The second film in the Heisei-era of Godzilla films is the classic Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II.  I’ve chosen to skip the Godzilla vs. Mothra or Godzilla and Mothra: Battle for the Earth because it’s hard to find and the only noteworthy part of the film is the introduction of Mothra’s evil twin Battra.  For those unfamiliar with Godzilla lore, Mothra is a giant Moth and defender of nature.  Two fairies (no seriously) have the power to summon him whenever Godzilla or some other walking disaster threatens the Earth.  Mothra has his own line of successful films in Japan and they are mainly aimed at children.  They are kinda cool, but after awhile, the screaming kids just get to you and you wanna chuck something at your TV.  And if you’re like me, you just got a new TV so why go through all of that?  So we’ll leave Mothra for another time and deal with this killer movie.

In the Showa-era, MechaGodzilla was this bad ass robot created by the Simians (a powerful alien race that look like apes…damn dirty apes!).  He had a laser in his mouth and missiles on his fingers and toes.  Generally speaking, you didn’t wanna fuck with him.  He masqueraded as Godzilla, and when he was found out, proceeded to kick Godzilla all over Tokyo…until Godzilla teamed up with his buddy King Ceasar and ripped his head off.  He would later appear in subsequent films, but always as a menacing force controlled by an alien race.  As a kid, I loved MechaGodzilla because he was cool.  He had all the strength and fighting abilities as Godzilla, but with added weapons.  But I hated that he was controlled by aliens, as they would inevitably do something stupid and that would be the demise of the character.  Luckily for us, this Heisei-era film takes all that I loved about MechaGodzilla and turns it upside down for a very modern approach to the character.

The film starts out as leaders from the United Nations Godzilla Countermeasures Center (UNGCC) surveying the wreckage of Mecha King Ghidorah.  They decide to take the knowledge left from this future beast and create the ultimate weapon to use against Godzilla, MechaGodzilla.  This giant robot has an impressive and varied arsenal built only to destroy Godzilla.  Mechagodzilla is protected by an armor plating made from an alloy called NT-1, which is coated in a layer of artificial diamond that allows it to absorb energy from Godzilla’s atomic breath and transfer a plasma grenade, located on its abdomen.  The robot also has laser cannons in its eyes, a mega buster in its mouth with, tranquilizer missiles in its hips, paralysis missiles from the shoulders, and shock anchor cables from its wrists which deliver a powerful electrical surge into its opponent.  In short, he’s super bad ass! 

Not everyone is happy about this new ultimate weapon, a back up pilot named Kazuma Aoki believes that his prototype airship The Garuda is the real savior for the Earth against Godzilla.  Meanwhile on a mission to an island in the Pacific, a Japanese team discovers a dinosaur egg.  The decide to take the egg back to Japan to study it, thus attracting Godzilla and Fire Rodan who begin fighting over it.  The scientists escape with the egg and it hatches into another Godillasaur who is quickly dubbed BabyGodzilla.  Of course Godzilla appears to rescue the tiny creature and that’s when the showdown begins.  MechaGodzilla and Garuda are sent to intercept while the scientists study BabyGodzilla to determine if there is any weakness that they could use against Godzilla. 

This movie is a ton a fun and was originally written to be the end of the Heisei-era of films.  However that end scenario would be put on hold for two years and used in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (to be reviewed later).  The fight scenes are well done and perhaps the best part is all the banter between the pilots and the UNGCC control center.  You get this Strategic Air Command feel complete with tons of computer shots of MechaGodzilla’s systems, as he battles giant monsters.  Granted, there is a ton of things going on (BabyGodzilla, Rodan, Garuda, merging robots, the kitchen sink, etc) but it’s well paced and things never seem to get out of control.  In fact I think that this is one Godzilla movie that uses the many plot elements to keep the movie interesting and fresh.  My only complaint is that the ending seemed kind of cheap to me, but after learning their desire to continue the series, I’m ok with their choice in direction. 

So be sure to check this movie out.  It’s available on Netflix Instant View and well worth your time. Or better yet, a group of your Godzilla-loving, Chromehounds-missing friends to enjoy!