| Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
was my very first "daikaiju" movie.
Everything in this film seemed quite magical
to me as a child, leaving me hungry for more.
Over the years, Godzilla has fought several
versions of his mechanical nemesis, but the
Showa Mechagodzilla was the only one that
was used for purely sinister purposes. Mechagodzilla
stands among the Showa-era Godzilla series'
greatest and strongest enemy monsters.
Nami, a descendent of the
Azumi royal family, dances ceremonially while
a small crowd of people look on. She suddenly
receives a startling vision of what is to
happen in the near future. This vision is
so intense that she falls to the ground, and
her grandfather hastily runs to her side to
make sure she is all right. When asked what
is wrong, Nami predicts the coming of a horrible
monster. Not long after the incident, a cave
is discovered in Okinawa. Within the cave,
there is a statue of a creature (resembling
King Caesar, the guardian of the Azumi royal
family) and a mural painted on the walls.
The mural depicts a prophecy left behind by
an ancient Okinawan civilization: the appearance
of a black mountain in the sky will be the
forebear to the coming of a destructive monster.
It continues to predict that when the sun
rises in the West, two monsters will appear
to save the people.
Soon after the "black
mountain" (a dark cloud) is seen towering
over the other clouds in the sky, Godzilla
appears at Mount Fuji, with its hatred toward
mankind seemingly rekindled after many long
years. However, it becomes apparent that this
is not the true Godzilla when Anguirus attacks
and chips off a piece of its synthetic skin,
exposing a metallic interior. Anguirus fails
to stop this powerful foe, and Faux Godzilla
continues onward to Tokyo, where it encounters
the real Godzilla. A group of extraterrestrials,
the Simeons, are controlling this monster,
and order the imposter to discard its masterful
disguise. It's true identity is revealed:
Mechagodzilla. Godzilla is swiftly defeated
in their first bout, but Mechagodzilla comes
under considerable disrepair and returns to
the alien base. Meanwhile, a mysterious creature
slumbers offshore, awaiting a song that will
summon him to aid Godzilla in an epic battle
with this new, powerful foe.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
is rather detailed. Aliens, King Caesar, the
civilization who summoned the aforementioned
guardian, the unfolding prophecy -- there
is a daunting amount of information poured
into this plot. Ideas that had never been
executed before in a Godzilla entry are utilized
in this film, such as a "Fake Godzilla"
or even Godzilla's magnetic powers. There
are a lot of clever devices at play that are
often executed to near-perfection.
Effects in Godzilla vs.
Mechagodzilla were probably a major step
forward when compared to other contemporaries.
Cunning tricks were used throughout this film,
such as the subtleties behind the manipulation
of the sparks. More specifically, the magnetic
Godzilla scene featured a dazzling pyrotechnic
display. The significant amount of blunt pyrotechnic
mastery made Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
literally the most explosive Godzilla movie
of the Showa era! Special effects didn't end
here, however. The Simeons were truly simian,
very apelike, while sporting an off putting
greenish tinge (except when donning their
human guises). The reverse transformation
sequence upon their demise was actually a
rather solid effect. Rotoscoping was pretty
much flawless here. The typical effects in
this category included the animations for
Godzilla's atomic breath, the numerous lasers
and beams fired by Mechagodzilla, and Mechagodzilla's
energy barrier.
Music-wise, Masaru
Sato brought a very different approach
to the Godzilla franchise Normally, the soundtrack
for a Godzilla film is very slowly-paced;
but the score for this one was very lively
during intense sequences. Unlike Akira
Ifukube's heavier methods, Sato introduced
a big band style that had more pizzazz. Occasionally,
there were slow tunes, but for the
most part, Sato established a new genre of
music in the Godzilla franchise and pulled
it off with aplomb!
If a weak aspect had to be
chosen, it would be the acting. Common sense
was lacking in a few parts of the script,
which is most apparent during one scene in
particular. Just before Anguirus and the Fake
Godzilla fought each other, Masaaki Daimon
(as Shimizu) was driving nearby while commenting
about how Anguirus shouldn't be attacking
his ally, Godzilla. As he said this, he was
erratically steering the wheel as if he were
wrestling with it. Fortunately for him, this
would be his only obvious error. Beru-Bera
Lin (given the role of the character "Nami")
similarly committed one glaring mistake at
the beginning of the film. Nami was supposed
to be severely distraught after receiving
the disturbing vision; but she did not display
a believable portrayal of her fright. Still,
she did make up for her error by performing
well later in the movie, especially when she
sang to King Caesar. There are other actors
who were spot on: Goro Mutsumi, who played
the Black Hole Leader Kuronuma, stuck to the
role he was given flawlessly. Kuronuma was
a civilized character -- evil, yet very casual
and rarely upset to the point of mania. Professor
Miyajima, played by Akihiko Harata, was a
more serious character. Miyajima was forced
to repair Mechagodzilla at gunpoint, and especially
during this moment, Harata looked worried
in a way that was solemn and believable. Shin
Kishida (as the Interpol Agent Nanbara) also
receives an honorable mention. Kishida's acting
was smooth, sweet, and he played well with
the mysterious background of his character.
Despite all the pluses, there were several
areas where the acting was too fake or overdone,
even during some of the battles between the
monsters. An example occurred during the moment
that Godzilla used his newfound magnetic powers
to draw Mechagodzilla in. Godzilla forcefully
drew his hands back like a mime, pulling an
"invisible rope." It was quite a
cheesy moment, really.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
is quite a memorable addition to the Showa
Godzilla series. I will be the first person
to acknowledge that some people may not enjoy
it; of course, everyone is entitled to their
own opinions. In spite of weaknesses in the
acting category, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
is a landmark for Toho because it introduced
new things mixed with the natural elements
endemic of a solid Godzilla film. Sometimes
change is a positive thing; Godzilla vs.
Mechagodzilla stands as a perfect representation
of this fact.
|
(4/5)