117 reviews
The people of an undersea kingdom named Seatopia are very angry that repeated nuclear tests on Earth are disrupting their tranquility. So they send a cockroach like monster named Megalon topside to do some major damage. Fortunately, the people of Japan are able to rely on a faithful robot named Jet Jaguar. JJ, by the way, has the means of traveling to a distant isle to ask Godzilla for help. And the antagonists respond by summoning the bird like Gigan.
Admittedly, this Kaiju series had definitely become juvenile and cheesy, not to mention overly cute. It's not for fans of the Big Green Guy who crave substance in what they watch. It's just "good" dumb fun for a family audience, complete with an extended final showdown between the two heroes and the two villains. Godzilla himself is just too funny, especially considering some of the gestures that he makes. And one of the villains clearly is thinking "you gotta be kidding me" at one point.
Yes, this is a very silly movie but a pretty fun one, directed with some panache by Jun Fukuda. Its main human characters are very likable. Our human villains are an amusing bunch of one dimensional goons. The action scenes are competently done, and there are enough laughs and thrills to make this entertaining fluff. The plentiful special effects, the monster costumes, and the vibrant color and widescreen photography help to keep things visually interesting.
A funny and lively diversion for people who just want to put their brains in neutral for 82 minutes.
Six out of 10.
Admittedly, this Kaiju series had definitely become juvenile and cheesy, not to mention overly cute. It's not for fans of the Big Green Guy who crave substance in what they watch. It's just "good" dumb fun for a family audience, complete with an extended final showdown between the two heroes and the two villains. Godzilla himself is just too funny, especially considering some of the gestures that he makes. And one of the villains clearly is thinking "you gotta be kidding me" at one point.
Yes, this is a very silly movie but a pretty fun one, directed with some panache by Jun Fukuda. Its main human characters are very likable. Our human villains are an amusing bunch of one dimensional goons. The action scenes are competently done, and there are enough laughs and thrills to make this entertaining fluff. The plentiful special effects, the monster costumes, and the vibrant color and widescreen photography help to keep things visually interesting.
A funny and lively diversion for people who just want to put their brains in neutral for 82 minutes.
Six out of 10.
- Hey_Sweden
- Jul 8, 2017
- Permalink
- happipuppi13
- Aug 11, 2005
- Permalink
The villains of this film are beings from the underwater kingdom of Seatopia, frustrated with humans' nuclear-bomb testings, which ravaged their kingdom. Therefore, they sent their monster god Megalon, an over-sized cockroach, to destroy mankind (pretty sensitive, couldn't they just reach out to the humans and let them know they live downstairs, so therefore, quit with the bomb testings?).
Toho utilized the overused alien-invasion plot again, making this film the a rush-through production job. Tons of stock footage were used and the plot was very plain. This film is basically an "aliens and monsters invade Earth, and Godzilla and a robot arrives and defeats them and saves Earth story." There are no subplots, significance, irony and female leads. What made up for this movie, though, is the monster wrestling-like battle at the climax. After getting pretty beaten up by Gigan at the previous fight in "Godzilla vs. Gigan," Godzilla this time really gave Gigan a taste of his own medicine. Even giant-beetle Megalon couldn't hold up a strong battle against Godzilla. Jet Jaquer was Godzilla's partner-in-crime, a giant robot made to capitalize on the Ultraman and Zone Fighter trilogies that were popular in Japan by the time this movie came out, so I guess Godzilla deserves the right to have a robot as his sidekick at least once. Unfortuntately, Jet Jaguar wasn't emphasized enough. There should have been more scenes depicting him as a "superhero" (like saving a life or stopping a robbery like most superheros do). It still bothers me why the Seatopians need to steal Jet-Jaguar and use it to guide Megalon to Tokyo. In previous Godzilla movies, monsters just find their way to the city and start trampling. Why the heck does Megalon need a tour guide?
To sum it all, a rushed film with lots of stock footage and sub-par characters. But, an exciting monster battle at the end.
Grade C
Toho utilized the overused alien-invasion plot again, making this film the a rush-through production job. Tons of stock footage were used and the plot was very plain. This film is basically an "aliens and monsters invade Earth, and Godzilla and a robot arrives and defeats them and saves Earth story." There are no subplots, significance, irony and female leads. What made up for this movie, though, is the monster wrestling-like battle at the climax. After getting pretty beaten up by Gigan at the previous fight in "Godzilla vs. Gigan," Godzilla this time really gave Gigan a taste of his own medicine. Even giant-beetle Megalon couldn't hold up a strong battle against Godzilla. Jet Jaquer was Godzilla's partner-in-crime, a giant robot made to capitalize on the Ultraman and Zone Fighter trilogies that were popular in Japan by the time this movie came out, so I guess Godzilla deserves the right to have a robot as his sidekick at least once. Unfortuntately, Jet Jaguar wasn't emphasized enough. There should have been more scenes depicting him as a "superhero" (like saving a life or stopping a robbery like most superheros do). It still bothers me why the Seatopians need to steal Jet-Jaguar and use it to guide Megalon to Tokyo. In previous Godzilla movies, monsters just find their way to the city and start trampling. Why the heck does Megalon need a tour guide?
To sum it all, a rushed film with lots of stock footage and sub-par characters. But, an exciting monster battle at the end.
Grade C
- OllieSuave-007
- May 17, 2003
- Permalink
This is the funniest single entry into the Godzilla series. It is so incredibly bad, that there is not a single scene that doesn't have at least a chuckle or two; and many that have slap-your-knee hilarity to them - all unintentional.
The director, Jun Fukoda, was no stranger to the Godzilla series, and had already demonstrated that he could deliver a solidly competent B-movie. But this ain't one of those; and it's hard to say where Fukoda's head was at when he made this film.
We see actors miss their cues; we see strings lifting "flying" monsters; we have a robot with an idiotic smile painted on his face; we have a theme song popping up at the end that is only a parody of a pop-music movie theme. We have an annoying little kid actor that can't act. We have a cheesy giant cock-roach rubber suit flopping about crushing buildings, and then running from Godzilla with the gate of an old woman. We have the magic words that bring Megalon to life: "Rise up Megalon! Hey, get up!" while nymphettes do a veil dance. we have a background music that sounds like easy listening played at twice the tempo. Obvious stock footage from previous Godzilla films get inter-cut in the fight scenes. We have a special guest appearance from Gigan, called in (no showing or explanation how) from a galaxy called "Space Hunter M" Now, what wit could actually come up with that as the name of galaxy? Really, you must see this film at least once in your life; and if you don't see the humor in it that one time, see it again, because it will dawn on you like the blast of a heat-ray that, yeah, this film really does make NO sense whatsoever! Obviously made in two days by a group of brainy grammar-school students who happen to be drunk. One couldn't make a parody of the Godzilla films as funny as this; yet, incredibly, there's no sign that this was not intended to be taken seriously.
But we don't have to take it seriously just because it was intended that way. And taken as a comedy, it's just grand!
The director, Jun Fukoda, was no stranger to the Godzilla series, and had already demonstrated that he could deliver a solidly competent B-movie. But this ain't one of those; and it's hard to say where Fukoda's head was at when he made this film.
