Thursday, May 1, 2014
Countdown To Godzilla 2014: Godzilla Vs. Gigan
The film received a limited theatrical release in the United States in 1978 by Cinema Shares as Godzilla on Monster Island.
Giant insectoid aliens from a dying planet in "Space Hunter Nebula-M" plot to colonize the Earth. The aliens assume the forms of dead humans and work as the development staff of the peace-themed theme park, World Children's Land, the centerpiece of which is "Godzilla Tower". The Nebula-M aliens plan to use the space monsters Gigan and King Ghidorah, guided by two "Action Signal Tapes," to wipe out human civilization.
Manga artist Gengo Kotaka stumbles onto their plan after being hired as a concept artist for the park. When Gengo and his friends accidentally obtain one of the Action Signal Tapes and play it, Godzilla and Anguirus hear the signal and realize something is amiss. Godzilla sends Anguirus to investigate. When Anguirus approaches Tokyo, the Japan Self Defense Forces, misunderstanding the monster's intentions, drives him away.
Anguirus reports back to Monster Island, and Godzilla follows him back to Japan to save the Earth from Gigan and King Ghidorah. The aliens attempt to kill Godzilla with a lethal laser cannon hidden inside Godzilla Tower, but Gengo and his companions destroy the tower along with the aliens. After a lengthy fight, Godzilla and Anguirus force Gigan and King Ghidorah back into space and then Godzilla and Anguirus swim back to Monster Island, but not before Godzilla turns around and gives a roar of triumph, thanking to his friends.
Hiroshi Ishikawa as Gengo Kotaka
Yuriko Hishimi as Tomoko Tomoe
Minoru Takashima as Shosaku Takasugi
Tomoko Umeda as Machiko Shima
Toshiaki Nishizawa as Kubota, Head of Children's Land
Zan Fujita as Fumio Sudo
Kunio Murai as Takashi Shima
Gen Shimizu as Commander of Defense Forces
Koreyoshi Nakamura as Priest (as Zeko Nakamura)
Kuniko Ashihara as Middle-Aged Woman
Akio Murata as Editor of Comics Magazine
Noritake Saito as Henchman
Yasuhiko Saijô as Henchman
Naoya Kusakawa as Henchman
Wataru Ômae as Henchman
Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla / Background Comic Editor / JSDF Officer
Kenpachiro Satsuma as Gigan (as Kengo Nakayama)
Kôetsu Ômiya as Anguirus / Laser Radar Operator
Kanta Ina as King Ghidorah
Production
After attempts to make another Hedorah movie failed, Toho begun work on a very different project with Godzilla vs. the Space Monsters: Earth Defense Directive. The script called for a total of six monsters, including the creation of three new kaiju: Gigan, Megalon, and Majin Tuol(a giant Daimajin like statue). The film was not to be though, and the idea was reworked into The Return of King Ghidorah, before that project was canned as well.
Although this particular film idea was scrapped, elements from it would be used in later Toho films, as Gigan and the Godzilla Tower would appear in this finished product as well as its sequel (Gigan has also become a staple in the video games, and re-appeared in 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars), and Megalon would go on to star in that sequel entitled Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973).
The Return of King Ghidorah was to be a more extravagant version of what would ultimately become Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972). Despite the similar plot to what the movie became, the original concept had a rather large monster cast. On the alien side, King Ghidorah was touted as the project's character to beat, unlike the final draft which placed greater focus on Gigan. The cyborg monster was also fairly different at this stage, still having a scythe-like hand, but also a spiked ball and chain on the other. They were to work alongside another new monster called Mogu, a flying beast that could fire an oral weapon from its maw.
