Gojira tai Megaro (1973)

Director:

Jun Fukuda

Writers:

Jun Fukuda (writer)
Takeshi Kimura (story)

Release Date:

April 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Underground horrors attack!

Plot:

The undersea nation of Seatopia sends the gigantic Megalon to destroy the world above - and it's up to Godzilla and a size-shifting robot, Jet Jaguar, to defeat him.

Plot Keywords:

Godzilla | Megalon | Gigan | Jet | Jet Jaguar

Cast

Katsuhiko Sasaki	...	Inventor Goro Ibuki
Hiroyuki Kawase	...	Rokuro 'Roku-chan' Ibuki
Yutaka Hayashi	...	Hiroshi Jinkawa
Robert Dunham	...	Emperor Antonio of Seatopia
Kotaro Tomita	...	Lead Seatopian Agent
Wolf Otsuki	...	Seatopian Agent
Gentaro Nakajima	...	Truck Driver (as Gen Nakajima)
Sakyo Mikami	...	Truck Driver's Assistant
Fumiyo Ikeda	...	Man from Unit 1
Kanta Mori	...	Japan Special Defense Forces Chief
Shinji Takagi	...	Gojira
Hideto Odachi	...	Megaro
Tsugutoshi Komada	...	Jetto Jagâ
Kenpachiro Satsuma	...	Gaigan (as Kengo Nakayama)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rolf Jessup	...	Antonio's Aide (Radio Operator in White)
Eisuke Nakanishi	...	Asuka Island Nuclear Test (Narrator)

Also Known As:

Godzilla vs. Megalon (USA)

Runtime:

USA:78 min | Japan:86 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:PG | USA:G | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec)

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

Megalon was originally created to be the third evil monster (besides King Ghidorah and Gigan) in Chikyû kogeki meirei: Gojira tai Gaigan (1972) (in its second draft, "Godzilla Vs. the Space Monsters: The Earth Defense Command"), but budgetary cuts nixed Megalon from that film altogether. While he was originally created to be an opponent for Godzilla, he was considered for the role of the lone villain of this film when it was planned as a Jet Jaguar solo vehicle ("Jet Jaguar Vs. Underground Monster Megalon"), before, ironically, Godzilla was written into the story along with Gigan.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Obvious wires in numerous monster scenes.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Inventor Goro Ibuki: [speaking into the Miniature Control Transmitter] Jet Jaguar, lets go now.
[an idle Jet Jaguar nods in response and walks away]
Hiroshi Jinkawa: Oh? What's the matter with him?
Inventor Goro Ibuki: [smiles in fascination] Dunno... I guess he decided his job was done. But still, I reckon he'd do it again, if the need ever rose again.
Hiroshi Jinkawa: Well, let's just hope that it doesn't. We'll warn the scientists to be more careful in the future, and let Seatopia rest in peace.
[Goro nods in agreement]
Rokuro 'Roku-chan' Ibuki: [starts to catch up with Jet Jaguar] Hey! Hey! Jet Jaguar!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Svengoolie: Godzilla vs. Megalon" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Megaro wo Yattsukero

If Belushi liked it,it can't be all bad!

"Godzilla Vs. Megalon":

This film was released in America about 2 or 3 years after it's Asian release. My two brothers and I went and saw it in our local small town theater. We had a ball watching Jet Jaguar come to life and then grow into a giant! We enjoyed the fight scenes (like any average little boy). We got excited when Godzilla showed up up to defeat the monsters sent from the city beneath the ocean and we laughed our heads off when he got a running start,slid on his tail and jammed his big clawed feet into one of them!

I say these things because,if anyone expected the film to be "spectacular" and have "great special effects",then they have obviously never watched a Godzilla movie too closely or ever. It was just fun,period. Especially when in October of 1978,John Belushi,dressed in a Godzilla costume,introduced the film on NBC before it's start!

So,whether you want to go back to younger days or just watch something silly,this is a good movie. 5 stars is the "mature" thing to say,for simple fun,I'd gladly give it 10! (END)