We see actors miss their cues; we see strings lifting "flying" monsters; we have a robot with an idiotic smile painted on his face; we have a theme song popping up at the end that is only a parody of a pop-music movie theme. We have an annoying little kid actor that can't act. We have a cheesy giant cock-roach rubber suit flopping about crushing buildings, and then running from Godzilla with the gate of an old woman. We have the magic words that bring Megalon to life: "Rise up Megalon! Hey, get up!" while nymphettes do a veil dance. we have a background music that sounds like easy listening played at twice the tempo. Obvious stock footage from previous Godzilla films get inter-cut in the fight scenes. We have a special guest appearance from Gigan, called in (no showing or explanation how) from a galaxy called "Space Hunter M" Now, what wit could actually come up with that as the name of galaxy? Really, you must see this film at least once in your life; and if you don't see the humor in it that one time, see it again, because it will dawn on you like the blast of a heat-ray that, yeah, this film really does make NO sense whatsoever! Obviously made in two days by a group of brainy grammar-school students who happen to be drunk. One couldn't make a parody of the Godzilla films as funny as this; yet, incredibly, there's no sign that this was not intended to be taken seriously.
But we don't have to take it seriously just because it was intended that way. And taken as a comedy, it's just grand!
This one is strictly for the kids, but it's still fun if you enjoy rubber suited actors destroying miniature sets (which I do). Megalon, a giant beetle from the sea, and Gigan, a praying mantis-like giant monster, are dead set on squishing puny humans. Enter size-shifting robot Jet Jaguar, who enlists the help of Godzilla to battle the two evil Kaiju. Jet Jaguar was the result of a contest Toho held where kids entered their idea for a new superhero and Jet was the winning entry by an elementary age student who was clearly a fan of Ultraman. Considered by many as one of the weakest Godzilla films, this is certainly among the corniest and the most juvenile of the many films, but I'll admit that I was entertained.
I've probably seen Godzilla vs Megalon (1973), over 20 times in my life. I am a huge fan of these films. The good and the bad, but in times of need, I've been able to turn off my unbiased-button, in order to look at these in a straight-forward, critical way too. I've been watching the Showa Era series, steadily, since the 1970s, so I was used to seeing it in 4:3 all the time. Godzilla vs Megalon (1973), is much better in its original, theatrical, widescreen format, which includes, the Japanese language with English subtitles, available today and it looks great in the new 1080p restoration. This is not saying much towards the overall film, but you should compare the two (SD VHS 4:3 and 4K Blu-ray), someday and you'll see what I mean. Godzilla vs Megalon (1973), is not the worst Godzilla movie ever made, but it was the lowest point of the 1970s era, of Toho's, kaiju series. That's not saying much, considering the 1970s were brutal for Godzilla, across the board.
This era of Gojira was a rough-ride for the lizard-king. It moved the character towards a more kid-friendly, comedic, silly direction, that turned a force of nature into a giant boxing kangaroo. Godzilla vs Megalon (1973), also was the third film, out of the last four films, in the series, which had a kid as the main character, thus playing-up the kid-friendly angle of the film. It made perfect sense, that this was happening though. The creator of Gojira, Eiji Tsuburaya, had since passed away, but before he left, he had set-up Tsuburaya Productions, who was churning out, one of his other, great creations, Ultraman, at an incredible rate of episodes, per year, by the time we got to 1973. On top of that, there were tons of copy-cat, Ultraman shows, out there on Japanese TVs, playing all the time. This of course, influenced the Godzilla films to a degree, which explains his tag-team partner in Godzilla vs Megalon (1973), as the colorful robot, named Jet Jaguar.
Another obstacle Godzilla vs Megalon (1973), had to get through, that impeded its success, was the fact, that at the same time, an embattled, bankrupting, Japanese film industry, was feeling the pain and Toho had to slash budgets on their films, which really is felt in this film. This was the era of stock footage galore, with footage reused from numerous Godzilla movies, going all the way back to 1962. Even, as far back as, King King vs Godzilla (1962). In fact, they even took stock-footage from non-Gojira films. When Megalon goes behind the trees, while the military is shooting their death-rays at him, the shot of him dodging the rays from behind the trees, was taken from either, Frankenstein vs Baragon (1965) or the War of the Gargantuas (1966). I'm not sure which one, but it was one of those. All the stock-footage was used in the military gathering scenes, monsters destroying the city scenes and, parts of the fight-scenes with the monsters. The shot with Megalon's lasers blowing up the Mobile gas-station, weren't even his lasers. They were stock-footage shots of King Ghidorah's lasers, from about eight movies back. Budget-cuts always kill a movie.
There also is a question if these films really were intended for kids. There is enough in Godzilla vs Megalon (1973), that earned the film a PG rating in the U. S. and I'm pretty sure I saw an old poster, that had an R-rating on it, for somewhere in the world. You can clearly see why in the new, improved, restored, Japanese versions, that you can stream on Max or Tubi, currently today. So, don't be fooled. Godzilla vs Megalon (1973), is not really for kids, with a PG-rating for language, violence and some magazine nudity, plus there's even smoking. There is a scene depicting our good-guys, Roku and Hiroshi, breaking back into their house, so they can stop the bad-guys (operatives of the subterranean culture, known as Seatopia), and regain control of Jet Jaguar. They use a toy plane and fly it into the face of one of the saboteurs. He grabs his head with a glob of fake blood in his hand. Another guy gets thrown out of a truck, that has Playboy centerfolds taped to the back of the cab and he rolls down a cliff. Finally, another bad-guy, gets crushed by a huge rock. By the way, all of these scenes were deleted from the original American version, that was shown in the 1970s and all through their VHS releases, seen in the 1980s and 1990s. I think people think these films are for kids, because non-nerds think we are all 15 year-old kids. That is fine, but beware of false claims on target-audiences.
There are other miscues in Godzilla vs Megalon (1973). Things like, audio sound effect mistakes, like squealing tires on dirt roads. There is a scene were Godzilla is running, Keystone Cop-style. The final fight scene is one of the worst ever. It has the famous Godzilla scene, with him flying through the air (he actually makes a turn), with a drop-kick blow into Megalon, while Jet Jaguar secures the evil monster. Jet Jaguar and Gojira actually having, what looks like, a conversation, also enhances the silliness. It is pretty brutal. It isn't all bad news for Godzilla vs Megalon (1973). There is a cool contrast between the colors of Jet Jaguar's suit and the choice of colors, that inventor Goro (Godzilla legacy-actor, Katsuhiko Sasaki), and his friend Hiroshi, use for their cars. There also is a half-decent car-chase and Megalon attacking a dam is kind of cool too. For really big laughs, watch the English dubbed version. Then compare it to the Japanese version. Even though, I give Godzilla vs Megalon (1973), a Failed grade, I still recommend seeing it, because you have to see it to believe it. Then forget about it and enjoy the rest of the Gojira, kaiju, Showa-Era of films, by the great Toho Studios. Plus, it's a film series, so you have to watch it.
PMTM Grade: 3.8 (F+) = 4 IMDB.
