Godzilla-Showa Classics-Volume Two (1969)

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     The late 1960s and 1970s were not the highpoint of the Godzilla series of films yet this 6 disc box set Godzilla Showa Classics Volume 2 from Madman is not without interest. While Godzilla: All Monsters Attack (1969) and Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) are probably best forgotten, Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) is certainly not as bad as some critics allege, and Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) are quite entertaining. However, the standout in this set is Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) which reunites original Godzilla director Ishiro Honda and composer Akira Ifukube who deliver a beautiful, moving film that is a worthy climax to the Showa series.

    For a RPI of $49.95 this set is a fabulous way to stay in touch with “the original monster of mass destruction”.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Godzilla: All Monsters Attack (Gojira-Minira-Gabara: Oru Kaijű daishingeki) (1969)

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General		Extras
Category	Science Fiction	Theatrical Trailer Gallery-Poster Trivia Trailer-Madman Trailers
Rating
Year Of Production	1969
Running Time	66:34
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Ishirô Honda
Studio Distributor	Toho Company Madman Entertainment	Starring	Tomonori Yazaki Eisei Amamoto Sachio Sakai Kazuo Suzuki Kenji Sahara Machiko Naka Shigeki Ishida Midori Uchiyama Yoshifumi Tajima Chotaro Togin Yutaka Sada Yutaka Nakayama Ikio Sawamura
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual
RPI	$14.95	Music	Kunio Miyauchi

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	Yes, Pan Am
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Ichiro (Tomonori Yazaki) is an only child. He lives in a heavily industrialised part of town and his parents work long hours so he is often left in the care of the toymaker Inami ((Eisei Amamoto) who lives in the same apartment building. Ichiro is a solitary, lonely boy who is the subject of bullying by a gang led by Gabara. In his imagination Ichiro escapes to Monster Island where he befriends Godzilla’s son Minilla, who is also being bullied by a bigger monster called . . . Gabara. While on Monster Island Ichiro witnesses a number of battles between Godzilla and other monsters, including Kumonga, Kamakiras and Ebirah, and helps Minilla to stand up to Gabara.

     In the real world, a couple of bungling bank robbers are hiding in an abandoned building with a bag of money after a failed getaway. In a series of far fetched incidents, Ichiro is first captured by the robbers but manages to turn the tables on them leading to their capture by the police. With his new found confidence Ichiro takes on and defeats Gabara, earning the respect of all.

     Godzilla: All Monsters Attack ( Gojira-Minira-Gabara: Oru kaiju daishingeki) is not really a Godzilla movie. Most of the running time is spent in the world away from Monster Island, focussing on the bank robbers. The creature fights on Monster Island (except for the Minilla vs. Gabara or Godzilla vs. Gabara fights) have no relevance to the plot and in fact are culled from previous Godzilla films, mainly Son of Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Ebirah – Terror of the Deep where the excellent rock tossing contest from that film gets a rerun here. Otherwise, there are no action scenes of Godzilla, or any other monster for that matter, stomping Tokyo or anywhere else. The few new sequences, featuring Minilla, Godzilla and Gabara, are neither very good creature special effects, nor interesting. This in part is because usual Godzilla special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, who had worked on most of the Godzilla films including the original in 1954, was bedridden during the production of the film so director Ishiro Honda took over these duties as well. Out of respect, Tsuburaya still got his credit.

     The tone and context of the Godzilla series of 28 films can vary tremendously. Earlier this year I reviewed Son of Godzilla from 1967 and said that it was as far away from the original Godzilla concept as you can get. I was wrong: Godzilla: All Monsters Attack is so far away it is not really a Godzilla movie at all. At a running time of only 66 minutes it still feels padded with tracking shots of nothing in particular. This is strictly for young kids with its message about standing up to a bully. Fans of Godzilla need not apply.

Video

     Godzilla: Attack All Monsters is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the original theatrical ratio, and is 16x9 enhanced. Exterior scenes in the industrialised cityscape are quite hazy and lack definition, although interior scenes offer an improvement in sharpness. Colours are quite dull throughout, although blacks are OK and the shadow detail good. Contrast and skin tones vary occasionally. There is mild grain and occasional film artefacts, but nothing serious.

     Lip synchronisation is occasional off.

     The English subtitles are in a yellow font. I did not notice any obvious spelling or grammatical errors.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Audio is a choice between Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps, Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps, English Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps and English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps. I listened to both Japanese tracks and preferred the 2.0 which seemed far more robust than the 5.1 and more effectively rendered the creature roars. There is really very little 5.1 separation in any case, the surround encoded 2.0 proving very effective. I could not detect any sub use. Both the English tracks seemed flat by comparison, and in fact the English had a different score. Stick to either of the Japanese tracks.

