Godzilla vs. Mecha-Godzilla 3 The first Mecha-Godzilla was created by aliens in the seventies, the second was collected by people based on the technologies of the cyborg of the future - Mecha King Gidora, the third attempt to create her mechanical dragon - Kirju took as a basis the skeleton of the first Godzilla from the 1954 film, even if there they clearly showed how the oxygen destroyer decomposed even the bones of the monster. This is an alternative approach.
In addition, the film is associated not only with the very first picture cycle, here they remember Motra, and with shots from the solo picture of 1961, and Gaira from Sanda vs. Gaira, and only about a terrible green anthropoid monster, introducing masers again into the plot as a special weapon against Kaiju. However, the fact that someone was not mentioned here does not mean that they did not exist, not all in a row to list?
Godzilla does not take long to wait, appearing in the prologue, where by mistake the main character dies all her team. The costume of the monster is the same as in the “Millennium” and “Megagirus” with sharp crystalline spines on the back and an elongated muzzle, but with a number of cosmetic changes – pink paint was erased from the spikes, slightly updating them, the lower jaw was modified so that the crooked teeth did not climb out beyond its limits, and facial expressions were added to the eyebrows for greater expressiveness of Godzilla’s muzzle.
Now the atomic lizard was returned to the blue beam, which was already done in the MMC. Godzilla has slightly lost his dexterity and unbridled rage from the last picture, but still remains a formidable and dangerous monster, as in most of his on-screen appearances. Created by an atomic bomb, a giant monster that turns Tokyo into ruins.
However, this film still departs from the genre of the disaster film and from the direction of horror closer to the fantastic action movie. A huge lizard and a robot lizard fight throughout the film - the abundance of action here exceeds, in general, the first two representatives of the Millennium era, and the final night fight is so protracted that even the plot goes straight to dawn, under which the titles begin to go beautifully.
By the way, there is an important bonus episode after the credits. He also filled the picture with all sorts of cameos, including his own, and also shot baseball star Hideki Matsui. The film generally came out quite "Americanized" - in the frame of popcorn, then baseball, but the soundtrack was written by Russians - Moscow Symphony Orchestra with conductor Konstantin Dmitrievich Krimets commissioned by Michiru Oshima. By the way, the title theme of Akira Ifukube in this film, unfortunately, does not sound. But in general, the music of the picture turned out to be very successful and suitable.
In the center of the plot again father and daughter, as it was in the “Millennium”, as it was in the “MMK”, now a professor who fell for the main heroine of the military and his little daughter, strongly introverted after the death of her mother and unborn brother. Shin Takuma, by the way, starred in Godzilla 1984, and here in general many have either already starred in kaiju films or will play in a sequel or subsequent films.
However, despite the fact that many characters as the film prescribed a serious plot development, as the characters they look quite secondary against the background of all that in the Kaiju genre was filmed over the years. The main character and does take rather charm and pleasant appearance, rather than acting, but the professor in love with her on the contrary - greatly overplays.
However, it was noticeable even in "Megagirus" - the director of Tezuka, the battle of monsters is many times more interesting than human twists and turns, so with the script of Vataru Mimura (who wrote, by the way, and "Godzilla vs. Mehagodzilla 2" in 1993, and "Millennium" with "Megagirus" at the same time, as well as the general concept story to "Final Wars", as "Yamato Taker") manages very freely, paying more attention to the spectacle and battles.
The visual part of the film is in perfect order. Thanks to the updated facial expressions, Godlesilla looks even more alive than in the first Shinsei-era films, modifications and corrections went to the costume, as well as the appearance of the monster, only to the benefit.
But the new Mehagodzilla on all fronts is inferior to its counterpart from 1993, but at least surpasses its counterpart from the Shova period. The design, however, is quite good, except that the disaster with the knees, of course, is not good anywhere, and the purple nozzle with missiles looks very plastic toy, there is no metal mechanization, as was Takao Okawara in Haysey. But Kiryu successfully digitized, the film even managed graphic computer effects using graphics, especially the moment of forced landing, and episodes with “white herons” – new fighters.
But the concept of refueling through microwaves and power outages all over Tokyo looks strange, but the episode where Godzilla is preparing to blow up the hospital with a beam, and Kirya is charged with a deft stick saves a little girl - fully justifies any conventions.
The only problem is that Kiryu is made on the basis of the skeleton of the first Godzilla, he has restored the cells of the spinal cord, he is more a cyborg than a robot, and therefore at the right moment he gets out of control, remembers his true nature, disobeys commands and even begins to tear Tokyo apart.
The spectacle is enough, and the city layouts are made at the highest level - tanks, cars, buildings - everything is as real, well, the year in the yard was already 2002, the hand on this was stuffed in the nineties, continuing to improve from film to film, if not overdo it with mashups. But they are also important, episodes where people run away against the background of a giant monster always in a special way cling to their atmosphere of what is happening.
Kiryu's weapons add more special effects and explosions to the frame - rockets fly, rays and lightning shoot, and in the sternum something new - the Absolute Zero Gun, capable of decomposing everything into molecules. True Godzilla will not let you just shoot yourself with such a thing and stand still at gunpoint also does not intend.
Well-written human characters give a couple of memorable emotional scenes, moreover, this time at least without a double side story, everything is told more linearly, but with their own micro-stories of relationships inside. You can’t say that Tezuka did a lot of work on the mistakes, rather remained true to himself, but the film still did not become less chic. Everything is still too confused jumping from event to event, while months and years pass on the screen.
Just from such a plot and such a scenario, with such and such characters could get something more and grandiose than just a great film about Godzilla. But not every picture to become an absolute masterpiece, especially after the previous "MMC" bar was very, very high, and secondary ideas sincerely trying to bring something new to the old traditions at least managed to fit into a boring and high-quality film, which is already worthy of praise.
8 out of 10
Original