This era of Gojira was a rough-ride for the lizard-king. It moved the character towards a more kid-friendly, comedic, silly direction, that turned a force of nature into a giant boxing kangaroo. Godzilla vs Megalon (1973), also was the third film, out of the last four films, in the series, which had a kid as the main character, thus playing-up the kid-friendly angle of the film. It made perfect sense, that this was happening though. The creator of Gojira, Eiji Tsuburaya, had since passed away, but before he left, he had set-up Tsuburaya Productions, who was churning out, one of his other, great creations, Ultraman, at an incredible rate of episodes, per year, by the time we got to 1973. On top of that, there were tons of copy-cat, Ultraman shows, out there on Japanese TVs, playing all the time. This of course, influenced the Godzilla films to a degree, which explains his tag-team partner in Godzilla vs Megalon (1973), as the colorful robot, named Jet Jaguar.
Another obstacle Godzilla vs Megalon (1973), had to get through, that impeded its success, was the fact, that at the same time, an embattled, bankrupting, Japanese film industry, was feeling the pain and Toho had to slash budgets on their films, which really is felt in this film. This was the era of stock footage galore, with footage reused from numerous Godzilla movies, going all the way back to 1962. Even, as far back as, King King vs Godzilla (1962). In fact, they even took stock-footage from non-Gojira films. When Megalon goes behind the trees, while the military is shooting their death-rays at him, the shot of him dodging the rays from behind the trees, was taken from either, Frankenstein vs Baragon (1965) or the War of the Gargantuas (1966). I'm not sure which one, but it was one of those. All the stock-footage was used in the military gathering scenes, monsters destroying the city scenes and, parts of the fight-scenes with the monsters. The shot with Megalon's lasers blowing up the Mobile gas-station, weren't even his lasers. They were stock-footage shots of King Ghidorah's lasers, from about eight movies back. Budget-cuts always kill a movie.
There also is a question if these films really were intended for kids. There is enough in Godzilla vs Megalon (1973), that earned the film a PG rating in the U. S. and I'm pretty sure I saw an old poster, that had an R-rating on it, for somewhere in the world. You can clearly see why in the new, improved, restored, Japanese versions, that you can stream on Max or Tubi, currently today. So, don't be fooled. Godzilla vs Megalon (1973), is not really for kids, with a PG-rating for language, violence and some magazine nudity, plus there's even smoking. There is a scene depicting our good-guys, Roku and Hiroshi, breaking back into their house, so they can stop the bad-guys (operatives of the subterranean culture, known as Seatopia), and regain control of Jet Jaguar. They use a toy plane and fly it into the face of one of the saboteurs. He grabs his head with a glob of fake blood in his hand. Another guy gets thrown out of a truck, that has Playboy centerfolds taped to the back of the cab and he rolls down a cliff. Finally, another bad-guy, gets crushed by a huge rock. By the way, all of these scenes were deleted from the original American version, that was shown in the 1970s and all through their VHS releases, seen in the 1980s and 1990s. I think people think these films are for kids, because non-nerds think we are all 15 year-old kids. That is fine, but beware of false claims on target-audiences.
There are other miscues in Godzilla vs Megalon (1973). Things like, audio sound effect mistakes, like squealing tires on dirt roads. There is a scene were Godzilla is running, Keystone Cop-style. The final fight scene is one of the worst ever. It has the famous Godzilla scene, with him flying through the air (he actually makes a turn), with a drop-kick blow into Megalon, while Jet Jaguar secures the evil monster. Jet Jaguar and Gojira actually having, what looks like, a conversation, also enhances the silliness. It is pretty brutal. It isn't all bad news for Godzilla vs Megalon (1973). There is a cool contrast between the colors of Jet Jaguar's suit and the choice of colors, that inventor Goro (Godzilla legacy-actor, Katsuhiko Sasaki), and his friend Hiroshi, use for their cars. There also is a half-decent car-chase and Megalon attacking a dam is kind of cool too. For really big laughs, watch the English dubbed version. Then compare it to the Japanese version. Even though, I give Godzilla vs Megalon (1973), a Failed grade, I still recommend seeing it, because you have to see it to believe it. Then forget about it and enjoy the rest of the Gojira, kaiju, Showa-Era of films, by the great Toho Studios. Plus, it's a film series, so you have to watch it.
PMTM Grade: 3.8 (F+) = 4 IMDB.
I've seen every Godzilla movie at least once, but this one is something of a special case. They say this film was started and completed in the same month, which is an incredibly short amount of time for a feature film to be made. I can't say it has the best plot, basically Atlantis is pissed out of nowhere and sends a giant bug to attack Japan of all places, while "agents" of their Caucasian race attempt to take control of a simplistic Robot that looks like a gymnastics instructor. Well, all that put aside, the movie isn't actually that terrible. It was fun to see Gigan in another film besides his own, I feel he was always a bit under rated.
A tour de force of rubbery monster mayhem in this genre classic. Brilliant turns from Megalon, Jet Jaguar, Gigan and the mighty Godzilla all of which out act the humans.
Ignore the storyline and luxuriate in the glory of giant monster action.
- stevelomas-69401
- Aug 10, 2019
- Permalink
Upon looking at my rating of Godzilla vs Megalon you may think that I do not think that this movie is very good. That could not be farther from the truth. THere are great parts in this film. However there are also some parts that make me scratch my head.
This time an evil group of humans who live under the ground called Seatopians are after revenge. They have had enough of nuclear testing that has affected their society. So they send out their Giant Guardian monster Megalon, giant beetle with drill bit hands, to destroy mankind. Also they send men after a robot called jet jaguar that was created by a guy named Goro to use as a guide to lead Megalon to Japan. After stealing Jet Jaguar Goro gets him back and sends Jet Jaguar to monster island to get Godzilla. THe seatopians contact nebula m. space hunter to send for Gigan to set up for a great tag team battle.
There are a lot of things that cause me to scratch my head. First of all Megalon is quite confusing. He is a giant insect but has 4 limbs? He looks OK and has a good roar, but there is something missing. There are times when you can tell that nobody is inside of the Megalon costume. Also Megalon seems to be better at hitting himself with his napalm bombs than his opponents.
Gigan is back. It is good to see him again and this is the last time you see him until Final Wars. Gigan and Megalon make for a much better tag team duo than Ghidorah and Gigan due to the fact that Ghidorah is such a devastating force by himself and the fact that he would need a teammate is ridiculous.
Unlike the last godzilla film, Godzilla vs Gigan, the fight scene in this film is well done. This is how a tag team battle should go. There is lots of action and not any times where you have to wait for something to happen. However this is one of the few times where Godzilla gets no resistance from his foes and seemingly could have beaten his foes without jet jaguar. Overall a great fight though in terms of action.
Stock Footage is used again. Yeagh if you read my previous reviews you can probably tell how I feel towards Stock Footage. However in this film they mainly only use it for destruction scenes. There are a few times where Gigan falls down onto a bridge, taken from Godzilla vs Gigan, despite the fact that the monsters are fighting in the middle of a plain.
Godzilla shows up a little late in this film. Jet Jaguar in many ways is the main character of this film, leading me to view this one more like an episode of Ultra Man or ZOne Fighter. However I would rather Godzilla show up for a little bit of new footage than to just watch recycled footage of him from previous films.
