Talkback: Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)

[tymon]

^Titanosaurus (er...King Ceaser) and Mechagodzilla must defend the earth from the evil space-alien Godzilla!

[edgaguirus]

Someone needs to tell the poster artist that KC wasn't MG's helper.

[eabaker]

Someone needs to tell the poster artist that KC wasn't MG's helper.

Or, y'know, in the movie.

[DoctorMafune]

Someone needs to tell the poster artist that KC wasn't MG's helper.

Or, y'know, in the movie.

At the time (June, 1978), I was actually ticked off when I discovered that "The Terror of Godzilla" WASN'T a re-release of Godzilla vs. Bionic / Cosmic Monster. I'd missed that one during the ONE week it lasted in theaters in my area (yeah, I'm one of the oldest geezers on this forum), and figured I'd get to see Revenge of MechaGodzilla (what Japanese Giants was calling Mekagojira no Gyakushu) eventually, in any case.

But I had such a damned good time watching "The Terror of Godzilla" —staying to see it twice, of course—I couldn't complain for very long.

Now, just imagine how far my jaw dropped late one Saturday night in October of the SAME YEAR, when a cable TV station's Creature Feature previewed its film for the following week: "The Terror of MechaGodzilla." Or how much farther it dropped when said TV showing began with an all-new promo, or showed the first of the scenes clipped for theatrical release...

[Space Hunter M]

I wish the theatrical The Terror of Godzilla card wasn't so goddamn rare. Yeah, there's the photo with the guy's head on the screen, but there actually was a decent scan on eBay at one point...

[Tek]

Did Titanosaurus scare anyone else as a kid?

I was terrified of him. The underwater scene was so tense and scary. And how the camera shot him from below standing up so tall... I swore he was really 500 feet tall! Something about Titanto that really creeped me out as a kid. Ironic thing is, we all know his backstory and how he's really a "gentle sea monster" at heart.

But there's something seriously unnerving about the monster, lol. It's like a giant "spitter" from Jurassic Park... unhinges me thinking about Titanosaurus, his creepy roar and his enormous size.

[eabaker]

While I wouldn't go so far as to say I was "scared," the movie has an extremely unsettling atmosphere, and the way Titano's footage is shot and scored (particularly the early material) is definitely a big contributing factor.

[Mechagigan]

It's definitely 'darker' than a good amount of the Showa series, both during the human and monster scenes. That's a big reason I love this movie... it's campy and still has its fair share of 70's Kaiju tropes (shiny aliens, giant mechs, laser-type weapons), but it also has some really great looking shots and feels like it had way more thought put into it than the 70's movies before it. I imagine Ishiro Honda's involvement had a lot to do with that.

[Space Hunter M]

[Kaijugriffey]

It's definitely 'darker' than a good amount of the Showa series, both during the human and monster scenes. That's a big reason I love this movie... it's campy and still has its fair share of 70's Kaiju tropes (shiny aliens, giant mechs, laser-type weapons), but it also has some really great looking shots and feels like it had way more thought put into it than the 70's movies before it. I imagine Ishiro Honda's involvement had a lot to do with that.

Oh yeah. The girls suicide at the end to defeat MechaG left a lasting impression on my young mind. For years. (Not to mention what they did to Big Bird! I mean he was plucked and developed some sort of rabid skin disease!)

[Piccolo]

It's definitely 'darker' than a good amount of the Showa series, both during the human and monster scenes. That's a big reason I love this movie... it's campy and still has its fair share of 70's Kaiju tropes (shiny aliens, giant mechs, laser-type weapons), but it also has some really great looking shots and feels like it had way more thought put into it than the 70's movies before it. I imagine Ishiro Honda's involvement had a lot to do with that.

Good point. The film has a dark tone (it even looks dark) without being so grim that it stops being fun or interesting. I was lucky enough to see a subtitled version of the movie at the Pickwick Theatre at a G-Fest several years ago and it was even better on the big screen. Terror of Mechagodzilla is really a unique entry in the series. Its definitely the best of the '70s Godzilla movies.

[Kaiju no Kami]

I don't know if I would say it is the best, as the first MG is just a tad better, but it is definitely up there.

I love the shots when the camera pans around the city as the monsters are about to fight, especially during the first battle between Godzilla and Titanosaurus.

[eabaker]

I don't know if I would say it is the best, as the first MG is just a tad better, but it is definitely up there.

I find the first MG padded with a lot of meaningless hand-waving filler in the form of characters running around and punching each other, and tonally and thematically a little sloppy. In ToMG, everything is very much of a piece.

[Kaiju no Kami]

I don't know if I would say it is the best, as the first MG is just a tad better, but it is definitely up there.

I find the first MG padded with a lot of meaningless hand-waving filler in the form of characters running around and punching each other, and tonally and thematically a little sloppy. In ToMG, everything is very much of a piece.

Honestly, they are both my 8th and 9th favorite movies in the franchise because I'm not really sure which I prefer. I think the reason I might find the first one better though is because Terror doesn't do anything to develop the space men beyond what we already knew about them from the previous movie. On the other hand, Katsura is hands down the best female character since Salno.

[eabaker]

Katsura is hands down the best female character since Salno.

No ifs, ands or buts. Better even than Namikawa.

[GodzillavsJason]

Personally Katsura is the best human character since Daisuke Serizawa. Particurally because she fits the whole tragic persona of what the original was meant to be hence why I think Terror is the perfect finale of the showa. Since everything comes full circle.

[Space Hunter M]

Personally, I think there haven't been any good characters since Mr. Tako.

[ThunderScore]

Personally, I think there haven't been any good characters since Mr. Tako.

Mr. Tako always reminded me of Max O'Hara (Robert Armstrong)
from MIGHTY JOE YOUNG:

[Kaiju no Kami]

Personally Katsura is the best human character since Daisuke Serizawa. Particurally because she fits the whole tragic persona of what the original was meant to be hence why I think Terror is the perfect finale of the showa. Since everything comes full circle.

I don't know, I really love Shindo, Tako, Muira, Salno, and Glenn just as much as Katsura.

[GodzillavsJason]

Personally Katsura is the best human character since Daisuke Serizawa. Particurally because she fits the whole tragic persona of what the original was meant to be hence why I think Terror is the perfect finale of the showa. Since everything comes full circle.

I don't know, I really love Shindo, Tako, Muira, Salno, and Glenn just as much as Katsura.

Oh no, I'm not saying those aren't good characters. I'm just saying that Katsura is the best human character since Serizawa, mainly in my opinion.