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.