     The music by Kunio Miyauchi is sometimes quite obtrusive and adds very little to the film.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Original Theatrical Trailer (2:23)

Poster Gallery

     3 colourful Japanese film posters.

Trivia Gallery

     3 silent screens giving some facts about the film, including the fact that it was aimed at children and opened during the Christmas period.

Madman Trailers

     Trailers for other films from Madman. Included is Son of Godzilla (2:35), Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters (2:30) and Kwaidan (3:55).

    There is censorship information available for this title. Click here to read it (a new window will open). WARNING: Often these entries contain MAJOR plot spoilers.

     The best version of the film seems to be from Region 1 which includes as extras the trailer, image gallery, poster gallery, an audio commentary by Richard A. Pustateri and a feature Ishiro Hondo: The Soul of Godzilla (6:44 min). It is NTSC, of course, with Japanese and English Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.

     Godzilla: All Monsters Attack is not really a Godzilla movie at all, nor do monsters attack! With a running time of only 66 minutes it still feels padded. This is strictly for the young kids with its message about standing up to a bully. Fans of Godzilla need not apply. The film is presented on a DVD with good audio, acceptable video and minimal extras.

     Godzilla: All Monsters Attack is included in the Madman 6 disc box set Godzilla Showa Classics Volume 2 along with Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971), Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) and Terror of Mechagodzilla: (1975). While Godzilla: All Monsters Attack may be the poor relative of the Godzilla canon, for a RPI of $49.95 this box set is still a fabulous way to stay in touch with “the original monster of mass destruction”.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Godzilla vs. Hedorah (Gojira tai Hedorâ) (1971)

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General		Extras
Category	Science Fiction	Theatrical Trailer Gallery-Poster Trailer-Madman Trailers
Rating
Year Of Production	1971
Running Time	81:48 (Case: 90)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Yoshimitsu Banno
Studio Distributor	Toho Company Madman Entertainment	Starring	Akira Yamauchi Toshie Kimura Hiroyuki Kawase Keiko Mari Toshio Shiba Yukihiko Gondo Eisaburo Komatsu Tadashi Okabe Wataru Omae Susumu Okabe Haruo Nakajima Kenpachiro Satsuma
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual
RPI	$14.95	Music	Riichiro Manabe

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English English Information	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Godzilla vs. Hedorah (sometimes known as Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster) starts with an anti-pollution pop song (Kaese! Taiyo wo (Return! The Sun)) sung over the opening credits, probably the highlight of the film. In polluted Suruga Bay a huge tadpole like creature is destroying shipping. Feeding on the slime and pollution it grows bigger and mutates into a sludgy looking amphibian, inhaling dirty smoke from factory smoke stacks before mutating again into a grey flying saucer type mass that flies over the land spewing poisonous sulphuric clouds, reducing people to skeletons. It seems only Godzilla can save the day.

     The plot of Godzilla vs. Hedorah is almost incoherent. Marine Professor Yano (Akira Yamauchi) discovers the link between pollution and Hedorah (and deduces that Hedorah is from another planet) and tries to invent a “energy transmitter” to defeat Hedorah, while his annoying small son Ken (Hiroyuki Kawase) spends his time with his Godzilla action toy figure and frequently calls out “Papa”. Disco singer Miki (Keiko Mari) and her boyfriend Yukio (Toshio Shiba) seem to wander around doing nothing much. As Hedorah mutates, Godzilla appears more or less at random to fight the creature. Then when Hedorah becomes really threatening, what do they do? Throw a rock and roll party on the slopes of Mt. Fuji.

     Godzilla vs. Hedorah is directed by first time Godzilla director Yoshimitsu Banno; he was also co-writer and it was indeed his only Godzilla film, which probably explains the tone. It really is a mess. The plot is all over the place; there are jarring music cues and disco songs (the theme song Kaese! Taiyo wo recurs in a few weird places), scenes make little sense, occasional animation sequences are inserted to explain various plot points and the human characters stand around for large amounts of time providing further exposition. The monster fight scenes, when they come, are indifferent, and although Director of Special Effects Teruyoshi Nakano had worked on pervious Godzilla films, including the excellent Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters from 1968, it is difficult to make an exciting fight scene with a standing slug as one of the combatants. There is also a flying Godzilla, propelled by his fiery breath, something just foreign to the Godzilla canon. There are however moments of humour (a Godzilla back flip being a highlight) and the anti-pollution message, given the current events in the Gulf of Mexico, is as relevant today as in 1971 when the film was made.

     Yet, this anti-pollution message is delivered in an extremely heavy handed way. Humans are the polluters clearly enough - there are numerous shots of human waste spreading across the water in a thick film of sludge, waste on the bay floor and industrial complexes spewing black smoke. At one point Miki gleefully thinks Hedorah is a good thing, as it will devour all the polluting industrial smoke, only to be admonished by the Professor. Godzilla, born of nuclear testing in the original 1954 film (an even more potent human pollutant) and previously threatening humankind, in this film has become the human race’s saviour as the weapon to fight Hedorah; why he would want to is a mystery never explained. Perhaps because Ken has his action toy!