Unfortunately, the project's budget was ultimately far too modest for the idea's in this early script. At the minimum, it would have required three new suits in the form of Gigan, Mogu and Varan, the latter of which only had a small prop used for it in Destroy All Monsters (1968) since the original suit was heavily modified beyond recognition when it was loaned for filming of the Ultraman TV series. Taking the budget under consideration, Mogu was dropped while Rodan and Varan were replaced by Anguirus, to take advantage of the new suit that had been created in 1968 for the monster. King Ghidorah's name was dropped from the title, and the film became Earth Destruction Directive: Godzilla vs. Gigan.
Box Office
In Japan, the film sold approximately 1,780,000 tickets.
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| Cinema Shares theatrical poster for the 1978 U.S release of Godzilla on Monster Island. |
In 1978, Cinema Shares, the company responsible for the North American distribution of the released of slightly cut version of the international version of Godzilla vs. Gigan in North America. This version was re-titled Godzilla on Monster Island despite the fact that about a minute of the film actually takes place on Monster Island.
Very few edits were made, although Cinema Shares made several cuts to obtain a G-rating from the MPAA:
The title card reads "GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND" and the laser beam effect from the Japanese credits sequence is gone.Godzilla On Monster Island was frequently shown in television syndication throughout the 80s, and it aired several times on The Sci-Fi Channel before being replaced by the widescreen international version in 2002. In 1988, New World Pictures picked up the home video rights to Godzilla vs. Gigan and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. Toho provided New World Video with prints of the international versions, now titled Godzilla vs. Gigan and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, respectively. The dubbing was the same, but both films were now restored to their full length. These versions were subsequently re-released on video in 1992 by Starmaker Video, in 1997 by Anchor Bay and in 2004 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The Sony DVDs feature newly remastered prints of Toho's original international versions.
Gengo calls his girlfriend "a hard bitch " under his breath. Cinema Shares muted the entire soundtrack when the word " bitch " is muttered.
Two scenes of Godzilla bleeding from Gigan's attacks are trimmed. Gigan also cuts Anguirus in his snout with his abdominal saw, which is also edited out.
While Godzilla and Anguirus swim away at the end of the movie, Godzilla turns and blasts the camera with his radioactive breath (lifted from the opening of the film). The energy beam fills the camera, over which the words "THE END" are superimposed.
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| Haruo Nakajima (Godzilla), Kenpachiro Satsuma (Gigan), Koetsu Omiya (Angilias) and Kanta Ina (King Ghidorah, suspended by wires) put on a show in front of school kids as part of publicity for the films's release in Japan. |
Earth Attack Mission: Godzilla vs. Gigan - Translated Japanese title.
Godzilla vs. Gigan - Toho's official English title and current home video title.
Godzilla on Monster Island - American theatrical release title.
War of the Monsters - UK theatrical release title.
Soundtrack
The majority of the film's soundtrack consists of recycled cues from previous Toho films such as Frankenstein Conquers the World, Atragon, King Kong Escapes and several other Godzilla films. Akira Ifukube, who composed the music in all those movies, receives credit in the film. In addition to those stock tracks, several themes composed by Ifukube for the Mitsubishi Pavilion at Expo '70 are used throughout the movie. A new song called "Godzilla March," sung by Susumu Ishikawa and composed by Kunio Miyauchi, plays at the end of the film. Isikawa also performed two more new songs ("Go! Go! Godzilla" and "Defeat Gigan") that were released on the soundtrack album.
Home Media Releases
Sony Pictures
Released: October 19, 2004
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2.35) anamorphic
Sound: Japanese (2.0), English (2.0)
Supplements: Trailer for The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra
Region 1
Note: Contain's Toho's 'International Version' English dub track.
MPAA Rating: PG for sci-fi monster violence and some language.
Includes footage and dialogue cut from previous U.S. versions.
Kraken (Section23 Films) Releasing the first U.S. Blu-ray release on May 6, 2014.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Global Godzilla Reaction Contest From Legendary
The King of the Monsters is headed for your city... get out your camera! Legendary is creating a global-scale Godzilla reaction video, starring you.
Submitting is easy:
Create a video of you and your friends freaking out as Godzilla is unleashed on your town.
