Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

...in fact, it's actually pretty great! I've been distant from the Heisei series lately (chalk that up to being nostalgic over the Showa films and caught up in the popularity of the new series... the Heisei movies become sort of like a tormented middle child). Because the latter Heisei movies begin to lack in the SFX department and because the only versions I've seen are the horribly annoying dubs, I've seemed to automatically have a negative reaction to even thinking of a Heisei film.

Well tonight I felt like giving one, this one in particular, a chance. I don't know why, but I kind of had a hankering to see MechaG '93 this weekend. I've had a nice lazy Thanksgiving break; I watched the '70s Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla this morning, subbed (as fun and zippy as ever, I love this flick!), and I felt like Godzilla vs. MechaG II was a logical follow-up. I still had some reservations about watching it and blowing an hour and a half, but I figured, why not?

I'm glad I watched it. I finished the film feeling that I just finished witnessing a very satisfying Godzilla epic. Yes, epic, that's the feeling I got from the film tonight. The story is straight-forward and entertaining, the fights are fantastic, the main character is likeable (I always thought that), and there are indeed some cool effects, like the low-angle shots of Godzilla during his city raids, and the optical effects tour-de-force when Godzilla reawakens and blows "OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE!" up real good! Speaking of that scene, Rodan's sacrifice for Baby was touching, and a very nice scene.

I don't know what else to say except that sometimes you gotta let go of unreasonable negative feelings. The only really bad points I still have with the film are that the Rodan prop sucks and that at times "Baby" looks ridiculous. Gee, now I might consider going out and buying the DVD version so I can see the film with Japanese audio, even if it does have dubtitles.

Thought certainly not without its faults, I do find "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II" to be one of the best of the Heisei Godzilla series. Yes, the characters are atrociously underdeveloped, some of the acting is insanely bad, and the effects are pretty sorry for the most part, but there's still a lot going for this one.

All of this has already been mentioned, but I think it bears repeating. Ifukube's score is fantastic, easily some of his best film work. I also like the depiction of Baby Godzilla--cute, yeah, but not disgustingly so. His story is neat, being a sort of "brother" to Rodan. The idea of having a song in connection with him was pretty cool (I read in an interview that it was Ifukube's idea). I love the character of Aoki, and Masahiro Takashima's performance is to a T. It's a shame he wasn't given more to do, especially considering he's the hero. And some of the effects shots were pretty impressive--the huge fireball when Godzilla attacks the plant at Yokkaichi is one thing that sticks out to me, as well as the various low-angle shots mentioned by planetxleader.

And I, for one, think Mechagodzilla was handled pretty well in this film. Flying mode aside (guh...), I think he looked good, and posed a real threat to Godzilla, after being trashed the first time, of course.

I would like this movie more, if it hadn't been for those singing children....Even in Japanese, it feels like it's the worst dubbing ever. The over-cuteness of Baby Godzilla and his scientist "mom" is just too over the top for me to watch without fast forwarding. It had potential to be an awesome movie, because hey, it's Mechagodzilla, but overall, the movie just disappoints in too many places for me to enjoy.

GvsM '92 had that scene with the rotating table thing in it. That automatically makes it cool anyway. I mean, who wouldn't want one of those? I know I do!