Months after the release of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, assistant producer Kenji Tokoro selected Yukiko Takayama to write the next film. Having won a writing contest held by Toho, Takayama had to submit three subsequent rewrites before getting final approval. Jun Fukuda was asked to return to direct, but he refused, saying he had enough of the series. There were rumors that Godzilla vs. Hedorah director Yoshimitsu Banno was considered, but series veteran Ishiro Honda was eventually hired. Having been absent from the series since 1969’s All Monsters Attack, this was Honda’s final film before retiring. This was meant to be darker than the previous entries in the series, which were more lighthearted and goofy. The film was released in March 1975 as Terror of Mechagodzilla in Japan, while the US got it years later. Independent distributor Bob Conn Enterprises released the movie as The Terror of Mechagodzilla in March 1978.
%
Rating
Synopsis
After the last film, Interpol agents take a submarine to search the ocean depths for the remains of Mechagodzilla. Unfortunately, the sub is attacked by a giant sea monster named Titanosaurus, leading to Interpol starting an investigation. They enlist the aid of marine biologist Akira Ichinose (Katsuhiko Sasaki), who tracks down where Titanosaurus came from. It’s revealed that Titanosaurus is controlled by reclusive scientist Dr. Shinzo Mafune (Akihiko Hirata), who’s allied with The Simeons. Under the leadership of Mugal (Gorō Mutsumi), Mafune is helping the aliens rebuild Mechagodzilla so they can wipe out humanity. Also, Mafune has a daughter named Katsura (Tomoko Ai), who is revealed to be a cyborg with Mechagodzilla’s controller implanted. As Interpol and the army try taking down Titanosaurus and Mechagodzilla, Godzilla arrives to do battle once again. Like the last film, it’s a two-on-one fight, except Godzilla is alone this time.
Review
It’s a shame the Showa era of Godzilla movies had to end with Terror of Mechagozilla because it’s not bad. This was Toho’s attempt at something more serious after years of pandering to kids, and I think they did ok. While it does have the same alien invader plot we’ve seen in other installments, it’s not nearly as ridiculous here. Also, Dr. Mafune’s backstory of a disgraced scientist shunned by society is handled well and makes him sympathetic. Sure, Akihiko Hirata’s performance is somewhat over-the-top, and he’s given a bad wig to wear, but it doesn’t ruin anything. It’s also nice that this film is a direct sequel to the last one, whereas the others were loosely connected. Ishiro Honda’s direction is top-notch, and Akira Ifukube’s score fits the somewhat darker tone of the movie well. Plus, it has one of Godzilla’s most awesome introductions.
As for the monsters, Mechagodzilla is just as cool as before, even if there’s nothing new to him. Titanosaurus is one of Godzilla’s most interesting-looking monsters, but his roar can sometimes be grating, if not laughable. Like many Godzilla movies from this period, it takes a while to get going, but the fight scenes are entertaining. Unfortunately, they’re a step down from how wild and crazy the fights in the last movie were. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla had that campy, Saturday matinee feel of other late Showa movies, but it worked there. I’m not saying the film should’ve been goofier, but the fights should’ve matched the last film’s energy. While it’s not great, it’s easily one of the better films from this era, despite being the last one. Overall, Terror of Mechagodzilla isn’t as fun as the last one, but it’s a decent effort.
Buy Terror of Mechagodzilla from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3DUqEDG.
Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