Get scared, get excited, and run for your life. Try to capture your city's greatest landmarks on film -- while you still can!
Check out the special message above for pointers from Godzilla director Gareth Edwards.
What are you waiting for? Submit here: http://godzillaalert.com/
In theaters May 16th.
An epic rebirth to Toho's iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world's most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.
Gareth Edwards directs "Godzilla," which stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson ("Kick-Ass"), Oscar® nominee Ken Watanabe ("The Last Samurai," "Inception"), Elizabeth Olsen ("Martha Marcy May Marlene"), Oscar® winner Juliette Binoche ("The English Patient," "Cosmopolis"), and Sally Hawkins ("Blue Jasmine"), with Oscar® nominee David Strathairn ("Good Night, and Good Luck.," "The Bourne Legacy") and Bryan Cranston ("Argo," TV's "Breaking Bad").
Countdown To Godzilla 2014: Godzilla Vs. Megalon
The film was released theatrically in the United States in the summer of 1976 by Cinema Shares. Afterwards it became the only Godzilla film to receive a television premiere on a major U.S network, as NBC aired it on prime time television in the summer of 1977, where it was hosted by actor John Belushi dressed in a Godzilla costume.
In the year 197X, the most recent underground nuclear test, set off near the Aleutians, sends shockwaves as far south as Monster Island, disturing the monsters, and even causing Anguirus to fall into a fault opened up by the consequential earthquakes.
For years, Seatopia, the undersea civilization, has been heavily affected by this nuclear testing conducted by the surface nations of the world. Upset by these tests, the Seatopians plan to unleash their civilization's god, Megalon, to the surface to destroy the world out of vengeance.
On the surface, an inventor named Goro Ibuki, his nephew Rokuro and their friend Hiroshi Jinkawa are off on an outing near a lake when Seatopia makes itself known to the Earth by drying up the lake the trio was relaxing nearby and using it as a base of operation (unknown to our heroes.) As they return home they are ambushed by agents of Seatopia who are trying to steal Jet Jaguar, a humanoid robot under construction by the trio of inventors. However the Agents' first attempt is botched and they are forced to flee to safety.
Some time later, Jet Jaguar is completed but the trio of inventors are knocked unconscious by the returning seatopian agents. The agents's plan is to use Jet Jaguar to guide and direct Megalon to destroy whatever city Seatopia commands. Goro and Rokuro are sent to be killed, while Hiroshi is taken hostage. Megalon is finally released to the surface while Jet Jaguar is put under the control of the Seatopians and is used to guide Megalon to attack Tokyo with the Japan Self Defense Forces failing to defeat the monster. Eventually, the trio of heroes manage to escape their situation with the Seatopians and reunite to devise a plan to send Jet Jaguar to get Godzilla's help using Jet Jaguar's secondary control system.
After uniting with Japan's Defense Force, Goro manages to regain control of Jet Jaguar and sends the robot to Monster Island to bring Godzilla to fight Megalon. Without a guide to control its actions, Megalon flails around relentlessly and aimlessly fighting with the Defense Force and destroying the outskirts of Tokyo. The Seatopians learn of Jet Jaguar's turn and thus send out a distress call to the Nebula M aliens (from the previous film) to send Gigan to assist them.
As Godzilla journeys to fight Megalon, Jet Jaguar programs into a safeguard mode and grows to gigantic proportions to face Megalon himself until Godzilla arrives. The battle is roughly at a standstill between robot and monster, until Gigan arrives and both Megalon and Gigan double team Jet Jaguar. Godzilla finally arrives to assist Jet Jaguar and the odds become evened. After a long and brutal fight, Gigan and Megalon both retreat and Godzilla and Jet Jaguar shake hands on a job well done. Godzilla returns to Monster Island, and Jet Jaguar returns to his previous, human-sized state and reunites with his inventors.
