Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II
Encyclopedia
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, released in Japan as , is a 1993 science fiction
kaiju
film
directed by Takao Okawara
and written by Wataru Mimura. It was the twentieth film in Toho
's Godzilla
series and the first to feature BabyGodzilla
. It is also the fifth film to feature Rodan
and the third film to feature Mechagodzilla
. The plot involves the discovery of a Godzilla egg in the nest of Rodan
, which is brought back to Japan, luring both Rodan and Godzilla there, forcing the Japanese Self-Defense Force to send in Mechagodzilla, a giant robot resembling the mutated dinosaur, to combat the two monsters. It is the third Godzilla film to be updated/remade from a previous Godzilla film, 1974's Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
. However, the films plot and characters are not at all connected or related to the original.
from the ocean. Using the armor and robotic technology that the Futurians gave them, they create Mechagodzilla
, a super weapon that they hope will finally kill Godzilla
.
On a mission to an island in the Pacific, a Japanese team comes across a dinosaur egg. They take the egg and attract Godzilla and Rodan
after stopping the fight that they are engaged in. The egg is taken back to Japan where it hatches into BabyGodzilla
. Godzilla appears in Kyoto
to rescue the infant Godzillasaur, but Mechagodzilla battles Godzilla, knocking him to the ground. However, Godzilla uses his nuclear pulse, shutting down Mechagodzilla. Godzilla shoves Mechagodzilla aside and continues searching for BabyGodzilla, though he is hidden by G-Force scientists in a room that blocks off his psychic mind waves. Godzilla gives up and returns to his ocean home, but not before destroying the island out of anger and sadness.
Tests on BabyGodzilla reveal that he has a second brain in his hips that control his legs and tail. The JSDF assume that the same goes for Godzilla, since Godzilla and BabyGodzilla are both Godzillasaurs. They decide to use BabyGodzilla to bait Godzilla to them and use the G-Crusher, a system designed to destroy Godzilla's second brain, on the mutant dinosaur. Instead Rodan, now transformed into Fire Rodan, is attracted to the bait as well and fights the JSDF attack aircraft Garuda and defeats it. He turns his attention to Mechagodzilla and attacks, losing horribly, being no match to the super weapon though he does disable Mechagodzilla's right eye laser cannon. Godzilla then shows up and starts to battle Mechagodzilla. Mechagodzilla combines with Garuda and turns into Super Mechagodzilla and uses the G-Crusher on Godzilla. Godzilla's secondary brain is ruptured, completely paralyzing him, but is revived when Fire Rodan sacrifices himself and transfers his remaining life energy to Godzilla. Godzilla is enraged by Rodan's death and uses his newly acquired spiral atomic breath to destroy Super Mechagodzilla as revenge.
Godzilla then reclaims BabyGodzilla as his son and they both swim off into the ocean to find a new home.
. Another ending considered is that Godzilla is killed by Super Mechagodzilla, but not before damaging the Garuda. The nuclear engine inside irradiates Godzilla, giving him new strength to defeat his mechanical clone. This was changed to Fire Rodan giving him life energy to provide a more emotional ending.
Original Showa Godzilla director Ishirō Honda
was slated to direct this film, but died in early 1993.
Mechagodzilla was intended in the next sequel's Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
, but considering three Godzillas would have been a one-sided battle for Godzilla to team up with the same robot twin that nearly killed him. Instead, it was replaced by Moguera
.
The film's main theme is based on the theme from the Toho
film King Kong Escapes
.
[ Heisei era
] , Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla II represents Toho's most technically and artistically successful effort," adding that "the action sequences in this film are impeccable... excitingly staged, logical, and quite dramatic." American Kaiju said the film "stumbles in the areas of both story and special effects" but concluded it to be "a good, solid entry in the Godzilla series," saying that "the battles between Godzilla and Mechagodilla entertain" and "Akira Ifukube's music score soars." Japan Hero said "the story was interesting," "the soundtrack is plain gorgeous," and "the costume designs are just as great," concluding: "While this is not my top favorite movie [of the Heisei series
] , it is definitely one of the best."
, Sony Tristar distributed the previously unreleased Heisei Godzilla films on April 28, 1998, less than half month before the release of Tristar's Godzilla remake. Excluding Godzilla 1985
and Godzilla vs. Biollante
, since they've already been released prior. Some VHS copies that opened with the 1984 Tristar Pictures logo.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
kaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Takao Okawara
Takao Okawara
Takao Okawara is a Japanese film director, writer and producer.-Biography:Most famous for directing three Heisei Godzilla films, Okawara joined Akira Kurosawa and Ishirō Honda on the film Kagemusha . Four years later, Okawara became the assistant director for the first Heisei Godzilla film: The...
and written by Wataru Mimura. It was the twentieth film in Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
's Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
series and the first to feature BabyGodzilla
Godzilla Junior
, also known as Baby Godzilla and Little Godzilla, is the biological son of Godzilla featured in the last three films of the Heisei series of Godzilla films.-Character biography:...
