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Terror Of Mechagodzilla(1975); Discuss the film here.
Topic Started: Apr 16 2006, 09:51 AM (7,589 Views)
packmule
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On March 15, 1975 the Toho Motion Picture Company released Mekagojira No Gyakushu(Revenge Of Mechagodzilla)-it is also known as Terror Of Mechagodzilla, which was released in the U.S. in the summer of 1978. Once more Godzilla's most powerful enemy returns to challenge him, created and controlled by the latest threat to mankind, the sinister Black Hole aliens. The story: the Black Hole aliens, determined to conquer the Earth, build a new Mechagodzilla from the remains of the old one(wrecked by Godzilla in the previous film). Helping the aliens is an eccentric and emotionally unstable scientist, Dr. Mafune(played effectively by "Akihiko Hirata"), himself the controller of a giant aquatic dinosaur named Titanosaurus. When Mafune's daughter is accidentally killed(in a lab accident) the Black Hole aliens implant Mechag's controlling device in her body-she is resurrected by a cyborg. The aliens expect Mafune to oblige them the services of Titanosaurus as a kind of "payment" for their intervention to bring his daughter back to life, and the biologist complies, Titanosaurus coming to the surface. Both Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus begin an all-out assault on Tokyo. Godzilla appears and immediately fights Mafune's aquatic monster. Titanosaurus makes a brief retreat, but soon Godzilla and Titanosaurus fight again, and this time Mechagodzilla joins the fray. Just when it appears that Godzilla is going to be defeated, the local authorities employ a small sound device that disturbs the equilibrium of Titanosaurus, and soon Godzilla is back on the attack...(no spoilers). Observations: planning on this being the "final" Godzilla movie, Toho reunites director Inoshiro Honda and music maestro(the late)Akira Ifukube and the budget for the movie is increased, all to help boost the film and give Godzilla the proper send-off. While I think it still falls short it is, nevertheless, a fun and highly entertaining movie, one I enjoyed as much as it's 1974 predecessor. Again, the score is effective, the monster battles are visually exciting to watch, and the new monster, Titanosaurus, is, IMO, very well rendered. This film is available on Reg 2 DVD and various Reg 1 DVDs, the latter all pan'n'scanned. Thankfully, Classic Media is set to re-release this movie letterboxed and subtitled in September of this year. Post your opinions and takes of this movie here, and anything related. All replies welcome.
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Ro-Dan
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"Terror" was kind of a letdown after G vs MechaG. The somber, dark tone was palpable, which I liked. I really wasn't feeling Titanosaurus. Like Rebirth of Mothra 1 we've got a monster with an annoying elephantine roar. Even though I did like the moody atmosphere and Ifukube's excellent score I keep comparing Terror of Mechagodzilla to the more light-hearted G vs MechaG and it keeps falling short.
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KaijuFanatic
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I like this film. I thought the story line was good, the directing was very solid and the musical score was right on the money. Titanosaurus was pretty cool, although I can see where it's 'elephantine' roar could be annoying to some, I could get past it. I am REALLY looking forward to seeing this in widescreen and in it's original language. thumbs up
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Ro-Dan
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KaijuFanatic
Apr 23 2006, 12:15 PM
I am REALLY looking forward to seeing this in widescreen and in it's original language.

Yeah, me too!
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packmule
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Ro-Dan
Apr 23 2006, 06:17 PM
KaijuFanatic
Apr 23 2006, 12:15 PM
I am REALLY looking forward to seeing this in widescreen and in it's original language.

Yeah, me too!

Understandable, as the VHS version of this film I used to have was horrendous. The current Classic Media release is fairly bad in it's own right. Thank God that CM has "seen the light" about releasing this and the other Toho G films properly. thumbs up
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Ro-Dan
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On a side note, I'm also looking forward to hearing the Japanese-language version of Monster Zero. I've read that Yoshio Tsuchiya's (The Controller) voice performance is really something in this film!
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Slightly off topic, but was releasing a film say to VHS, considered less marketable if it was released in widescreen and in it's original language? Seems that it wasn't until near the end of VHS releases that we actually saw films in widescreen. I suppose part of the charm/fun of a dubbed film was the often, horrendous dubbing, but I love the choice of watching a film in it's original language and seeing a film in widescreen, is a must!
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Yeah, I'd say widescreen didn't really catch on until the tail end of the VHS era. Now, most consumers demand it, mainly due to widescreen hi-def TVs. As for dubbing, I actually prefer the older 60's Godzilla movies dubbed. There's a real charm to the old Titra Studio's dubbing. Godzilla vs The Thing and the original Mothra have fantastic dubbing.
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KaijuFanatic
Apr 29 2006, 04:10 PM
Slightly off topic, but was releasing a film say to VHS, considered less marketable if it was released in widescreen and in it's original language?

I can only guess that it probably was. Why else would we see so few VHS titles in widescreen format, during of course, the heyday of VHS? Example: for the most part when it came to shopping for VHS(before DVDs) I almost always went to Suncoast Motion Picture Co. at a nearby mall. Despite this store's absolutely marvelous collection of movies on VHS only one medium-sized rack was dedicated to letterboxed/widescreen VHS movies, and the rack was always positioned at the back of the store, almost as an afterthought. Store clerks told me many times that lbx and widescreen movies did not sell very well-many reason were given. For instance, within the "family" shopping unit the black "bars" visible in various widescreen variants are not popular with young children, and when a parent is shopping at a video store like Suncoast, are they going to buy a letterbox title anyway over the screams and protestations of their kids? More often than not, no. The lack of popularity wih these lbx'd films was also, I think, borne out of ignorance: I have met people who have actually argued that a viewer sees "more" with cropped full-frame imaged films, basing their argument on the fact that the image fills up the entire screen, and the letterbox film does not crazy ... Having shopped at(now defunct) Turtle's Video I can tell you that this store never had any widescreen titles available. "Pre-DVD Blockbuster Video" also offered few, if any letterboxed titles for sale on VHS. I have several old VHS movies in letterbox: Godzilla(1998), The Creature From Black Lake(1976...Jack Elam fanboy here tongue-1 ) and Godzilla Vs Biollante(1989). My advice to anyone with widescreen/letterboxed VHS titles: hang onto them, because they might be a collector's item in 10-20 years. nod
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jimpickens
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The best of the old school Godzilla movies loved the whole dark feeling of the movie. The Tianosaurus's first appearence was wild when I first saw it in 1979 on TV it was the most realistic giant monster scene that I have seen at that time. Godzilla blast
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jimpickens
Feb 6 2007, 07:55 PM
The best of the old school Godzilla movies loved the whole dark feeling of the movie. The Tianosaurus's first appearence was wild when I first  saw it in 1979 on TV it was the most realistic giant monster scene that I have seen at that time.

Though not my favorite Showa "Godzilla" film it is still, for me, a fun and entertaining film, a nice follow up to Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla from the previous year(1974), and introduced us kaiju fans to what I thought was one of the more interesting, imaginative, and realistic-looking monsters, Titanosaurus. The overall kaiju battle scenes in this film were fun to watch-I especially liked the opening scene as Titanosaurus and MG first attack Tokyo. I have two DVDs of this movie: one is the bare bones Classic Media release, presenting the film in full screen(1.33:1 format), the print grainy looking and with severe editing. The other is a DVD of this movie paired with Son Of Godzilla(1967) on a single disc, in widescreen format and with english dubbing. I don't know about you Jim, but I am really looking forward to buying the Classic Media DVD re-release of Terror Of Mechagodzilla(1975). nod
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I came across an interesting DVD of Terror Of Mechagodzilla(1975) that is for sale as a Region 0 disc, at HKDVDStore.com. It is more affordably priced than the R4 "Madman Entertainment" DVD, includes an english language option, is currently in stock, and ships within 24 hours. The link: TOMG(1975) at HKDVDStore.com

For those not wanting to wait for the R1 Classic Media DVD release of this film, later this year, this disc could be an option. eyebrow
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Ro-Dan
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Do we have a release date for TOMG? I must say that I'm very grateful to both Classic Media and Media Blasters for all the great releases they've done in the past and are planning for the future.
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Ro-Dan
Apr 2 2007, 10:10 PM
Do we have a release date for TOMG?

