Godzilla vs. Megalon -- Full review.

This is one of those campy Godzilla movies that hits all of the right chords with me. The more I watch it, the more I like it. It is by no means a fine piece of Cinema D'Arte. No one going in should think that a couple of guys in monster suits would be capable of starring in any type of fine film. This is particularly true with the googly-eyed Godzilla featured in this film.

Monster movies have a difficult line to follow. Just about everyone is there to see the giant monster destroy things. Because of this, the destroying giant monster is the villain of the movie. After all, you cannot have good guys creating havoc in major metropolitan areas without repercussions. Nonetheless, we have a rooting interest in the monster. So, our protagonist must be more likable than the monster. Otherwise, when the monster is eventually destroyed, you feel bad (see Cloverfield).

One way around this situation is to have a couple of monsters fight each other. You get a good guy monster vs. a bad guy monster. (Or a couple for each as in Godzilla vs. Megalon.) In this way, you do not necessarily have to root for the human protagonist.  You root for your favorite monsters.

In this movie, the kid is a bit precocious -- read annoying. Our group of human protagonists is an odd group to put together. There is the kid and his brother the scientist. The pair are a good deal different in ages. If you did not know that they were brothers, you would assume they were father and son. It would make a bit more sense, but then you have questions about how a guy who builds a robot for fun would find time for women.

So, the weakness of this movie is the human cast. They are just there to fill in the plot points. The rest of the movie is men in monster suits smashing things and wrestling with each other. They make it work. It isn't intellectually challenging. It is just fun. You do not have the pro-environment message that Godzilla movies are prone to. It is simply an entertaining movie for the entire family -- read for kids (probably just boys).

This is one of the monster movies where the formula fits together and works. They got most of it right. The right mix of plot and destruction. In fact, you have to wait for quite a while for Godzilla to show up. It starts with the bad guys destroying things. Then Jet Jaguar comes along and swings it to the good guy direction. With that, the bad guys call in a hired giant monster cyborg (Gigan). Two on one until Godzilla shows up. The fight action goes back and forth.  Swinging from one side to the other -- just like in wrestling.

In my adultness, I ignore the poor plotting. The Seatopian's motivation seems reasonable, yet they are cast as the villains. We were using atomic weapons and killing them. They should retaliate. If they were just bent on retaking the surface world, without provocation that would be better.

It is still one of my favorites despite its flaws. I look forward to the new release! If I can have one extra it would be from this:

The film got its U.S. premiere in 1977 in a drastically-cut version on prime-time television, which included a bumper segment featuring John Belushi in a Godzilla suit!

(From the New York Times)