Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla

This is about the 1974 film. For the 1993 film, see Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. You may be looking for the 2002 film Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla (1974), Japanese poster
Directed by	Jun Fukuda
Produced by	Tomoyuki Tanaka
Written by	Jun Fukuda Masami Fukushima Shinichi Sekizawa Hiroyasu Yamamura
Starring	Masaaki Daimon Kazuya Aoyama Reiko Tajima Beru-Bera Lin Hiromi Matsushita Gorō Mutsumi Akihiko Hirata Hiroshi Koizumi Kenji Sahara Shin Kishida Isao Zushi as Godzilla
Music by	Masaru Satô
Cinematography	Yuzuru Aizawa
Distributed by	Toho Cinema Shares International/Downtown Distribution
Release date(s)	March 21, 1974
Running time	84 min.
Language	Japanese, English

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (ゴジラ対メカゴジラ, Gojira Tai Mekagojira), originally known in the United States as Godzilla vs. Bionic Monster and subsequently Godzilla vs. Cosmic Monster, is a 1974 science fiction kaiju film. This was the 14th of the Toho studio's Godzilla series (set after Godzilla vs Megalon), it was directed by Jun Fukuda with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano and the original score composed by Masaru Sato. It is the fifth film to feature Anguirus and the first film to feature Mechagodzilla and King Caesar.

Plot

In Okinawa a small ancient statue is unearthed, and a prophecy revealed: When a black mountain appears in the sky and the sun rises in the West, a monster will arise to destroy the world. The statue of the mythical monster King Caesar, protector of Okinawa, is vital to its revival should the prophecy come true.

Before long, the signs appear: a giant black cloud in the shape of a mountain is seen, and a mirage creates the illusion of a Western sunrise. Godzilla emerges from Mount Fuji on a destructive, unprovoked rampage. Former ally Anguirus confronts Godzilla, only to be cruelly and violently defeated when Godzilla breaks Anguirus' jaw.

Another Godzilla battles the rampant Godzilla and reveals it to be an impostor. It is Mecha-Godzilla, a titanic robot created by ape aliens of the Third Planet from the Black Hole to destroy the genuine Godzilla and conquer Earth. Mecha-Godzilla unleashes its full arsenal on Godzilla and the wounded monster collapses into the sea. Too damaged from the encounter to effectively continue the attack, Mecha-Godzilla retreats for repairs. Returning to Monster Island, Godzilla is repeatedly struck and energized by mysterious bolts of lightning.

Its repairs completed, Mecha-Godzilla is unleashed to destroy King Caesar, but Godzilla comes to the rescue. After a bloody battle between the three titans, Godzilla generates a magnetic field against Mecha-Godzilla, dragging the metallic monstrosity within reach. Godzilla twists Mecha-Godzilla's head off and the robot's body explodes. The aliens' base explodes, and both King Caesar and Godzilla return from whence they came.

Box office

The film sold approximately 1,330,000 tickets in Japan - modest business, but an improvement of about 350,000 over the previous Godzilla film, Godzilla vs. Megalon.

English versions

Ise Mori (Mechagodzilla), plays around with some school children visiting the set of the film during production.

In 1977, Cinema Shares International purchased the rights to Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and released the movie through Downtown Distribution under the title Godzilla vs. Bionic Monster. As they had done with Godzilla vs. Megalon the previous year, Cinema Shares simply utilized the Toho-produced English dub. In July 1977, Universal Studios filed a lawsuit against Cinema Shares, claiming that the title was too similar to their TV productions, The Six Million Dollar Man and its spin-off The Bionic Woman. Cinema Shares retitled the film Godzilla vs. Cosmic Monster.

As with most of the other 70s Godzilla films, the Japanese version of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla featured several scenes with violent content and strong language. Strangely, Cinema Shares retained several scenes of violent monster action, including a shot of Godzilla spraying blood. The edits include:

• A new title card that reflects the new title. In the Japanese and international versions, Godzilla's name flashes on screen several times while a mountain explodes in the background. As Masaru Sato's main title theme plays, the full title is revealed. In the Cosmic Monster version, the screen turns bright red (covering up the original title sequence) and the title of the film and the copyright information appear. Widescreen versions of the title sequence reportedly feature the poster art to the right of the title, but this is not visible in the 16mm prints that have circulated since the early 1980s.

• The opening credits have been deleted.

• Deleted is a scene in which Nanbara, the INTERPOL agent, strangles one of the aliens. The final shoot-out between Nanbara and three of the simian invaders is similarly edited.

• At the end of the Japanese version, King Caesar returns to his resting place and Godzilla returns to the sea. In a short epilogue, the Azumi princess runs through her homeland as many of the characters celebrate with her. The camera pans up to one of the King Caesar statues in the palace yard as the Japanese symbol for "end" appears. Cinema Shares cut this short epilogue, with the exception of the final shot of the statue. A solid red, vertical bar appears from the right side of the screen, over which the words "THE END" are overlaid.

In 1988, New World Video released the film along with Godzilla 1985, and Godzilla vs. Gigan. This print was Toho's original, uncut international version, which restored all the cuts made by Cinema Shares. The film was shown on The Sci-Fi Channel throughout the 90s under the title Godzilla vs. the Cosmic Monster, although this version was in fact Toho's international version with a new title card.

Titles

• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla - Japanese title, Toho's official English title and the current home video title in the U.S.

• Godzilla vs. Bionic Monster - Original American title.

• Godzilla vs. Cosmic Monster - Second American release title.

Reception

The movie has become popular among fans in recent years for its exotic music, colorful special effects and entertaining monster fights. The film's robust themes and fairly complex plot stand out against a time when the Godzilla franchise was being fueled by increasingly lower production values.^{[citation needed]}

Outside of the circle, however, public reception is luke-warm at best and the movie garners only 5.8 stars (out of a possible ten) at IMDB. However, it does retain an above-average score (60%) at Rotten Tomatoes.

Home video release

In 2004, Tristar and Sony Entertainment released on DVD the original international uncut and unedited version of the film, also featuring the original Japanese language track.

External links

• Godzilla on the web (Japan)
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla at the Internet Movie Database
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla at Rotten Tomatoes
• "ゴジラ対メカゴジラ (Gojira tai MekaGojira)" (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1974/cx000690.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-18. 

References

"Godzilla vs. Bionic Monster; Who can resist the transistor terror?" in Famous Monsters of Filmland, July 1977 (#135). Cover, and p. 16-25. (pictures & synopsis)