Pre-Ramble Ramble: I love how this is titled Godzilla v. Mechagodzilla II yet is not the sequel to the original Godzilla v. Mechagodzilla (that would be The Terror of Mechagodzilla.) Additionally, of the three eras, this is the only Mechagodzilla story line to not get a followup movie with Mechagodzilla making a return. I mean, yeah technically Godzilla v. Spacegodzilla picks up where this one leaves off, but technically all of the movies in the Heisei era pick up where the last one leaves off. So does it get a follow up movie? Yes. Does it get a follow up movie with another Mechagodzilla? No. Does it really matter? Probably not, unless you’re a big fan of Mechagodzilla.
Pre-Ramble Trivia Ramble: If you’ve never seen it before, you totally need to check out the original illustrated poster by Noriyoshi Ohrai. It’s bad ass. If you look at it close enough, you’ll see in the upper left corner a flying ship and in the lower right corner a crazy looking tank. It was originally planned that Mechagodzilla would be created by these two vehicles combining together, you know, like Voltron, Power Rangers, etc. That idea was ultimately scrapped. What’s really interesting though, is that on the Blu-Ray I have, there’s a teaser trailer with footage of both a futuristic jet and a futuristic tank. The more I think about it, the less I’m inclined to believe Toho would go through the trouble of making models only to scrap the idea early in the process. Plus, the footage is very dark and foggy (deliberately so), so I’m starting to think they might be images from Gunhed spliced in. Which would be appropriate, because from what I’ve been told the script for Gunhed started out as a story where Godzilla fought a giant computer and it eventually got turned into something else. Anyhow, it’s a shame they got cut from the story, because the idea was pretty awesome. Additionally, ever see Ready Player One? I haven’t. But take a good look at the Mechagodzilla on that poster. Now take a look at The Mechagodzilla that made a showing in that film. If you ask me, put into film it looks more like a ZOIDS come to life than any version of Mechagodzilla that I know and love, but it’s still pretty sweet to see.
So we’re now into the fifth film of the Heisei era, and in case the title of this post and my pre-rambles didn’t give it away, it’s Godzilla v. Mechagodzilla II. I’m guessing going with King Ghidorah and Mothra for the two previous films payed off for Toho, cause this time around both Mechagodzilla and Rodan make a comeback. There’s also Baby Godzilla, but man, I really don’t want to talk about him.
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Okay. We’re gonna talk about Baby Godzilla real quick, because apparently I want to talk about him, but only to get him out of the way. For the record, I don’t hate Baby Godzilla and I think he’s a step in a better direction over Minilla. Tonally though, I don’t know what he’s doing in the Heisei films though, unless Toho was trying to set up a successor to Godzilla. The entire Heisei series, camp aside, is pretty serious and stuff like baby monsters seem more appropriate for Kaiju films directed at kids. You know, Son of Godzilla, All Monsters Attack, Gamera the Brave, etc. That’s not to say that I think Baby Godzilla sucks or feels like he’s haphazardly slapped into the plot last minute, I just think he would have been a better fit for a different kind of Godzilla movie.
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You know, Mechagodzilla isn’t even in my top five list of favorite Godzilla Kaiju, but I love what they did with him for this movie. Instead of being the creation of an alien race determined to conquer mankind, he’s actually created by Japanese scientists from the remains of Mecha King Ghidorah. Know what’s hilarious? I’m blocking out a spoiler that is totally a third act pivot from a 20+ year old Godzilla film that Toho themselves spoiled in the original theatric trailer for that film before it was even released (that’s weird, but a sign of the times I guess). But man, Mechagodzilla really does straight up kick some major butt in this movie. Obviously by the end, Godzilla comes out on top because it’s his franchise, but seriously, things could have played out differently and I totally would have bought it.
Rodan was okay, I guess. My only hangup is that he has a beam attack in this movie and for someone who is willing to put up with a lot of suspension of disbelief to enjoy these films, for some reason, for me giving Rodan a beam attack is a bridge too far. Giant radioactive pteranadons that can fly faster than the speed of sound and live in the same universe as a giant mystical moth, a plant infused with a radioactive lizard’s DNA, and a giant mech is all totally realistic. Give that pteranadon a beam attack though and suddenly I feel like I’m being taken for an idiot. It’s like a microcosm of Godzilla 2014 and 2019’s Godzilla King of the Monsters. You bet I’m gonna compare and contrast those two movies some day.
This movie is where the role of Mikki and psychics really take part of the focus in the stories and honestly, I don't know what to say about all that.
You know I always bring up the battles in these rambling reviews. They’re Godzilla films. If we’re not here for the rampage, what are we here for? Well in this movie, there’s not a single disappointment. Loved every one, even if they’re beam heavy as all get out. This one probably had the best Godzilla v Military Model Kits battle in the whole Heisei era and I think what clinches it for me was the use of model jets doing close fly bys. It felt like a trip back in time to Showa Era films and I ate that up like the fan boy I am.
Baby Godzilla, psychics, and fire breathing Rodan aside, while it’s not my favorite, I honestly think this is probably the best film out of the Heisei era in the sense that it’s a slightly more grounded, conventional story. It’s fun, it’s not too silly, and the action is quite enjoyable. For that reason I give it four out of five pulse grenades.