Talkback Thread #14: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

[he-ba]

I actually prefer this film to "Terror of Mechagodzilla".

I think this is the better of the two by a long shot. I think it's a lot more successful at what it's going for, which is a big, jazzy, campy (yes, actually campy) spectacle.

Terror, to me, has always felt really unfocused, dirgy without reason and boring in long stretches. It feels quite grim, but unlike many of the earlier Showa films, even Honda's sillier ones, it hasn't much to say. I know it has its fans though.

sometimes, i think we lose focus ourselves of exactly what a movie (or even a book) is about. nobody says it has to, or should have some hidden meaning or greater truth. sometimes i just want a good story.

in that regard, both GvsMG and ToMG deliver on every single front. there's not a ton they're trying to say, and personally i wouldn't change it for the world. that's how they work best, IMHO. (note: i'm not targeting you with any of this, but your post is what got me thinking of this stuff in general).

point being, there ain't a huge need for some sort of super deep secret message on human nature. the movies are good, or great (depending on you) on their own.

When I was in High School, I took Honors English 1 my freshman year. I said to my teacher exactly what you said about having a good story and no message, and he flipped out on me for 2 days straight!!

Aaaahhhhhh, the good ol' Deja Vu.........

[Tohosaurus]

I actually prefer this film to "Terror of Mechagodzilla".

It's too much for me to decide, which I suppose is great. Both are so much fun and surprisingly different despite being part of one story arc. I really hope this gets picked up by Shout!, Mill Creek, or Kraken Releasing very soon along with Son of Godzilla for a BRD release.

[LiquidG]

I personally don't find it fair to compare the two tone and story wise because really neither one is better than the other, everyone's going to like something different, some would be more engrossed in the James Bond style action and high jinks of GvsMG while others ( like myself ) are more interested in TOMG's story that while not perfect or revolutionary is quite serious and often times very tragic, of course I like many others despise and whole heartedly disagree with the
" DARK N GRITTY/BROODING = True Art " mentality, but TOMG definitely doesn't fall into that pretentious category.

As most on here are aware TOMG is my favorite Godzilla film of all time but its prequel is still very enjoyable and ranks amongst the greatest of the Showa series in my eyes, what it sets out to do it does pretty damn well, same with TOMG, one wanted to be more action oriented and upbeat while the other wanted to be more brooding and serious, a lot of this has to do with the directors of each film, each having a different vision, for that reason, even if you like one over the other for personal tastes it really can't be said which film is technically better because each are so fundamentally different that comparing the two to each other becomes almost moot. In the end it all comes down to personal taste, one mans trash is another's treasure.

[Rodan]

My thing with Terror isn't that I feel movies have to say something (I really love vs. Mechagodzilla, which is nothing but colorful silliness), but specifically that something with as dirgy a tone as Terror's invites a deeper reading to offset that. But it doesn't have much going on under the surface. It feels like a mismatch of intent.

That said, I do understand why others enjoy it, and obviously you can have films that are grim but still fun. For me it just falls somewhere on the low end of the Showa series.

[Godzillian]

As someone who really doesn't like TOM (its porbably my least fav g-film) I think its hard to compare it with GVMG. TOM is a dark moody story very much like earlier toho kaiju films while GVMG is a product of its era. Its like comparing the original Godzilla to a film like GTTH. The films contrast each other in terms of mood and characters so much its hard to believe they are directly connected.

[three]

i'll take it to the ToMG thread.

[skuzzy-punk-kid]

My one question I had for this movie:
Where exactly was the prayer scene filmed when the priestess got down to her knees and sang the King Caesar song?

I once asked that because I was stationed in Okinawa from 2007 until 2012, and I recall hearing the movie taking place in Okinawa.

[he-ba]

I always wondered where the whole thing was filmed. Were the Okinawa scenes a set or an actual place?

And btw skuzzy-punk-kid, you said you were "stationed" in Okinawa? If you are an American soldier, thank you for your service!!!