     Monster films are not supposed to have much logic or sense. Godzilla vs. Hedorah has less than most. Godzilla vs. Hedorah had a director and composer new to the Godzilla series, and they display no feeling for, or understanding of, the genre. A poor addition to the Godzilla canon.

Video

     Godzilla vs. Hedorah is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the original theatrical ratio, and is 16x9 enhanced. In general this is an acceptable print although it does lack sharpness. Blacks are OK but sometimes shadow detail is indistinct, especially in the night monster scenes. The back projection shots look particular indistinct. Colours are quite muted and dull, except for the disco scenes but even these are hardly vibrant. There is mild grain but I did not notice any film or video artefacts.

     The English subtitles are in a yellow font in American English. Thus, for example, we get “sulfur” and sulfuric” a number of times. Otherwise I didn’t notice any errors.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Audio is a choice between Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps, Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 at 224 Kbps and English Dolby Digital 2.0 at 224 Kbps. In truth, the 5.1 is a waste; it sounds flat with little separation. In contrast, the Japanese 2.0 is quite robust and sounds very good, with satisfying creature roars. Dialogue was clear, the surrounds are used for music and effects. There is no sub woofer use. The English dub sounds very tame and flat and is there if one just cannot read subtitles.

     Lip synchronisation is fine.

     The music by Riichiro Manabe is sometimes quite obtrusive and jarring music cues, including songs, occur with regularity. Manabe only composed one other Godzilla score, that for Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973).

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Original Theatrical Trailer (2:05)

Poster Gallery

     3 colourful Japanese film posters.

Madman Trailers

     Trailers for other films from Madman. Included is Godzilla – Destroy All Monsters (2:30), Son of Godzilla (2:35) and Godzilla vs. Ebirah – Horror of the Deep (2:18).

     The Region 1 US is NTSC, with Japanese and English 2.0 audio, trailers and a video game. The Region 2 Japanese version is 16x9 enhanced, has Japanese 5.1 and 2.0 audio and includes as extras an audio commentary by Director of Special Effects Teruyoshi Nakano, a “making of”, stills gallery, trailers and a karaoke of the film’s theme song Kaese! Taiyo wo. However, neither the feature nor commentary has English subtitles. Region 4 is therefore the best choice for English speakers.

     Godzilla vs. Hedorah is a mess. The plot is all over the place, there are jarring disco songs and scenes, occasional animation sequences, the human characters seem to stand around for large amounts of time doing nothing and the monster fight scenes are indifferent. The film is presented on a DVD with acceptable video, good audio and minimal extras.

     Godzilla vs. Hedorah is included in the Madman 6 disc box set Godzilla Showa Classics Volume 2 along with Godzilla: All Monsters Attack (1969), Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) and Terror of Mechagodzilla: (1975). While Godzilla vs. Hedorah is not very good, for a RPI of $49.95 the box set is still a fabulous way to stay in touch with “the original monster of mass destruction”.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Godzilla vs. Gigan (Chikyű kogeki meirei: Gojira tai Gaigan) (1972)

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General		Extras
Category	Science Fiction	Theatrical Trailer Gallery-Poster Trailer-Madman Trailers
Rating
Year Of Production	1972
Running Time	85:37
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Jun Fukuda
Studio Distributor	Toho Company Madman Entertainment	Starring	Hiroshi Ishikawa Yuriko Hishimi Minoru Takashima Tomoko Umeda Toshiaki Nishizawa Zan Fujita Kunio Murai Gen Shimizu Kurayoshi Nakamura Kuniko Ashihara Akio Murata Noritake Saito Yasuhiko Saijo
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual
RPI	$14.95	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Gengo (Hiroshi Ishikawa), a budding comic strip cartoonist and part time designer of monsters, seeks employment at World Children’s Land, a theme park being constructed by Director Kubota (Toshiaki Nishizawa) and Chairman Fumio (Zan Fujita), a 17 year old mathematics genius. The centrepiece of the theme park is the 50 metre high Godzilla Tower. On the way to confirm his position, Gengo quite literally bumps into Machiko (Tomoko Umeda who drops a mysterious tape. Machiko has stolen this tape from The Chairman and he wants it back. Indeed, Machiko also wants it back from Gengo and he agrees to hear her story. She tells him that her brother Takashi (Kunio Murai), an electronics expert working at Children’s Land, has disappeared. As you do, they agree to collaborate and investigate.

