TALKBACK #24: Godzilla vs. Megaguirus

[Hybrid Gojira]

My first experience with this movie was a movie marathon I had featuring ROM, Gamera 2 and 3, this film, and GMK. Back when the only way to see these were through other means, I bought these and watched them all on a Summer night.

ROM was horrible, but I sort of expected that. Gamera 2 and 3 were mind-blowingly awesome...so you can imagine my sadness in comparison when I finally watched GXM. There were some cool moments, but by and large the best parts of the film happen well before the climax. I like the swarm sequences. The final battle was very disappointing and the "Megaguirus" view camera work felt shoddy and was jarring.


All tha said, I'm planning to watch this for the first time in a very lonnnng time. Maybe I'll fall asleep, but oddly enough I'm excited to rewatch it just to see if my opinion has changed.

[Gman2887]

Watching this again recently I absolutely love the set up. The first act is fairly solid and quite promising. The problem is after something as nuts and exciting as the Dimension Tide gets introduced you expect an escalation in pace and fun. Instead it goes the opposite direction and drags straight to the end with minor blips of genius undone by lackluster execution.

There's a fun movie in the script, but Tezuka couldn't pull it out of there.

[Hybrid Gojira]

Hopefully I'll get around to watching this sometime this weekend.

[Hybrid Gojira]

I just finished watching this.

There are some good ideas in this movie. I liked the battle between the swarm and Godzilla. The notion that Japan would look for a new energy source because of Godzilla's attacks is actually quite brilliant. The fact that the government would keep up their research on plasma energy even after they know Godzilla is drawn to it is also a very solid in premise.

But...the rest of the movie kinda just sucks. The characters are bland, despite having the backstory not to be. I didn't care about any of them. Megaguirus is a nifty monster, but the prop is mostly lifeless except when hiding behind the CGI effects. The fight scenes with Godzilla were comical, but there was just that sense of awe missing in this movie. Godzilla mostly looks dopey and the suit comes off as flat and very fake/plastic looking. Much of the CGI is horrible. The miniatures look uneven...the backdrops and city skylines looks dead to me. The matte shots are horrific at times, and the constant switching between mattes back to miniatures is jarring. I also dislike the "Megaguirus view" camera work done here. It's not convincing and it adds nothing of merit to the film. There are some funny moments between G and Meg, but it still falls short of the stuff we saw in GvsMegalon (the monsters being overly demonstrative, etc.). I'd rather see Gigan and Megalon cackle and slap their hands together than a CGI-rendered Megaguirus "smile".

And the whole nurse computer program thing? Completely stupid and unnecessary.

Godzilla's beam charge looks cool, as does the beam itself, but I still prefer the original blue. I also hated the revised scenes from 1954. They don't work and look terrible....plus the opening scene where G treks through the city and garbage cans fall over? Atrocious. The movie is sloppily edited together as well.

GXM flat out sucks. I like Godzilla movies, but this isn't a good effort.

Bleh.

[Shin_Edda_Robo!!!!!]

vs Megalon, vs Megauirus, vs Spacegodzilla are consistently listed as the bottom three for me. With Megalon always being on top, and the battle for no. 2 being a battle between Megaguirus and Spacegodzilla.

Being a fan of Super Robot anime, MOGERA alone is enough to make me consider putting Spacegodzilla over Megaguirus. Such sloppy fx work here.

[DannyBeane]

I like the Meganula swarm scene and I like the Tsujimori riding Godzilla scene. The rest of this movie though is awful and shouldn't have been made. The idea of Megaguirus is cool but the execution is atrocious.

[Hybrid Gojira]

[jellydonut25]

I think if I liked the main character more, I'd genuinely like this movie...but I disagree that the characters are all bland. The inventor is not bland at all.

Also, loads of unintentional hilarity swarming all over this one....like, the kids who are all stunned over the "magic" of the rice but then aren't at all impressed by the miniature machines that can make rice! F*** magic, I'd be WAY more impressed by super-intelligent Micro Machines. Or the little boy being surprised that the girl is the head of the G-Graspers specifically and solely because she's a woman. "You're a woman. You can't do anything of value." Amazingly hilarious.

