Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
Sheesh, what a title. Just call it "GMK" - that's what all the cool kids (a.k.a. Godzilla Fans) call it.
In the mid-1990s, director Shusuke Kaneko gave us the fantastic and financially successful Gamera trilogy. While doing promotional interviews for the press, Kaneko mentioned more than once how it had always been his lifelong dream to direct a Godzilla movie. It wasn't long before Toho gave him a chance to fulfill that dream, and "GMK" was born.
Co-written and directed by Kaneko, "GMK", like most Millennium Series entries, is primarily a standalone film. The only other Godzilla movies it acknowledges are the 1954 original and the 1998 American remake, which it references only so it can be ridiculed. In this story, Godzilla is the living embodiment of all of the people killed by the Japanese during World War II. While he also represents the destructive folly of man, this spiritual conception of the Big G (and the other creatures, too) is something unique to "GMK". It's a welcome, nightmarish take on the character, and it's reflected in the creature's design aesthetic as well. He's once again a giant, gray behemoth, much like the Heisei incarnation, but his eyes are completely white and lifeless. Damn, it's creepy.
The story is simple. Godzilla returns to punish the people of Japan. In response, three ancient guardian monsters, the Holy Beasts of Yamato (Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Baragon), return to protect the Earth via the kicking of some giant ghost lizard ass. On the human side of things, the story focuses on a father/daughter duo: Ryudo Uzaki plays the dad, an experienced military man with a heart of Zen, whose parents were killed by Godzilla's first rampage in '54. He's awesome. His daughter, played Chiharu Niiyama, is an ambitious reporter for a hack paranormal investigation program. She's primarily the conveyor of the plot information, but gets caught up in some of the action, too. She's pretty good.
After plowing his way through all of the guardian monsters (this Godzilla is a real beast), Military Zen Dad pilots a submersible down Godzilla's throat and detonates a specially designed drill bomb within the creature, piercing its hide. He escapes from the monsters body just as Godzilla tries to use his atomic breath, which somehow short circuits due to the open wound, causing the monster to explode. In a final shot ripped right from the "Friday the 13th" playbook, Godzilla's heart is shown lying on the ocean floor - and it's still beating.
This is a good one. It's got an old school Godzilla movie feel to it, which is retro-cool. The spiritual aspects of the plot adds freshness and emotional weight to the proceedings. It's fun to see Baragon from "Frankenstein Conquers the World" (apparently Kaneko's original idea was to pit Godzilla against B-list monsters Baragon, Varan and Angilus, but Toho made him add more big-name beasties), but it's too bad the little purple dog wasn't famous enough to get his name listed in the title. Plus, King Ghidorah as a good guy? Weird, but not unwelcome.
Kaneko felt a bit disappointed with how the movie turned out, due to the massive production rush to get it into theaters, but he may be the only one. While some of those production woes did indeed show up onscreen, "GMK" still managed to be the biggest box office hit of the Millennium Series, and is considered by many to be the best. Its old school charm, emotionally charged plot, and non-stop monster mayhem made this one a real winner with daikaiju fans worldwide. It's not my favorite Millennium installment, though. I will discuss that one in Part 20.
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)
Technically, the title of the movie is "Godzilla X Mechagodzilla", but the Japanese are so much better at math than Americans, so all mathematical symbols were removed for the Stateside release.
Masaaki Tezuka, director of "Godzilla Vs. Megaguirus", was brought back to craft the latest chapter in the Millennium Series, and he brought his entire creative team with him. This means that the emotionally heavy themes of the previous Godzilla movie have been jettisoned in favor of techno-action and a Hollywood-style roller coaster of frothy emotion. This is not a bad thing, just different. I happen to enjoy this particular entry quite a bit.
As explained by a handy opening montage, there are only four previous Toho movies which exist in this movie's timeline: "Gojira"(1954), "Mothra"(1961), "War of the Gargantuas" (1966), and "Space Amoeba"(1971). Talented young soldier Akane, played wonderfully by Yumiko Shaku, is responsible for accidentally causing the deaths of fellow soldiers during an anti-Godzilla Op - an Op involving MASERs, mind you (that's Mobile Lasers, for the uninitiated). Following that failure, the government turns to a team of brilliant scientists to bring to life a very wacky idea. Get this: After recovering the skeleton of the original Godzilla from 1954, they decide that it's a good idea to build a robotic exoskeleton around it and fuse it all together using a DNA-based operating system. The result: Mechagodzilla, whom the team dubs "Kiryu", a new pilotable anti-Godzilla super weapon.
Akane, damaged both emotionally and career-wise, still has her supporters, and it's not long before they offer her the opportunity to pilot Kiryu and redeem her honor. The other pilots object to her presence, and things are further complicated when, during Kiryu's first confrontation with Godzilla, the Big G's roar activates Kiryu's skeleton DNA. Kiryu then goes on a rampage reminiscent of the original 1954 Godzilla until its power runs down.
Akane, through the connections she makes with the people in her life, slowly begins to heal, but it's through her emerging bond with Kiryu that true daikaiju healing begins to take hold. She pilots Kiryu into battle with Godzilla one last time and manages to wound him with Kiryu's Absolute Zero freezing weapon, causing the monster to retreat. And all is well.
"GXM" has the same feel as Tezuka's previous movie, "Megaguirus". He sure loves tough female main characters. I know I do. Heck, the main actress from "Megaguirus" even comes back, in a bit role as a different character. I like that his movies aren't morality plays, just simple emotional stories featuring noble soldiers in giant robots fighting giant monsters. The action is explosive, the special effects are well done, the characters are distinct and fun, the music is great, and the pacing is peppy and tight. It's a fun, pulpy ride. Plus, this is the only film in the Millennium Series to have a direct sequel - the following year's "Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S."
A Tip: Be sure to watch through the credits. There are some great scenes to be had. Well, one great scene. It's worth it.
Only two more movies to go in the Millennium series. And after that. . .
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