     Infiltrating Godzilla Tower, they discovered that not only is Takashi being held captive, but that Fumio and Kubota are in reality cockroach like aliens who have adopted human “uniform” and that the mysterious tape is part of a set designed to control and unleash two space monsters, the three headed King Ghidorah and the metal bird like Gigan, upon the Earth. The second part of the plan is to activate Earth monsters Godzilla and the armadillo like Anguirus and lure them to destruction. Monster mayhem ensues. Can Gengo and his friends get to the aliens before either the Earth is trashed in the conflict, or Godzilla is lured to his death?

     To give the film its full Japanese title, Chikyu kogeki meirei: Gojira tai Gaigan is actually quite fun, and a partial return to form of the Godzilla series. While again the humans are not very interesting, at least their actions have some relevance to the plot. Those fans of Godzilla who have been missing out on monster mayhem, absent in the last few entrants in the series, will get all they want in Godzilla vs. Gigan. Here we get buildings, roads and bridges trashed, petroleum tanks destroyed in a wall of fire, toy tanks and trucks incinerated, model Sabre jets smashed from the sky and a lengthy monster on monster action as Godzilla and Anguirus take on King Ghidorah (who is one of my favourite monsters) and Gigan with balls of fire, rocks, dust, smoke and explosions with the fate of the Earth in the balance. While the models and monster effects are very obvious, this actually adds to the fun.

     Godzilla vs. Gigan from 1972 was a pretty low budget affair, and if some of the monster sequences look familiar they were, as many were lifted from previous films. In addition, regular Godzilla composer Akira Ifukube was not hired for the film and instead his themes, plus some stock music, were used. However, director Jun Fukuda returned to the Godzilla series after a gap of 5 years, and while we have indeed seen most of this before he knows his Godzilla, and returns to the kind of excessive monster mayhem we can all enjoy.

     Godzilla vs. Gigan may not be up with the best of the Godzilla series, but amidst a number of poor 1970s efforts, at least it provides a wealth of monster action and is a lot of fun.

Video

     Godzilla vs. Gigan is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the original theatrical ratio, and is 16x9 enhanced. It is not a great print as many scenes lack sharpness; in fact, quite a few are very hazy indeed. However, the print does improve as the film continues, and in fact looks best in the monster sequences, which is a major plus, and the later night scenes. Colours look washed out in general, skin tones on the pale side. Again, the monster sequences look best. Blacks are fine and, perhaps surprisingly, the shadow detail in the few night scenes (shot day for night) are OK. There is mild grain but I did not notice any artefacts, so this is a clean print.

     Lip synchronisation is occasionally off, but nothing too serious.

     The English subtitles are in a clear yellow font. I did not see any obvious grammatical or spelling errors.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Audio is a choice between Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps, Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps and English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps. The 5.1 is reasonable. Dialogue was clear, there is some separation but no panning effects, the surrounds are used for music and effects and the sub woofer offered very limited support. It is not particularly enveloping but is effective.

     The original theatrical release was in mono so we have this track on the DVD. It sounds more strident, rendering well the creature roars and storm effects, so it is also quite effective. I actually preferred this track. The English dub sounded flat and is there if one just cannot read subtitles.

     The music score features stock themes by Akira Ifukube and a very James Bondish sounding theme. Perhaps because there was no original music is does not sound as obtrusive as some Godzilla scores.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Original Trailer (2:11)

Poster Gallery

     5 colourful Japanese film posters.

Madman Trailers

     Trailers for other films from Madman. Included is Godzilla vs. Hedorah (2:13), Godzilla: Invasion of the Astro Monster (2:24) and Godzilla 2000 (1:12).

     The Region 2 Japanese version includes an audio commentary by Special Effects Director (although not of this film) Shinji Higuchi, stills gallery, trailer and karaoke track, but neither the feature nor commentary has English subtitles. The US Region 1 disc has only Japanese and English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio tracks and a trailer. Region 4 is the best choice for English speakers

     Godzilla vs. Gigan may not be up with the best of the Godzilla series, but amidst a number of poor 1970s efforts, at least it provides a wealth of monster action and is a lot of fun. The film is presented on a DVD with reasonable video, good audio and minimal extras.

     Godzilla vs Gigan is included in the Madman 6 disc box set Godzilla Showa Classics Volume 2 along with Godzilla: All Monsters Attack (1969), Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971), Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) and Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975). For a RPI of $49.95 this set is a fabulous way to stay in touch with “the original monster of mass destruction”.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Godzilla vs. Megalon (Gokira tai Megaro) (1973)

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General		Extras
Category	Science Fiction	Theatrical Trailer Gallery-Poster Trailer-Madman Trailers Alternative Version-US version
Rating
Year Of Production	1973
Running Time	88:13 (Case: 79)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Jun Fukuda
Studio Distributor	Toho Company Madman Entertainment	Starring	Katsuhiko Sasaki Hiroyuki Kawase Yutaka Hayashi Robert Dunham Kotaro Tomita Wolf Otsuki Gentaro Nakajima Sakyo Mikami Fumiyo Ikeda Kanta Mori Shinji Takagi Hideto Odachi Tsugutoshi Komada
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual
RPI	$14.95	Music	Riichiro Manabe

