Terror of Mechagodzilla - A Grand Finale

After 21 years and 15 movies all starring one giant monster, Toho decided it was time to wrap up the original series of Godzilla movies. And they thought the best way to do that was with a direct followup to their previous movie, raising the stakes, introducing another giant monster and giving Godzilla a solid farewell after an incredibly long and successful first run. And so here we arrive at Terror of Mechagodzilla. Following up Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla was never going to be easy. With everything about it just being ridiculously high octane compared to some of the more subpar predecessors of recent years, it was going to be a mammoth task to try and top it. And while I definitely don't think Terror of Mechagodzilla surpasses it or actually comes close, they did try really hard. For a followup to one of the best movies of the series, it isn't the Empire Strikes Back or anything. It's a solid sequel, and if it wasn't a followup to vs. Mechagodzilla, it possibly would have been better. In and of itself however, it isn't exactly anything special. It's got some monster scenes and a fun gimmick that do set it apart, but it isn't exactly incredible or anything. But, all in all, it isn't a bad send off for the first series.

No longer than a year after Mechagodzilla's first battles with Godzilla, Anguirus and King Caesar, the Black Hole Aliens are back. Since the last year, the Aliens have rebuilt Mechagodzilla stronger than ever, and have even done some recruiting. Joining them is Dr. Shinzo Mafune, a shunned marine biologist who discovered and has control over a giant dinosaur monster named Titanosaurus. With Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus ready to strike, Godzilla is all that stands in their way again. With no allies and Mechagodzilla armed to the teeth, it's now or never as the Black Hole Aliens must be stopped once and for all.

So, starting with the human cast, we have the final performance in the series from Akihiko Hirata as the aforementioned Dr. Mafune. It's kind of funny how he started in this series as a scientist, and then ended the series as a scientist. Just a little funny. It's also funny seeing him play a doctor with all this makeup and fake white hair. He definitely does not do a bad job and is my favorite human character of the movie, but it's just kinda funny is all. Mafune is an interesting character in my opinion, kind of a Serizawa if he went mad type situation. After discovering Titanosaurus, he was shunned from the world of science and called insane. From there he grows to hate humanity and curse them for kicking him to the wayside. And so when the Aliens offer for him to join them and that they'd like to use Titanosaurus to destroy the world, he can do nothing but say of course. He doesn't exactly get all the screentime in the world. But what Mafune does get, Hirata does really well. We get to see a lot of his expression in the movie. We never exactly get to see him happy, more so just satisfied after knowing the people who shunned him are about to get destroyed. Which that's just pretty chilling to me. He's just so satisfied that the people who cursed him will be gone that he'll do anything to help their cause. Not exactly winning an Oscar or anything, but definitely a great farewell performance for Hirata in this series.

As mentioned above, there is indeed a new monster in the fray: Titanosaurus. For all the lazy or overly zany monsters that Toho came up with in this era, seeing a monster like Titanosaurus is relaxing. Nothing particularly special to write about him, honestly. He doesn't have any super exciting powers or anything, no super cool hidden abilities. Just a nice simple design, looking like the standard perception of a theropod dinosaur from the 30's or so with some fins. He's actually one of my favorite monsters in the series, however. For his only film appearance, he's quite a welcome face. Some folks find his roar to be annoying, but given the guy's back story, it kind of makes sense. Titanosaurus has a weakness to radio waves. In fact, they really hurt him when they're being use against him. And these radio waves are exactly what Dr. Mafune is using to control him. The guy's in pain and fighting a battle he's really got no part in! He's a tortured soul and he really doesn't get any fair treatment. Thank God he doesn't end up dying in the end, because that would just be like throwing somebody on Death Row for a crime they didn't commit. When he does fight though, he has some great moments. He has this one really hilarious moment where he bites Godzilla by the face and is able to lift him into the air. It looks goofy to the extreme, but also shows how strong he actually is. At least, in part. I don't think the intention was it to be so funny, but, what you see is what we get. And I saw a hilarious moment on screen.

The main reason to watch this movie is to watch Godzilla getting double teamed. Godzilla's had plenty of allies in the past and has either fought an opponent solo, or had some back up. But in this one, he finds out what it's like when he gets the tables turned against him. Titanosaurus and Mechagodzilla fight him pretty efficiently, with Titanosaurus usually fighting him up close and doing his best to just wail on him, while Mechagodzilla prefers to sit back and just blast Godzilla. Mechagodzilla gets a significant upgrade in this one and is more powerful than ever, with missiles so powerful they shake the Earth and he can't be defeated the same way as in vs. Mechagodzilla. So the G-Man really has his hands full in this one. He actually gets it handed to him pretty soundly for a while, being lit on fire for the second time in his career by Mechagodzilla. But like in vs. Hedorah, the humans are actually essential for this final battle, destroying the connection between Titanosaurus and Mafune's control, meaning Godzilla can fight Mechagodzilla one on one. And the rematch between the two monsters alone is solo, especially because Mechagodzilla doesn't have his protective head spinning move anymore, so it's just the two going at it back to back with nothing but pure offense. It's an exciting final battle.

Godzilla's farewell is kinda sad, but it's a solid goodbye. After 21 years, it only makes sense he gets to retire. And thank God they didn't kill him. That'd just be a massive bummer note to end a series with even stronger continuity on, am I right? Wouldn't that just be a bummer and really upsetting? Yeah, it sure would. But as for this movie, it's a solid goodbye. Some sad music plays and Mechagodzilla is taken care of and as are the Black Hole Aliens. It's possible that maybe this Godzilla had more journeys we never saw, but we'll never know. Godzilla swimming off is a nice farewell.

As for the entire movie itself? Well, it's definitely not perfect. Despite Hirata standing out and some spectacular monsters and effects, it's not perfect. It has its flaws, but compared to some of the other movies building up to this, it's Citizen Kane. Godzilla gets some solid action and once of his best entrances and exits in the entire series and he gets to get some good action in. It's some nice closure, and a really solid way to end the first era of monsters.

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The first series is officially wrapped up and we are moving on to the most universally praised era of the entire franchise: the second series, sometimes called the Heisei Era. We'll be seeing some new and old faces pop up, but the only way to get ready for it is to start at the beginning. So, let's start the second series right with a solid reintroduction of the character. Come back tomorrow for my thoughts on the Return of Godzilla!