Mekagojira no gyakushu (1975)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Ishirô Honda

Writers:

Yukiko Takayama (screenplay)
Yukiko Takayama (story)

Release Date:

March 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Metal meets monster.

Plot:

Godzilla comes to the rescue when an alien race rebuilds Mechagodzilla to destroy Earth's cities. A traitorous scientist gives them a second weapon: Titanosaurus.

Plot Keywords:

Godzilla | Mechagodzilla | Alien | Scientist | Robot

Cast

Katsuhiko Sasaki	...	Biologist Akira Ichinose
Tomoko Ai	...	Katsura Mafune
Akihiko Hirata	...	Dr. Shinzô Mafune
Katsumasa Uchida	...	Interpol Agent Jiro Murakoshi
Goro Mutsumi	...	Alien Leader Mugal
Tadao Nakamaru	...	Interpol Chief Tagawa
Shin Roppongi	...	Yûichi Wakayama
Tomoe Mari	...	Yuri Yamamoto
Tôru Ibuki	...	Tsuda (bearded alien)
Kenji Sahara	...	Army Commander Segawa
Kotaro Tomita	...	Professor Ôta
Ikio Sawamura	...	Mafune's Silent Butler
Masaaki Daimon	...	Submarine Captain Kusakari
Toshio Kirishima	...	Alien Henchman #2
Kazuo Suzuki	...	Alien Henchman #1

Also Known As:

Mechagodzilla vs. Godzilla
Monsters from an Unknown Planet
Monsters from the Unknown Planet
Revenge of Mechagodzilla
Terror of Mechagodzilla (USA) (video box title)
The Escape of Mechagodzilla
The Escape of Megagodzilla
The Terror of Godzilla (USA)

Runtime:

83 min | UK:89 min | USA:79 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Norway:11 (video premiere) | UK:15 | USA:G | West Germany:12 (nf)

Company:

Henry G. Saperstein Enterprises Inc.

Trivia:

This is not only the last Godzilla film directed by Ishirô Honda, it also marks the last time Godzilla is portrayed as a hero until Gojira: Fainaru uôzu (2004).

Goofs:

Continuity: While Godzilla tries unsuccessfully to stop Mechagodzilla from destroying the planes firing at them, he is standing. After a shot of the planes being destroyed, Godzilla is down again being kicked by Titanosaurus.

Quotes:

[Mugal, retreating towards a cliff, is confronted by Interpol agents]
Alien Leader Mugal: [laughs maniacally] Come on and shoot. You can't kill me, anyway, so what do your bullets matter!?
[laughs maniacally]

Movie Connections:

Features Gojira, Ebirâ, Mosura: Nankai no daiketto (1966)

Much maligned Godzilla flick

As a longtime fan of Godzilla movies, I'm at a loss to explain why this film in particular is so hated. I loved this film as a child (perhaps I was already moving towards my love of tragedy), partly due to the coolness of the original Mechagodzilla, partly due to the fact I thought Titanosaurus was cool. There was also the part where I dug the little story of the mad scientist bent on his revenge for being laughed out of academia, and the whole love story angle between the scientist and the mad scientist's daughter. As you can see, there's a lot going on in this film, probably too much, but I enjoyed the attempt to have a more serious subplot going on in a Godzilla flick. The line from the horribly cut American version "But I can't love you, I'm a cyborg", is highlarious. Anyways, I finally tracked down a subtitled, uncut copy, and I was amazed to discover that the american distributors cut the scenes that explain a major character's sacrifice of her life-in the american version it just seems a senseless act. Anyways, don't expect much except a goofy star crossed lovers plot combined with a mad scientist plot and kaiju beating on one another and enjoy.