Mecakong

It was obvious that the filmmakers were running out of inspiration by the time this entry was planned,and as well as tired plots and tiny budgets the films were doing less well at the box office. Of course,films like Godzilla V Gigan and Godzilla V Mechagodzilla were still fun if juvenile,but it was clear that the series was winding down and Godzilla needed a break,so a great deal of effort was put into this one,even to the point of getting Inoshiro Honda,the original and greatest Godzilla director,to return. Terror Of Mechagodzilla is uneven,but it's by far the best of the 70s Godzilla films.

The plot ONCE AGAIN rehashes the aliens-out-to-conquer-Earth-using-monsters plot,but at least here it is augmented by a few interesting elements,such as the tragic female cyborg who still retains human feelings,and it is handled a lot more seriously than before. Honda tones down the juvenile elements and even brings a touch of darkness to the film. The finale has most of the characters killed,and one person's sacrifice appropriately parallels Dr Serizawa's sacrifice in the original Godzilla {incidentally,the current version available in the US cuts so much of the violent and dark elements out that the ending makes little sense}.

Despite the general downbeat feel here is still plenty of monster action,with the best destruction sequence since Monster Zero,while Mechagodzilla is somewhat improved since the last film and Titanosaurus is a memorable new monster {why has he never returned?}. There is the odd shoddy moment,mainly due to the low budget,and signs of carelessness at times-for instance the final shot of Godzilla uses a different and pretty awful looking suit to the rest of the film. However overall this was the best Godzilla film since Destroy All Monsters,and a fairly worthy end to the 'Showa'series.

Terror of MechaGodzilla was pretty much just a way to profit off of Godzilla Vs. MechaGodzilla for a second time. However, we all know why this film is so well known to fans, and that's because of Titanosaurus (which is also the name of a real dinosaur that has no relation). Titanosaurus is a highly loved Monster from the Godzilla series, and to be honest I feel like this film would have worked out just fine if it was just Godzilla vs. Titanosaurus. The monster is humongous and beautifully made, no one could live up to a semi aquatic Kaiju like him. I mean yes, the movie itself is watchable but, it does tend to focus a bit too much on the humans in my opinion, which is a problem a lot of monster movies have. I love Titanosaurus though, He's the centerpiece for this film.

1975's "Terror of Mechagodzilla" is a direct follow-up to 1974's "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla."

"Terror of Mechagodzilla" was directed by the late great Ishiro Honda and co-stars the late great "Godzilla" series actor Akihiko Hirata (this would be the last "Godzilla" film the actor would appear in before his death from throat cancer in 1984) as a mad scientist named Dr. Mafune, who, years earlier, had discovered a giant dinosaur called Titanosaurus.

Titanosaurus is the first monster to appear in this movie, attacking an experimental submarine that was looking for the remains of Mechagodzilla, the evil cyborg monster that had met its demise at the hands of Godzilla in the previous film. The evil ape-like aliens the Simians have recruited Dr. Mafune and his daughter to help them rebuild Mechagodzilla in their plot to take over the world. They team up, and they use their monsters, Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus, both of which are now under the mental control of Dr. Mafune's now-cyborg daughter, to attack Japan. Godzilla soon appears on the scene to combat the two monsters and save the world.

"Terror of Mechagodzilla" is the last film of the Showa-Era series of "Godzilla" films and I can gladly say that this film was a great end to the series. One thing viewers will immediately notice is how dark this film is compared to its predecessor; apparently, Honda made a move to return the series to its dark, Atomic Age-inspired roots and it succeeds there. Still, however, a lot about this film crackles and is quite sensational and moves at a fast pace; there's even a poignant and tragic love story in there, too, and some James Bond-like spy intrigue (spy movies were quite popular at the time). One of the more outstanding qualities of the film is the ominous score by long-time "Godzilla" series composer Akira Ifukube. Ifukube's score is pretty dark and ominous, a total turn-around from Masaru Satoh's lush, beautiful, and exotic score from the previous "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla." A lot about "Terror of Mechagodzilla" simply makes it a fitting end to the Showa series of "Godzilla" films, despite its obvious flaws, because four main characters (Honda, Ifukube, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, and Hirata) from the production of "Godzilla" (1954) are on-board to make sure that "Terror of Mechagodzilla" counts as a satisfying end to the Showa series.

Godzilla is and always will be the greatest movie monster that ever lived. I love Godzilla and his films. I've been watching them since I was a kid. Godzilla's transformation from rampaging menace in "Godzilla" (1954) to hero over the course of the films in the Showa series was inevitable, in my opinion, from the second that a sequel to the film was hastily commissioned by Toho in 1955 called "Godzilla Raids Again." And not to mention that the monster had become highly bankable as a children's icon over the years since his debut.

But his return to menace in "Godzilla 1985" (1984) was the first instance that Godzilla had not outlived his usefulness as cinema's greatest movie monster.

7/10

Following on from the perky Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla, Terror of Mechagodzilla is a very different movie in tone, possibly because series founder Ishiro Honda is directing. The story (about a beautiful female cyborg helping alien forces control the Earth by destroying it with monsters Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus) is perhaps more credible than you'd expect, given the superior level of acting on show from the cast. Naturally, the film really excels with the creatures and Akira Ifukube's doom-laden score. If more Godzilla movies were similar to this then perhaps the series would face less ridicule. Or maybe not. Still good though. 8/10

Things did not bode well at the start, with a seven-minute greatest hits sequence that never seemed to end, but by the time it was over I found myself grateful for so much action so early on. When the story proper started it was with some very impressive underwater model work (I couldn't see the seams at any rate).

But what really marked this out as a superior entry is the plot. A reclusive discredited scientist is employed by aliens to use his thought-controlled pet Titanosaurus to destroy Tokyo along with the newly-rebuilt Mechagodzilla, their combined might certain to overcome that pesky Godzilla. Meanwhile an Interpol agent and a marine scientist investigate the disappearance of an exploratory submarine, the trail leading them to the scientist's beautiful but non-too-helpful daughter.

It might sound like the usual gubbins on paper but there's genuine tension in many of the scenes, it's logical and exciting, and rather than feeling like drawn-out filler while we wait for the real action to begin it's successful on its own terms, even managing to pull off genuine pathos bordering on tragedy at the end.

When it does begin it's hands down the best destruction I've seen so far in the series. They're right in the centre of Tokyo surrounded by skyscrapers ready to be demolished and incinerated. The camera pans across the cityscape as whole swathes of it are destroyed, and it truly is spectacular. What makes it even more powerful is that it's not a fight sequence for the most part - it's just two big boys laying waste to the city.

Godzilla himself is given a wonderful entrance, and in those moments it's a thrill to see this (of all films) so overtly referencing The Third Man (of all films).

They do escape to the country for the final showdown, but there's still the odd power station to be sat on and let's face it, we've already had our money's worth with the destruction of Tokyo. The fight is lengthy too, with Godzilla on the back foot for most of it, and while we're never unsure of the outcome it does get pretty hairy for the big guy.

For the budget the special effects are often superb and always imaginative (like the alien technician walking inside Mechagodzilla's head or the shot that takes us from his massive, dormant frame as he's being worked on, through a window, and finishes with the aliens and doctor watching the progress from a lab).

The music throughout is excellent, and the female lead is impossibly gorgeous.

What's not to love?