Katsuhiko Sasaki as Inventor Goro Ibuki
Hiroyuki Kawase as Rokuro 'Roku-chan' Ibuki
Yutaka Hayashi as Hiroshi Jinkawa
Robert Dunham as Emperor Antonio of Seatopia
Kotaro Tomita as Lead Seatopian Agent
Ulf Ôtsuki as Seatopian Agent
Gentaro Nakajima as Truck Driver (as Gen Nakajima)
Sakyo Mikami as Truck Driver's Assistant
Fumiyo Ikeda as Man from Unit 1
Kanta Mori as Japan Special Defense Forces Chief
Shinji Takagi as Godzilla
Hideto Odachi as Megalon
Tsugutoshi Komada as Jet Jaguar
Kenpachiro Satsuma as Gigan (as Kengo Nakayama)
Production
Godzilla Vs. Megalon was originally planned as a non-Godzilla film, a solo vehicle for Jet Jaguar, which was the result of a contest Toho had for children in mid-to-late 1972. The winner of the contest was an elementary school student, who submitted the drawing of a robot called Red Arone, which superficially resembled both Ultraman and Mazinger Z. The robot was renamed Jet Jaguar and was set to star in Jet Jaguar vs. Megalon, which pitted him against Megalon. However, after doing some screen tests and storyboards, Toho figured Jet Jaguar would not be able to carry the film on his own, either in screen appearance or marketing value, so they shut the project down during pre-production. Nearly a month later, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka called in screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa to revise the script to add Godzilla and Gigan. To make up for lost production time, the film was shot in a hasty three weeks. The production time totaled at nearly six months, from planning to finish.
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| Shinji Takagi (Godzilla), Kenpachiro Satsuma (Gigan), Tsugutoshi Komada (Jet Jaguar) and Hideto Odachi (Megalon) rehearse their fight scenes in a school's gymnasium. |
There are three notable deleted scenes. A scene towards the end of the film in which Antonio ponders aloud if sending Megalon to destroy the world above is really any different from what the people above are doing with atomic testing. Another is a roughly minute-long "conversation" between Gigan and Megalon that consists of quirky gestures and bodily movements. One that can be seen in the Japanese trailer has Jet Jaguar blinding Megalon with his flashlight eyes right before Megalon starts to kick at him while Gigan holds him down.
There are, interestingly, no major female characters in the movie, making this the only Godzilla film without a female lead.
Toho's popular kaiju character Anguirus appears in some stock footage from Destroy All Monsters and in two newly filmed scenes on Monster Island. In the second new scene, Anguirus appears largely as he did in the previous film, Godzilla vs. Gigan. The first brief scene of Anguirus shows the monster without his fangs. This modification would carry over into his last appearance the next year in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.
In 1976, Cinema Shares released Godzilla vs. Megalon theatrically. Riding the coattails of Dino De Laurentiis' big-budget King Kong remake, The poster art showed Godzilla and Megalon battling on top of the World Trade Center, despite the fact that no scenes were set in New York City. As it would with its later Godzilla releases, Cinema Shares opted to use the English dub created by Toho.
Cinema Shares originally released the film with very few edits. Eventually, more cuts were made, supposedly to keep a "G"-rating from the MPAA. Edits include:
The opening credits, except for the title and a "Produced by Toho-Eizo Co., Ltd." credit.With this being the first of the three Cinema Shares Godzilla releases, the publicity factor was high. Along with the poster, buttons with one of the four monsters' faces on them were released. Given away at theatrical showings was a comic herald that told a simplified version of the film. There were several errors like monster's names and locations and events. The theatrical trailer for the film also contain these errors, most notably Jet Jaguar being called "Robotman."
Rokuro being abducted by Seatopian agents, who pull him into their car.
The Seatopian agents knocking out Rokuro and barging inside.
Scenes in the container truck that showed pin-ups on the back wall. They are Playboy centerfolds of Deanna Baker and Gloria Root.
