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

[LegendZilla]

A while ago, it occurred to me that King Ceasar is a more masculine alternative to Mothra.

[Andagi1]

So I rewatched GvMG for the first time in a while today and I don't know if I'm crazy but I swear this is intentional. So we all know the scene where the Keisuke and Nanbara break into the aliens' base by forcing one who was initially holding Keisuke at gunpoint to give the door password right? Well, a few minutes later Nanbara, the professor, and Masahiko return to the base and recite the password to a guard. Guess who opens it? That's right, I swear its the same guy! This would imply that the alien survived being incapacitated and having his clothes stolen, then soon after open the door without hesitation to the same person! Did this just fly over my head the last few times I saw the movie? Does everyone know about this? Comparison pics:

[edgaguirus]

I watched the movie a few days ago myself, and I did notice it. As it's a movie, I don't give it much thought. Movies and logic don't always mix.

[Godzilla4Life]

wow its funny how the lady thought it was king ghidorah who was going to attack

[LegendZilla]

This flick suffers from a problem which initially began in Gigan, was exacerbated in Megalon and continued through the end of the Showa series. Much like many of the fights

Also, most of the final battles in the 60's took place outside of cities too..just saying.

The only final battle in a Showa Godzilla film taking pace in the city is GRA.

[edgaguirus]

Though some of them start in cities, or a first fight will be in a city or industrial area.

[shadowgigan]

I love the way King Caesar is filmed. Whoever the suit actor was did a great job, too lazy to look it up right now.

[edgaguirus]

I love the way King Caesar is filmed. Whoever the suit actor was did a great job, too lazy to look it up right now.

Kinichi Kusumi wore the suit.

[Legion1979]

I like GvsMG but it's definitely toward the bottom of my Showa favorites. MG is awesome and the score kicks all sorts of ass, but there really isn't anything else in the movie for me to latch on to.

Terror is better written, it's better directed, the characters are more interesting and the ending is so damn powerful. Meanwhile, I still see GvsMG debates about whether or not some of the main protagonists even survive. It's definitely the less focused of the two movies. There are too many humans running around shooting each other, the narrative botches King Ceasar completely and theres a whole stretch in the middle that runs out of gas for a long time.

Also, I dont understand the notion that MG is "dumbed down" in the second film. It's clearly more powerful but it's just being held back intentionally by the aliens hoping that Titanosaurus and Godzilla will kill each other on their own. Every time MG does attack something (whether it's the city or Godzilla) it's devastating. And the idea that MG is unstoppable and is only defeated because one of the main cast members has to kill herself after watching her own father die nukes anything that GvsMG even tries to do.

[edgaguirus]

G vs MG plays out like a spy thriller and action film. If viewed through that lens, it's effective. The sequel is better written and acted, but G vs MG is the more entertaining of the two.

[Legion1979]

I totally get what the movie is trying to be and it still doesn't work for me the way Terror does.

[shadowgigan]

Yeah, I thought MG seemed pretty apocalyptic in TOMG.

[LegendZilla]

Also, I dont understand the notion that MG is "dumbed down" in the second film. It's clearly more powerful but it's just being held back intentionally by the aliens hoping that Titanosaurus and Godzilla will kill each other on their own. Every time MG does attack something (whether it's the city or Godzilla) it's devastating. And the idea that MG is unstoppable and is only defeated because one of the main cast members has to kill herself after watching her own father die nukes anything that GvsMG even tries to do.

I think the Aliens would've backstabbed Mafune and used MG to kill Titanosaurus had they actually defeated Godzilla.

[Legion1979]

Mugan said it himself:

"All right, we'll let them fight. Titanosaurus will be killed and Godzilla badly hurt. Then Mechagodzilla will be alone. And we will march on Tokyo unopposed."

[eabaker]

Mugan said it himself:

"All right, we'll let them fight."

OMG! MonsterVerse Serizawa was actually a Black Hole Alien all along! No wonder his son was controlling MG!

[JVM]

The last three or four times I've watched this movie, I feel a build-up of excitement during the first twenty or so minutes, and then somewhere around the boat sequence (no specific scene, sometimes during or sometimes after) it slows down too much and I find my interest waning so that by the monster fights I am almost too cashed out to feel invested. The first time I thought I'd just picked a bad night to watch, but now it's been multiple rewatches later and it always plays out this way.

[HedorahIsBestGirl]

I have a similar reaction every time I watch. I spend the first act thinking "Wow, this is one of the best Godzilla movies, I underrate this one." Then the wholly unnecessary boat scene arrives and GvMG becomes possibly the slowest Godzilla movie for the second act. I still enjoy the climax but the 30-odd minutes in the middle result in this being one of the lower-tier Showa movies for me.

[Legion1979]

Yeah this is my least favorite 70s Godzilla film. It's also easily the least interesting. Hedorah is an experiential masterpiece. Gigan is goofy as hell. Megalon is endearing in its cheapness. And Terror is a moody, dramatic send-off. Mechagodzilla is fun but it doesn't have the draw the other films do, outside of the monster battles and score.

[JAGzilla]

Mechagodzilla is very sloppy in a lot of ways, but I'd give it points for sheer flash. I was really impressed with the level of spectacle on my last viewing. In that regard, it definitely ranks above the more sluggish action of Hedorah and Gigan.

[HedorahIsBestGirl]

Action scenes are GvMG's saving grace for sure. Well, that and the music. If this film had lackluster action and was scored by Riichiro Manabe a less talented composer than Masaru Sato, it would be a bottom-barrel Godzilla movie.