Terror
of Mechagodzilla (1977)
Rated G
Starring: Katsuhiko Sasaki, Tomoko Ai, and
Akihiko Hirata
Rating:

out
of

|
When
a submarine is destroyed by what appears to be a dinosaur, the work of an
old scientist who's been ridiculed out of mainstream science becomes
deadly to the human race. It seems that Dr. Shinji Mafune (Akihiko Hirata)
can control a dinosaur, named Titanosaurus, through the use of a transmitter
in his lab. This experiment not only caused the destruction of the submarine,
but almost cost Mafune his daughter as well. While working on controlling
the dinosaur, Mafune almost lost his daughter in a lab accident. Without
warning, aliens appeared and rescued her from death by implanting machinery
into her body to keep her alive. To repay his debt to the aliens, Dr.
Mafune must use his dinosaur to destroy Tokyo, so that the aliens can
establish a base of operations there.
The aliens don't plan to just use Titanosaurus for their evil doings.
They've also reassembled Mechagodzilla, a powerful robotic version of
Godzilla, who was destroyed several years before (in the movie Godzilla
vs. Mechagodzilla.) Now, with the debt hanging over his head, Dr. Mafune
must use the once gentle Titanosaurus to destroy Tokyo, alongside Mechagodzilla.
Will Godzilla be able to stop them?
This is one of the most convoluted plot lines in the Godzilla series.
The acting is horrible, even by series standards and the special effects
are curiously bad. The fact that Dr. Mafune is ridiculed for his beliefs
on controlling a dinosaur is ironic in the face of Godzilla's role of
defender of humanity. If humans could control Godzilla, would they not
choose to do so?
Still, for Godzilla fans, there's always joy in seeing the big G fighting
with other monsters. The fight scenes in Terror of Mechagodzilla, while
not classic, are still put together in a solid and entertaining manner.
It's just a shame that one has to wade through the muddled storyline to
get to them.
I realize the attraction to Godzilla films isn't the plotlines or the
acting, but Terror of Mechagodzilla has so few redeeming qualities, even
when viewed through the lenses of a Godzilla fan, that it's hard to recommend
it over any of the other films in the series. I know my review won't stop
completist fans, who must see every film, from renting or buying it. Casual
fans, who may have an interest in seeing why so many Godzilla fans were
rankled by the U.S. version of the film and its bastardization of the
Godzilla character, may want to look elsewhere in the series, such as
the original 1956 movie or Godzilla vs. Mothra (the newer, 1990s version). Trivia: Terror
of Mechagodzilla was the last Godzilla film made in the 1970s. The
series was dormant until the release of Godzilla 1985 in 1984. (Source: The
Internet Movie Database) |