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

[edgaguirus]

I see none in the film. I know the film makers were trying to bring in a touch of the evil Godzilla with MG disguised as Godzilla, but I think that's as far as any meaning goes. This movie is sci fi action meant to entertain.

[eabaker]

I see none in the film. I know the film makers were trying to bring in a touch of the evil Godzilla with MG disguised as Godzilla, but I think that's as far as any meaning goes. This movie is sci fi action meant to entertain.

Well, what it was "meant" to do is arguably beside the point.

Every narrative presents a status quo, introduces a disruption to that status quo, and then either restores it or leaves it altered; and presents that sequence of events as ultimately good or bad. In doing so, it conveys some kind of meaning to viewers. In that case of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, the treatment of native Okinawans and their culture by the mainland Japanese informs that sequence of events.

[The Octopus]

Was Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla ever re-released in 2002?

The reason I'm asking is because BOM has it as being rereleased that year
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/r ... 809/weekly
but that doesn't look right to me. Since BOM seems to have a lot of messed up numbers on thier site now I was wondering if this was true.

[LSD Jellyfish]

Was Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla ever re-released in 2002?

The reason I'm asking is because BOM has it as being rereleased that year
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/r ... 809/weekly
but that doesn't look right to me. Since BOM seems to have a lot of messed up numbers on thier site now I was wondering if this was true.

Probably a re-release special in order to promote and build towards Godzilla X MechaGodzilla.

[Terasawa]

I'm highly skeptical of that.

Added in 1 minute 45 seconds:
My memory is that Mechagodzilla wasn't publicly known as the 2002 Godzilla opponent until later than January. So had it been shown in Japan, beginning January 5, 2002, it likely wouldn't have been as a tie-in to a movie that was nearly a year away (released December 2002).

[The Octopus]

They actually have 3 week grosses

January 5-11

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekly/20 ... =bo_wl_nav

January 12-18

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekly/20 ... =bo_wl_nav

January 19-25

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekly/20 ... =bo_wl_nav

I don't know what to think because I can't find any rerelease numbers on Toho's website, but BOM seems pretty specific.

[Terasawa]

Couldn't find anything about it (or when GxMG was officially announced) on Japanese Wikipedia, Henshin! Online (archived), or Monster Zero (archived). However, for the latter, I could only check the site after it switched to the ClubTokyo domain, which was mid-2002, too late for any news on a January '02 exhibition of the 1974 Godzilla.

I think it's a huge mix up and it's supposed to be GMK. GMK was released December 15, 2001, grossing $1.9 million in yen in its first week (possibly weekend). Its total gross was roughly $20 million (again, in yen). Box office data taken from this site's own movie page. Link. Interestingly, BOM notes that the recorded gross for "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla" in its first week (January 5-11) was nearly $1.9 million.

GMK is also conspicuously absent from the box office table for January 2002. As noted, it was released December 15, 2001, and we know it was the most successful Godzilla movie of the Millennium Series, and I believe the most successful since 1992. It would not have run for two weeks and vanished.

But let's pretend for a second that Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla was re-released for three weeks in January, 2002. Isn't that a really strange time to schedule it, considering the newest Godzilla was still fresh and holding its own at the box office? And I still think January was way too early to hype up the next film.

[Joseph Goodman]

It's 100% a mix-up with GMK; observe the archived version of Jan.18-24, 2002, and compare with the current version of Jan 19-25 posted above. The figures are identical.

[The Octopus]

Great thanks for the info guys. I sent that info over to BOM, hopefully they'll fix the mix up.

Heres what I wrote in my summary

I was looking at your page for Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla and you have some misinformation.

You have the film grossing $18.6 Million via a 2002 rerelease.

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0 ... =bo_se_r_1

The information is wrong. That film (which was released in 1974) was never rereleased.

Looking at the data here, you have weekly grosses for it in January of 2002.

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/r ... 09/weekly/

Bare in mind that is actually the grosses for the film Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0279112/

That film came out in December of 2001 and you have the tail end gross of it in January of 2002.