[skuzzy-punk-kid]

I always wondered where the whole thing was filmed. Were the Okinawa scenes a set or an actual place?

And btw skuzzy-punk-kid, you said you were "stationed" in Okinawa? If you are an American soldier, thank you for your service!!!

Airman, actually (USAF). I was stationed in Kadena Airbase.

[he-ba]

Well still, you protected our freedom, even if you didn't see any combat, and we all respect you greatly for that!

[skuzzy-punk-kid]

Well still, you protected our freedom, even if you didn't see any combat, and we all respect you greatly for that!

Thanks, it was my pleasure.

[GhidoGoji]

This has always been my favorite movie. I grew up watching this one a couple times a week!

[Kaiser]

Some movies don't care about making sense or being plausible. Some movies just want to be fun and entertaining. This is one of those movies. It's really sort of "critic-proof" honestly; there are many things in the movie you can find fault with if you felt like it, but at the end of the day you had a blast watching it. I may not be that big of a fan of Jun Fukuda, but his style of direction is perfect for this movie and that the fact that he was able to cast Shin Kishida as the Interpol agent makes it even better, the man has a presence about him that makes anything he's in eminently more watchable and Goro Mutsumi might be the best villain in the entire franchise. You can just tell how much fun he's having with the role.

On the special effects side of things, this may not be Teruyoshi Nakano's "best" work, but it's the film that feel the most representative of his style. Lots of explosions and a breakneck pace to the fight scenes. The showdown between Mechagodzilla and Godzilla in the refinery might be one of the best kaiju scenes ever filmed.

[EmperorGhidorah]

Favorite movie of the Showa era. Great soundtrack. Great fights scenes. Great characters (for a Showa movie). And great suits.

[daveblackeye15]

My brother likes Godzilla too but he still brings up how the Interpol agent just knows his car is a trap. That is a great point, I want a Godzilla character that just checks their car like that every time they get in.

[he-ba]

The suits are actually really good for the 70's. Mechagodzilla surprisingly looks like he's made of metal, he has no wobbling as a result of the rubber and latex. In ToMG, though, they have to play with the camera and film to do the opposite, as MG looks a little wobbly.

[three]

Really awesome soundtrack, and one of my favorite G films ever. All around awesome Godzilla movie.

[Godzilla The King]

This film is the other definitive Godzilla film to me, it does "hero" Godzilla right. With bright colors and great effects, I feel like this is what the 70's films should've been like. The jazzy soundtrack is awesome too, especially in the Mechagodzilla reveal scene.

[Pkmatrix]

This film is the other definitive Godzilla film to me, it does "hero" Godzilla right. With bright colors and great effects, I feel like this is what the 70's films should've been like. The jazzy soundtrack is awesome too, especially in the Mechagodzilla reveal scene.

I agree!

I love this movie, and have only grown to love it more and more as I've gotten older. It's probably the best take on a heroic Godzilla, even considering he really isn't in the movie all that much. The story mixes elements of a '70s Spy Thriller, an Alien Invasion story, and a Giant Monster movie just about perfectly, it's easily one of the most fun and exciting plots - the only thing holding it back is the limited budget not letting them do action sequences quite as grand in scale as they clearly want to do, but even that is a very minor complaint.

I think how much I love this movie is partly why I don't care as much for Terror of Mechagodzilla. The two '70s Mechagodzilla films represent two very different takes on the concept and both are very different in tone, and even though I saw ToMG I just never responded well to it. It's hard to fall in love with ToMG the same way as so many other fans when I've always felt GvMG'74 was just way more entertaining.

[three]

Well this film is snappy and fast. ToMG is a bit more paced, dramatic, and if I could apply this term to a movie: artistic. Something about it is so much more...as if there was an attempt to make a work of art. This movie is more fun, though. It's like two different styles, and when you realise it's one two part saga it gets even more entertaining.