Hot Picks
|
|
|
Gojira tai Mekagojira
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla / Godzilla X Mechagodzilla
Japan 2002
produced by Shogo Tomiyama, Takahide Mroichi (executive) for Toho
directed by Masaaki Tezuka
starring Yumiko Shaku, Shin Takuma, Kana Onodera, Koh Takasugi, Yusuke Tomoi, Junichi Mizuno, Akira Nakao, Kumi Mizuno, Hideki Matsui
written by Wataru Mimura, music by Michiru Oshima
Godzilla, Mothra, Mechagodzilla
review by Mike Haberfelner
|
|
|
|
Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
Always make sure of DVD-compatibility!!!
|
|
|
|
|
When in 1999 Godzilla resurfaces to wreak havoc on large parts of Japan,
the country is devastated. But scientists, lead by Shin Takuma, come up
with a clever plan to build a giant cyborg from the skeleton of the
Godzilla of the 1954-attack (as seen in the original Gojira from that
year) to defeat the monster. & they finish the big robot (with some
cool new gadgets, like a freeze gun - nice) not a moment too soon, for
in 2003 Godzilla resurfaces again to destroy what is left of Japan.
Unfortunately, the female pilot (Yumiko Shaku) of Mechagodzilla has a
trauma from the last Godzilla-attack, when she accidently killed a
colleague, & when at this attack Mechagodzilla goes rogue (due to
some genetic memory triggered by Godzilla's warcry), that's not the
therapy a doctor would have prescribed.
So, after Mechagodzilla's
batteries have run down (which is only after it has destroyed large
parts of Tokyo), the scientists work feverishly on improving their big
robot, but it is only head-scientist Takuma's daughter (Kana Onodera)
who knows what the big guy is missing - sympathy. In the rematch,
Mechagodzilla works better than ever before, but is still beaten badly
by Godzilla, only thanks to pilot Yumiko Shaku, who agrees to steer the
robot manually when all other means fail - & who by the way
overcomes her trauma that way - can Godzilla be fought to a standstill,
seen leaving Japan in one of the last shots - for a while anyway, the
sequel is already in the making. Pilot Yumiko Shaku meanwhile gets - as
was expected - head-scientist Shin Takuma as thanks for her efforts.
Of course, it's another stupid ginat monster-movie, but it's not all
that bad, sometimes even ironic of at least self reflexive, &
although it (fortunately) ignores both the continuity of the first &
second Godzilla-series by & large, it does acknowledge some of
the Toho-giant monster-movies (that being besides Gojira the
original Mosura/Mothra
from 1961 & Furankanshutain no Kaiju - Sanda tai Gaira/War
of the Gargantuas [!] from 1968) as parts of its warped continuity.
The story is at times rather bittersweet, but once the monsters wrestle
or destroy cities (best scene when Mechagodzilla literally walks rigth through
a house as if it was not there) it's pure mindless fun, especially with
parts of it done like a Western shootout or a martial arts movie. The
Mechagodzilla-pilot-outfit is also pretty nice, resembling a 70's style
Japanese superhero. You just have to love (or hate) a movie like that,
anyways it's a vast improvement over the series' last instalment Gojira,
Mosura, Kingu Gidora: Daikaiju soukougeki/Godzilla, Mothra &
King Ghidorah – Giant Monsters All-out
Attack from 2001.
|