Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)

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.

Directors:

Jun Fukuda, Yoshimitsu Banno (uncredited)

Writers:

Jun Fukuda, Takeshi Kimura (story "Gojira tai Uchu Kaijû")

Stars:

Katsuhiko Sasaki, Hiroyuki Kawase, Yutaka Hayashi

Cast

Credited cast:
Katsuhiko Sasaki	...	Inventor Goro Ibuki
Hiroyuki Kawase	...	Rokuro 'Roku-chan' Ibuki
Yutaka Hayashi	...	Hiroshi Jinkawa
Robert Dunham	...	Emperor Antonio of Seatopia / Motorcycle assailant
Kôtarô Tomita	...	Lead Seatopian Agent
Ulf Ôtsuki	...	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
Kenpachirô Satsuma	...	Gaigan (as Kengo Nakayama)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ralph Jesser	...	Antonio's Aide (Radio Operator in White) (as Rolf Jessup)

Storyline

The underground kingdom of Seatopia sends out Megalon, a giant beetle, and Gigan to destroy the above ground dwellers. In an attempt to stop them, an independently thinking robot brings Godzilla into the fight.

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Plot Keywords:

kaiju | jet jaguar | tokusatsu | giant monster | psychotronic film | 

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Taglines:

Titan against Titan! Giant against Giant, in the most spectacular battle yet!!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The Megalon suit was incredibly heavy which meant that the scenes where the monster performs several leaps through the air was exceedingly difficult on the special effects crew. Teruyoshi Nakano is said to have been so frustrated with the filming of these scenes that they were nearly cut. The jumps had to be accomplished by several crew members standing in the studio rafters repeatedly hoisting the suit and its actor up and down. It was so difficult inside the suit that actor Hideto Date had to have a loud whistle blown by one of the assistant directors to notify him of when to jump.

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Goofs

After having knocked out the Seatopian agent, Jakavin and Rokkuchan run off, leaving the agent at their lab. This makes no sense, they should at least have tried to tie him up or get rid of him through other means. They don't even try to take back the lab.

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Quotes

Emperor Antonio of Seatopia: Contact Star Hunter Universe M. Say we need Gigan's help immediately.
Antonio's Aide: Right.
Emperor Antonio of Seatopia: Additionally, notify our people on Easter Island.

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Alternate Versions

The 1976 U.S. Cinema Shares release omits approximately 3 minutes from the original Japanese version in order to get a G rating. The deleted scenes include: the opening credits; a brief shot of young Rokuro being abducted and taken away in a car; several shots of the men in a truck, with pages from nudie magazines hanging behind them; an extended fight scene as Hiroshi escapes from the Seatopian; the truck drivers throwing a man off a cliff; the kidnappers asking "what the hell is that?" and yelling "go to hell!"; several brief shots of blood and violence when the brothers break into their home; and the Commander getting crushed to death by a giant boulder. This is the version that remains available on several cut-price video labels.

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Connections

Referenced in James & Mike Mondays: Bio Force Ape (2014)

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Soundtracks

Gojira and Jaguar, Punch Punch Punch!
Music by Riichirô Manabe
Lyrics by Shinichi Sekizawa

User Reviews

4 for the price of 1 in this genre classic

A tour de force of rubbery monster mayhem in this genre classic. Brilliant turns from Megalon, Jet Jaguar, Gigan and the mighty Godzilla all of which out act the humans. Ignore the storyline and luxuriate in the glory of giant monster action.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

April 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Godzilla vs. Megalon

Filming Locations:

Machida, Tokyo, Japan

Box Office

Budget:

$760,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1