This film is a comedy though. The way that the fight goes on can not be taken serious at all. This is the film in which Godzilla glides on his tail to kick Megalon right in the chest. A great move that makes me laugh my ass off every time I see it.
Jet Jaguar used to bug me more than he does now. However, how in the hell did he come up with the ability to grow to the size of Godzilla? When he does this during the film his creator mearly goes "Oh wow. He grew to the size of Godzilla, I did not know he could do that." I guess if I made a robot and he grew to be the size of Godzilla I would react differently.
There are a lot of cheesy lines, flaws in physics, and some stock footage. However this is definitely better than Godzilla vs Gigan and i recommend it. IT may not be great but at least it is fun and sometimes that is all that matters.
This time an evil group of humans who live under the ground called Seatopians are after revenge. They have had enough of nuclear testing that has affected their society. So they send out their Giant Guardian monster Megalon, giant beetle with drill bit hands, to destroy mankind. Also they send men after a robot called jet jaguar that was created by a guy named Goro to use as a guide to lead Megalon to Japan. After stealing Jet Jaguar Goro gets him back and sends Jet Jaguar to monster island to get Godzilla. THe seatopians contact nebula m. space hunter to send for Gigan to set up for a great tag team battle.
There are a lot of things that cause me to scratch my head. First of all Megalon is quite confusing. He is a giant insect but has 4 limbs? He looks OK and has a good roar, but there is something missing. There are times when you can tell that nobody is inside of the Megalon costume. Also Megalon seems to be better at hitting himself with his napalm bombs than his opponents.
Gigan is back. It is good to see him again and this is the last time you see him until Final Wars. Gigan and Megalon make for a much better tag team duo than Ghidorah and Gigan due to the fact that Ghidorah is such a devastating force by himself and the fact that he would need a teammate is ridiculous.
Unlike the last godzilla film, Godzilla vs Gigan, the fight scene in this film is well done. This is how a tag team battle should go. There is lots of action and not any times where you have to wait for something to happen. However this is one of the few times where Godzilla gets no resistance from his foes and seemingly could have beaten his foes without jet jaguar. Overall a great fight though in terms of action.
Stock Footage is used again. Yeagh if you read my previous reviews you can probably tell how I feel towards Stock Footage. However in this film they mainly only use it for destruction scenes. There are a few times where Gigan falls down onto a bridge, taken from Godzilla vs Gigan, despite the fact that the monsters are fighting in the middle of a plain.
Godzilla shows up a little late in this film. Jet Jaguar in many ways is the main character of this film, leading me to view this one more like an episode of Ultra Man or ZOne Fighter. However I would rather Godzilla show up for a little bit of new footage than to just watch recycled footage of him from previous films.
This film is a comedy though. The way that the fight goes on can not be taken serious at all. This is the film in which Godzilla glides on his tail to kick Megalon right in the chest. A great move that makes me laugh my ass off every time I see it.
Jet Jaguar used to bug me more than he does now. However, how in the hell did he come up with the ability to grow to the size of Godzilla? When he does this during the film his creator mearly goes "Oh wow. He grew to the size of Godzilla, I did not know he could do that." I guess if I made a robot and he grew to be the size of Godzilla I would react differently.
There are a lot of cheesy lines, flaws in physics, and some stock footage. However this is definitely better than Godzilla vs Gigan and i recommend it. IT may not be great but at least it is fun and sometimes that is all that matters.
OK, I admit it: As bad as they are, I'm a sucker for these movies. This one isn't quite as "so-bad-it's-good" as Godzilla Vs. Gigan, but it's still an amusing way to kill some time.
It has everything that you could you want in a Godzilla flick: A totally nonsense plot, bad dubbing, an annoying kid...and dancing giant monsters. Yes, you read that right. We have Godzilla attempting to moonwalk, Gigan doing the jitterbug, and Megalong trying what would appear to be the macarena. Why? That is one of life's great mysteries.
If you're looking for a good movie, run as far from this as you can. But for cheesy fun this one is perfect.
5/10
It has everything that you could you want in a Godzilla flick: A totally nonsense plot, bad dubbing, an annoying kid...and dancing giant monsters. Yes, you read that right. We have Godzilla attempting to moonwalk, Gigan doing the jitterbug, and Megalong trying what would appear to be the macarena. Why? That is one of life's great mysteries.
If you're looking for a good movie, run as far from this as you can. But for cheesy fun this one is perfect.
5/10
- Vampenguin
- Jun 23, 2006
- Permalink
Even though the original 1954 GODZILLA is an undeniable masterpiece, this film is my personal favorite Godzilla film! :)
I hold GODZILLA VS. MEGALON with aesthetic and sentimental value, not only because it was the first Godzilla movie I ever saw, but the very first movie Mom and the rest of my family took me to see! I had very hazy memories of being taken into the movie theater with lots of people, and I really enjoyed and cheered at seeing Godzilla and his super-robot pal Jet Jaguar fight with Megalon and Gigan on the screen.
But the ironic thing is that many fans considered this to be the worst Godzilla movie ever. They have a right to consider things that way, and I appreciate that this movie is not held in the highest regard in the Godzilla canon, but that doesn't change my opinion on it.
Many fans bitterly disliked the very idea of Godzilla teaming up with a superhero; In this case, the super-robot Jet Jaguar, who can change size. Jet Jaguar resembles both an Ultraman-style superhero (SPECTREMAN, JUMBORG ACE, etc.) and an anime super-robot from the 70s like MAZINGER Z (which was a huge success at the time), GETTER ROBO and other anime robots that got featured in Mattel's Shogun Warriors toy collection from the 70s (which also featured Godzilla and Rodan)! When I was a kid, I actually thought Jet Jaguar was a Shogun Warrior! Like the Shogun Warriors, Jet Jaguar was a major influence in my life - he got me into Japanese superheroes! He did the same "henshin" poses that many Japanese superheroes of the 70s (started by the famous KAMEN [MASKED] RIDER), and I later saw Shaw Brothers' KAMEN RIDER-influenced Hong Kong superhero spectacular, THE SUPER INFRAMAN (or just INFRA-MAN in the US), and I later became aware of Ultraman, Kamen Rider and many other superheroes later on. So for me, GODZILLA VS. MEGALON was the best of both worlds! I really loved the idea of Godzilla teaming up with a super-robot, and the two handshakes they did in the film are heartwarming, IMHO.
Besides Jet Jaguar, this film features a new Godzilla suit (Haruo Nakajima had just retired after GODZILLA VS. GIGAN, even though he tried on the new suit in behind the scenes films), and it has got to be the cutest Godzilla ever! I mean, just look at that puppy-dog face! It's like a demonic charcoal-gray Snoopy as if designed by Gou Nagai! It's one of my personal favorite suit designs. Megalon was a really cool monster! A flying rhino-beetle with drill arms! He shoots napalm grenades out of his mouth and also shoots electric beams from his horn (and when he does, it sometimes cuts to stock footage of King Ghidorah's Gravity Beams)! Gigan is back, though the costume is different from the one previously used in GODZILLA VS. GIGAN. The blue-green color is darker, and he looks somewhat thinner.