A scene of the bearded Caucasian Seatopian agent being thrown down a cliff by the truck drivers.
The lead Seatopian is hit in the face with the model jet, causing him to bleed.
The same Seatopian agent is crushed by a boulder hurled by Megalon.
The press kit also included Godzilla, Megalon, Gigan, and Jet Jaguar in cars. This is a reflection of the Aurora kits with Godzilla riding a race car. Along with the press kit was a "Vote Godzilla for President" ad that, if mailed in, resulted in the receipt of a free ticket to the film.
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Box Office
In Japan, Godzilla vs. Megalon sold approximately 980,000 tickets. It was the first Godzilla film to sell less than one million admissions.
The film was a huge success in American theaters, earning $383,744 in its first three days in Texas and Louisiana alone.
Critical Reception
Godzilla vs. Megalon was released theatrically in America on May 9, 1976, though the San Francisco Chronicle indicates that it opened there in June, and The New York Times indicates that it opened in New York City on July 11. New York Times film critic Vincent Canby, who a decade before had given a negative review to Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, gave Godzilla vs. Megalon a generally positive review. In his review on July 12, 1976, Canby said, "Godzilla vs. Megalon completes the canonization of Godzilla...It's been a remarkable transformation of character - the dragon has become St. George...It's wildly preposterous, imaginative and funny (often intentionally). It demonstrates the rewards of friendship, between humans as well as monsters, and it is gentle."
Legacy
Godzilla vs. Megalon has attracted the ire of many Godzilla fans in the decades since its original release. The film contributed to the reputation of Godzilla films in the United States as cheap children's entertainment that should not be taken seriously. It's been described as "incredibly, undeniably, mind-numbingly bad" and one of the "poorer moments" in the history of kaiju films.
In particular, the special effects of the film have been heavily criticized. One review described the Godzilla costume as appearing to be "crossed with Kermit the Frog" and another sneeringly compared it to Godzilla vs. Gigan, stating that it did "everything wrong that Gigan did, and then some." However, most of the criticism is of the lack of actual special effects work, as most of it consists of stock footage from previous films, including Godzilla vs. Gigan and Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, and a few pieces of effects work has garnered praise, specifically a scene where Megalon breaks through a dam and the draining of the lake.
Despite all this, the film is also one of the most widely seen Godzilla films in the United States — it was popular in its initial theatrical release, largely due to an aggressive marketing campaign, including elaborate posters of the two title monsters battling atop New York City's World Trade Center towers, presumably to capitalize on the hype surrounding the Dino De Laurentiis remake of King Kong, which used a similar image for its own poster.
Home Media Releases
Media Blasters (Tokyo Shock) has acquired the DVD rights to Godzilla vs. Megalon and Destroy All Monsters. Both films were released under the company's division, Tokyo Shock. Media Blasters originally planned to release Godzilla vs. Megalon on DVD and Blu-ray on December 20, 2011; however, due to technical difficulties with the dubbing and Toho yet to give its approval for the release, the DVD / Blu-ray release was delayed. Media Blasters finally released the film on August 14, 2012 but only on a bare-bones DVD. Also, a manufacturing error led to the originally planned version featuring bonus content to be released by accident. These special feature versions are incredibly rare, and are not labelled differently from the standard version, making them nearly impossible to find.
Alpha Video
Released:January 22, 2002
Video: Fullscreen
Sound: English
Region 1
Note: Unlicensed by Toho; out of print
The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Volume 10
Released:August 29, 2006
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Sound: English
Region 1
Note: The original release of this set included Godzilla vs. Megalon, which was replaced with The Giant Gila Monster after Rhino attempted to license the film from a third party which had no claim to the movie.
Released: June 21, 2006
Video: Widescreen
Sound: English, Japanese
Subtitles English
Region 4
Note: Contains both the original version (Japanese audio with English subtitles only) and the edited G version (English audio only).