. It is also the fifth film to feature Rodan
Rodan
is a fictional Japanese mutated pterosaur introduced in Rodan, a 1956 release from Toho Studios, the company responsible for the Godzilla series. Like Godzilla and Anguirus, he is designed after a type of prehistoric reptile...
and the third film to feature Mechagodzilla
Mechagodzilla
is a fictional character from various films in the Godzilla series, introduced in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla . He is Godzilla's mechanical doppelgänger and one of the most popular Toho kaiju...
. The plot involves the discovery of a Godzilla egg in the nest of Rodan
Rodan
is a fictional Japanese mutated pterosaur introduced in Rodan, a 1956 release from Toho Studios, the company responsible for the Godzilla series. Like Godzilla and Anguirus, he is designed after a type of prehistoric reptile...
, which is brought back to Japan, luring both Rodan and Godzilla there, forcing the Japanese Self-Defense Force to send in Mechagodzilla, a giant robot resembling the mutated dinosaur, to combat the two monsters. It is the third Godzilla film to be updated/remade from a previous Godzilla film, 1974's Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
, originally known in the United States as Godzilla vs. Bionic Monster and subsequently Godzilla vs. Cosmic Monster, is a 1974 science fiction kaiju film. This was the 14th of the Toho studio's Godzilla series , it was directed by Jun Fukuda with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano and the...
. However, the films plot and characters are not at all connected or related to the original.
Plot
In 1994,the Japan Self Defense Forces lift the remains of Mecha-King GhidorahKing Ghidorah
is a kaiju, a fictional Japanese monster featured in several of Toho Studios' Godzilla films...
from the ocean. Using the armor and robotic technology that the Futurians gave them, they create Mechagodzilla
Mechagodzilla
is a fictional character from various films in the Godzilla series, introduced in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla . He is Godzilla's mechanical doppelgänger and one of the most popular Toho kaiju...
, a super weapon that they hope will finally kill Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
.
On a mission to an island in the Pacific, a Japanese team comes across a dinosaur egg. They take the egg and attract Godzilla and Rodan
Rodan
is a fictional Japanese mutated pterosaur introduced in Rodan, a 1956 release from Toho Studios, the company responsible for the Godzilla series. Like Godzilla and Anguirus, he is designed after a type of prehistoric reptile...
after stopping the fight that they are engaged in. The egg is taken back to Japan where it hatches into BabyGodzilla
Godzilla Junior
, also known as Baby Godzilla and Little Godzilla, is the biological son of Godzilla featured in the last three films of the Heisei series of Godzilla films.-Character biography:...
. Godzilla appears in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
to rescue the infant Godzillasaur, but Mechagodzilla battles Godzilla, knocking him to the ground. However, Godzilla uses his nuclear pulse, shutting down Mechagodzilla. Godzilla shoves Mechagodzilla aside and continues searching for BabyGodzilla, though he is hidden by G-Force scientists in a room that blocks off his psychic mind waves. Godzilla gives up and returns to his ocean home, but not before destroying the island out of anger and sadness.
Tests on BabyGodzilla reveal that he has a second brain in his hips that control his legs and tail. The JSDF assume that the same goes for Godzilla, since Godzilla and BabyGodzilla are both Godzillasaurs. They decide to use BabyGodzilla to bait Godzilla to them and use the G-Crusher, a system designed to destroy Godzilla's second brain, on the mutant dinosaur. Instead Rodan, now transformed into Fire Rodan, is attracted to the bait as well and fights the JSDF attack aircraft Garuda and defeats it. He turns his attention to Mechagodzilla and attacks, losing horribly, being no match to the super weapon though he does disable Mechagodzilla's right eye laser cannon. Godzilla then shows up and starts to battle Mechagodzilla. Mechagodzilla combines with Garuda and turns into Super Mechagodzilla and uses the G-Crusher on Godzilla. Godzilla's secondary brain is ruptured, completely paralyzing him, but is revived when Fire Rodan sacrifices himself and transfers his remaining life energy to Godzilla. Godzilla is enraged by Rodan's death and uses his newly acquired spiral atomic breath to destroy Super Mechagodzilla as revenge.
Godzilla then reclaims BabyGodzilla as his son and they both swim off into the ocean to find a new home.
Production
The original ending for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II was that Mechagodzilla killed Godzilla, therefore ending the Heisei series. But, Godzilla transfers his energy to BabyGodzilla who grows into the new Godzilla. Instead, the scenario was used two years later in Godzilla vs. DestoroyahGodzilla vs. Destoroyah
, alternatively titled Godzilla vs. Destroyer, is a 1995 science fiction kaiju film directed by Takao Okawara and written by Kazuki Omori. It was released in Japan on December 9, 1995. It is the 22nd installment in the Godzilla series of films and the seventh and last of the Heisei series...