The special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano (who I had the pleasure of meeting at Asian Fantasy Film Expo 2002) are still really cool. The dam sequence with Megalon is praiseworthy! The rest is slam-bang action, on the same notch as any giant superhero show from the same period, even though Jet Jaguar doesn't shoot any beams! But if people hate Nakano's FX and slam them for being cheap, the ironic thing is that the effects took 6 months to complete! Riichirou Manabe's music score is much cheerier and more upbeat than his dark GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH score. His Godzilla theme music (the same as the one in Hedorah) is much tougher and less droopy than last time! The Seatopia music is pretty eerie and avant-garde, almost like Karlheinz Stockhausen music! The rest is groovy 70s music (flutes, guitar, banjo, horns, etc.), but another highlight is the theme song, "With Godzilla and Jet Jaguar, Punch Punch Punch!" ("Gojira to Jetto Jagaa de Panchi Panchi Panchi!"), which was sung by my favorite Japanese singer, Masato Shimon, who not only sang tons of tokusatsu and anime theme songs since the 70s, but also sang some Godzilla tie-in albums! If you liked the song, I recommend the full record version (in stereo)! That one is totally more upbeat and just rocks! It's also one of my favorite Shimon songs!
The cast is quite different and unusual from any Godzilla film made before or since. In this one case, there are no females among the lead characters (unless you count the Seatopian dancers), but they are still likable in that bizarre sort of way (and you can tell that this end of the production was rushed)! Katsuhiko Sasaki (who's new to the series, but his father Minoru Chiaki played pilot Kouji Kobayashi in GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN) plays inventor Gorou Ibuki, who invents Jet Jaguar. His kid brother Rokuro (nicknamed "Roku-chan"), for children to identify with, is played by Hiroyuki Kawase (who played Ken Yano in GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH two years earlier) wearing a red Snoopy sweater (yep, there I go with the Snoopy thing again)! Yutaka Hayashi (best known these days as a comical, fast-talking reporter in comedy and variety shows in Japan) plays the Ibuki siblings' hot-rodding friend Hiroshi Jinkawa, who gets into all the car-chases with the bad guys! Then, there's the late veteran Robert Dunham as Antonio, the Emperor of Seatopia, clad in a white toga and a tiara with Megalon's head on the center. Every time I think of Antonio and Seatopia, I keep thinking of Sean Connery's movie ZARDOZ (made the same year)! It must be the neo-Olympic/Greek style that Seatopia has. Rolf Jessup (who has appeared in some Japanese films) appears as his right-hand man radio operator in a white uniform. Koutarou Tomita plays the Seatopian agent dressed in black (and looks a lot like Alan Rickman's Snape character in the Harry Potter movies), backed by Wolf Ootsuki (who played the villain Professor Hassler in the Ishinomori/Toei TV series GIANT IRONMAN 1-7) playing agent dressed in brown. And Kanta Mori (who guest-starred as Professor Nakamura in Episode 10 of ULTRAMAN, which, ironically, guest-starred Godzilla as Jirass!) plays the JSDF General (every Godzilla movie's gotta' have 'em).
As for the plot, here's the breakdown: After underwater nuclear tests in the Pacific shake up many islands (including Monster Island), Emperor Antonio, the ruler of the undersea kingdom of Seatopia retaliates by sending their giant guardian beetle Megalon to destroy the surface world. He also dispatches two agents to steal the new super-robot Jet Jaguar from Professor Gorou Ibuki and his kid brother Rokurou (whom they also capture). They're being rescued by their friend Hiroshi Jinkawa, who goes through action-packed car-chases to rescue them, which he does. Once rescued, Gorou manages to regain control of Jet Jaguar, and sends him to Monster Island to call Godzilla for help. In response to this, Antonio calls for Star Hunter Nebula M to send Gigan to Earth to assist Megalon. Jet Jaguar grows to Godzilla-size and fights with Megalon, but Gigan finally comes and makes things hard for our robot hero. But Godzilla arrives in time to help Jet Jaguar beat Megalon and Gigan in a slam-bang tag-team monster match to save humankind . . .
I don't know about everyone else, but GODZILLA VS. MEGALON deserves more respect than it's getting in the US (In Japan, it's always been released with a beautifully restored widescreen print, regardless of what fans and others think). t has a very special place in my heart! I don't recommend it to the most serious Godzilla fans, but even some Godzilla fans still like it, if not love it. But if you like monsters, superheroes and robots, then I highly recommend GODZILLA VS. MEGALON! Still my favorite Godzilla film!
I hold GODZILLA VS. MEGALON with aesthetic and sentimental value, not only because it was the first Godzilla movie I ever saw, but the very first movie Mom and the rest of my family took me to see! I had very hazy memories of being taken into the movie theater with lots of people, and I really enjoyed and cheered at seeing Godzilla and his super-robot pal Jet Jaguar fight with Megalon and Gigan on the screen.
But the ironic thing is that many fans considered this to be the worst Godzilla movie ever. They have a right to consider things that way, and I appreciate that this movie is not held in the highest regard in the Godzilla canon, but that doesn't change my opinion on it.
Many fans bitterly disliked the very idea of Godzilla teaming up with a superhero; In this case, the super-robot Jet Jaguar, who can change size. Jet Jaguar resembles both an Ultraman-style superhero (SPECTREMAN, JUMBORG ACE, etc.) and an anime super-robot from the 70s like MAZINGER Z (which was a huge success at the time), GETTER ROBO and other anime robots that got featured in Mattel's Shogun Warriors toy collection from the 70s (which also featured Godzilla and Rodan)! When I was a kid, I actually thought Jet Jaguar was a Shogun Warrior! Like the Shogun Warriors, Jet Jaguar was a major influence in my life - he got me into Japanese superheroes! He did the same "henshin" poses that many Japanese superheroes of the 70s (started by the famous KAMEN [MASKED] RIDER), and I later saw Shaw Brothers' KAMEN RIDER-influenced Hong Kong superhero spectacular, THE SUPER INFRAMAN (or just INFRA-MAN in the US), and I later became aware of Ultraman, Kamen Rider and many other superheroes later on. So for me, GODZILLA VS. MEGALON was the best of both worlds! I really loved the idea of Godzilla teaming up with a super-robot, and the two handshakes they did in the film are heartwarming, IMHO.
Besides Jet Jaguar, this film features a new Godzilla suit (Haruo Nakajima had just retired after GODZILLA VS. GIGAN, even though he tried on the new suit in behind the scenes films), and it has got to be the cutest Godzilla ever! I mean, just look at that puppy-dog face! It's like a demonic charcoal-gray Snoopy as if designed by Gou Nagai! It's one of my personal favorite suit designs. Megalon was a really cool monster! A flying rhino-beetle with drill arms! He shoots napalm grenades out of his mouth and also shoots electric beams from his horn (and when he does, it sometimes cuts to stock footage of King Ghidorah's Gravity Beams)! Gigan is back, though the costume is different from the one previously used in GODZILLA VS. GIGAN. The blue-green color is darker, and he looks somewhat thinner.
