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Godzilla: Tokyo SOS is the only film of the Millennium series that is preceded by another film. Picking where Godzilla X Mechagodzilla left off, the Japanese Defense Force is in the process of repairing Mechagodzilla after his last outing with Godzilla. Yoshito Chûjô, played by Noboru Kaneko, is an mechanic working on Mechagodzilla, and was visited by the tiny twin fairies of Mothra, the Shobijin. They warned him that the people must return Mechagodzilla to the sea, for the dead must not be disturbed (Mechagodzilla was created from the bones of the original Godzilla). If the people do not heed to their warnings, Mothra will declare war on mankind, which I think is a departure from Mothra because she has always been depicted to help humans. But, without Mechagodzilla, Japan has no defense against Godzilla.This film provides many references to previous Toho films, including bringing back the two character leads from Godzilla X Mechgodzilla, containing scenes from the previous movie and even bringing back Kameba, the gigantic turtle from "Yog, Monster from Space" (1970). Perhaps the most notable mention is the return of Professor Shinichi Chujo, played by Hiroshi Koizumi, from the original 1961 Mothra movie. Koizumi reprises the role he did 42 years earlier, and delivers drama about Mothra's previous attack on Tokyo and even showed pictures from his trip to Infant Island in the original Mothra film.The movie is filled with drama and heroism. The part where Chujo's grandson made the Mothra sign to call her for help was one of my favorite scenes. Michiru Ôshima gave another brilliant music score and Eiichi Asada did an awesome job on the special effects. Mechagodzilla's rockets and Mothra's wing attacks were among my favorite effects in the film. Several downsides to this movie is that the monster battle scenes are interrupted a lot: the scenes usually are cut away to feature Chujo trying to find his way to Mechagodzilla to fix a damaged component of the robot. And, the scenes where there are supposed to be sorrow are cut away quickly, leaving audience no chance to generate sympathy. In addition, as this movie also serves as a sequel to the original Mothra movie, Mothra and her larvae were not emphasized enough. Godzilla was pretty weak in this movie, and basically just "stands there" during the battle scenes, as if it is letting Mechagodzilla attack him. And, since Godzilla was regarded as such a destructive force in this film, he rarely gets any chance to do some city stomping. As with most films in the Millennium series, this movie centers towards the military. There is really nothing new here that we haven't see from another Godzilla movie. But, it's still a pretty descent sci-fi flick, better than Godzilla X Megaguirus. Mothra's design is this film is my favorite of the monster.So, when watching, remember the Shobjin's words and never disturb the departed.
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