This archive from your site confirms it.

https://web.archive.org/web/20020328063 ... 011802.htm

It has the same gross and theater number as your Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla from the same dates. That film was released on a double bill in Japan with Hamutaro.

There was a discussion about this at the Toho kingdom messageboard

Look at the last few posts on this thread

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=779&start=440

Added in 4 days 8 hours 41 minutes 51 seconds:
Hey it looks like BOM listened to us. They made the changes.

[H-Man]

Watched this tonight for first time in a while.

I never noticed before that the music during the King Seesar and Mechagodzilla battle sequence was taken from Son of Godzilla.

Second, I can't help but wonder (as an adult) if Shimizu and Seiko weren't sleeping with other on the boat, or at least when they got back to the hotel after the climax (har!). Also, I can't see the name "Seiko" without being reminded that there's a pinku film called Seiko's Juicy Thights.

[edgaguirus]

The pair certainly got along well. Most hotels I've seen have two beds, so I doubt they were an item. Still, Seiko was attractive when she wore her hair down.

[Voyager]

>Man I hate this movie.
>Rewatches after backlash.


Y’know what. It’s still not very good but I found it more enjoyable than what I last thought.

[JAGzilla]

>Man I hate this movie.
>Rewatches after backlash.


Y’know what. It’s still not very good but I found it more enjoyable than what I last thought.

Well, for the sake of generating discussion (this place has been disturbingly slow), what's so bad about it? I was pretty blown away by the spectacle on my last viewing, but it had been about fifteen years since I'd previously seen it, so maybe familiarity breeds contempt.

[Voyager]

>Man I hate this movie.
>Rewatches after backlash.


Y’know what. It’s still not very good but I found it more enjoyable than what I last thought.

Well, for the sake of generating discussion (this place has been disturbingly slow), what's so bad about it? I was pretty blown away by the spectacle on my last viewing, but it had been about fifteen years since I'd previously seen it, so maybe familiarity breeds contempt.

Obviously, this is just how I view the movie, and everyone sees it differently, but I just find this movie… boring? I can’t really describe it, but I get distracted when watching this movie more than most movies. It feels like a drag to me.

[JAGzilla]

Obviously, this is just how I view the movie, and everyone sees it differently, but I just find this movie… boring? I can’t really describe it, but I get distracted when watching this movie more than most movies. It feels like a drag to me.

I can see that. There are some slow points and again, not enough payoff for the buildup. The score isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, either.

[eabaker]

While I like this movie, I do rank it pretty low among Showa entries. I've talked about this before, but I feel like the human side of the story includes a bunch of running around with very little engaging story or character work.

[Legion1979]

While I like this movie, I do rank it pretty low among Showa entries. I've talked about this before, but I feel like the human side of the story includes a bunch of running around with very little engaging story or character work.

Exactly, while I like the movie, it's defiinitely the least interesting of the 70s Godzilla films.

[Masterofsome01]

My third favorite film of the Showa Era and the second Godzilla film I ever saw (so their may be a bit of bias here)
This the best of the cheesy Godzilla films, it's explosive and colorful with a fun soundtrack, I may say the Xiliens are the best Showa Aliens for how flushed out they are, but the Simians are hands down my favorite Invaders in the wholes series for how Bond villain-esque Kuronuma acts in this, almost always smoking a cigar of when he starts to get frantic when the tide of battle begins to turn in the heroes favor and while King Caesar's wake up call song is annoying it's kind of funny how long the film let it go on

Plus absolutely NO Kenny whatsoever

[LegendZilla]

I am pretty sure this is the one Godzilla movie I’ve seen more times than any other.

[edgaguirus]

King Caesar's wake up call song is annoying it's kind of funny how long the film let it go on

I think it was trying to build suspense. Before the second verse we see MG approaching, so maybe the audience was supposed to wonder if KC would wake up in time. Just a theory I have.