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     In Japan Professor Goro Ibuki (Katsuhiko Sasaki) has invented a flying, man sized robot he calls Jet Jaguar (for no particular reason). Meanwhile, continued nuclear testing in the Pacific has resulted in earth quakes and earth tremors that threaten the existence of the underwater civilization of Seatopia that has lain hidden for 3,000 years. Distressed, Emperor Antonio of Seatopia (Robert Dunham) declares war upon the Earth dwellers and unleashes the beetle like monster Megalon to ravage the Earth’s cities and infrastructure, including dams, roads and industry. Simultaneously, Seatopian agents are sent to kidnap Goro and his brother Rokuro (Hiroyuki Kawase) and to gain control of Jet Jaguar. Initially they succeed, but with the help of Goro’s friend Hiroshi (Yutaka Hayashi) Goro escapes, regains control of Jet Jaguar and sends him off to Monster Island to fetch Godzilla to fight Megalon. Not to be outdone, Antonio summons the space monster Gigan back to Earth. The stage is set for a monster tag team match to decide, yet again, the fate of the Earth and its undeserving people.

     Godzilla vs. Megalon or, to give it the Japanese title, Gojira tai Megaro from 1973 is not without interest. It is, in fact, a strange mix with the introduction of a decent new monster in Megalon and a silly super hero type in Jet Jaguar with Godzilla relegated to the last half hour of the film. There are some negatives. As usual, the humans in the story are not particularly interesting, and the plot defies logic. For example, Jet Jaguar expands from man size to monster size without any real explanation. The costumes of the Seatopians, from the white Greek tunic and tiara of Emperor Antonio to the white bikinis covered by see through plastic raincoats of the dancers, all with high white boots, have to be seen to be believed! The budget was obviously a huge problem, as lengthy sequences were lifted straight from the previous year’s Godzilla vs. Gigan (which itself had lifted many sequences from earlier Godzilla films), including the army mobilisation, missile and aircraft attack (with Megalon substituted for Gigan), the trashing of Tokyo (with a ray beam from Megalon’s head substituted for King Ghidorah’s beams) and the entire Godzilla / Gigan fight from the previous film. Mind you, some of these were good fun the year before, so I suppose they can stand another look. However, there were some great new (at least to me) sequences, such as Megalon’s destruction of a dam, and the final tag team fight. There is something about four , pre-CGI, men in monster suits throwing each other around and trampling on miniature trees and hills that never fails to charm.

     Godzilla vs. Megalon has been labelled by some critics as the worst Godzilla ever (which is a bit unfair; I think, for example, that Son of Godzilla (1967), Godzilla: All Monsters Attack (1969) or Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) are all worse films), and while die hard Godzilla fans may be disappointed, the film has some good monster fight sequences and never takes itself too seriously. If you can just go with the flow it is quite good entertainment.

Video

     Godzilla vs. Megalon is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the original theatrical ratio, and is 16x9 enhanced. On the whole the print lacks sharpness, especially in the human sequences, although the monster scenes are better. Blacks and shadow detail are acceptable, while brightness, contrast and skin tones vary, with brightness on the overexposed side. Colours are quite dull. There is mild grain but I did not spot any obvious artefacts.

     Lip synchronisation when Robert Dunham is speaking is somewhat off but is otherwise OK.

     The English subtitles are in a yellow font in American English. Other than American spelling I did not notice any errors.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Audio is a choice between Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps and Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps. The US version of the film has an English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps.

     The 5.1 is reasonable. Dialogue was clear, there is some separation but no panning effects, the surrounds are used for music and effects and the sub woofer offered limited support. It is not particularly enveloping but is effective.

     The original theatrical release was in mono so we have this track on the DVD. It sounds more sharp and strident, rendering well the creature roars and effects so it is also quite effective. I actually preferred this track.

     The music by Riichiro Manabe is sometimes quite bizarre. For instance, in the monster fight climax it veered from jazz themes, to techno pop and blue grass! Other times it was not as intrusive as some Godzilla score have been, but it hardly helps the film.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

US Version of the film

     Although nowhere noted in the packaging or in the menu, the US version of Godzilla vs. Megalon, running 75:26 (the Japanese version runs 88:13), is included on the DVD. It can be watched by accessing the English dub from the “Set Up” menu. The video specifications are identical to the Japanese version, the audio is English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps, but subtitles are not available. This is an excellent addition, especially for those who want to see (or hear) just how bad the dubbing of Japanese films can be!

Original Trailer (2:22)

Poster Gallery

     2 Japanese film posters.

Madman Trailers

     Trailers for other films from Madman. Included is Godzilla vs. Gigan (2:19), Godzilla vs. Hedorah (2.13) and Godzilla – All Monsters Attack (2:31).

