TALKBACK #15: Terror of Mechagodzilla

[MouthForWar]

[MekaGojira3k]

[jellydonut25]

[Giganfan]

I think that Teruyoshi Nakano really appreciated the opportunity to blow some sh*t up in this movie! Overall, some of his miniature work is a bit shabby, but the effects works here is the best of the seventies era of Godzilla movies. Seeing Mechagodzilla reduce Tokyo to a smoldering rubble is one of the highlights of the entire series.

I've always had a particular fondness for Terror of Mechagodzilla. When I was a youngster, I fondly recall this one being on heavy rotation, perhaps a bit more so than most Godzilla movies that I had seen up to that point. I wouldn't say it's one of my "critic-proofs", but to this day, it remains one of my very favorites for a number of reasons. First off, I like how all three monsters are portrayed with considerable importance to the story, and I think that Akira Ifukube's contribution is a key component here. If I really thought about it, I'd say that his score for Terror is my favorite of all of his Godzilla scores, because of how perfect and "simpatico" it is with the dreary and moody atmosphere created by Ishiro Honda and his cinematographer. Instead of just writing a new "hero theme" for Godzilla, Ifukube back-tracks all the way back to the original Gojira and reworks the iconic title-sequence theme. In retrospect, no other piece of music could have been more appropriate for Godzilla as "defender of mankind". Mechagodzilla gets the "horror theme" this time around, ala King Ghidorah, Battra, Destroyah and Godzilla when he's the bad guy, and it's simply one of the maestro's best pieces of music. Finally, Titanosaurus' theme is the bridge between the two, as it functions in much the same way that Rodan's re-worked Varan theme did in the sixties. It ties all of the music together into one great big...I don't know what the musical term I'm looking for is, but you get the idea.

Any Godzilla fan that doesn't like atleast one of the seventies Mechagodzilla flicks really needs to get their head examined, because in both Godzilla vs. The Cosmic Monster and Terror of Mechagodzilla, you get to see the takes of the Honda/Ifukube and the Fukuda/Sato teams on a truly awe-inspiring kaiju scenario. Which one you prefer is, of course, highly subjective, but one thing is certain. This little "mini-era" of the Godzilla series is very fun, and exciting to watch. I still cannot decide which one I like better, though having just watched Terror last night, atleast in the "here-and-now" I prefer it.

One more thing...this is the most awesome Godzilla design EVER lol!!!

[MekaGojira3k]

[Giganfan]

[MekaGojira3k]

[lhb412]

Godzilla's design retains a lot of the cuteness from Megalon... but also makes him look pissed. So it's badass cute Godzilla, a combination I really like.

[MekaGojira3k]

[Giganfan]

[Goji 84]

[MekaGojira3k]

[kiryugoji04]

Tonight was the first time I watched Terror of Mechagodzilla and did not think that it was merely good but outright loved it. It's been a long road to this point but I have no regrets. I really love how its slashed budget forces it to become a rather intensely personal film compared to many of Honda's other films. The same can be said of Godzilla's Revenge too (always have loved that one), though that film is not nearly as dour as Terror.

[jellydonut25]

[MekaGojira3k]

[kiryugoji04]

[jellydonut25]

[kiryugoji04]

[eabaker]

[jellydonut25]

[eabaker]

[Hybrid Gojira]

[Mac]

[Legion]

[eabaker]