Customer Reviews

Terror of Mechagodzilla [VHS]

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The film takes too long to get going. And as other have pointed out, you don't get to see Godzilla until about 2/3 into the film(unless you count the US prelude of stock footage, which is fun, or the credits sequence). But that last 3rd has lots of monster action and really has a wonderful 3-way battle including a scene where Mecha-G just unloads on Godzilla with tons of firepower. For casual G-fans like me, it's worth adding to your collection cause these dvd's are put togther quite nicely and at a very affordable price(got mine for under $12). I have only 4 from this collection but plan on completing it.

Besides picture quality, subtitles for Japanese version, and widescreen presentation, these dvd's don't skimp on extras either. There's a 2-member(Keith Aiken & Bob Johnson) audio commentary on the US version that sounds too scripted for my tastes, but on the plus side it's very informative and worth a listen. There's also an image gallery complete with liner notes. Here's where it gets weird though: my copy says it has the original Japanese trailer on the back of the dvd case, but i can't find it. However, in its place is the featurette "Women of Godzilla". 10 minutes of cute, attractive Japanese starlets kinda make up for a trailer imho. All i can say is...Mie Hama!!!

Sorry. So, a 3-star movie for me personally, rounded up to 4 for this dvd edition. Recommended.

This final entry in the original Godzilla series is, in the original form, one of the better 70,s sequels. I read the other reviews saying that this film had a confusing story, and that it was just TRYING to be more serious than its predecessors, and no wonder. This dvd version is missing about 20 minutes of the original film. Several important scenes have been cut out, damaging the story. I have read that this was an edited version that played to the kiddies in matinees back in the day, and indeed all the missing scenes are the darker and more violent parts of the story. And worst of all, the very cool "history of Godzilla" intro is missing! This dvd is okay for the price, and if you are just buying for the kids. But if you are a serious fan, search for the complete version, this one will be a big dissapointment.

Overall, this last film in the original Godzilla series is one of the better ones, due primarily to the fight scenes. If you've seen Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla, though, you pretty much know the plot in this one; aliens from "the black hole" are once again trying to conquer Earth with their mechanized Godzilla monster. The only significant difference between this film and its predecessor is the addition of the monster Titanosauras. The brilliant scientist who discovered the living dinosaur Titanosauras turned away from mankind when his colleagues ridiculed his theories; now his daughter, his only companion for 15 years, can somehow control Titanosauras. The aliens, who are rebuilding the vanquished MechaGodzilla, recruit the evil scientist for their cause, believing Godzilla cannot possibly defeat both monsters single-handed.

Titanosauras is a pretty cool monster at first, but he loses his charm toward the end of the film. He has basically no offensive weapons (being a peaceful dinosaur by nature) except for a fan-like tail he uses to produce a powerful wind. MechaGodzilla is as impressive as ever but is basically the same creature he was in the previous movie. Godzilla looks pretty good and seems to be in fine form, despite the unsurprising setbacks he encounters in the opening moments of the battle. I love the grand entrance he makes here; he unleashes his breath from the shadows, then the camera quickly zooms to his eyes. Some say Godzilla is meaner in this movie, but I don't necessarily think so. When you encounter both MechaGodzilla and Titanosauras together, it probably doesn't do much to brighten your day. While the fighting is pretty good, MechaGodzilla just didn't seem to have his heart in the fight this time around. He basically just stands there unleashing his arsenal of weapons, eschewing the different forms of attack he showed us in his first encounter with Godzilla.

This movie just seems to lack something, but I can't say for sure what it is. The movie seems to end very quickly, yet it is of a comparable length with other Godzilla movies. I think part of the problem is the fact that we have seen most of this before--space aliens controlling MechaGodzilla, agents searching for the alien base of operations, etc. Had I seen this movie before watching Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla, maybe my feelings would be reversed, but I consider the first movie to be far superior to this one. This is not to say that this is a bad movie; it is in fact better than most of the original series of 15 films, and it is historically important because it is the last of those 15. We would not see Godzilla again for 10 years after this movie, so certainly Terror of MechaGodzilla is a film you will want to add to your Godzilla collection.

This is a review of the recently released TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA. Not to be confused with the edited poor quality releases of the past. First I'll tell you about the English dubbed version. The film starts off in 1:66.1 widescreen with some amateurish narration showing clips from Godzilla's Revenge and Invasion Of The Astro Monster. Then the familiar opening scene with highlights from Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla. When the opening credits are done the picture converts to Tohoscope 2:35.1. I won't go into spoilers, but there's a lot of stuff that was going on during the film that I didn't even know was happening because they were blocked by the inferior fullscreen presentation. There are also quick shown extra scenes and dialogue. The Bonus features for the English version are a commentary, art gallery, and a documentary, The Women of Godzilla. Now for the Japanese version. Basically the same movie minus the boring montage and of course more convincing due to hearing the actual voices of the actors. This is the version with the infamous revealed breasts on the operating table. For concerned parents like me, don't worry (too much) and for perverts like me, don't get excited. The boobs are plastic, strongly resembling the kind you can buy at a novelty store. Bonus features are art gallery, minus the commentary and the addition of the Japanese theatrical trailer. A film that seemed some what low key due to previous inferior releases is now vindicated with great picture and sound. This is the dvd version definately worth getting. The one that looks like a silver hardcover book.

