Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla (2002)

After the appearance of a new Gojira (Godzilla), the Japanese government builds a robotic Godzilla from the bones of the original monster that attacked Tokyo in 1954 to stop the beast.

Director:

Masaaki Tezuka

Writer:

Wataru Mimura (screenplay)

Stars:

Yumiko Shaku, Shin Takuma, Kana Onodera

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yumiko Shaku	...	Akane Yashiro
Shin Takuma	...	Tokumitsu Yuhara
Kana Onodera	...	Sara Yuhara
Kô Takasugi	...	JSDF Lieutenant Togashi
Yûsuke Tomoi	...	JSDF 2nd Lieutenant Hayama
Jun'ichi Mizuno	...	JSDF 1st Lieutenant Sekine
Akira Nakao	...	2003 Prime Minister Hayato Igarashi
Kumi Mizuno	...	1999 Prime Minister Machiko Tsuge
Takeo Nakahara	...	JSDF Chief Hitoyanagi
Yoshikazu Kanou	...	Hishinuma
Kôichi Ueda	...	General Dobashi
Akira Shirai	...	Shinji Akamatsu
Midori Hagio	...	Kaoru Yamada
Naomasa Musaka	...	Gorou Kanno
Shinji Morisue	...	JSDF 1st Lieutenant Hayama

Storyline

To protect Japan from yet another monster attack, this time from a new and malevolent member of the Godzilla (Gojira) species, the Japanese government creates a human-piloted cyborg, codenamed Kiriyu, using the skeleton of the original Godzilla (Gojira) that attacked Japan in 1954.

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Plot Keywords:

monster | giant monster | creature feature | father daughter relationship | tank | 

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Taglines:

Kidô, Kyômei, Hyôsai (Startup, Resonance, Smashed Ice)

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Genres:

Action | Family | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for sci-fi action and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] (Japanese)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

14 December 2002 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla

Filming Locations:

Studio 9, Toho Studios, Tokyo, Japan

Box Office

Budget:

$8,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Toho continued the practice of casting actors from the original Godzilla series into this series. For this film, Kumi Mizuno was cast as the outgoing Prime Minister.

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Goofs

In the blackout, all the lights go out, even the cars.

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Quotes

[Hayama sees Akane and Dr. Yuhara sitting together at a coffee bar]
JSDF 2nd Lieutenant Hayama: [to Akane] You seem to have a lot of older fans. Are you giving off some kind of pheromone?
Tokumitsu Yuhara: [stands up] How dare you!
JSDF 2nd Lieutenant Hayama: [Pushes him away] Piss off!
Akane Yashiro: [Akane hits Hayama in the back and pins him to the table] Hayama... that's enough.

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Crazy Credits

There is a scene after the end credits.

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Connections

Follows Godzilla 1985 (1985)

User Reviews

Mechagodzilla is back, again.

This is the third Godzilla film of the Millennium Series. It is made as a direct sequel to the original 1954 Godzilla film, and, in my opinion, is the best film to do so in the Millennium Series. Godzilla's first appearance in this movie has him rising out of the ocean, scaring a couple of soldiers, and beginning his rampage in Japan. As a result, government officials talk about Godzilla's first attack in 1954 and how it was destroyed by the Oxygen Destroyer, alarmed that this monster has mysteriously returned. They even referenced the monsters Gaira from "War of the Gargantuas" (1966) and Mothra from "Mothra" (1961) as having invaded Tokyo in the years after Godzilla's first attack.

In this film, we have, again, a female soldier seeking revenge against Godzilla for killing colleagues of hers. After monsters having appeared in the past, the Japanese government salvaged the skeletal remains of the original Godzilla to make a robotic version of the monster called Mechagodzilla. Filled with missiles and state-of-the-art weaponry, Mechagodzilla is Japan's number one defense against Godzilla. Mechagodzilla was proved to be a tough opponent for Godzilla and, in a plot twist, it appeared that the original Godzilla's spirit lives in the robot. This added suspense to the story.

We get to see a movie with a brilliant score by Michiru Ôshima and great special effects by Yûichi Kikuchi. Masaaki Tezuka did OK in the directing; however, he focused too much on the human characters, leaving us limited monster action (Godzilla was also portrayed as a little weak). But, some of the heroism and sacrifice made by the human characters, especially by the antagonist of the film who ended up putting his own life on the line to rescue the female lead, were pretty entertaining. I also enjoyed the touching friendship between the little girl and the female soldier, adding a nice touch of heartfelt drama. As an added treat, Toho brought back veteran actress Kumi Mizuno, who played "Miss Namikawa" in "Godzilla vs. Monster Zero" (1965) and "Daiyo" in "Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster" (1966), and actor Akira Nakao, who played "Commander Takaki Aso" in the Godzilla "Heisei" films, to appear in this movie.

Overall, this is a well-paced story with some nice monster action, but mostly towards the end.

Grade B-