Unlike the Godzilla movies that I truly LOATHE (like Godzilla vs. Mothra 92) where I feel like I can't even see where a good movie might exist somewhere in their god-awful magical plant-music-filled bullcrap, Godzilla x Megaguirus is a movie that I think I could make myself LOVE if I could just tweak a few things about it.

[Giganfan]

Yeah, um....this movie sucks HAHA!!! I'm sorry, I'm doing this on-the-fly, so I'll elaborate later, but yeah, this is generally how I feel about Tezuka's first film. And I like Tezuka, and I sympathize with him (I'm starting to notice a pattern...), and I'm not saying I don't enjoy GxMegaguirus...I'm just saying...it sucks, I guess LOL!

[Giganfan]

[goji4ever]

Does having so much Godzilla action in the daytime hurt the movie? Because monster movie imperfections are easier to hide at night (Megs wires notwithstanding)...still love the soundtrack..inventor guy was horrible

[jamaal7]

I watched GxM today for the first time in a long while. I enjoyed it and saw some of its stronger points.

One is the characters. Tsujimori's Captain Ahab to Godzilla's Moby Dick provides a nice motivational narrative for the film. She clearly doesn't like Kudo, but, she needs him to make the Dimension Tide so that she can exact her revenge from Godzilla. This is an interesting dynamic. Masato Ibu's Sugirura is the embodiment of the smug, corrupt government official involved in wrong doing and covering for superiors. Tsujimori flooring him with a rather impressive overhand right was actually in line with the overall tone of the film: audaciousness. I mean, the Flying Tackle, the very idea of a space launched black hole devise, the leader of the G-Graspers riding Godzilla like he was an orca, the very name 'G-Graspers,' prehistoric dragonflies appearing through a worn hole (thus implying the possibility of time travel), Godzilla being attacked by the swarm on Kiganjima Island. This and much more adds up to a fun romp. The problems are in the execution, especially in some SPFX scenes.

Then there is the flooding of Shinjuku. And it was convincing.

So, I enjoyed Godzilla X Megaguirus. In it, Godzilla has a real distinct persona. After the failed attempt to wipe him out on Kiganjima Island, he starts to walk away. Then, he turns and looks directly (so it seems, at least) at Tsujimori in the Griffon. It is as if he saying, "I know you tried to kill me. Come and get me."

[jamaal7]

[jamaal7]