     The Region 2 Japanese version includes an audio commentary by actor Katsuhiko Sasaki, an interview with special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano, trailer, booklet and a karaoke track, but there are no English subtitles for the extras or the feature. The US Region 1 disc has only Japanese and English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio tracks and a trailer, Region 2 German and French versions also lack English subtitles. Our Region 4 contains both the original Japanese and the US cuts of the film and is the best choice for English speakers.

     Godzilla vs. Megalon from 1973 has been labelled by some critics as the worst Godzilla ever. I don’t agree and while die hard Godzilla fans may be disappointed, the film has some good monster fight sequences and never takes itself too seriously. If you just go with the flow it is quite good fun.

     The film is presented on a DVD with acceptable video, good audio and minimal extras; except that the unadvertised US version of the film is an excellent addition for those who want to see (hear) just how bad the dubbing of Japanese films can be!

     Godzilla vs. Megalon is included in the Madman 6 disc box set Godzilla Showa Classics Volume 2 along with Godzilla: All Monsters Attack (1969), Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971), Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) and Terror of Mechagodzilla: (1975). For a RPI of $49.95 this set is still a fabulous way to stay in touch with “the original monster of mass destruction”.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (Gojira tai Mekagojira) (1974)

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General		Extras
Category	Science Fiction	Theatrical Trailer Gallery-Photo-Image Trivia-Image Trailer-Madman Trailers
Rating
Year Of Production	1974
Running Time	80:52
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Jun Fukuda
Studio Distributor	Toho Company Madman Entertainment	Starring	Masaaki Daimon Kazuya Aoyama Akihiko Hirata Hiroshi Koizumi Reiko Tajima Hiromi Matsushita Masao Imafuku Beru-Bera Lin Shin Kishida Goro Mutsumi Takayasu Torii Daigo Kusano Kenji Sahara
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual
RPI	$14.95	Music	Masaru Satô

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.55:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla has previously been released as a stand alone disc and has been reviewed on this site here. Although the disc included in the Godzilla Showa Classics Volume 2 box set has identical specifications, including the incorrect aspect ratio, my take on the film is a bit more positive than my college RobertW.

     Under a shrine in Okinawa Keisuke Shimizu (Masaaki Daimon) and archaeologist Saeko (Reiko Tajima) discover a statue of the Okinawan lion-dog guardian King Caesar and a prophesy concerning unnatural events and two monsters destroying the world. They take the statue back to Japan but are shadowed by a number of mysterious men who seem determined to steal it. Elsewhere on Okinawa Keisuke’s brother Masahiko in a cave finds a strange metal object which he takes back to Japan to Professor Miyajima (Akihiko Hirata), who identifies the metal as coming from outer space. Then suddenly Godzilla appears to visit destruction upon the Japanese, but things are not what they seem. When another Godzilla appears, it becomes clear that one Godzilla is really a metal cyborg version which becomes known as Mechagodzilla.

     Believing that the key to the mystery is on Okinawa, the brothers, Saeko and the professor and his daughter Ikuko (Hiromi Matsushita) all travel back to the island. When the Professor, Ikuko and Masahiko revisit the cave where the space metal was found, they are captured by men from outer space. They discover that the spacemen control Mechagodzilla and intend using the metal monster to destroy the peoples of world so they can take over. The only hope for the world is for Keisuke to awake King Caesar who, combined with Godzilla, may be able to defeat Mechagodzilla.

     Gojira tai Mekagojira, to give it the Japanese title, has a lot of good points and a few not so good. On the plus side the plot is more elaborate than most Godzilla films and builds to a nice tension at the end. The humans are more interesting than usual as well and there are some excellent model effects and interesting creature fights. The battle between the two Godzillas in and around a model oil refinery is suitably dramatic and explosive and the climactic battle between Godzilla, King Caesar and Mechagodzilla with fireballs, explosions and thumping effects is mostly quite entertaining.

     On the other hand, the fights (both monster and human) are too often spoiled by jerky hand held cameras that zoom in very close creating a blur of motion that is singularly ineffective. The monster fights are also more violent than is normal in the Godzilla series, with blood spurting from open wounds. The pacing of the film is also uneven; there are lots of travelogue type shots of nothing in particular, too much time is spent in people sitting around and, more crucially, the impending climax is comes to a crashing full stop as an Okinawan priestess (Beru-Beru Lin) sings a very long, boring orchestra supported song to awake King Caesar. For most, the effect would be the opposite of what is intended.

     Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla from 1974 is a patchy effort from director Jun Fukuda but this is his 5th Godzilla by my count he knows his monsters. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla when it gets into stride is an entertaining film with some excellent model work and monster fights. It might not be the best in the series, but it is a long way from being the worst and so is well worth a look for fans.

