siberian winter intro at the beginning and his unseen underground travel... to his confrontation with MG's fake Godzilla shell... VERY cool... He plugs away as only Anguirus does! I am kinda disappointed that his defeat in this film so mirrors his first defeat (GRA). But that must have been some sort of homage thing. Anguirus deserved to be in other Godzilla films after this one and I don't mean just that awful FW one.
This was also the first time that another Kaiju actually battled a foe of Godzilla's alone before Godzilla had a chance to engage, meet or even know of his existence. (No I do not count Mothra's battle with KG in GtGHM). Anguirus took him on and met with a pretty brutal defeat (that if he had not fled... I am sure he would have perished).

KING CAESAR: A bit muppety looking in the face for my tastes (here is what I think he should look MORE like in my Guardian7's Gallery - http://www.tohokingdom.com/forum/viewto ... 39&start=0 ). I wouldn't have minded seeing him biting and clawing more effectively... and running on all fours. His ability to reflect energy is a little on the bizarre side (I would have rather he had a sonic roar or some such).
The unfortunate thing about KC is he seemed less equipped to deal with MG than Anguirus was.
He was basically ineffective against MG...

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MECHAGODZILLA: As stated... I was not very happy with the premises of him... Due to the KKE MechaKong. But once I actually paid attention, I discovered how much cooler MG was compared to his cybernetic Apish brethren.
Mechagodzilla is the ultimate weapons spammer - beam - missiles - etc.
How cool?
THIS COOL!
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AWESOME!!!
The SHOWA Mechagodzilla is probably my favorite Godzilla villain.
Beautiful design and cool as hell story (SHAME on them for EVER taking the Alien background story away from him in much later films).

CAST - Both human and inhuman...
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AZUMI Family:
Prophet/Princess Nami Azumi (Beru-Bera Lin) - Though in a sense a important secondary character. I really for some reason liked her. She had a very serene quality about her and she was quite pretty. If that was INDEED her voice, She then had talent there as well.
Her appearance is this film was crucial for awakening the Azumi Guardian King Caesar.

Azumi High Priest (Masao Imafuku) - he came off a little over the top. Almost like something out of a then Anime. He was amusing to me when I am not sure he was suppose to be. His protective nature over his Granddaughter was VERY apparent.

Gosuke Shimizu (Masaaki Daimon) - I really felt Gosuke was a very solid character! He was what seemed a successful buisnessman, He had both a very serious and a humourous side. I even liked what appeared to me as the apparent attraction (who could blame him!) to Saeko Kaneshiro (Reiko Tajima). He was also brave when he not only fought the Black Hole Alien (Simeon to some) at his Uncle Professor Wagura's (Hiroshi Koizumi) place, but also when he did the same thing on the ship. GREAT CHARACTER! Very likable.

Masahiko Shimizu (Kazuya Aoyama) - I am not exactly sure what Masahiko's role was... Good looking guy that didn't do much? BRAVE as his brother Gosuke... but certainly not as endearing of a character. He was the action guy it seemed for the film's ending.

Saeko Kaneshiro (Reiko Tajima) - Okinawa's Shuri University's archeology department investigator. She plays a pretty vital role in unraveling the mystery of the King Caesar. Her character plays extremely well against Masahiko's and I really LOVED the chemistry between these two! It certainly doesn't hurt that she was easily this film's eye-candy! I think she played the entirety of her role beautifully. One of my all time favorite Female characters in a Godzilla film.

Professor Wagura (Hiroshi Koizumi) - My FAVORITE Toho actor! His part in this film was very well done. I wished he had continued to play a larger part in it. BUT... once he had helped unravel the mystery of KC with his assistant Saeko, His role was pretty much over as the younger actors started their domino run til the end of the film.

Professor Hideto Miyajima (Akihiko Hirata) - What a cool scientist Hirata played YET once again! He helped launch Godzilla's career as the dark brooding Doctor Daisuke Serizawa and ended his part in it with the wicked smart adventurous Professor Hideto Miyajima. Seems rather full circle for him and Godzilla!
All of that aside the character in this particular film is very cool. Smart enough to know how to fix Mechagodzilla when the Aliens either can't or aren't smart enough to do it without his help.
I really thought he was such an excellent choice for this role and did a more than marvelous job. It was actually his actions that helped lead to the downfall of a Mechagodzilla that may have been unstoppable without his interference.

Eiko Miyajima (Hiromi Matsushita) - Professor Miyajima's daughter... She played her part well enough I suppose. She was a total victim in this film and a tool to be used against Prof. Miyajima. Seemed Masahiko had the potential hots for her... which would have made them a perfect fit. TWO 2-dimensional characters falling for one another. My least favorite character in the film.

Nanbara, Interpol Agent Nanbara (Shin Kishida) - I loved this character. He was also kinda over the top (like the earlier mentioned Azumi High Priest)... But in such a fun way.
He was a total Johnny on the Spot kind of agent. Just seemed to be exactly where he needed to be (fortunately for the ENTIRE cast!).
His attitude and manner were not only amusing... but kind of cool. Easily one of my all time favorite characters from a Godzilla film. I wish he could have appeared in ToMG!