Brought this dvd in the box-set. I strongly recommend this for any Godzilla fan. You get both the u.s. and the japanese version. But the main reason is the u.s. version, you get the origin of Godzilla. If you saw Terror of Mechagodzilla on tv years back. You would remeber the beginning. It shows the history of Godzilla, clips from other G-films. Glad see the u.s. version getting release with respect, as well as the japanese.

Yeah, this movie has it all. Aliens, Cyborgs, a nutty scientist who controls Titanosaurus and Godzilla, too. The scientist, seeking revenge unleashes- TITANOSAURUS (yawn...). Notice, ol' Titano wasn't revived in the new era of Godzilla Movies...hummmm. Heck, even King Ceasar made it back for Godzilla: Final Wars, DOH!
MechGodzilla is back for a second try. Put back together after having his head ripped off in the last film. The Godzilla suit is looking ok in this one. IT's not the best of the suits, but not bad.
Lots of melodrama, throw in some action (guns shooting, punching, aliens dying, etc), along with Giant Monster action and you have a 70's Godzilla movie.

For those who are not aware, this film was originally released to U.S. theaters as "TERROR OF GODZILLA". This version of the film was heavily edited, removing bad language and any scenes of violence. This version of the film was so badly chopped-up that it is barely watchable. Later, UPA re-released the film to U.S. TV as "TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA". With the exception of a brief "nude" shot of the cyborg girl's artificial breasts, the film was uncut and included a brief "History of Godzilla" prologue before the opening credits. However, when the film was first released to VHS, it was the edited version that was used. Unfortunately, this version continued to be used on VHS, DVD, and TV, while the uncut U.S. version disappeared. FINALLY the U.S. version of the film has been restored in all its glory, including the "History of Godzilla" prologue! After so many years, Godzilla fans should rejoice over the chance to see this film as it was meant to be seen.

This is one of my favorite Godzilla movies, and I would give the movie itself a 5 star rating. However, the TV broadcasts of 1979 (possibly 1980) was the last time an uncensored English copy of this movie was shown. All of the videotape editions (as well as the broadcast on TNT or TBS - I forget which station) are incomplete. The original English version had an incorrect intro before the opening titles, but the movie itself was complete except for a brief topless shot of Katsura undergoing surgery that had been cut out - 4 seconds of footage.

The Simitar and Paramount Home Video editions are of the censored version. (The original Paramount tape was even missing the movie's title and listed an 89 minute running time even though it was recorded on a T-80 tape in SP.) The original movie runs 82 minutes. The censored version is 79 minutes.

I have a tape of a 1979 broadcast of this movie which was edited for its time slot (10 minutes missing), the Japanese LaserDisc, the Paramount tape, and this Simitar tape.

Most of the censorship centers around the violence. Someone shoots a gun, but you don't see the other person get hit. There was little or no blood. They show the violence, but not the consequences on the act. During the opening titles which use clips from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, some bloody shots of Godzilla are missing. The truly annoying part of the censorship is the fact a MAJOR story element is missing. In this video edition, Mechagodzilla appears to shut down for no reason. All references to someone committing suicide were cut out.

After a string of juvenile, budget-strapped Godzilla movies in the early 1970s, the big G's 15th film was touted as a "return to greatness," with veteran director Ishiro Honda at the helm and maestro Akira Ifukube providing the score. Without question, the film has more going for it than several of Godzilla's previous outings, but as for a "return to greatness," well...it just kind of ain't. It is, overall, an entertaining if still highly juvenile monster romp.

Those ugly space aliens from the doomed Third Planet of the Black Hole system (from the previous film, Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla) have returned and created a new mecha-monster with the head of the original robot, which Godzilla had destroyed. However, to avoid the prior pitfalls of a purely robotic construct, they opt to use a living being as its control center, in the person of Katsura Mafune (Tomoko Ai), the daughter of disgraced scientist Shinzo Mafune (Akihiko Hirata), who was cast out of the scientific community because of his radical beliefs about mind control and the existence of a dinosaur called Titanosaurus. Mafune is happy to help the aliens because they have saved Katsura's life on more than one occasion--in effect, turning her into a cyborg. Katsura herself is ambivalent until she finds herself attracted to Professor Ichinose (Katsuhiko Sasaki), who is leading the search for Titanosaurus. The Black Hole guys unleash MechaGodzilla and Titanosaurus on Tokyo, but Godzilla appears to tangle with them, and Katsura is electrocuted. Once again, the Black Hole guys restore her, but now she is more mechanical than human. Ichinose has faith in her humanity, however, and in the end, she kills herself, allowing Godzilla to destroy MechaGodzilla II. Dr. Mafune is killed as Ichinose and Interpol destroy the aliens' base. Titanosaurus falls into the sea, and Godzilla returns to Monster Island, or wherever he happens to reside at this go-round.

