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| Godzilla Vs Megalon(1973); Discuss the film here. | |
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| Topic Started: Mar 23 2006, 08:11 AM (1,447 Views) | |
| G2Kmaster | Jan 11 2009, 10:59 PM Post #61 |
BIGGEST GODZILLA NERD HERE!-Monster Island Hall Of Famer
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I have seen this film in a good widescreen format. It went from 3/10 to a 4.5/10... |
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| Godzillaheisei546 | Mar 8 2009, 12:45 AM Post #62 |
Godzilla Fan
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i'm actually thinking this is the worst godzilla movie ever! theres too many flaws! goji's revenge was terrible but this is so bad in comparison. jet jaguar is a dummer version of ultraman ever, they held a contest of elementary schools to submit there robot. ugh thats terrible. and there's a scene where there just standing there, cause there waiting for there Q's! changes from night to day, bad acting, bad picture, stock footage mistakes! i officially make it my opinion, this is the worst godzilla film ever made!!!! |
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| G2Kmaster | Mar 8 2009, 12:54 AM Post #63 |
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BIGGEST GODZILLA NERD HERE!-Monster Island Hall Of Famer
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But while it is the worst, it gained Goji a large audience and made Goji a pop culture icon... Hell, this film was mentioned in an episode of Law and Order. |
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| Godzillaheisei546 | Mar 8 2009, 01:13 AM Post #64 |
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It's not the way I wanted him to be a pop culture icon, a more popular and better goji film should have done it. |
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| Deleted User | Mar 15 2009, 10:34 AM Post #65 |
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| packmule | Jun 28 2009, 09:16 PM Post #66 |
Site founder
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This is the cover art for the letterboxed, English subtitled DVD-R I have of this film. Godzilla Vs Megalon(1973) - Revisited Anyone who knows me will tell you I like all Godzilla movies. There are obviously some I like a whole lot more than others. There are also Godzilla movies that, I believe, are unfairly slammed. Godzilla Vs Megalon is one such movie, directed by Jun Fukuda, produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and originally released to theaters in Japan back in March, 1973. I am not now, nor will I ever in the future, try to convince anyone that this movie is a terrific Godzilla film because IMO it isn't. Still, over the years this movie has grown on me, not a lot to be sure but enough that I now like viewing Godzilla Vs Megalon on an annual basis...and sober.  The film's story: a subterranean race called the "Seatopians", fed up with mankind's atomic bomb testing and the adverse effects on their civilization these explosive devices are having, decide to open up a can of whoop ass on humanity. To effect their hostilities on human-kind the Seatopians dispatch a huge, beetle like, winged monster named Megalon to wage a rampage of destruction on Earth's surface. The Seatopians, despite their superior technology, cannot effectively navigate their insect-like monster on the Earth's surface and consequently send agents to abduct a special robot, named Jet Jaguar, from an inventor named "Goro Ibuki". Ibuki, understandably opposed to losing his prized robot, fights back, aided by his friend "Jinko"(Jinkawa) and his kid brother "Rakuro". The trio regain control of Jet Jaguar from the Seatopian agents, and Jet Jaguar flies to Monster Island to ask Godzilla for help in dealing with Megalon. Jet Jaguar returns and, morphing into a 50 meter tall giant, battles Megalon. The Seatopians secure the services of the space monster Gigan: together with Megalon the two monsters quickly overwhelm Jet Jaguar. Just when Jet Jaguar appears to be done in by the two monsters Godzilla arrives to help "JJ"...(no other spoilers) Observations, some good and some not so good: Thumbs up: -the rendering of Jet Jaguar in the film. I've seen this robot described as "an Ultraman rip off". Perhaps. I still like the design overall and the dash of color in JJ's design. -many special effects shots in this film are marvelous, including the "dam" scene, the sequence where Megalon destroys the bridge, blasting the structure apart with its drill like appendage, and the lake draining out(near the beginning of the film) -the pyrotechnic effects are quite good, no surprise here with Teruyoshi Nakano handling the SPFX for this movie: the movie's opening sequence starts off with a bang, literally, as there are lots of explosions and other various blasts leading into the movie's opening title credits. These explosion effects do not IMO make up for other effects shortcomings in this film but they do make it, at least for me, somewhat easier to overlook while watching this movie. -the fight scenes and car chase scene: both added a nice bit of human action to the film, despite my disdain for the choreography of the fights, which I thought were sub par, limited to sloppy hand strikes and basic scuffling -the rendering of Megalon: I liked the monster's overall appearance and it's beam firing horn, and exploding rocks launched from its mandibles.  Thumbs down: -the "Seatopian" attire worn by "Emperor Antonio"(played by Robert Dunham), which looked like something out of the Broadway play for I Claudius. -the stock footage is abundant in this film and used to horrendous excess -the movements of Megalon during the scenes where the monster leaps. The creature's movements during the "leaping" sequences appear sloppy and awkward -the ineptitude of the Seatopians in this film. This race possessed superior technology, as was boasted by one of their agents to "Jinko", yet their plans were completely thwarted by an inventor, his friend, a young boy and a resourceful robot, neither of these characters apparently needing much of any help from the JSDF.  -the often lack of high speed filming in the kaiju battles Godzilla Vs Megalon(1973) has seen a wide variety of releases on VHS. In 1976 this film was released by Cinemashares to American theaters in English dubbed language. It would be broadcast on NBC in 1977 as an hour long feature, hosted by a Godzilla suited and up and coming comedian named John Belushi, the movie butchered down to an hour run time. Reading about this movie I was interested to discover that Godzilla Vs Megalon has no major female character in it, the only Godzilla movie lacking a female lead of some kind. The movie itself was originally planned as a "Jet Jaguar Vs Megalon" feature but Toho eventually decided that Jet Jaguar wouldn't be able to carry the movie theatrically, so a new screenplay was hastily written to include Godzilla and Gigan. The movie, subsequent to this change, was filmed in all of three weeks! Anyone who has not seen Godzilla Vs Megalon should watch this movie uncut, in its original widescreen(2:35.1) aspect ratio and in its original language(with English subtitles if possible). The various cheapie VHS tapes of this movie on the market do this movie a disservice, with their chopped down run times and generally grainy prints. Godzilla Vs Megalon(1973) is available on official Region 2/NTSC format DVD(no English subtitles) and on Region 4/PAL format DVD, the latter from Australia's "Madman Entertainment" website. The film can also be had from various online retailers who sell DVD-R's of the movie. The film's American trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1185546521/ The original Toho trailer: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/368491/2260887 |
