Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993) [Tokusatsu Review]

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II; or, Superior Firepower
     The time has come to finally put our technology to the test.
I continue to press on with my journey through the Godzilla Heisei movies. This time, I am focusing on the 5th movie of the series; that is, Takao Okawara’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla from 1993. For clarity’s sake, I will be using the English title Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II throughout the review so as to differentiate this movie from the Showa series original made in 1974.

Release Info

Directed by: Takao Okawara Starring: Masahiro Takashima, Ryoko Sano, Megumi Odaka

Language: Japanese Original Title: ゴジラ対メカゴジラ Runtime: 107 min

Synopsis
The United Nations came to the conclusion that they have to do anything in their power to stop Godzilla. For this reason, a special Godzilla Countermeasures Center was created. Their job was to utilise the futuristic technology from the remains of Mecha-King Ghidorah and create a technologically advanced robot that could surpass Godzilla’s might. The final outcome of this research materialised in the form of Mechagodzilla. In the meantime, the Japanese team of scientists on Adona Island finds an egg which gives off a telepathic signal that attracts Godzilla and Rodan. The two monsters rush to protect the contents of the egg, but the military sends Mechagodzilla to intercept them… 

Natural Life vs. Artificial Life
Immediately after the overwhelming success of Godzilla vs. Mothra, Toho greenlit another Godzilla picture. Initially, the producers were toying with the idea of bringing back the good old King Kong, but the studio no longer had the rights to the iconic creature. Consequently, the decision was made to pit the Big G against another classic foe, Mechagodzilla.

In contrast to previous films, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II was not penned by director/writer Kazuki Omori. The screenwriting duties were given to a series newcomer, a major sci-fi buff, Wataru Mimura. The writer realised that writing a Godzilla project may be a one-shot deal for him, so he gave it his all in the screenplay by incorporating lots of action and providing the King of the Monsters with the much-needed dosage of pathos and character motivation.

Unlike the erratic shenanigans of Godzilla vs. Mothra, the Big G is no longer just an angry monster. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II marks his progression from a force of nature to a loving parent because the film presents the viewers with Godzilla Junior! Initially, Takao Okawara was against the idea of bringing back Godzilla’s son, but I have to say the director handled all the sequences involving the creature perfectly. In addition, the design of Baby Godzilla is also extremely kawaii. What is more, the presence of the baby in the finale adds additional gravitas to the kaiju confrontation because viewers start to really root for Godzilla.

Speaking about special effects, these were once again helmed by Koichi Kawakita and all the heavy action scenes are top notch across the board. I am actually surprised that there are a lot of “beam fights” in this movie. Undoubtedly, the epic final battle must have served as direct inspiration for the culminating point of Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).

Thankfully, Akira Ifukube returned to compose a music score for the film, and his contributions are simply breathtaking. The main theme of Mechagodzilla is sombre and militaristic at the same time. It grabs your attention from the opening scene! The haunting chorus song accompanying Baby Godzilla is also a composition to be cherished.

With regard to performances, this time round Masahiro Takashima plays the male lead. He already had an experience with Tokusatsu flicks because of his appearance in Gunhed (1989). His presence does not have much impact on the story. To be honest, Ryoko Sano steals the spotlight as a scientist who looks after Baby Godzilla (played by suitmation actor Hurricane Ryu). Their scenes are easily the best in the film.

Evidently, the movie also features many Tokusatsu veterans, such as Akira Nakao, Koichi Ueda, Kenji Sahara, and of course Kenpachiro Satsuma as Godzilla. Megumi Odaka reprises her role as Miki Saegusa once again and her character has surprisingly a lot of stuff to do in this picture. Miki initially helps the team of scientists who are with Baby Godzilla, but the military actually forces her to help them neutralise Godzilla. It is quite an intriguing twist in the story arc of this particular heroine. There is even a deleted scene from the film in which Baby is afraid of Miki because of her psychic connection with the King.

When it comes to home media releases, the distribution duties of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II were mainly handled by Columbia TriStar who produced their English dub for the film. Interestingly, Toho commissioned their own international translation in 1994, but this version is considered to be “lost”. Fragments of it were unearthed a few years ago through Hindi releases of the film, and snippets can be watched here.

Recommendations
If you enjoy Godzilla’s monster rumble at its purest form, the I recommend Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. Toho initially wanted to end the series with this movie, but they changed their mind in view of the delays concerning the American remake. I must say that Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II is a solid, action-packed entry of the Heisei era, but it would not be a strong enough conclusion of the series. What is more important, we would not get Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla and Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (to be reviewed soon).

Overall score: 9/10

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