The people scenes in Terror of MechaGodzilla to some extent mark a return to the familiar Honda style of direction, with a far grimmer atmosphere than any of the films since Godzilla vs. Hedorah. Akira Ifukube's score adds an element of the eerie in numerous scenes, and his powerful MechaGodzilla and Godzilla themes, the latter of which is based on motifs from the original Godzilla, inject a note of seriousness completely absent from other entries in the late Showa-era series. While the scenario is completely outlandish, an undeniable air of tragedy hovers over Katsura, who is at once villain and unfortunate victim of the story.

Sadly, a disproportionate number of the monster scenes fall back on the goofball antics of the previous films with effects directed by Teruyoshi Nakano. Time after time, Godzilla appears as nothing more than an empty suit, being tossed and bounced around like a helium balloon, to such embarrassing effect that even Ifukube's majestic score can't salvage the scenes. In fact, they're prevalent enough to spoil the entire picture, leaving such a bad taste that it's hard to appreciate many of the finer scenes, such as Godzilla staggering against the powerful wind whipped up by Titanosaurus's tail; or MechaGodzilla II and Titanosaurus marching side by side, razing everything in their path; or MechaGodzilla II unleashing an awesome barrage of missiles that blow a city block literally sky-high. These laughable scenes are so incompatible with the tone of the movie that, even having some understanding of how Japanese audience's expectations differ from their western counterparts, I still find the reasoning of the moviemakers utterly inexplicable. A touch of comic relief is one thing; total incongruity is another.

It doesn't help that the Godzilla suit, while a little fiercer looking than its previous incarnations in Godzilla vs. Megalon and Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla, still resembles a Muppet more than the King of the Monsters, with big, balloon-like dorsal fins and oversized, rounded feet. Titanosaurus's design is interesting enough, with fish-like fins that give it the distinct appearance of a sea animal. MechaGodzilla II, similar in appearance to the original, with a few modifications, certainly makes for an impressive mecha-monster, and in most cases, its movements are convincingly mechanical.

The Classic Media DVD includes the original, uncut Japanese version and the extended U.S. version originally released by Henry Saperstein directly to television. The Bob Conn Enterprises theatrical version, which saw only limited release in 1978, was originally known as Terror of Godzilla and was significantly edited to excise scenes of violence (and the infamous scene of Katsura's naked, obviously artificial breasts)--so much so that the ending makes no sense whatsoever. Interestingly, Saperstein's television version retained these scenes, which runs counter to expectations from that day and age, when it was typically television releases that were so heavily edited.

The Classic Media DVD release, of course, is a big winner. It does the movie justice and then some.

"Terror of Mechagodzilla" was the last Godzilla film of the "Showa Era", the first series of Godzilla movies. As stated above, it would be a decade before Godzilla arose again, and this was the last Godzilla film that depicted Godzilla as a defender of the planet. It can be argued that Godzilla was also a defender of the planet in later films, but this was the last one where he was a "willing" hero, instead of being forced into the role by circumstances.

That being said, this remains one of my favorite Godzilla films, in spite of its flaws, one of which is the footage that was removed for the american version. I have never seen the original version, so I can't really comment on what's missing. In some places the poor editing really shows, particularly when Katsura is being chased during Titanosaurus' first attack, and later at the end in Mifune's basement when the interpol agent seems to magically teleport around the room.

The plot is fairly straightforward: The aliens still want to conquer Earth, and as they rebuild Mechagodzilla, they recruit Dr. Mifune, who controls Titanosaurus. Titanosaurus is perhaps the most annoying Godzilla villain of all time: his roar sounds to me like what an elephant would sound like if it tried to imitate a hyena. Despite the title, Godzilla and Mechagodzilla really aren't in this movie all that much, it's Titanosaurus who seems to have the most screen time, and I privately believe that this is to raise the audience's ire with him.

All in all, this film starts off slow, but builds momentum quickly as it races toward the final action sequences. There's plenty of human drama, of course, and the actors are competent even if the characters are somewhat forgettable. The only thing that really got to me was Ichinose's pining over Katsura. As usual, there are is plenty of unitentionally funny dialogue, such as when Ichinose is trying to convince his colleagues that Katsura didn't sabotage the supersonic wave generator.

I know I probably don't have any business enjoying this film as much as I do, but something keeps me coming back. Overall, it's an enjoyable carefree movie, and I can't think of much more you can ask for from a Godzilla movie.