Media Blasters-Tokyo Shock
Released: August 14, 2012
Video: Widescreen (Anamorphic)
Sound: Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles English
Region 1
Note: Contains both the Japanese version and uncut English dub.
Extras (If you are lucky enough to find a copy with them):
Audio commentary with Steve Ryfle and Stuart Galbraith IV featuring Mel Maron
Interview with English dub voice actor Ted Thomas (Featurette)
Trailers and TV Spots
Image Gallery
Easter Egg (Other Godzilla Trailers)
Countdown To Godzilla 2014: MegaroGoji Suit
A strong contender with the Musuko-Godzilla for the Worst Godzilla Suit award, the Megaro-Godzilla had a plain, streamlined body, a short neck and fat, simply designed dorsal plates. The face was ghastly, with a sinlple muzzle, oversized brows and huge eyes that made the King of the Monsters resemble a puppy. The eyes of the Megaro-Godzilla were movable and had movable eyelids. The Megaro-Godzilla also appeared in five of the 26 episodes of NTV’s Ryusei Ningen Zone (a.k.a. Zone Fighter) television series in 1973 (see “The Lost Godzilla Episodes”). For Godzilla vs the Cosmic Monster, the Megaro-Godzilla was the same but with some changes to the face; more detail in the muzzle and reduction of the brows, making Godzilla look less playful than in the previous movie. The eyes did not move, nor have movable eyelids. This suit is also called the Mekagoji.
A second Godzilla costume, a publicity suit never intended for use in a feature movie, was also used in Cosmic Monster. The jaw and eyes were immobile, while the suit boasted a toothy grin complete with fangs. It was used when the disguised Mechagodzilla battles Angilas and during the clash with the real Godzilla at the oil refmery. It was also used for a special scene in the Japanese theatrical trailer for Cosmic Monster, when Godzilla is shown morphing into Mechagodzilla. This same “phony-Godzilla” costume was also employed for the final scene in The Terror of Mechagodzilla when Godzilla wades off into the ocean. Another publicity Godzilla suit (which appeared to be smiling) was employed in Cosmic Monster, in the scene when Godzilla appears in the ocean off Okinawa. For The Terror of Mechagodzilla, the Megaro-Godzilla received a further face lift; the muzzle was reduced and given more detail, the height of the brows lowered and the eyes reduced to an acceptable size. The new face thus had a semi- comical, semi-mean look. The eyes did not move nor have movable lids, and the body of the costume was unchanged. This suit is also called the Meka-Gyakshu-Godzilla.Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Godzilla IMAX Fan Art Contest Finalist Artwork
Here are the top 10 finalist from the Godzilla Facebook page.
Countdown To Godzilla 2014: Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla
The film received a very limited theatrical release in the United States in early 1977 by Cinema Shares as Godzilla vs. The Bionic Monster. After roughly a week into its release, the film was reissued with the altered title of Godzilla vs. The Cosmic Monster.
Strange events are taking place in Okinawa. An Azumi priestess has a terrifying vision of a city being destroyed by a giant monster. A type of metal not found on earth is discovered in a cave by a spelunker, Masahiko Shimizu, who takes it to Professor Miyajima for examination. An excavation led by Masahiko's brother Keisuke accidentally uncovers a chamber filled with ancient artifacts and a mural bearing an ominous prophecy: "When a black mountain appears above the clouds, a huge monster will arise and try to destroy the world; but then, when the red moon sets and the sun rises in the west, two more shall appear to save humanity." Keisuke is joined by archaeologist Saeko Kaneshiro, who translates the prophecy and takes one of the artifacts, bearing the likeness of the legendary monster King Caesar, to study. Two men stalk them, one who speaks to them and claims to be a reporter interested in the story, the other of whom attempts to steal the statue from them but fails and flees.
