Gojira tai Mosura tai Mekagojira: Tôkyô S.O.S. (2003)

Director:

Masaaki Tezuka

Writers:

Masaaki Tezuka (screenplay)
Masahiro Yokotani (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 December 2003 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Two is company but three is a very big crowd!

Plot:

One year after the fight between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla, the two monsters along with Mothra face off in a conclusive battle royale.

Plot Keywords:

Godzilla | Mechagodzilla | Mothra | Monster | U Boat

Cast

Noboru Kaneko	...	Yoshito Chûjô
Miho Yoshioka	...	Pilot Azusa Kisaragi
Mitsuki Koga	...	Mechagodzilla Operator Kyôsuke Akiba
Hiroshi Koizumi	...	Dr. Shin'ichi Chûjô (Linguist / Yoshito's father)
Akira Nakao	...	Premier Hayato Igarashi
Kôichi Ueda	...	General Dobashi
Koh Takasugi	...	JSDF Lieutenant Togashi
Masami Nagasawa	...	Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
Chihiro Ôtsuka	...	Shobijin (Twin Fairy)
Takeo Nakahara	...	JSDF Chief Hitoyanagi
Norman England	...	Sgt Woodyard
Naomasa Musaka	...	Gorô Kanno
Yumiko Shaku	...	Akane Yashiro
Yûsuke Tomoi	...	Lieutenant Hayama
Tsutomu Kitagawa	...	Gojira

Also Known As:

Godzilla, Mothra, Mechagodzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (International: English title)
Gojira tai Mosura tai Kiriyu/Mekagojira: Tôkyô S.O.S. (Japan) (long title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for sci-fi monster violence and some language.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

Australia:PG | Canada:G (Ontario/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Canadian Home Video Rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Shiba Park, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

This was the first Godzilla film ever to be completed just in time for its preview showing at the Tokyo International Film Festival. All previous Godzilla films since _Gojira VS Kingugidora (1991)_ were screened there around a month before their usual general release date (early-mid December), but were still busy finishing up post-production (ie. few FX shots were incomplete, wires were visible, etc.).

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Mosters vs Aliens/The Haunting in Connecticut/12 Rounds (#1.5)" (2009)

Kind of a disappointing movie, but still okay and worth checking out

From what I had seen and read about Godzilla: Tokyo SOS before its release, I was given the impression that this was going to be a great Godzilla movie, even better than its prequel, which was a marvelous kaiju film. But I was disappointed right off, and still am today, of how this movie turned out.

Masaaki Tezuka's only real mistake in this film's prequel, Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla, was that he didn't have a Godzilla that could beat his opponents in the end unless teamed up on and outnumbered. And he recovered from that when he made this movie. Now Godzilla can easily beat MechaGodzilla and Mothra, but Tezuka forgot what he achieved in the film before this one. He forgot all about characters, plot, and a proper pacing. This movie actually rushes through rather quickly. Many scenes are pointless and dull, characters we couldn't care less about, and scenes intended to be sad and dramatic are cut shot and end up only half-hearted. If Tezuka had just remembered to keep the traits he used in Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla and combined it with a Godzilla that beats his opponents, this movie would have been a monumental success considering its budget. But he forgot. And personally, I feel that Godzilla uses his heat ray way too often in this movie.

So, Godzilla: Tokyo SOS may not be the best Godzilla movie and it definitely isn't. It's a long way from being there. But it is an okay monster movie. Although probably only Godzilla and kaiju fans can enjoy it.