Video

     Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.55:1 and is 16x9 enhanced. The original theatrical ratio was 2.35:1 and I have no idea why this particular film is presented in this ratio. The change is mostly not too obvious although on a number of occasions heads are cut off or disappear out of the top of the frame, which can be disconcerting.

     On the other hand, this is a good looking print, perhaps one of the best of the Godzilla films I have reviewed. While some back projection scenes and matte paintings lack sharpness, the rest of the film looks very sharp indeed. Blacks and shadow detail are fine, brightness, contrast and skin tones are good and the colours warm and natural. There is mild grain but I did not notice and film or film to video artefacts.

     The English subtitles are in a yellow font in American English. On two occasions ( 34:28, 47:09) the name Ikuko appears as “Lkuko” in the subtitles, there were a number of annoying abbreviations, such as “wanna” and “gonna”, and the usual American spelling, such as “color”. None of this was too distracting however.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Audio is a choice between Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps, Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps and English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps. The 5.1 is one of the best I have heard so far in the Godzilla films and, for a change, I actually prefer it to the 2.0 mix. Dialogue was clear, it has separation and reasonable clarity, the surrounds are used for music and effects and the sub woofer did support the music in a minor way. It is not particularly enveloping but is effective. The original theatrical release was in mono so we have this track on the DVD. It is also quite effective. The English dub is there if one just cannot read subtitles.

     This was the last Godzilla score of composer Masaru Sato. It is quite good in the earlier sequences, but later it does become quite obtrusive especially during the monster battle at the climax where the jazz score seems out of place. And the less said about that song, the better!

     Lip synchronisation is was mostly good, but not always.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Original Trailer (2:26)

Image Galleries

     Behind the Scenes

     34 Black and white stills, some of interest as they show the monster scale models and the men in the monster suits.

     Promotional Stills

     10 Black and white stills.

Trivia Section

     One silent screen of facts about Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.

Madman Trailers

     Trailers for other films from Madman. Included is Godzilla – Final Wars (0:55), Godzilla vs. Mothra (2:17) and Beautiful Boxer (2:50).

     There is a Region 2 Japanese version with an audio commentary by Director of Special Effects Teruyoshi Nakano, plus other featurettes but the feature, featurettes and commentary do not have English subtitles. The US Region 1 disc has only Japanese and English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio tracks but is reported to be in the correct 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Maybe a draw between Region 1 and Region 4 for English speakers.

     Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla from director Jun Fukuda is a patchy effort, but it is a long way from being the worst Godzilla and so is well worth a look for fans of the series. The film is presented on a DVD with good video (except the incorrect ratio), good audio and minimal extras.

     Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is included in the Madman 6 disc box set Godzilla Showa Classics Volume 2 along with Godzilla: All Monsters Attack (1969), Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971), Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) and Terror of Mechagodzilla: (1975). For a RPI of $49.95 this set is a fabulous way to stay in touch with “the original monster of mass destruction”.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Terror of Mechagodzilla (Mekagojira no gyakushu) (1975)

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General		Extras
Category	Science Fiction	Theatrical Trailer Trailer-Madman Trailers Alternative Version-US version of the film
Rating
Year Of Production	1975
Running Time	79:52
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Ishirô Honda
Studio Distributor	Toho Company Madman Entertainment	Starring	Katsuhiko Sasaki Tomoko Ai Akihiko Hirata Katsumasa Uchida Goro Mutsumi Tadao Nakamaru Shin Roppongi Tomoe Mari Tôru Ibuki Kenji Sahara Kotaro Tomita Ikio Sawamura Masaaki Daimon
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual
RPI	$14.95	Music	Akira Ifukube

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Terror of Mechagodzilla commences, over the titles, with a montage of scenes from the climax of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla made the year before. In that film Mechagodzilla had been defeated by Godzilla, his metal body parts scattered into the sea and the space invaders defeated. Now the Japanese Marine Institute has sent a submarine to try to find and retrieve the head of Mechagodzilla for research. While searching the submarine is attacked and destroyed by a dinosaur like creature.

     In Tokyo Interpol agent Jiro (Katsumasa Uchida) and marine biologist Akira (Katsuhiko Sasaki) decide to pay a visit to the home of Doctor Mafune (Akihiko Hirata). Mafune had been disgraced and thrown out of the Institute 20 years before for his research on controlling animals by sonic waves and his purported discovery of a marine dinosaur he had called Titanosaurus. At his house they meet his beautiful daughter Katsura ( Tomoko Ai). Although Interpol are unaware, the aliens from outer space led by the Commander (Goro Mutsumi) have retrieved Mechagodzilla’s remnants and are rebuilding him with Mafune’s help, the intention being to activate both Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus (which is controlled by Katsura through sonic waves) and destroy the Earth peoples, starting with Tokyo. Mafune helps because he wants revenge on those who harried him from the Institute; Katsura because after an accident in which she was nearly killed, the spacemen revived her and rebuilt her to be more cyborg than human, capable of controlling Mechagodzilla through a device implanted in her body. Despite this, Katsura cannot help but feel the love developing between herself and Akira.