I think one of my issues with Godzilla X Megaguirus is that I really want to like it. The reason is simple: it's director, Masaaki Tezuka is a fan, an unabashed fan. You gotta like a guy like this. So, I want his efforts to succeed. And, for the most part, IMHO, he has with his Millennium Series Godzilla films. I saw him at the screening for the Kiryu Saga at the Egyptian Theater, and he looked like a fan, with his t-shirt and popcorn. He was enjoying it, the whole experience. It was an honor to see and hear him speak about his films and Godzilla in general. His enthusiasm was infectious. I feel that this carries over into his films. Some people speak about him in a way that gives the impression that they feel he's not as artistically gifted as some. I disagree. There are little things, maybe not noticeable to some, that indicate a craftsmanship and insight that make his Godzilla films so enjoyable. For example, in GxM, we have a Late Showa Era-style romp, with the antics of the Kaiju and the way Godzilla emotes; the Head Shake, the Flying Tackle, the Stare at Tsujimori after the failed attempt to kill him on Kiganjima Island, etc. Megaguirus smiles during the fight with Godzilla. I think it was after she caused part of a building to fall on him. Then there are her ninja-like attacks and strategy, using her speed and maneuverability. Perhaps the idea was to provide the fans (and non-fans as well, I guess) with a lighter, more fun-filled adventure after the rather dark and serious Godzilla 2000 Millennium, which I love, by the way. I think adventure is the key concept in GxM: the G-Graspers (I love this title), hunting Godzilla with the SGS, giant dragonflies, the Swarm on Kiganjima, Tsujimori being an aiming point for the Dimension Tide, all of it is fun and quite fantastic, not probable or really reasonable, but daring and innovative. GxM speaks of a kind of desperation on the part of the Japanese government after discovering that Godzilla likes Plasma Energy as much as he likes nuclear power. The result is a micro black hole devise in the form of the Dimension Tide. So for me, the theme in Godzilla X Megaguirus is Audacious Adventure. Let's up the ante in the struggle to eliminate Godzilla, once and for all. Not just mitigate him or limit his damage. No. Rather, let's wipe him out, even if means deploying a weapon that is cost prohibitive and dangerous. Which the Dimension Tide proved to be. In this way GxM was the opposite of Godzilla 2000 Millennium. The latter was grounded in the real world in terms of weaponry and tactics. GxM was literally other-worldly, or at least dimension-bending because of the worm hole the resulted from the test of the Dimension Tide. And it's danger was recognized, at least by Professor Yoshizawa, so very well played by Showa alumni Yuirko Hoshi (Mothra vs. Godzilla, Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster). She presses Sugiura to promise to destroy the weapon after Godzilla is destroyed by it. We all saw his vague, non-committal response. His compliance was feigned and not convincing. He was looking ahead to other uses of this dangerous devise, a weapon of last resort. The exchange between Professor Yoshizawa and Sugiura is one of the ways that Tezuka, with an economy of dialogue, establishes a great story point. It's the well-known Science vs. Government/Military Theme so often seen in the Godzilla series. That this serious and dark moment show occur in such a colorful and somewhat tongue-in-cheek film is really quite remarkable.

Maybe I'm reaching here. But this kind of contrast, found also, by the way, in the other Tezuka Godzilla films, make them interesting, endowed with a depth that is not readily apparent at first glance.

[Gman2887]

[lhb412]

I used to think this movie was fun, but each time I watch it the flaws become more glaring and the virtues seem smaller and smaller.

[Moonlight SY-3]

This is one of my least favorite G flicks (along with Space-G), but I do like the quirky portrayal of Godzilla here. Megaguirus itself is just awful.

[canofhumdingers]

[DannyBeane]

Pardon me, I have a bottle of wine in me. I have a theory that the Godzilla blood injected into the Megaguirus queen mutated her and gave her the reptilian style head. That design element always bugged as it made no sense. This is now my personal cannon. That is all.

[lhb412]

That makes sense. Care to explain why Mothra and Kumonga shoot webs out of their mouths?

[DannyBeane]

[Kiryu]

I've always enjoyed this movie. It's not my favorite by any stretch, but I also don't like going into a movie with a critical eye. I want to be entertained first and foremost. There was one movie, however, that caused my inner critic to come out, but it's not a Godzilla film, so that's neither here nor there. It was in another of my beloved franchises though.

I like Megaguirus' design, though I will admit that the final battle could have been better. My boyfriend pointed out that because she's a dragonfly - I'm simplifying it because I'm having a beverage - her wings should always be moving at that super speed. That would have made for a much more interesting fight. Godzilla being so disoriented that he can't track Megaguirus would have made his victory much more satisfying.

I absolutely love the score. I actually like Michiru Oshima's Godzilla theme more than Akira Ifukube's.

[UltraDada72]

For some reason i've always really liked this film. I know it's cheesy, unrealistic and some of those Megaguirus FX are pretty bad, but it's still one of the "Millenium" films I watch more often than others. I think what I enjoyed was that it didn't take itself too seriously and seemed to be focused on just being a silly, fun monster bash. I love the fight Godzilla has with the Meganula swarm, I found the characters likeable, the score was great, and the final battle with Megaguirus was just good old silly fun, especially when he finally blasts her to kingdom come. I know many don't care for this one, but this one is a favorite of mine. I enjoy this much more than Godzilla 2000 and Godzilla x Mechagodzilla.