The special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano (who I had the pleasure of meeting at Asian Fantasy Film Expo 2002) are still really cool. The dam sequence with Megalon is praiseworthy! The rest is slam-bang action, on the same notch as any giant superhero show from the same period, even though Jet Jaguar doesn't shoot any beams! But if people hate Nakano's FX and slam them for being cheap, the ironic thing is that the effects took 6 months to complete! Riichirou Manabe's music score is much cheerier and more upbeat than his dark GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH score. His Godzilla theme music (the same as the one in Hedorah) is much tougher and less droopy than last time! The Seatopia music is pretty eerie and avant-garde, almost like Karlheinz Stockhausen music! The rest is groovy 70s music (flutes, guitar, banjo, horns, etc.), but another highlight is the theme song, "With Godzilla and Jet Jaguar, Punch Punch Punch!" ("Gojira to Jetto Jagaa de Panchi Panchi Panchi!"), which was sung by my favorite Japanese singer, Masato Shimon, who not only sang tons of tokusatsu and anime theme songs since the 70s, but also sang some Godzilla tie-in albums! If you liked the song, I recommend the full record version (in stereo)! That one is totally more upbeat and just rocks! It's also one of my favorite Shimon songs!
The cast is quite different and unusual from any Godzilla film made before or since. In this one case, there are no females among the lead characters (unless you count the Seatopian dancers), but they are still likable in that bizarre sort of way (and you can tell that this end of the production was rushed)! Katsuhiko Sasaki (who's new to the series, but his father Minoru Chiaki played pilot Kouji Kobayashi in GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN) plays inventor Gorou Ibuki, who invents Jet Jaguar. His kid brother Rokuro (nicknamed "Roku-chan"), for children to identify with, is played by Hiroyuki Kawase (who played Ken Yano in GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH two years earlier) wearing a red Snoopy sweater (yep, there I go with the Snoopy thing again)! Yutaka Hayashi (best known these days as a comical, fast-talking reporter in comedy and variety shows in Japan) plays the Ibuki siblings' hot-rodding friend Hiroshi Jinkawa, who gets into all the car-chases with the bad guys! Then, there's the late veteran Robert Dunham as Antonio, the Emperor of Seatopia, clad in a white toga and a tiara with Megalon's head on the center. Every time I think of Antonio and Seatopia, I keep thinking of Sean Connery's movie ZARDOZ (made the same year)! It must be the neo-Olympic/Greek style that Seatopia has. Rolf Jessup (who has appeared in some Japanese films) appears as his right-hand man radio operator in a white uniform. Koutarou Tomita plays the Seatopian agent dressed in black (and looks a lot like Alan Rickman's Snape character in the Harry Potter movies), backed by Wolf Ootsuki (who played the villain Professor Hassler in the Ishinomori/Toei TV series GIANT IRONMAN 1-7) playing agent dressed in brown. And Kanta Mori (who guest-starred as Professor Nakamura in Episode 10 of ULTRAMAN, which, ironically, guest-starred Godzilla as Jirass!) plays the JSDF General (every Godzilla movie's gotta' have 'em).
As for the plot, here's the breakdown: After underwater nuclear tests in the Pacific shake up many islands (including Monster Island), Emperor Antonio, the ruler of the undersea kingdom of Seatopia retaliates by sending their giant guardian beetle Megalon to destroy the surface world. He also dispatches two agents to steal the new super-robot Jet Jaguar from Professor Gorou Ibuki and his kid brother Rokurou (whom they also capture). They're being rescued by their friend Hiroshi Jinkawa, who goes through action-packed car-chases to rescue them, which he does. Once rescued, Gorou manages to regain control of Jet Jaguar, and sends him to Monster Island to call Godzilla for help. In response to this, Antonio calls for Star Hunter Nebula M to send Gigan to Earth to assist Megalon. Jet Jaguar grows to Godzilla-size and fights with Megalon, but Gigan finally comes and makes things hard for our robot hero. But Godzilla arrives in time to help Jet Jaguar beat Megalon and Gigan in a slam-bang tag-team monster match to save humankind . . .
I don't know about everyone else, but GODZILLA VS. MEGALON deserves more respect than it's getting in the US (In Japan, it's always been released with a beautifully restored widescreen print, regardless of what fans and others think). t has a very special place in my heart! I don't recommend it to the most serious Godzilla fans, but even some Godzilla fans still like it, if not love it. But if you like monsters, superheroes and robots, then I highly recommend GODZILLA VS. MEGALON! Still my favorite Godzilla film!
Originally intended to be a solo film about Jet Jaguar, They quickly re-wrote the script to add Godzilla and Gigan once they realized that Jet Jaguar couldn't carry the film alone and shot the film in just 3 weeks. The rushed shooting schedule and script that was made up on the fly caused a massive drop off in quality, Resulting in this movie being one of the worst in the series.
- Daviddavecavemave
- Apr 20, 2020
- Permalink
Godzilla Vs Megalon is often regarded by Godzilla fans as the low point of the series. Indeed,in terms of conventional movie making,this is indeed a bad film. Stupid plot,zero characterisation,shoddy effects,awful music,you name it. There's even a brief bit where the actors stand still waiting for 'action'-obviously no one cared to edit this out. However,sometimes a bad film can be fun,and this is a case in point.
The film is so fast moving and action packed it's as if all the so-called 'dull'bits have been edited out. No slow build-up to the monsters here-the human part of the story is a constant series of vehicle chases,fights and kidnaps. The friendly flying robot Jet Jaguar has such a goofy charm that can't really dislike him,despite the shameless pandering to small kids,and Megalon and the previously seen Gigan really make a surreal pair of evil monsters. As with Godzilla Vs Gigan,the film is rife with footage from previous Godzilla films,but you have to almost admire the nerve in scenes like Megalon's attack on Tokyo,where all the exploding buildings are from the Ghidorah attack sequence in Ghidorah the Three Monster,the filmmakers almost getting away with it because Ghidorah's ray looks a bit like Megalon's. Oddly enough,the uncut version {many versions are badly cut} is surprisingly violent considering the target audience.
The phrase "so bad it's good"was made for this movie. Badly made in every way,and with no artistic merit whatsoever,but inspite of,or maybe even because of this,it's FUN!!!
The film is so fast moving and action packed it's as if all the so-called 'dull'bits have been edited out. No slow build-up to the monsters here-the human part of the story is a constant series of vehicle chases,fights and kidnaps. The friendly flying robot Jet Jaguar has such a goofy charm that can't really dislike him,despite the shameless pandering to small kids,and Megalon and the previously seen Gigan really make a surreal pair of evil monsters. As with Godzilla Vs Gigan,the film is rife with footage from previous Godzilla films,but you have to almost admire the nerve in scenes like Megalon's attack on Tokyo,where all the exploding buildings are from the Ghidorah attack sequence in Ghidorah the Three Monster,the filmmakers almost getting away with it because Ghidorah's ray looks a bit like Megalon's. Oddly enough,the uncut version {many versions are badly cut} is surprisingly violent considering the target audience.
The phrase "so bad it's good"was made for this movie. Badly made in every way,and with no artistic merit whatsoever,but inspite of,or maybe even because of this,it's FUN!!!
As a kid I used to enjoy this particular Godzilla film as it featured two foes for Godzilla and a robot to aid Godzilla. As I look back on it, I am not as fond of it. For one, there is just a lot of footage from other Godzilla films, mainly Godzilla versus Gigan. For another, it is just kind of weird and not in the Godzilla versus Hedorah good way either. At the same time I don't really count it as the low point of the Showa era either as I give that award to the Godzilla film titled Godzilla's Revenge in the United States. Granted, I would assume it goes by another name in Japan as Godzilla does not get any revenge in the film. There were other Godzilla films I liked less than this one, but this is the one I am reviewing today. This one also is one of two Godzilla films to get the MST3K treatment. The other being Godzilla versus the Sea Monster, which I find to be a good entry into the Godzilla series during its initial run.
The story has nuclear testing affecting things quite adversely as Monster Island where Godzilla resides is exploding and stuff right at the beginning. Also affected is a place known as Seatopia which is an underwater kingdom like Atlantis. They have had enough and unleash their monster, Megalon, to bring the world to its knees. For some reason they also need an inventor's robot as the monster Megalon needs to follow something in order to stay focused. The inventor, along with a kid who is either his brother or son and a dude who is like an action type guy must get Jet Jaguar out of the clutches of the Seatopians and use it to get Godzilla to fight off the terrible Megalon! If that were not bad enough, the space cockroaches who were clearly beaten in the last movie for reasons unknown agree to work with the Seatopians and lend out their monster Gigan!
This film made for a very funny episode of MST3K as there is just so much strange stuff going on! Seriously, why the heck did they show people go up and down the steps of that one house so many times? There is also the fact air conditioners are hung in said house and the whole strange living arrangement too. Perhaps, how they were related was explained more in the Japanese cut of this? I enjoyed the final fight as the gang started making it out to be a heavyweight fight!
So not the best Godzilla film, not by a long shot. Someone said it was better than Godzilla versus Gigan, but I preferred that one better as I liked the characters in that one better and the whole trying to uncover the identity of the strange duo running the Godzilla Tower. Here, we get the strange trio, but when I look at it know it reminds me of Johnny Quest as we have the inventor, the boy and the more athletic racing type. They just needed to add another kid and a dog. Jet Jaguar was apparently designed by a kid as they had a contest for kids to enter to design the robot, kind of surprised they went with one that is obviously just Ultraman with more colors. Still though, it still has a fond place in my heart because it did provide me with entertainment anytime I saw it as a child.
The story has nuclear testing affecting things quite adversely as Monster Island where Godzilla resides is exploding and stuff right at the beginning. Also affected is a place known as Seatopia which is an underwater kingdom like Atlantis. They have had enough and unleash their monster, Megalon, to bring the world to its knees. For some reason they also need an inventor's robot as the monster Megalon needs to follow something in order to stay focused. The inventor, along with a kid who is either his brother or son and a dude who is like an action type guy must get Jet Jaguar out of the clutches of the Seatopians and use it to get Godzilla to fight off the terrible Megalon! If that were not bad enough, the space cockroaches who were clearly beaten in the last movie for reasons unknown agree to work with the Seatopians and lend out their monster Gigan!
This film made for a very funny episode of MST3K as there is just so much strange stuff going on! Seriously, why the heck did they show people go up and down the steps of that one house so many times? There is also the fact air conditioners are hung in said house and the whole strange living arrangement too. Perhaps, how they were related was explained more in the Japanese cut of this? I enjoyed the final fight as the gang started making it out to be a heavyweight fight!
So not the best Godzilla film, not by a long shot. Someone said it was better than Godzilla versus Gigan, but I preferred that one better as I liked the characters in that one better and the whole trying to uncover the identity of the strange duo running the Godzilla Tower. Here, we get the strange trio, but when I look at it know it reminds me of Johnny Quest as we have the inventor, the boy and the more athletic racing type. They just needed to add another kid and a dog. Jet Jaguar was apparently designed by a kid as they had a contest for kids to enter to design the robot, kind of surprised they went with one that is obviously just Ultraman with more colors. Still though, it still has a fond place in my heart because it did provide me with entertainment anytime I saw it as a child.
1973's "Godzilla vs. Megalon" ("Gojira tai Megaro" in Japan) can only be seen as the most desperate of Toho's original series of 15 (the 13th), the Big G looking decidedly shabby and docile with Shinji Tagaki replacing Haruo Nakajima inside the bulky suit, the last throwaway entry with the introduction of Mechagodzilla just around the corner. No female characters among the hapless human cast, the adult inventor of a flying robot named Jet Jaguar, his child brother and a male companion, the robot coveted by spies from the underground civilization Seatopia, not much of a threat if they need the already ineffectual Gigan to back up their creation Megalon, a winged beetle that bores through the earth (many viewers will concede to being bored well before its introduction!). For a time, Jet Jaguar is programmed by the enemy, eventually restored to obedience to summon Godzilla on Monster Island, transforming into a cinematic Ultraman for no apparent reason, another fairly useless partner for this title's wrestling match. New menace Megalon is quite the manic monster, maneuvering underground and in the air, one surprisingly tense sequence breaking down a dam to imperil our human characters. A plotless series of car chases and varied escapes, Godzilla himself only taking part for the final 15 minutes, his most notorious gimmick sliding along the ground by his tail to pummel a defeated Megalon. It certainly plays out like a would be comedy, the level of amusement decreasing as the inherent silliness goes into overdrive for the tag team finale, sadly an easy choice as the bottom rung for beleaguered Toho, forced to compete with television and declining attendance, completion done on the fly after just three weeks.
- kevinolzak
- Feb 19, 2022
- Permalink
- paul_haakonsen
- Sep 1, 2019
- Permalink
This isn't exactly the worst Godzilla movie...but neither is it the best. It was the first G-film that I ever saw in the theatre, so it holds a special place in my heart.
The monsters are, in a nutshell, lame. Megalon is a giant cockroach...Gigan a weird bird-like thing with a buzz saw in his belly...and Jet Jaguar, the Ultraman lookalike, just doesn't quite look like a hero. There's something about that face...
Godzilla is, well, Godzilla. This is the movie in which he does that famous drop-kick that you see in the opening of so many episodes of Mystery Science Theatre 3000.
The monsters are, in a nutshell, lame. Megalon is a giant cockroach...Gigan a weird bird-like thing with a buzz saw in his belly...and Jet Jaguar, the Ultraman lookalike, just doesn't quite look like a hero. There's something about that face...
Godzilla is, well, Godzilla. This is the movie in which he does that famous drop-kick that you see in the opening of so many episodes of Mystery Science Theatre 3000.