FINALLY we get to Kuronuma, Black Hole Alien Leader (Goro Mutsumi) - What a great villain. So arrogantly confident you know he never felt he was ever going to lose against the silly little humans or that big lizard Godzilla (and his dog).
His predictable cruel and cunning manipulation of Prof. Miyajima using his daughter Eiko was well done.
He and his creation certainly had not only Godzilla, But King Caesar on the ropes as well. Miyajima screwed that up nicely and it almost seemed like Karma considering what Kuronuma had tried to do to the Good Prof., Eiko and Masahiko.

The BLACK HOLE ALIENS - though they do seem largely based on a Planet of the Apes kind of thing really is no biggie to me. Frankly I find the BHA more entertaining than the ones from PotA... but that is just me.
I liked the upon death transformations or partial transformations. I easily could have stood to learn even more about them. We really didn't... but I enjoyed the films nevertheless.

AWESOME FILM!... Buy it... Own it... Watch it frequently!

G7

P.S. ummm did I say I was a huge fan of this film? ohhh okay!

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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by ThunderScore »

Guardian7 wrote:First off I want to say ThunderScore... SWEET ASS PIC! I have not seen a Bionic Monster ad since the whole thing first was introduced WAY back in the mid seventies.
I'm sure you remember this Basil Gogos Famous Monsters
cover which Cinema Shares used for a different campaign:

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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by Goji »

ThunderScore wrote:
Guardian7 wrote:First off I want to say ThunderScore... SWEET ASS PIC! I have not seen a Bionic Monster ad since the whole thing first was introduced WAY back in the mid seventies.
I'm sure you remember this Basil Gogos Famous Monsters
cover which Cinema Shares used for a different campaign:

Image
This art was also used on the Cinema Shares prints (as part of the title card), but was out of the frame on home video releases (Gootimes, UAV). Baradagi once had a video of a semi-widescreen version that he tracked down where the art could be seen in the frame.
Last edited by Goji on Sun Aug 15, 2010 9:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by DaikaijuSokogeki! »

This is just simply an awesome film. The score, the special effects, the pacing, it all works. The characters aren't all too interesting but like Fukuda's other '70s films, they don't get in the way of the main action but still do their own thing that advances the story. The monsters all work here, although King Caesar is a bit too played up for someone who almost immediately needs his ass saved by Godzilla in the final battle. Still, Mechagodzilla's intimidating, Godzilla does his thing of being awesome and Anguirus has a respectable role despite how short it is.

As previously stated, the score and effects here are amazing. Masaru Sato provides my favorite of all of his movie scores. It's pounding, it's catchy, it's exciting, and it's immensely memorable. Teruyoshi Nakano does some of his best work here too. His love for pyrotechnics really shines here, especially in Godzilla and Mechagodzilla's first duel. It's never cheap-looking and truly proves that if given a larger budget, he can deliver some amazing work.

So, it's a highly entertaining entry in the franchise and, in my opinion, the last great film from the Showa era.

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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by ZigraDude »

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is a really fun film to watch. Masaru Sato gives an up-beat score (And my personal favorite of Sato) and the monster scenes are also a lot of fun to watch. I always liked the leader of the Black Hole Aliens. He just seems the kind of laid-back villain in this film. My favorite scene from this movie would have to be when Godzilla fights the Fake Godzilla. To me, it was just pure genius. No doubt this is the best Mechagodzilla movie out there and easily one of my favorites.

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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by Arbok »

This is one of my favorite films in the franchise. Its a little cheesy here and there (space titanium), but its such a fun romp with great pacing. Excellent assortment of monsters, and a great score from Sato that livens up the whole thing.
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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by g2kmaster »

I love this film. Really, when SciFi Channel used to have the labor day or memorial day marathons of the three big 70's films (Hedorah, Gigan, and this one), this would be my favorite to watch. It was also my favorite to watch when I use to rent it from the video store (there was this one good Blockbusters video next to this curch in Memphis. Thanks to that I had my first viewings of G85, GTTHM, and others). Now I got the Sony DVD and the film really is good fun. I especialy like King Caesar. Maybe because I know the Shiza myth as well as two shiza statues along with a King Caesar figure (blue tag). Just love him. MG is a genius creation. The cinematography isn't that shabby either. It is shot beautifully. Defiently the best of the "Superhero" Godzilla films.

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Re: Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Post by Mini-Godzilla »

Yet another batch of aliens (the Mysterians really set a bad example in the universe), this time from the Planet of the Apes, threaten humanity with bad 70's fashion and a cool robo-replica of Godzilla (still one of the all-time best villains). Servicable enough entertainment that tries to take itself a little more seriously without forsaking camp altogether. The highlight of the movie is the violent and destructive behavior of pseudo-G (i.e. Mecha-G in scaly disguise), bringing back memories of the early films (especially the first two) without forsaking the new good-guy persona for our main Godzilla.
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