Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)
"Godzilla X Mothra X Mechagodzilla: Tokyo S.O.S." is the original Japanese title for this, the 27th Godzilla film from Toho Studios. This is also the first direct sequel in the Millenium series; it's predecessor is 2002's "Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla", a movie which I really dug.
As Mechagodzilla, also known as "Kiryu", is getting repaired from its last battle against Godzilla (and getting its Absolute Zero freezing weapon replaced with a new Tri-Maser cannon), the Shobijin (Twin Beauties) arrive to warn Japan that the Big G will continue to attack them unless they give the original Godzilla's bones (the basis of Kiryu's structure) a proper burial at sea. Japanese officials say "heck nope", prompting the Shobijin to threaten bringing down Mothra on their asses if they don't comply immediately. Godzilla suddenly arrives on the scene to crush things prompting both Kiryu and Mothra to rush in as defenders. The monster proves to be too much to handle - Kiryu is damaged and Mothra is killed.
Back on Mothra Island, two larval Mothra emerge from a giant egg and head off to the mainland to take on the big lizard. In a pitched battle (and with aid from the Japanese military), the larvae encase Godzilla in a cocoon of silk. Kiryu's chief engineer Yoshito Chujo, who's extremely desperate to repair Mechagodzilla in order to defend his endangered relatives in the city, awakens the soul of the original Godzilla through his highly emotional pleading and kicking of electronic equipment (that never works for me). Kiryu "comes to life" on its own, grabs Godzilla, jumps into the sea and pins him to the ocean floor for all eternity.
This is the third Godzilla film from Masaaki Tezuka and his team, and it's just as good as his other entries. This one has a slightly different structure, however. The first half of the movie is largely actionless and mostly character and story-driven. The back half is one long action scene sprinkled with some breathing moments for good measure. It's a formula which works well in this case. Anticipation tends to work far better than non-stop instant gratification.
Speaking of characters, I suppose I should discuss them a little bit more in detail. The human characters in these movies have always been second fiddle to the titanic forces around them, used mostly as reference points for the audience's point of view, but I rather enjoy the characters in Tezuka's movies more than in the usual Godzilla flick. The main character this time around is not a kick-ass female, as in the previous two, but is Kiryu's brilliant young engineer Chujo, played well by Noboru Kaneko. His character is the grandson of Shinichi Chujo, the main character from 1961's "Mothra". Hiroshi Koizumi reprises his role as the elder Chujo and is a full-on supporting player in the story. Being a direct sequel to the original "Mothra" adds a layer of nostalgic warmth that the previous movie lacked (and was all the more colder for it).
A couple of other characters from "Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla" also reprise their roles in "Tokyo S.O.S.". Most notable among these is the return of the main character Akane, who passes the torch to engineer Chujo in a very sweet-natured scene set in Kiryu's engineering bay. To make up for the lack of butt-kicking female warriors, there's the character of Kisaragi, a lady pilot who doesn't have much screen time but gets a "save the day" moment in the action-packed climax.
Two interesting things of note: Tezuka's fondness for mid and end-credit bonus scenes is still present in "S.O.S". One of these particular scenes, set in an unknown lab location, indicates that DNA from Godzilla and various other monsters from past Godzilla flicks is being used to create clones for some shady, obscure purpose. This is never followed up on, however. Also, the body of a Kamoebas (giant rock turtle) washes up on shore early on in "S.O.S.". Kamoebas was a monster previously seen in 1971's "Space Amoeba".
Overall, it's an entertaining film. The presence of Mothra and Mechagodzilla is a little, shall we say, time-worn at this point (new monsters, please), but the movie's infusion of both nostalgic resonance and themes of spiritual bonding between souls adds a bit more dimension to "Tokyo S.O.S." than the previous installment, even though is the action isn't quite as good.
Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)
This movie is freakin' insane. And I love it.
Godzilla's fiftieth birthday had arrived, and producer Shogo Tomiyama wanted to throw the biggest monster party of all time. With a large budget at his disposal (the largest for any Japanese Godzilla film), Tomiyama set out to produce a sort of "Greatest Hits" compilation for his monstrous star. Hired to direct was Ryuhei Kitamura, the young dynamo director of such cult flicks as "Versus", "Azumi" and "The Midnight Meat Train". His adrenaline-charged style, combined with his love for 1970's-era Godzilla films, would result in a movie so whacked-out and unfettered that it would split the Godzilla fan community right down the middle. But you gotta admit, it's a helluva party flick!