     As the monsters are unleashed upon Tokyo amid exploding buildings, tank and aircraft fire and terrified populations, and the military hurry to develop a sonic weapon that will neutralise Titanosaurus, Godzilla rises from the sea to do battle, Interpol attack the alien’s base and Katsura has to make a fateful decision about whether she is human, or cyborg.

     For Terror of Mechagodzilla (Mekagojira no gyakushu) two of the people who in 1954 had created the original, magnificent Godzilla, director Ishiro Honda and composer Akira Ifukube, reteamed in an attempt to revitalise the Godzilla series for Toho. The result is a far darker, far more adult film addressing the themes of honour, love, loss and what it means to be human. This gives the film a sense of melancholy and a strong ethical base that is quite moving; and the monster mayhem is pretty good as well. While some stock footage was used, and some scenes from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla from the year before, there is some terrific model and monster work here, culminating in the 25 minute climactic destruction of Tokyo in a mayhem of explosions, flame and wind and the three way battle between Godzilla, Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus that sways first one way then the other. All with the fabulous score of Akira Ifukube, including the returning Godzilla march, underpinning the action.

     The attempt by Toho to revitalise the Godzilla franchise with Mekagojira no gyakushu failed and this was the final film in the Showa series (1954 – 1975) until a meaner, leaner Godzilla returned nine years later in 1984 with the start of the Heise series. But don’t be fooled into thinking that Terror of Mechagodzilla is a failure. It’s not. Indeed, director Ishiro Honda and composer Akira Ifukube have delivered a beautiful, moving film, with some great monster fights, that is a worthy climax to the Showa series.

Video

     Terror of Mechagodzilla is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the original theatrical ratio, and is 16x9 enhanced. This is a very good looking print. While some back projection scenes and matte paintings lack sharpness, the rest of the film looks very sharp indeed. Blacks and shadow detail are fine, brightness, contrast and skin tones are good and the colours warm and natural. There is mild grain but I did not notice any film or film to video artefacts.

     The English subtitles are in a yellow font in American English. Otherwise I did not notice any spelling or grammatical errors.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Audio is a choice between Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps and Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 224 Kbps. There is an English Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps for the US version of the film (this is covered below in extras). The Japanese 5.1 is again quite good, and I prefer it to the 2.0 mix. Dialogue was clear, it has separation and reasonable clarity, the surrounds are used for music and some effects and the sub woofer did support the music and explosions in a minor way. It is not particularly enveloping but is effective. The original theatrical release was in mono so we have this track on the DVD. It is also quite effective.

     The music by Akira Ifukube is fabulous and enhances the viewing experience. One of the best in the Godzilla series.

     Lip synchronisation is generally good.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

US Version of the film

     Although nowhere noted in the packaging or in the menu, the US version of Terror of Mechagodzilla, running 75:30 (the Japanese version runs 79:52), is included on the DVD. It can be watched by accessing the English dub from the “Set Up” menu. The video specifications are identical to the Japanese version, the audio is English Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps, but subtitles are not available. The English audio is actually a good track, with better panning effects in the surrounds and a more robust subwoofer use. The US voice acting, especially the voice of Katsura, is however very poor. The US version cuts blood and bullet hits, but more crucially it removes all reference to (SPOILER ALERT: highlight with mouse to read) Katsura’s suicide, by which decision and action she saved the human race. With this out, the ending makes a lot less sense, and is less moving.

Original Trailer (2:37)

Madman Trailers

     Trailers for other films from Madman. Included is Cutie Honey (2:07), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1:43) and Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (2:27).

     There is a Region 2 Japanese version with an audio commentary by cinematographer Sokei Tomioka, interviews with Director of Special Effects Teisho Arikawa (30 min) and the wife of the Director Ishiro Honda (40 min) plus featurettes, but nothing is subtitled in English. The US Region 1 disc is non-anamorphic and contains the shorter US cut of the film. Region 4, with both versions of the film, is the best choice for English speakers.

     Two of the people who in 1954 created the original, magnificent Godzilla, director Ishiro Honda and composer Akira Ifukube, reteam for Terror of Mechagodzilla and create a far darker, more adult film than is usual in 1970s Godzilla. The DVD has good video and audio and the US version of the film is an excellent extra.

     Terror of Mechagodzilla is included in the Madman 6 disc box set Godzilla Showa Classics Volume 2 along with Godzilla: All Monsters Attack (1969), Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971), Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla: (1974). Terror of Mechagodzilla is a terrific film and for a RPI of $49.95 this set is a fabulous way to stay in touch with “the original monster of mass destruction”.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall