TALKBACK #13: Godzilla vs. Megalon

[lhb412]

[Mac]

[kidnicky]

[MekaGojira3k]

[G2KMaster]

[Mac]

[Xenorama]

drilling into Megalon's head? really? cut the dosage, man!

anyway, this was the first Godzilla movie I went to see ON MY OWN in the theater, in it's uncut 1976 run. I was so hyped for it when I saw the trailer (before the Bambi re-release) I stayed to see it twice. I wondered about who Robotman was, and was really looking forward to seeing Gigan for the first time.

I was not disappointed at all- we got three monsters and an heroic robot- what more could an 11 year old ask for?

as I am a bit older than that now, I do see what some fans would call flaws, but it's not dull like many of the movies after it (I'm looking at the 90s here) that's for sure.

I do wish that AIP could have released this movie, with Titra dubbing it. that would make it perfect. and I love the fact that it was the first Godzilla movie to be shown on network tv.

David

[Thomas]

I'm surprised I'm the first one who gets to say this:

"Stand by for Action!

Rex Dart... Eskimo Spy!

Rex Dart IS... Eskimo Spy."

Growing up this was the Godzilla movie I was most likely to see on broadcast television (WKBD's Creature Feature on Saturdays). It earned a special place in my heart through so many repeat viewings and I gotta say I love this film. I loved the fights when I was a kid and as an adult I love the bad edits and the fights. Jet Jaguar and Megalon forever!

I don't have this movie in any form and it's been at least 7 years since I last saw it. Sigh.

[G2KMaster]

[KaijuZoo]

[Garasharp K7]

Well technically it was Ghidorah that destroyed Tokyo, since those scenes were lifted from 'Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster'. (yet again)
I wasn't all that fond of this movie when I first saw it, but it's one of my favourites now. Love that scene with the tiny Jet Jaguar challenging Megalon to a fight, and the big bug just laughs at him. His "what the hell?" reaction to JJ's sudden growth is classic.
As it happens I was watching the flick yesterday, only it was the German version that inexplicably renames Jet Jaguar as King Kong. No mention of Frankenstein, though.

[jellydonut25]

[McGodzilla]

[Gwangi]

[Reaper G]

[lhb412]

[KaijuHQ]

[kent]

[kiryugoji04]

[Tyler E. Martin]

One of my favorites as a kid, then I grew to really dislike it. However, upon viewing it again recently, I liked it more than I thought I would. In short, I really dislike the excessive use of stock footage, and the big fight at the end is the weakest part of the movie for me. The idea of Godzilla being threatened by a circle of fire is just ludicrous. Why couldn't he just walk through it? Not a very convincing way to create a sense of peril for our heroes, though I do love the way Megalon and Gigan's moods change clearly from joy to disappointment once they escape. I also think Gigan looks a lot let impressive in this one. And little Roku-san (for the longest time, I thought his name was "Roxanne")...bleh. Seriously one of the most annoying characters in any movie.

That being said, I do find some genuine enjoyment in the film. The way the story clips along is fairly exciting. The design for Megalon is pretty interesting, and Jet Jaguar just appeals to me for whatever reason. The music, excluding the material used in the final battle, is terrific, with a great mixing of styles that works better for the film than one might expect. While the effects are generally rather weak, the scene of the lake drying out at the beginning and the dam burst later on are pulled off beautifully.

One question: What was the deal with Hiroshi and Rokuro using a model plane to take out the Seatopian agent? If their goal was to take him by surprise and knock him out, there are plenty of other things around the shop they could have used without going to the trouble of making a trip out to a hobby shop to take a model plane.

[Legion]

[MekaGojira3k]

[jellydonut25]

[Xenorama]

[ryuuseipro]

Still my personal favorite Godzilla film of all time.

Not to mention the very first film I saw in theaters in general.

For me, it was the best of all worlds. And a movie that worked for its target audience (children). I mean, who wouldn't enjoy a movie about a dinosaur-monster (Godzilla) teaming up with a cool super-robot (Jet Jaguar) against two other cool monsters (Megalon and Gigan)? The ingredients that made a very fun movie!

Godzilla, here, is the cutest I've ever seen him, like a dog. He looks sort of like Snoopy here (same round snout)! I nicknamed him "Snoopy-Goji." (Speaking of Snoopy, look at Rokurou's sweater!) Jet Jaguar got me interested in both Japanese robots and superheroes! I always thought he was a Shogun Warrior (because he was partly based in design on Mazinger Z)!

The human characters were quite unique, for being the first Godzilla film without a main female character. I could accept the three leads (Katsuhiko Sasaki as Gorou Ibuki, Hiroyuki Kawase as Rokurou "Roku-chan" Ibuki, and Yutaka Hayashi as the hot-rodding Hiroshi "Jinko" Jinkawa) with no problem. For some reason, every time I saw Zardoz (released the same year), I think of Seatopia (it's the neo-Greek style), and Sean Connery's role brings Robert Dunham's Antonio role to mind. As a kid, I always thought the lead Seatopian agent (played by Koutarou Tomita) looked like a black-haired George Washington, though Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series looks like him!

The special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano are on par with the Japanese superhero TV show of the day, with several standout effects (especially the drainage of Lake Kiriyama and the dam sequence). The use of stock footage throughout the film is funny, but fun to identify at the same time! Nakano slapstick comedy, infused into the monster battles, is a keeper.

I recognize that the film doesn't have a stellar reputation with fans of the franchise, but I still hold this film with sentimental and nostalgic childhood value. As both a Godzilla fan and J-Hero fan, I highly recommend Godzilla Vs. Megalon, one of my favorite films of all time.