Terror of Mechagodzilla

Terror of MechaGodzilla メカゴジラの逆襲 (Mekagojira no Gyakushū) is a 1975 produced by Toho Company Ltd., and the fifteenth installment in the Godzilla series as well as the Showa series. The film was released to Japanese theaters on March 15, 1975.

Plot
Continuing after the end of Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla, Interpol agents, led by Inspector Kusaka, search for the wreck of MechaGodzilla at the bottom of the Okinawan Sea in the submarine, Akatsuki, to gather information on its builders, the aliens of the Third Planet from the Black Hole. But, the Akatsuki is suddenly attacked by a giant aquatic dinosaur called Titanosaurus, and the crew is apparently lost.

In response to the incident, Interpol begins to investigate. With the help of marine biologist Akira Ichinose, they trace the incident and Titanosaurus to a reclusive, mad scientist named Shinzô Mafune, who was forced to leave the institute, and now wants to destroy them as well as all of mankind. When visiting his old house in the seaside forest of Manazuru, they meet Mafune's lone daughter Katsura, who tells them that not only is her father dead, but she also burned all of his notes on the giant dinosaur, at her father's request. But unbeknownst to them, Mafune himself is alive and well, visited by his scientist friend Tsuda, who turns out to be an aide to the new black hole alien leader Mugal, who is leading the project to quickly rebuild MechaGodzilla. Mugal offers their services to Mafune, so that his Titanosaurus and their MechaGodzilla 2 will be the ultimate weapons. The ultimate goal of this new wave of black hole aliens is to wipe out mankind and rebuild cities around the world as a high-tech dystopia.

But things are complicated for both factions when Ichinose falls in love with Katsura, and unwittingly giving her Interpol's secret information against Titanosaurus, the new MechaGodzilla, and the aliens. We also find that Katsura is actually a cyborg, and Mugal may have use for her.

In the course of the film, Interpol discovers Titanosaurus' weakness: Supersonic waves. But when they construct a Supersonic Wave Oscillator, Katsura sabotages the machine, prompting Interpol to hastily repair it before Mafune and the aliens unleash MechaGodzilla and Titanosaurus on Tokyo.

And when the situation gets desperate, Godzilla comes to the rescue. After a long battle, Katsura commits suicide, and ends the Simian's control over MechaGodzilla and Titanosaurus. While Interpol distracts Titanosaurus with the Supersonic Wave Oscillator, Godzilla is able to destroy MechaGodzilla. After shooting down the Simian escape craft that are trying to get away from the planet, Godzilla then has a final battle with Titanosaurus after he was weakened by the Supersonic Wave Oscillator. Godzilla blasts Titanosaurus with atomic ray twice and Titanosaurus then falls back into into the water, with his fate being unknown.

As his human allies celebrate their victory, Godzilla returns to the sea and lets out a final roar.

Monsters

 * Godzilla (MegaroGoji)
 * MechaGodzilla (GyakushuMekaGoji)
 * Titanosaurus
 * Manda (Stock Footage)
 * King Ghidorah (Stock Footage)
 * Rodan (Stock Footage)
 * King Caesar (Stock Footage)

Weapons, Vehicles, and Races

 * Black Hole Planet 3 Aliens
 * Katsura
 * Black Hole UFO
 * Type 61 Tank
 * F-4EJ Phantom II
 * Akatsuki
 * M4A3E8 Sherman Tank (Stock Footage)

Alternate Titles

 * MechaGodzilla's Counterattack (Literal Japanese Title)
 * Terror of Godzilla (United States)
 * Monsters from an Unknown Planet (England)
 * Monsters of the Lost Continent (Les mostres du continent perdu; France)
 * The Brood of the Devil (Die brut des Teufels; Germany)
 * Destroy Kong! The Earth is in Danger! (Distruggete Kong! La Terra è in pericolo!; Italy)
 * Fighting in Starfield (Fezada mücadele; Turkey)

Theatrical Releases

 * Japan - March 15, 1975
 * United States - 1978

U.S. Release
Terror of MechaGodzilla was distributed in the United States by Bob Conn Enterprises in 1978.

Box Office
In Japan, the film sold 970,000 tickets. It remains the lowest grossing Godzilla film of all time in Japan, and is also one of only two Godzilla films to sell less than one million tickets. As a result, the series was put on hold until returning in 1984 with The Return of Godzilla.

Reception
Despite being considered a bomb at the Japanese box office, it is often looked upon as a strong fan favorite. Fans praise this movie for its fun fight scenes, the return of series veterans like Ishiro Honda and Akira Ifukube, the darker tone compared to other Godzilla films from the 1970's, and interesting characters, like Dr. Mafune and Katsura.

Video Releases
Simitar (1998) Toho (2002) Classic Media (2002) Madman (2007) Classic Media (2008)
 * Released: May 6, 1998
 * Region: All Regions
 * Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
 * Format: Color, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
 * Other Details: 1.33:1 aspect ratio, 79 minutes run time, 1 disc, American version
 * Released: 2002
 * Region: Region 2
 * Language: Japanese
 * Released: September 17, 2002
 * Region: Region 1
 * Language: English
 * Format: Color, Dolby, NTSC
 * Other Details: 1.33:1 aspect ratio, 79 minutes run time, 1 disc, American version
 * Released: 2007
 * Region: Region 4
 * Released:
 * Region: Region 1
 * Language: Japanese, English
 * Format: Multiple Formats, Anamorphic, Widescreen, NTSC, Color, Subtitled
 * Other Details: 2.35:1 aspect ratio, 83 minutes run time, 1 disc, Japanese version

Trivia

 * This is the final Godzilla film to not have Godzilla himself mentioned in its title.
 * This was the last Godzilla film directed by Ishiro Honda.
 * This was Akihiko Hirata's final appearance in a Godzilla film.
 * This was Tomoko Ai's film debut. She was previously a semi-regular in the TV series Ultraman Leo.
 * This film, much unlike the films prior to it, had a much darker tone and returned to the original style of the series. It was much more serious, and fans often consider Titanosaurus to hark back to the more realistic of the early Showa era.
 * This is the first Godzilla film to feature an original score by Akira Ifukube since 1968's Destroy All Monsters; although Ifukube's music had previously been used in 1972's Godzilla vs. Gigan, it was all stock music from previous scores.
 * The monster situation in this film is the opposite of the previous, where it was Godzilla and King Caesar against MechaGodzilla. Also, MechaGodzilla is not a melee-capable fighter like his first version. This is shown in how, when Godzilla does finally get in close to attack, MechaGodzilla is incapable of fighting him off. Perhaps since Titanosaurus was backing him up, the aliens designed MechaGodzilla as a long-ranged attacker to back up Titanosaurus' melee power.
 * Humorously, MechaGodzilla's "new weapons" are his finger-launched missiles as before, only the hand spins several times very fast before firing them. What effect this has on the missiles' destructive ability is unknown. One character does mention them being a weapon with a faster rate of fire, but this is not enough to be noticeable.
 * Dr. Mafune's anatomical drawings are from Ultraman, specifically Kemular, Zaragas and Telesdon.
 * This film also had the first shot of nudity in a Godzilla film: Katsura's prosthetic breasts are exposed while Planet 3 surgeons operate on her lower heart area.

Poll
Do you like Terror of MechaGodzilla? Yes! No. Kind of.

Die Brut des Teufels Terror of MechaGodzilla