Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla - A Bit Robotic

Alright, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, here we go. After rebooting Godzilla AGAIN in GMK, Toho wanted reintroduce yet another one of their classic monsters, and so, they did. Mechagodzilla is always a fan favorite and Toho recognizes this. And so the third series brought him back with my favorite version of the character. Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla is a very solid entry of the series, with in my opinion the best version of Mechagodzilla, a really solid Godzilla and some pretty great action, it is a really enjoyable watch. However, it is definitely missing that special something. I'll get into what exactly that is, but it is an enjoyable watch. I'm not going to clamor for it or say it's one of the best entries in even the third series. It is just a nice, solid movie that serves most as a really solid time killer more than anything, especially given the context of its sequel.

After continuous raids and attacks from monsters following the arrival of the first Godzilla, humanity has been stepping it up. Taking down monsters like Dogora, Maguma, Gaira and even Mothra, the JSDF has weapons they can actually defend themselves with. But after a second Godzilla makes landfall in 1999, a new superweapon begins construction. Built around the remains of the first Godzilla, this new superweapon, Kiryu is ready to defend. But with clone DNA and the spirit of the original Godzilla inside of Kiryu, can the mech be fully trusted? Is the original Godzilla going to ravage Japan like in 1954? If Kiryu can't stop Godzilla, then who or what can? The only way to find out is for Kiryu to be thrown into the fire and test its mettle against Godzilla directly in a dramatic clash that could mean the end for Japan if Kiryu does not prevail victorious.

One thing that Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla just knocks out of the park is the incredible music. I should have given the theme of Godzilla by Michiru Oshima a shout out during the Godzilla vs. Megagurius review, which was completely on me for forgetting. However, thank GOD it returns. The theme was really great in Godzilla vs. Megagurius, but it is perfected here. With the military taking such an active role with these two entires, it only makes perfect sense that Godzilla's theme sound like a military march to hell. Intimidating and scary, it is the second piece of music I instinctually think of when I think of Godzilla. Literally the only version of Godzilla's theme I think of before Oshima's is Ifukube's. That's how brilliant this theme is. Also just as brilliant is the theme of Kiryu. Kiryu is heralded as the nation's savior, the last hope for a nation facing death. And so, the theme for Kiryu is just perfect. It feels like the red carpet is being rolled out for a war hero or a king coming back to his home after saving the day from some barbarian tribe. Kiryu is ushered in in glorious fashion with this movie, especially when entering the final battle in Tokyo. Kiryu is the last champion of Japan if his ultimate mission does not succeed, so the music representing his power is basically the perfect theme for him.

I also really love the history of Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla. Not the making of it history, the backstory behind the movie. This is the first movie in awhile that is not solely tied to Godzilla, but has connections to other movies and monsters. This continuity has seen the attacks of the first Rodan, Varan and Mothra, Manda, Dogora and even Maguma. Not every monster has existed in this continuity, but a ton of them do, which you might not even fully know without doing a bit of reading. Yes, I did a bit of reading and digging to find the best list of monsters that appeared in this continuity, and the best list I got was in the Trivia section of a WikiZilla video. I am not joking. But this continuity and history is great because not only is it cool seeing some REALLY obscure monsters get mentioned directly, but it also helps show how dire the situation of this reemergence of Godzilla is. The Oxygen Destroyer is gone, and he was completely unfazed by the Mazer Cannons, the first major breakthrough in kaiju defense. It's not exactly the lore of the Lord of the Rings or anything, but it adds a lot.

But of course we gotta talk about the monsters. Believe it or not, I don't really care that much for Godzilla in this movie very much. I do think his design is really cool, furrowed brows that call back to Godzilla vs. Mothra, and spikes that are basically the perfect middle ground between the MireGoji and SokogekiGoji (the GMK suit), it is a really cool look, but this Godzilla was always kind of boring to me in terms of action wise. He just kind of stands there and takes whatever Kiryu deals out, but he is never going out of his way to be a menace it seems. Not gonna lie, it is entirely possible I just want a repeat of GMK Godzilla, but so what, sue me. As for Kiryu however, yes. Kiryu is just awesome. Everything about this take on Mechagodzilla is awesome. First is the fact it actually makes sense why it looks like Godzilla, being built around the bones of the original. A pretty awesome origin story that also makes its history really tragic, but also then adds one of the best moments in the movie when Kiryu basically gets a flashback to 1954 and just starts tearing up Tokyo almost 50 years later. It is an awesome scene that really shows how folly the idea of Kiryu was in the first place. Kiryu also has an immaculate design based around the bones on the inside. Kiryu's design was made to look skeletal, with an early draft of him even having a bony yellow tint to really drive that comparison home. Even without the yellow on it though, it makes perfect sense. Its has holes all over his body in places where the original two Mechagodzillas might have been airtight. Kiryu is basically a fully realized mechanical version of a failed script from the second series for Godzilla vs. Ghost Godzilla, which would have originally ended the second series but was then turned into Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. He also has some pretty cool weapons, and while I will say he doesn't get a moment as awesome as say the original Mechagodzilla just absolutely unloading all its ammo on King Caesar and Godzilla, that's okay. Because the moments he does get on screen anyway are pretty awesome. Kiryu is definitely my favorite adaptation of the Mechagodzilla concept, but I definitely will not knock anyone if they think the other two are cooler.

There definitely is a lot to like in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, but its main issue for is that it was definitely building towards a sequel. It has a lot of really awesome moments and sequences that stand out in the entire series, but it's not going to stick with you forever. I also don't think it uses its continuity enough, because, like before, this gets expanded on and is used perfectly in its sequel. This movie does a lot right, but it just isn't the perfectly satisfying experience you might want. I say give it a watch, but just know that its sequel is even better.

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To absolutely no one's shock; yes. Tomorrow's movie is definitely going to be Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. With this movie making a solid impression with its Mechagodzilla, why not keep the ball rolling? And so we get Tokyo S.O.S. and with it, a great clash that unfortunately undermines its predecessor a lot more than you'd expect.