There have been a lot of Mechagodzilla entries on the countdown so far, but this one is near the top of the list. This 1974 film was the very first to feature Mechagodzilla, one of Godzilla's most legendary rivals. A strange looking Godzilla arrives and marches across the countryside destructively. As the main characters look on bewildered by Godzilla's behavior, Anguirus shows up and attacks Godzilla. This is strange because they are supposedly allies. Godzilla beats up Anguirus, attempting to break the smaller monsters jaws as blood drains across the battlefield. Anguirus slithers away in retreat. Soon after, as Godzilla destroys a shipyard, the creature is confronted by another Godzilla, both identical. Now the main characters are really confused. Suddenly, one Godzilla (the last to arrive) blasts the other with a blue atomic ray, causing the skin of the first Godzilla to melt away and reveal a metallic under skin. Suddenly, the first Godzilla sheds its disguise, and Mechagodzilla is exposed to the audience for the first time. Godzilla and Mechagodzilla duke it out amidst a massive firestorm that nearly engulfs the two monsters, and the destruction scene here is epic. It has to be a highlight moment of the Toho special effects studio. Mechagodzilla blasts Godzilla into the ocean, and a huge pool of blood clouds the bubbling water. You could make a legitimate argument that this Godzilla movie is the goriest to date. Now it is time for the main characters to figure out what the heck is going on. At the beginning of the movie they witness a prophecy that a monster will come to save the Earth in its time of need. That monster is speculated to be King Ceaser, a fabled Azumi God who resides somewhere hidden nearby the Azumi people. Two characters, Keisuke and Saeko, take a small statue of King Ceaser on a ship to have someone look into it for them but they are followed by some shady characters, one of which defends them from the other. However, the shady character that dies turns out to be an alien, and falls over board with the statue. It appears a lost cause now to reawaken King Ceaser, until Keisuke pulls out the real statue from a safe deposit box on the ship in an over convenient and far too outlandish solution to a once dire problem. How the hell did he have time to make a copy of the statue? Keisuke and Saeko learn that aliens called the Simians control Mechagodzilla and plan to take over the Earth, so that they may colonize it, and as I said in the last Glog, the Simians are basically from Planet of the Apes. Godzilla reappears and absorbs lightning in a large storm near Monster Island. The Interpol agent that saved Keisuke on the boat helps to investigate the Simians base with Keisuke and together they learn that Mechagodzilla will be released soon. They go to awaken King Ceaser, who arrives just in time to attack Mechagodzilla, but is no match alone. Godzilla shows up and joins forces with King Ceaser, but Mechagodzilla is still too powerful. The metal machine bloodies up Godzilla again, impaling him with several of its explosive missile fingers before Godzilla summons his new electrical powers and pulls a flying Mechagodzilla to him like a magnet. Finally within close combat range, Godzilla holds Mechagodzilla up while King Ceaser lays the beat down, then Godzilla rips off the robots head, and the Simians are ousted. It's a very complete movie that introduces some new plot ideas to the normally pretty predictable G movie. The acting is good and the scenes that don't feature Godzilla don't take away from the movie and leave you wanting to see the beast rather than his observers. I think this is a huge factor to consider when grading Godzilla movies and Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla does a great job at entertaining through and through, especially for a 70's era movie. The special effects are masterful as well. Anyone can watch this movie and enjoy it.
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| The cast of monsters with King Ceaser on the left. |
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| A disguised Mechagodzilla breaks Anguirus's jaw. |
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