21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All the monster mayhem you crave plus some touching moments, September 25, 2003
I wasn't exactly thrilled when Toho decided to pretend that all of the original Godzilla sequels never actually happened, but the new series of Godzilla films begun in the wake of Godzilla 1985 have all been excellent. Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla holds the distinction of being the most tender and sad movie of the series. There are a number of tender moments sprinkled around all the great scenes of monster mayhem and model stomping. Ever mindful of Godzilla's constant threat, G Force has been established to find a way to ultimately defeat him; with the help of the future technology provided by the leftovers of King Ghidorah (from the previous movie), G Force has rebuilt the inimitable MechaGodzilla and fitted him with all kinds of nifty gadgets. While this is going on, two giant eggs, one of them unhatched, are found on a remote island; the scientific team at the site barely escape with the whole egg after being attacked by a Rodan-like prehistoric creature, he of the broken egg. Godzilla shows up at the same time and actually gets knocked around pretty good by the little Rodan, but the Big G always bounces right back. Meanwhile, back in Japan, the giant egg yields a cute little Godzillasaurus, a friendlier cousin to Godzilla's own breed.
You just have to love little "Baby." While he does look a little strange, he is not the ridiculous-looking son of Godzilla from the original series. There's really something of a human component to Baby, which certainly made my heart go out to him. He immediately becomes attached to the young lady scientist taking care of him, and the fear, confusion, and fright he feels on a number of occasions is made manifest by his total body language as well as the red glow that comes into his eyes when he is distressed. He even brings out the good side of Rodan and Godzilla, both of whom basically fight over and because of him. The ending is particularly poignant, but I won't spoil it for anyone. I imagine that a few moviegoers may have sat through the credits trying to hide the evidence of a few tears on their cheeks.
There is still plenty of destruction to be found here, so don't go thinking Godzilla has turned into a great big softie. The Big G enjoys stomping and destroying as much as he ever has, little Rodan blows plenty of buildings and people away himself, and MechaGodzilla throws everything but the kitchen sink at both of the monsters. The story is actually pretty compelling, despite the fact that a number of characters jump to a fair number of ludicrous (yet amazingly correct) conclusions. I had to laugh when the scientists here suddenly announced their finding that Godzilla had a second brain, located in the area that most likely first pops into your mind - that addition to the mythology I could definitely have done without. I have both the Japanese version with subtitles and the dubbed version, and I found the dubbing to be pretty good in this case. There is one awful American actor who could not act his way out of a dark room with a flashlight, but he looks bad in both versions. I still believe that Godzilla vs Mothra: Battle For Earth is the best movie from this newer Godzilla timeline, but Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla II is not far behind it in terms of the entertainment value. A stomping good time will be had by all fans of the big lizard in this 1993 release.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW, December 25, 1999
By A Customer
Holy monkey! I just got this movie for Christmas and I loved every second of it! I was on the edge of my seat from the opening credits with the wreackage of Mecha King Ghidora to the haunting melody of the children singing at the end. Reintroducing many characters including MechaGodzilla, now built by the UNGCC, Rodan (now called Radon but that's OK), Baby Godzilla (who could kill Minya any day) and Godzilla is back, bigger and better than before. Here is the story: an egg has been spotted on an island. Suspected to be Rodan's egg, it turns out to be an infant Godzillasaur. Well, Godzilla comes to Tokyo looking for his kid. Problem is, so does Rodan, bringing the biggest custody battle on the planet! MechaGodzilla, built by the UNGCC to kill Godzilla, paralyzes Godzilla and.....you'll have to see the rest so you can see just how magnificent this movie is. MechaG with Garuda on it's back and Godzilla's new breath weapon was very impressive. This is a must for any and all Godzilla fans!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sort of middle of the road., February 13, 2005
Saturday, February 12, 2005 / 3 of 5 / Sort of middle of the road.
We're getting close to having the full Godzilla collection on DVD, with this release only Biollante and Godzilla Raids again are left to release. Studying Mecha-King Ghidorah technology scientists craft the original Mecha-Godzilla, and once put into action it really clobbers Godzilla. As usual though, it breaks down and all he has to do is knock it over. This film also introduces Baby Godzilla and secondarily Rodan who seems content to tag along for the action. I thought the effects weren't quite up to some of the later in the series and even those from the prior couple Hisei movies. The back story wasn't too compelling either, following a Pteranadon loving pilot who labored on the failed Garuda project and now makes eyes at Baby's babysitter. Still for completeists sake it was a nice Godzilla romp.
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