Before long, the first sign appears in the form of a black cloud that looks like a mountain. Godzilla (or so it seems) emerges from Mount Fuji and begins a destructive rampage, despite the fact that he has become tolerant of humans within the last few years. Anguirus, usually Godzilla's ally, confronts him only to be mutilated and forced to retreat, but not before inflicting a wound that exposes something shiny and metallic beneath Godzilla's skin. Keisuke arrives shortly after to make sure that his brother and the professor are out of harm's way and discovers another sample of the strange metal. Godzilla's rampage continues, but another Godzilla arrives and the two begin to fight. Soon, the challenger is revealed to be the true Godzilla, while the other turns out to be Mechagodzilla, a massive robot armed with advanced weaponry. The real Godzilla is severely wounded but inflicts some damage on the machine; both monsters retreat hastily. Miyajima hypothesizes, based on MechaGodzilla's advanced technology and composition of unearthly metals, that the robot is an alien super weapon.
Keisuke and Saeko take the statue of King Caesar back to the temple by cruise ship, but are confronted by the thief once again. During the fight, the stranger's head is wounded and the skin on half of his face melts away to reveal an apelike visage. The intruder attempts to kill Keisuke and nearly succeeds, but a bullet from an unseen gunman kills him and propels him overboard. Keisuke and Saeko catch a brief glimpse of the "reporter" once again. Meanwhile, Godzilla arrives on Monster Island during a thunderstorm and is struck by lightning multiple times, seemingly reinvigorating him.
Masahiko, Miyajima and his daughter Ikuko go to explore the cave where the metal was first found and are captured by the apelike aliens of the Third Planet from the Black Hole, who plan to use MechaGodzilla to conquer Earth. Their leader, Kuronuma, forces Miyajima to repair the robot. While Saeko checks into a hotel and guards the statue, Keisuke goes to meet his brother at the caves and instead encounters the reporter, who explains that his name is Nanbara and he is actually an Interpol agent who has been tracking the aliens and believed Keisuke to be connected to them. Nanbara and Keisuke infiltrate the alien base and free the prisoners. The team then splits up, with Miyajima, Nanbara, and Masahiko returning to the alien base and deliberately getting recaptured by Kuronuma, while Keisuke and Ikuko pick up Saeko and the statue from the hotel.
In the early hours of the morning, a lunar eclipse results in a red moon and a mirage creates the illusion of the sun rising in the west. The team realizes that the time has come to awaken King Caesar. They meet with the Azumi priestess and her grandfather, and place the statue on a platform in the temple, revealing the monster's resting place. However, just then, Kuronuma dispatches MechaGodzilla. The priestess sings a hymn that awakens King Caesar, and Godzilla appears shortly afterward. King Caesar and Godzilla fight together, but they are no match for MechaGodzilla's vast array of weapons. Eventually, Godzilla uses the electricity stored in his body from the lightning to create a magnetic field that ensnares the robot, then removes its head, shutting off its controls. While the mortified aliens are distracted, Nanbara and the others free themselves, kill their captors, and sabotage the base, fleeing as it burns and collapses on itself. With the enemy defeated, Godzilla heads out to sea and King Caesar returns to its resting place while the heroes rejoice.
Masaaki Daimon as Keisuke Shimizu
Kazuya Aoyama as Masahiko Shimizu
Akihiko Hirata as Professor Hideto Miyajima
Hiroshi Koizumi as Professor Wagura
Reiko Tajima as Saeko Kaneshiro
Hiromi Matsushita as Ikuko Miyajima
Goro Mutsumi as Kuronuma, Black Hole Alien Leader
Shin Kishida as Nanbara, Interpol Agent
Godzilla, The King of the Monsters and the titular character of the film who is also prophosised to defeat the monster MechaGodzilla.
Anguirus, a giant ankylosaurus creature who fights MechaGodzilla but is severely injured and retreats.
King Caesar, The Guardian Monster of Okinawa and a giant shisa-like deity who represents the Azumi Royal family and awakens to help Godzilla defeat MechaGodzilla, as he is also prophosised.