Here's the plot: In the late 60's, Godzilla was buried beneath the ice of Antarctica while doing battle with the flying battleship called Gotengo (from the 1963 movie "Atragon"). Since that time, other monsters have continued to hassle the human race, but a new super-powered race of human beings began to emerge - mutants. The Earth Defense Force (EDF) recruited some of these mutants to form the M-Organization, a task force dedicated to taking out giant rampaging monsters with surgical accuracy.
When a dozen giant monsters begin crushing cities all over the world simultaneously, salvation arrives in the form of the Xiliens, humanoid aliens who stop the monsters and promise World Peace in exchange for an alliance with the human race. This, of course, is bullshit, and when their plans are exposed for all the world to see, the Xiliens show their true colors. It turns out that members of their race interbred with humans thousands of years ago, leading to the birth of the mutant sub-race, a sub-race which the Xiliens can control telepathically. After gaining a private army by taking over the minds of all mutantkind, the alien jerks send release all of the monsters they've captured and force humanity to become nothing more than slaves.
There is resistance. A ragtag group of uncontrolled mutants and humans steal the Gotengo in order to enact the ultimate Hail Mary plan - to free Godzilla from the ice and kick some alien butt. Which they do. Godzilla plows his way through all enemy monsters, the crew of the Gotengo take out the aliens and their mother ship, and Godzilla swims off into the sunset, victorious.
Gone are the serious, heavy themes of previous installments, gone is the lumbering dread - "Final Wars" is all about turbocharged monster-on-monster action coupled with Anime-styled comic book shenanigans. It's a nice change of pace, honestly.
Monster Roll Call!!!
There's Godzilla (of course), Minilla, Mothra, Gigan (finally!), Hedorah the Smog Monster, Ebirah the Big-Ass Lobster, Manda the Serpent, Zilla (the American Godzilla), Kamacuras the Mantis, Anguirus, Rodan, King Caesar, Kumonga the Spider, and the mysterious Monster X who, at the climactic confrontation, transforms into (who else?) King Ghidorah. Many other monsters show up in the opening montage. The only monsters missing from the lineup are King Kong, Gorosaurus and Mechagodzilla (those last two were meant to appear in the film, but didn't make it for budgetary reasons). This ensures a non-stop final hour of beast-on-beast carnage. There are many highlights among the parade of battles, but one of my favorites is the long-awaited fight between the Japanese man-in-suit Godzilla and the American CG'ed Zilla. The battle only lasts about a minute.
There sure is a long period of time before the monster melee begins, however, so Kitamura fills it with as much human-based shenanigans as possible. Most of it is ripped off from "The Matrix", which was in vogue at the time, but it's still fun to watch. There is some monster mayhem to be had, though. One particular sequence featuring a team of mutants bringing down Ebirah is particularly cool, as is a montage of all of the monsters rampaging throughout cities all across the world.
Rodan goes to New York City and kills a pimp.
The human cast is peppered with familiar actors from across the entire Godzilla series. The main actors are all fresh faces, however. The lead character, played by Shinichi Ozaki, is a capable actor and action hero, even if his character isn't all that original. The main villain (Kazuki Kitamura) is your classic moustache-twirling eeeevildoer, but is fun to watch, in a campy sort of way. There's an American face in the cast, as well - mixed martial arts fighter Don "The Predator" Frye as Gordon, Captain of the Gotengo. He's a terrible actor, but is oddly likable and has a distinctive look. Sadly, the women are mostly relegated to forgettable supporting characters this time. Alas.
It's a crazy fun movie with a lot of heart, and it's never boring. I enjoyed Kitamura's rock-n'-roll style and campy, 1970's-Godzilla-inspired milieu, which has earned this particular Godzilla movie a cult following of its very own. When it was originally released in Japan, however, reviews were highly mixed and it became a box office disappointment. Unfortunate. I think it's a nice finale for the Millennium series.
For the past ten years, Godzilla has remained fairly dormant. His only onscreen appearance was in a dream sequence in the Japanese comedy "Always 2" (2008). It's pretty cool.
The CGI isn't the greatest, but it's neat to see any Godzilla product coming out of Japan. His design (particularly the blank white eyes) recalls his design in "GMK". Freaky.
In the summer of 2013, Guillermo Del Toro's "Pacific Rim" was released in theaters. While not part of the Godzilla series, it nonetheless owed much to the Japanese icon. Though the story and characters were quite rote and clichéd, the effects and action sequences were fantastically well done and there are some cool ideas sprinkled here and there in the story. Here's a cool trailer for the movie, done in the style of an old school Toho Studios classic. It's a perfect fit!
Well, that's it for now! If only someone would make a new Godzilla film. . .
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