I have seen "Fall, 2007" posted at a few message boards, Dan. It was also posted at another site I look over periodically that the R1 DVD of TOMG will be released sometime in August, 2007. I scour online sources for this information like a hyena. When I see it I will post it here immediately.
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TheDreadedGodOfKaiju
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Terror of MechaGodzilla to me was a great way to end the Showa era.

Godzilla looks better then before.

Titanosaurus was a good Idea, the roar is annoying.

MechaGodzilla looked the same as before.

The Special Effects work nicely for me.
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"gojiramatthew"
 
Terror of MechaGodzilla to me was a great way to end the Showa era
I couldn't have said it better myself. thumbs up


"gojiramatthew"
 
Titanosaurus was a good Idea, the roar is annoying
I also really like the rendering of Titanosaurus. While I don't consider his roar really annoying I think it could have sounded more aquatic and less like a pachyderm. tongue-1


"gojiramatthew"
 
The Special Effects work nicely for me
Same here. There were some effects shots(matte shots) that looked bad and I didn't like Titano jacking up Godzilla mouth to mouth. These are, for me, minor quibbles. I also liked the score.
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does mechagodzilla got an partner or what
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batrus
Aug 30 2007, 09:20 AM
does mechagodzilla got an partner or what

The "partner" of Mechagodzilla, batrus, in Terror Of Mechagodzilla(1975), is Titanosaurus. The Black Hole aliens, after reviving(of sorts) Dr. Mafune's daughter, Katsura(and essentially turning her into a cyborg), compel Dr. Mafune, in return for their work on his daughter, to make Titanosaurus an ally of their mechanical creation, Mechagodzilla, hence both monsters attack. Dr. Mafune was already embittered because he was ridiculed by his colleagues(other scientists) who didn't believe he had created, and could control, an aquatic dinosaur(Titanosaurus), so Mafune no doubt took some pleasure in seeing his "Titanosaurus" make landfall and go on a rampage, along with MG.
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Max
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For me, this is the second best of the Showa series behind Gojira.

The dark tone, sombre score, competent special effects, and decent character development make for a powerful and well crafted entry, which recaptures the themes of moral ambiguity and sacrifice that ran through Gojira '54.
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Max
Oct 20 2007, 04:07 AM
For me, this is the second best of the Showa series behind Gojira.

The dark tone, sombre score, competent special effects, and decent character development make for a powerful and well crafted entry, which recaptures the themes of moral ambiguity and sacrifice that ran through Gojira '54.

Max, I have seen a lot of folks on kaiju boards rate Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla(1974) better than Terror Of Mechagodzilla(1975). I've always enjoyed watching the 1974 film more than the 1975 film, though just a little. That said I can see why you would rate TOMG so highly.

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which recaptures the themes of moral ambiguity
Can you elaborate on this, in regards to TOMG? Just curious as to how you see this in TOMG. :)
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Max
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packmule
Oct 22 2007, 10:18 AM
Quote:
 
which recaptures the themes of moral ambiguity
Can you elaborate on this, in regards to TOMG? Just curious as to how you see this in TOMG. :)

Sorry it took me so long to get back to this.

What I meant was that, like Gojira, ToMG presents conflicted characters who must make sacrifices to uphold their morals.
Katsura, like Serizawa, is torn between opposing sets of morals and must choose between them with the fate of the world in the balance.
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Max
Nov 13 2007, 07:38 AM
What I meant was that, like Gojira, ToMG presents conflicted characters who must make sacrifices to uphold their morals.
Katsura, like Serizawa, is torn between opposing sets of morals and must choose between them with the fate of the world in the balance.

