Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994) [Tokusatsu Review]

Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla; or, Neon Genesis Crystals
     Godzilla, thank you for staying alive for me.
After the successful release of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), it seemed as if the Toho Studios were done and dusted with the franchise, but the troubling pre-production of the planned Hollywood remake resulted in delays, which encouraged producers Tomoyuki Tanaka and Shogo Tomiyama to press on with more Heisei instalments. Consequently, the year 1994 saw the release of the 40th anniversary Godzilla movie. To many fans, this is considered to be the black sheep and the lowest point in the series. Let’s dive deeper in to Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla.

Release Info

Directed by: Kensho Yamashita Starring: Megumi Odaka, Jun Hashizume, Akira Emoto, Towako Yoshikawa

Language: Japanese Original Title: ゴジラ対スペースゴジラ Runtime: 108 min

Synopsis
After the disastrous battle between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla, the army develops a special combat robot known as Mogera. At the same time, G-Force works on a special T-Project which focuses on the supposed mental control of the Big G. Miki Saegusa (Megumi Odaka) works with Doctor Gondo (Towako Yoshikawa) on the project, but she is suddenly warned by the Cosmos (Sayako Osawa and Keiko Imamura) about the approaching danger from outer space. Suddenly, a giant object crashes on the Birth Island. It turns out to be SpaceGodzilla, a creature born out of Godzilla’s cells which ended up in a black hole after the King’s fight either with Biollante or Mothra. SpaceGodzilla imprisons Baby Godzilla and rushes to Fukuoka. Enraged King of the Monsters follows the alien invader in hot pursuit.

Event Horizon
It is clear from the get-go that Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla is different in terms of its narrative approach and stylistics than the preceding movies. This stems from the fact that the film was directed by the late Kensho Yamashita and written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara. Both filmmakers were more experienced in teen idol flicks, but evidently, they were also Godzilla enthusiasts, having worked on the set of Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975).

Their approach to the Tokusatsu genre is more light-hearted in tone because they chose to focus not only on monster rumble, but human drama as well. For this reason, Megumi Odaka for the first time in the series becomes the main heroine with a love subplot(!) Indeed, this may seem surprising, but in my opinion, works in favour of the character and enhances her story arc.

Alas, it is not the end of human drama because director Yamashita introduces us to the Han Solo-like character of Major Yuki (played by too-cool-for-school Akira Emoto) who wants to hunt down Godzilla and to avenge the death of his friend Gondo (who died in Godzilla vs. Biollante).

On the monster’s side, the emotional payoff is taken verbatim from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. In Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, the King again fights to rescue his son, saving humanity is just collateral damage. All in all, the cross-cutting of numerous subplots involving monsters and humans results in an extremely long and exhaustive third act of the film.

That being said, I do not dislike Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla. On the contrary, the film is my personal guilty pleasure and I will take it any day over Godzilla vs. Mothra or Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. I totally dig the romantic teen idol vibes with which Kensho Yamashita sprinkled this story. This is the only Godzilla movie in which you will get to see beautiful sunset cinematography by the seaside AND the King furiously obliterating his nemesis with the red radioactive beam.

With regard to special effects, these were once again handled by the series veteran Koichi Kawakita. It seems interesting because the F/X director changed his approach for the purposes of this movie as well. Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla has less overview shots, but more close-ups and POV shots, almost as if the filmmakers wanted the viewers to feel dragged in to the monster fight.

As far as the music is concerned, Akira Ifukube allegedly declined to return as the composer after reading the script, so the difficult task was given to Takayuki Hattori. This was the composer’s first Godzilla gig, and I must say I absolutely adore his soundtrack for the film. It is very low key, but so accessible and nostalgic at the same time. Definitely has the spirit of the 1990s.

Speaking about performances, Megumi Odaka is obviously the leading lady here, but I always love seeing her in a Godzilla film. Akira Emoto steals the show as the bitter soldier hellbent on killing Godzilla. Jun Hashizume does well as Miki’s love interest. Towako Yoshikawa’s onscreen beauty as Doctor Gondo cannot go unnoticed. The actress is primarily a model, so her delivery of lines sounds extremely conservative in many scenes.

Recommendations
To me, this is a fun Godzilla movie. I understand why many fans avoid it, but I adore the different approach by Kensho Yamashita and the bombastic battle scenes. Honestly, I would not mind if this would have been the conclusion of the Heisei series, but this is yet to be discussed in my review of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995).Overall score: 8/10

«Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us»