. Another ending considered is that Godzilla is killed by Super Mechagodzilla, but not before damaging the Garuda. The nuclear engine inside irradiates Godzilla, giving him new strength to defeat his mechanical clone. This was changed to Fire Rodan giving him life energy to provide a more emotional ending.
Original Showa Godzilla director Ishirō Honda
Ishiro Honda
Ishirō Honda , sometimes miscredited in foreign releases as "Inoshiro Honda", was a Japanese film director...
was slated to direct this film, but died in early 1993.
Mechagodzilla was intended in the next sequel's Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
is a 1994 science fiction kaiju film directed by Kensho Yamashita and written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara. It was the twenty-first film released in the Godzilla series and sixth in the Heisei series of films. It is the second film to feature the Moguera and Little Godzilla and also the seventh film to...
, but considering three Godzillas would have been a one-sided battle for Godzilla to team up with the same robot twin that nearly killed him. Instead, it was replaced by Moguera
Moguera
is a Kaiju featured in two of Toho's science fiction films. The name is derived from the Japanese word for mole.-Showa:...
.
The film's main theme is based on the theme from the Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
film King Kong Escapes
King Kong Escapes
King Kong Escapes, released in Japan as , is a 1967 Kaiju film. A Japanese/American co-production from Toho and Rankin/Bass . Directed by Ishiro Honda and featuring special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya, the film starred both American actors alongside Japanese actors...
.
Box office
The film sold approximately 3,800,000 tickets in Japan grossing roughly $18,000,000 (U.S).Critical reaction
Monster Zero said that "some critical flaws exist" but felt overall that "of all the films of theHeisei era (daikaiju eiga)
In the context of Japanese monster cinema the Heisei Era refers not to the current era in Japan but to all kaiju eiga made between 1984 and 1999...
Heisei era (daikaiju eiga)
In the context of Japanese monster cinema the Heisei Era refers not to the current era in Japan but to all kaiju eiga made between 1984 and 1999...
Home Media
To tie in with the American remakeGodzilla (1998 film)
Godzilla is a 1998 science fiction monster disaster film film co-written and directed by Roland Emmerich. It is a loose remake of the 1954 giant monster classic Godzilla. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Emmerich and Dean Devlin. The film relates a tale of a nuclear incident...
, Sony Tristar distributed the previously unreleased Heisei Godzilla films on April 28, 1998, less than half month before the release of Tristar's Godzilla remake. Excluding Godzilla 1985
The Return of Godzilla
The Return of Godzilla The Return of Godzilla The Return of Godzilla (released as in Japan and as Godzilla 1985 in North America, is a 1984 Science Fiction Kaiju film. The sixteenth film in Toho's Godzilla series, it was produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and directed by Koji Hashimoto with special...
and Godzilla vs. Biollante
Godzilla vs. Biollante
is a 1989 science fiction kaiju film written and directed by Kazuki Ōmori. It was the seventeenth film to be released in the Godzilla franchise and the second in terms of the franchise's Heisei period...
, since they've already been released prior. Some VHS copies that opened with the 1984 Tristar Pictures logo.
DVD releases
Columbia TriStar- Released: February 8, 2005
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (1.78:1) anamorphic
- Sound: Japanese (2.0), English (2.0)
- Supplements: Trailers for Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, MirrorMaskMirrorMaskMirrormask is a 2005 fantasy film from Jim Henson Pictures, Samuel Goldwyn Films, and Destination Films. It stars Stephanie Leonidas, Jason Barry, Rob Brydon, and Gina McKee. It is designed and directed by Dave McKean, written by Neil Gaiman from a story they developed together...
, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood OrchidAnacondas: The Hunt for the Blood OrchidAnacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid is a 2004 horror-thriller film and sequel to the 1997 film Anaconda. It was directed by Dwight H. Little and was released in the United States on August 27, 2004. The plot of the movie entails a group of explorers looking for a sacred flower that they...
, and SteamboySteamboyis a 2004 Japanese animated steampunk film, produced by Sunrise, and directed and co-written by Katsuhiro Otomo, his second major anime release, following Akira. The film was released in Japan on July 17, 2004. Steamboy is the most expensive full length Japanese animated movie made to date...
- Note: The subtitles for the Japanese track are really 'dubtitleDubtitleDubtitle is a term for a show recorded in which the subtitles are merely transcriptions of the new alternative dialogue spoken on the dubbed soundtrack rather than a translation of the original dialogue and was popularized by anime and kung fu film fans to refer to this practice....
s' (the subtitles are actually the captions for the English track).
- MPAA Rating: PG for sci-fi monster violence and some language