I understand. It's funny to me, sometimes, how my opinions about certain aspects of Godzilla films, regarding the story lines, change over time and repeated viewings of these movies. When I first saw Terror Of Mechagodzilla on television I was impressed with the special effects, especially MG and Titanosaurus' assault on Tokyo and the monster battle that followed. I had considerable disdain for the plot: Dr. Mafune was nothing more than a nutty, embittered old kook and the story line by how the Black Hole aliens turned Mafune's daughter into a cyborg seemed like something straight out of a 1960's low budget shlocker. Over time I have come to develop an acceptance, even fondness, for these characters and how they fit into the movie itself.
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josh TX
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Just watched the new classic media copy of this film, and alas this ends my 15 film marathon of the Showa era Godzilla films, which I have viewed all, in their entirety, within the last 6 months or so. This film has always been one of my more favored ones, and that doesnt change after this viewing. I really liked the use of miniatures in this film, I thought they did an exceptional job, and the monster battles were handled good as well. It sucks that Godzilla doesnt show up until late in the film, but that's my only real complaint.
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I was absolutely delighted by the Classic Media re-release DVD of Terror Of Mechagodzilla(1975). The original CM DVD of this movie looked atrocious and was, to make matters worse, presented in a full screen aspect ratio with some considerable editing for run time.

My gripes for this film are few and far between: a few effects(matte) shots left something to be desired but overall I enjoyed just about every facet of this film. thumbs up
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josh TX
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packmule
Jan 4 2008, 05:00 PM

a few effects(matte) shots left something to be desired

Can you elaborate on this a bit? Im just curious.
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josh TX
Jan 4 2008, 08:02 PM
Can you elaborate on this a bit? Im just curious.

Of course. Two scenes immediately come to mind:

1. there is a brief shot where both Titanosaurus and MG are walking together, while the populace flee in all directions in front of them. The matte "line" appears to be the tops of the modestly(or smaller) buildings. In this shot the two kaiju look even larger than 50 meters tall. The shot makes them look, IMO, perhaps 150 meters tall, or more. freak out

2. after Godzilla and Titanosaurus briefly skirmish in the city, Godzilla looks on as Titano turns and departs. Subsequently there is a brief shot of Titano disappearing behind the hilly landscape-in this shot there is a body of water, perhaps the bay.

Bonus: the Japanese trailer for Terror Of Mechagodzilla(1975):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqIppgk3Nb8
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josh TX
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I see what you mean. I do agree that it seemed somewhat out of scale during that scene where they were converging upon the city.
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josh TX
Jan 8 2008, 04:08 PM
I see what you mean. I do agree that it seemed somewhat out of scale during that scene where they were converging upon the city.

This shot is only a minor quibble for me, really and does not diminish my enjoyment in watching this film.

Here's something I haven't seen before: a 10 minute clip called "Terror Of Mechagodzilla" prologue. It looks like a stock footage rehash. Jusge for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-bmcFj6ae0
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packmule
Jan 19 2008, 11:49 AM
josh TX
Jan 8 2008, 04:08 PM
I see what you mean. I do agree that it seemed somewhat out of scale during that scene where they were converging upon the city.

This shot is only a minor quibble for me, really and does not diminish my enjoyment in watching this film.

Here's something I haven't seen before: a 10 minute clip called "Terror Of Mechagodzilla" prologue. It looks like a stock footage rehash. Jusge for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-bmcFj6ae0

I think that's the intro used at the begginning of the U.S. cut of Terror Of Mechagodzilla. I think that's the same intro I saw when I watched the newly released CM TOMG U.S. cut. I watched a bit of the commentary for that film also and Aiken and Bob Johnson were explaining something about there being more than one U.S. cut for TOMG and they also explained that intro was pasted on for one of the American versions because whoever it was that had bought the rights to the film wanted to "re-introduce" Godzilla to America and get him on-screen right away to capture the audience interest. I only watched about 30 minutes of the commentary track while I was folding clothes, but Aiken and Johnson were explaining something to that extent.
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A lot of discussion has been generated by the scene in which Katsura's breasts were visible, as the Black Hole aliens tweaked her cyborg body. I honestly don't know why: her boobs looked very fake in the film. Your take on the "boobs" scene, Josh?
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