D V D C R Y P T

GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA

Directed by Jun Fukuda
Written by Hiroyasu Yamaura & Jun Fukuda
Cinematography by Yuzaro Aikawa
Music by Masaru Satu
Cast: Masaaki Daimon, Kazuya Aoyama, Hiroshi Koizumi, Akihiko Hirata

1974/85 mins/Color/Mono
2.35:1 Anamorphic/Japanese/Japan/NTSC Region 1

Review from Columbia Tristar DVD

We open with a young Japanese woman, decedent of the Azumi family, having a nightmarish vision of a monster burning everything in its path. Then, at an archeological site, a prophecy is revealed. That prophecy is that a monster will rise and destroy Tokyo and two monsters will defend her, one of them will be King Caesar, defender of the Azumi family. Soon, Godzilla begins to destroy all in its path, but we soon learn that it is not in fact Godzilla but Mechagodzilla, instead. Mechagodzilla is an unstoppable robotic terror created by evil aliens, who want to use it to destroy the Earth. Can Godzilla stop this evil cyborg, and can King Caesar, be awoken in time to help him in his battle?

A favorite among many a Big-G fan, including yours, truly, GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA is a fine example of kaiju at its best. Despite some very minor flaws, it is a solid, fun filled film.

Ok, the aliens, when they reveal their true faces, look like an ape mask one would buy at Halloween time at the local department store, and King Caesar looks like a floppy eared doggie with some decidedly, crappy looking hair. And some of the explanations, even with the original Japanese language sound a bit silly. But, really, trust me, you won’t care and it shouldn’t ruin your enjoyment of the film.

Actually, in all fairness, the rest of the FX look great. There is some fine miniature work and both Godzilla and Mechagodilla’s suits are good. The movie moves at a fast pace, is never boring, and always a ton of fun. The monster battles are awesome, violent entertainment. Shit, there is some arterial spraying that would never get a PG rating, today. The climatic battle between the three lead monsters ranks among the best in any kaiju film. Fuck, even, the humans, or at least some of them anyway, are more enjoyable than usual. The aliens comes off as suitably evil bastards, lead by a real prick of a leader. And, there is even an appearance by another Toho favorite, Anguirus.

Bought to us on DVD by Columbia Tristar this DVD has some uneven flesh-tones and some scenes are slightly reddish in tint. But there are no artifacting and the daytime, outdoor scenes look amazing. In fact, some times they looks so good, that one can see the wires holding up some of the monsters. Overall, though, for such an old film, it does look pretty damn good. The sound, though mono, is clear and really brings out the beautiful soundtrack by Masaru Sato. It can be heard with the original Japanese language, with optional English subtitles, or in the dubbed English form.

The disc comes with no extras, not even its own trailer. And it’s a shame, because I would have loved to see this classic’s trailer. Nonetheless, Columbia felt the need to fill it with a bunch of other trailers that include: GODZILLA: THE SERIES- MONSTER WARS, GODZILLA: TOKYO S.O.S. (the Japanese teaser), KAENA: THE PROPHECY, STEAMBOY, THE SKELETON OF CADAVRA, and the ad for GODZILLA: SAVE THE EARTH the video game.

The disc comes in a snapcase with an inlet card that serves as advertisement for other Godzilla titles and the aforementioned Godzilla video game, but no chapter listings. The disc, itself, is broken up into 12 chapters, and has static menu screens. The cover is actually kind of cool, I think.

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