- Vigilante-407
- Jan 18, 1999
- Permalink
In this, the 13th film in the franchise, Godzilla movies hit rock bottom. The much maligned "All Monsters Attack" (1969) could be excused as (maybe) being a parable in which the kaiju are imaginary, but "Godzilla vs. Megalon" is a straight-up kaiju film and as such, is abysmal. Even taken as a kid's movie (although the word sh*t appears in the subtitles), the story is ridiculous, the music horrible, and the production sloppy. Briefly, Seatopia, an underground (underwater?) civilisation, is threatened by man's nuclear weapon testing and sends Megalon, a giant bug-like monster to purge the surface with help from Jet Jaguar, a flying robot that Seatopian agents have hijacked. After some pointless car chases etc., human control of Jet Jaguar is re-established and the robot is sent to Monster Island to recruit Godzilla. The Seatopians in turn contact Space Hunter Nebula M and request that Gigan be sent to Earth as a reinforcement. Needless-to say, much monster mayhem follows, interspersed by filler concerning the robot's inventor and his little brother. Although the opening scenes of a lake draining following an earthquake are moderately well done (as is the later destruction of a dam), the bulk of the special effects are dire (at least those that aren't just clips from earlier films). Even by suit-mation kaiju standards, Megalon is ludicrous looking, especially when inexplicitly hopping about (?!) or flying (the monster has wings but does not seem to use them when in flight). Gigan, who has a similar uncanny flying ability, is as ridiculous looking as he was in his first outing (Godzilla vs. Gigan, 1972) while Jet Jaguar is clearly a cheap knock-off of Ultraman and Godzilla has completed his metamorphosis into some kind of heroic, child-friendly puppy-lizard muppet. The fight scenes between the titular kaiju and their allies are staged once again on undetailed, cheap-looking 'rural' sets and are goofy in the extreme (with spinning robots getting dizzy, monsters shaking hands, clapping, 'high-fiveing' etc., and of course, Godzilla's infamous flying drop-kicks). Overall, the movie has few redeeming qualities and, as it is relatively well-known in the west, is likely a big reason for the general low regard with which the kaiju genre is viewed outside Japan. Note: because the film slipped into the public domain, multiple versions of varying lengths and qualities (mostly crappy) are in circulation - the version on which I am commenting is pretty good: the Media Blasters DVD (83 min.), which I watched in Japanese with English subtitles.
- jamesrupert2014
- Jan 8, 2018
- Permalink
I've seen all the Godzilla movies....this one keeps me coming back. Godzilla flying through the air with a kick never gets old! I know this is about as bad a film can get, but this is the one I watch over and over.
- jkcanewton
- Jul 9, 2018
- Permalink
Series continued its decline with the 13th appearance of Godzilla, who must again defend an attack on the Earth(this time from undersea dwellers, just for a change!) who unleash a new monster called Megalon to destroy the humans, and also send for Gigan to assist. Meanwhile, young inventors have created a human-like robot named Jet Jaguar, who takes it upon itself to help Godzilla, and increase its size as well. Utterly convoluted plot makes little sense, and is quite contrived and paper thin, not to mention too low budget, but almost works on a so bad it's good level. Really no worse than its immediate predecessor, and does provide some amusement, but that's all.
- AaronCapenBanner
- May 1, 2014
- Permalink
It's just stupid that everybody hates this one, I thought it was the best in the Godzilla saga! The only kind of people who don't like it are not true Godzilla fans, there's nothing wrong with this one.Some people actually think that the American remake is better, but it's not.The remake is the worst one, and the remake really hurts the Godzilla saga.Anyway, lets talk about the plot.A series of earthquakes are occurring across Tokyo.This angers the underground civilization of people called the Seatopions.They awake their guardian giant monster called Megalon.For revenge at the Japanese, the Seatopions send out Megalon to wreak havoc across Tokyo.All of this is happening while two men and a little boy are working on a robot called Jet Jaguar.Henchmen that the Seatopions have sent out are trying to get a hold of the robot.Suddenly, the robot starts working.Jet Jaguar takes out the henchmen and heads off to fight Megalon.Jet Jaguar needs some help, so he flies to Monster Island to awake Godzilla to help him fight Megalon.Only thing is, Megalon has already teamed up with another giant monster called Gigan.This is clearly the most awesome film in the Godzilla saga, you should really check it out.Although a DVD has not yet been released, you can still find a VHS copy at Amazon or another store.
I give it 10/10
I give it 10/10
- mikecowboy1996-1
- Oct 15, 2007
- Permalink
Despite having a low budget, cheap production and a Godzilla suit that appears quite aged, this film is the most adorable, fun Godzilla film ever made, and for the better.
This is certainly not the height of Godzilla, having a contrived, rushed and wobbly plot (even by Godzilla standards) and it heavily caters towards young audiences with its simplicity. That said, this film is so charming. All the monsters are full of personality, expertly designed and bring such energy that it elevates this b-movie to feel like something more when they are present.
If all you want in a Godzilla movie is a big monster fight, this movie is for you. It's got plenty of monster action, all of which is engaging, creative and full of fun interactions.
Not the height of the franchise, but certainly a staple of it.
That said the flaws of the previous entry, Godzilla Vs Gigan, carry over to this movie worse than as they appeared before; Including the use of stock footage, a cliche plot and being very predictable. Mixed in with this are, even by the standards of cheap Godzilla films, characters and actors who are entirely bland and forgettable.
Stale but entertaining, fans will likely get more from this movie than the average viewer. But I would still recommend it.
This is certainly not the height of Godzilla, having a contrived, rushed and wobbly plot (even by Godzilla standards) and it heavily caters towards young audiences with its simplicity. That said, this film is so charming. All the monsters are full of personality, expertly designed and bring such energy that it elevates this b-movie to feel like something more when they are present.
If all you want in a Godzilla movie is a big monster fight, this movie is for you. It's got plenty of monster action, all of which is engaging, creative and full of fun interactions.
Not the height of the franchise, but certainly a staple of it.
That said the flaws of the previous entry, Godzilla Vs Gigan, carry over to this movie worse than as they appeared before; Including the use of stock footage, a cliche plot and being very predictable. Mixed in with this are, even by the standards of cheap Godzilla films, characters and actors who are entirely bland and forgettable.
Stale but entertaining, fans will likely get more from this movie than the average viewer. But I would still recommend it.
- ajordan-18235
- Nov 6, 2019
- Permalink
There is a level on which the most sophisticated of viewers can sit back and enjoy these Japanese monster flicks, paper mache sets and all. They certainly do tickle my palate.
The undersea world of Seatopia is angry about nuclear tests because their world is being destroyed. What to do, but bring up the Megalon monster to do a number on the surface humans. What do the humans do, but get Godzilla on their side and the last third of the film is a wrestling match between Godzilla and Megalon and respective tag team partners.
Godzilla gets a robot partner that supposedly is controlled by humans, but starts developing some independent thinking. All to the good, I might add and Megalon gets some other kind of creature the Seatopian folks unleash.
You've got to love these films. It's like they're choreographed by Vince McMahon.
The undersea world of Seatopia is angry about nuclear tests because their world is being destroyed. What to do, but bring up the Megalon monster to do a number on the surface humans. What do the humans do, but get Godzilla on their side and the last third of the film is a wrestling match between Godzilla and Megalon and respective tag team partners.
Godzilla gets a robot partner that supposedly is controlled by humans, but starts developing some independent thinking. All to the good, I might add and Megalon gets some other kind of creature the Seatopian folks unleash.
You've got to love these films. It's like they're choreographed by Vince McMahon.
- bkoganbing
- Jul 5, 2010
- Permalink