 Packmule's Pen Humongous(1982) Grizzly(1976) | |
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| Jonzilla | Aug 26 2009, 02:32 PM Post #67 |
Monsterland Associate
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Yesterday I received the Madman DVD of this film and have just watched it,so I thought I would make some comments. In no way can Godzilla Vs Megalon be called a good movie. The plot is almost dreamlike in it's randomness [what's that whirlpool thingie at the start of the film all about],there's tons of stock footage and much of it had already been used in the previous Godzilla movie],the score is horrible [though amusing]what few humans there are are ciphers,the villains are truly amazing in their ineptitude,and there's so much emphasis on the film's robot hero that Godzilla is sidelined. It's also really simple minded-the Seatopians send Megalon because nuclear tests have destroyed some of their civilisation,but this is never addressed apart from "what the hell are they trying to do"? and at the end "we'll tell the scientists to be more careful in future". Also,this is really a kid's film,but it's pretty violent in parts! Maybe in Japan they are less bothered about kids seeing a fair bit of blood and a little boy being kidnapped and slapped and thrown around [not to mention those female nudes picture in that truck!]. And yet you know what? I love Godzilla Vs Megalon,because it's such stupid,goofy fun. It's a perfect thing to put on after a bad day at work or a heavy night out! There's never a dull moment in it's 80 or so minutes. The action starts up right from the start,with lots of human chasing and fighting, and never stops. The lenghty fight is full of wonderfully silly moments,such as Godzilla's drop kicks. I kind of like Megalon,he's pretty impractical but he typifies the 'anything goes' appoach of 70s Godzilla and it's monsters. Gigan is great as he was before but once again he turns chicken! Godzilla looks really cuddly and unmenacing,but I prefer this suit to the horrid frog-like one in Son Of Godzilla. As for Jet Jaguar,I don't really like him,he has no personality for start,but I tolerate him. One of my favourite silly Godzilla movie talking moments is when Jet Jaguar grows to the size of the monsters. One of the guys asks why,and the other one say it's because the robot has a 'self preservation' device! The stock footage-well,I don't mind it that much,except for the horrible bit where Megalon is supposed to be knocking planes out of the sky andyou see Gigan's claw doing it! I'm glad this film exists and sad to say I've probably seen it more than,for example,the original Godzilla. That's not to say I regard Godzilla Vs Megalon as the better movie,of course I don't! I never fail to be entertained by it,though. Edited by Jonzilla, Aug 26 2009, 02:35 PM.
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| G2Kmaster | Aug 27 2009, 10:49 PM Post #68 |
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BIGGEST GODZILLA NERD HERE!-Monster Island Hall Of Famer
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Nice little assesment there, Jonz.!
Edited by G2Kmaster, Aug 27 2009, 10:50 PM.
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| packmule | Aug 28 2009, 01:58 AM Post #69 |
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 Jonzilla's take on Godzilla Vs Megalon(1973) is IMO sane, reasonable and refreshingly unbiased. It's also based on the original Toho film, in its original widescreen aspect ratio and uncut(the R4 "Madman" DVD), the only way to view this movie in a way that isn't severely edited, cropped for full screen TV image presentation and possessing the often grainy prints associated with other cheapie DVD releases.
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Packmule's Pen Humongous(1982) Grizzly(1976) | |
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| G2Kmaster | Aug 28 2009, 05:47 AM Post #70 |
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BIGGEST GODZILLA NERD HERE!-Monster Island Hall Of Famer
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What? I just commented him.... This film would have been better if there was atleast one female character. And I am still pondering that for a children's film, why would the truck which the Seatopian agent gets a free ride in have pornographic images in the back. That may have been an all too desperate call for realism which failed. Edited by G2Kmaster, Aug 28 2009, 05:48 AM.
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| packmule | Aug 28 2009, 10:39 AM Post #71 |
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No worries, Evan: I just like to post the " " emoticon at random around here sometimes.  Better? How? By adding a pair of boobs and behind to look at during various sequences...or are you suggesting the film would have benefited from a female character by way of including a woman's perspective on things in the film itself? I would have loved seeing Yuriko Hishimi in Godzilla Vs Megalon.
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Packmule's Pen Humongous(1982) Grizzly(1976) | |
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| G2Kmaster | Aug 28 2009, 10:56 AM Post #72 |
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BIGGEST GODZILLA NERD HERE!-Monster Island Hall Of Famer
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Yes, the adding of a female perspective on things could have helped. I like that kind of diversity in these kinds of films. |
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| Jonzilla | Aug 29 2009, 04:34 AM Post #73 |
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Cheers for your comments,I'm probably a little baised as it's a Godzilla film,but often if a film provides fun and good escapism I'm willing to put aside the many flaws it may have. Though if I was talking about the US Godzilla movie for instance that would be a different kettle of fish altogether,I mean does it have any redeeming features lol?! |
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