MechaGodzilla, The Magnificent Machine and the main antagonist of the film, MechaGodzilla is an alien, cybernetic double of Godzilla created by an alien race.
Production
Giant Monsters Converge on Okinawa! Showdown in Zanpamisaki was the original concept for the 20th anniversary film for the Godzilla franchise. The story was created by Shinichi Sekisawa and Masami Fukushima, while the screenplay was developed by Hiroyasu Yamaura and Jun Fukuda and was submitted in 1973. The concept continued the trend of aliens using a monster to try and conquer Earth, and was also the second attempt to try and create an entry in the Godzilla series that took place in Okinawa after the scrapped Godzilla vs. Redmoon. Nami, best known as the princess who awoke King Caesar by singing to him. If she was going to play a similar role with Mothra in this production, or something else altogether, is unknown.
Eventually, this idea was taken back to the drawing board for a heavy reworking. In its next phase of script writing, Mothra and Garugan had been replaced by King Barugan and Mechagodzilla respectively while this new draft was titled Showdown in Zanpamisaki: Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla. The Garuga Aliens were also replaced with the Black Hole Aliens, while the disguise aspect of Mechagodzilla was added in. In terms of King Barugan, the creature was a crimson and bronze colored monster that was 50 meters tall, weighed 30,000 tons, boasted prism reflective eyes and horns that were said to deliver the final blow to his enemies. During the concept phase, the horns were dropped and the name was changed to King Caesar, leading to the final version of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974).
Box Office
According to The Godzilla Fan News Letter by Richard H. Campbell, the film sold approximately 1,330,000 tickets in Japan - modest business, but an improvement of about 350,000 over the previous last 5 Godzilla films.
English Versions
In 1977, Cinema Shares purchased the rights to Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and released the movie through Downtown Distribution under the title Godzilla vs. Bionic Monster. As they had done with Godzilla vs. Megalon the previous year, Cinema Shares simply utilized the Toho-produced English dub. In July 1977, Universal Studios filed a lawsuit threat against Cinema Shares, claiming that the title was too similar to their TV productions, The Six Million Dollar Man and its spin-off The Bionic Woman. Cinema Shares retitled the film Godzilla vs. Cosmic Monster.
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A new title card. In the Japanese and international versions, Godzilla's name flashes several times while a mountain explodes in the background. As Masaru Sato's music plays, the full title is revealed. In the Cosmic Monster version, the screen turns bright red (covering up the original title) and the film title and copyright information appear. Widescreen versions of the title sequence feature the poster art to the right of the title, but this is not visible in the 16mm prints that have circulated since the early 1980s.
The opening credits have been deleted.
Also deleted is a scene in which Nanbara, the INTERPOL agent, strangles one of the aliens. The final shoot-out between Nanbara and three of the simian invaders is similarly edited.
At the end of the Japanese version, King Caesar returns to his resting place and Godzilla to the sea. In a short epilogue, the Azumi princess runs through her homeland celebrating with many of the characters. One of the King Caesar statues appear as the Japanese symbol for "end" appears. Cinema Shares cut this short epilogue, with the exception of the final shot of the statue. A red bar appears on the right side of the screen, with "THE END" overlaid on it.
In 2004, TriStar released the international version on DVD. The original Japanese audio was included as an extra audio track.
Titles
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla - Japanese title, Toho's official English title, and the UK and US home video title.
Godzilla vs. The Bionic Monster - Original American title.
Godzilla vs. The Cosmic Monster - Second American release title and UK theatrical release title.
Reception
The movie has become popular among fans in recent years for its exotic music, colorful special effects and entertaining monster fights. The film's robust themes and fairly complex plot stand out against a time when the Godzilla franchise was being fueled by increasingly lower production values.[citation needed]
Outside of the circle, however, public reception is luke-warm at best and the movie garners only 6 stars (out of a possible ten) at IMDB. However, it does retain an above-average score (60%) at Rotten Tomatoes.
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