Godzilla x Megaguirus: G Annihilation Strategy So Godzilla 2000: Millennium really marked the first in a series of experiments by toho to see what direction to take the series in. So with the next film they gave it a clean slate, rebooted it, and it had its own universe. This time at the helm was long time Godzilla fan Masaaki Tezuka. The film starts by establishing that in this universe, Godzilla wasnt killed by the Oxygen Destroyer, rather continuing to ravage Japan, to the point where it is forced to retire nuclear power as resource so that he wont be attracted to it. In 1996, a science institute is established to create clean, plasma energy. But this attracts Godzilla just the same, who encounters a group of bazooka wielding commandos who engage in a fight with Godzilla. One of the commandos, Kiriko Tsujimori, witnesses her superior officer die to save her from Godzilla, and she swears vengeance against him. Fast forward to present day 2000, Kiriko, now commanding field officer of the anti-Godzilla unit G-Graspers, recruits young robotics prodigy Hajime Kudo to work on a new plan to kill. Godzilla: Dimension Tide, a satellite mounted black hole cannon designed to eradicate Godzilla once and for all. When DT is first tested, a wormhole is caused which leads to a giant prehistoric dragonfly, Meganula, depositing an egg and taken by a kid moving to Tokyo. In desperation to get rid of the egg, he dumps it in the sewers, which leads to the flooding of the downtown Tokyo area. eventually, a swarm of Meganula hatch and go to Godzilla as a power source, sucking his energy from him. DT is fired but fails to get Godzilla, and cant fire for another hour, so Godzillla escapes back into the sea. The Meganula go back to tokyo and inject their remaining life energy into their Queen dragonfly, Megaguirus, who has the ability of supersonic flight, to absorb Godzillas energy, and to cause electrical short-outs with her wingbeats. The plot in this film is very, very well done. it combines elements if science fiction all while making the characters interesting and likable along with interesting kaiju and. apace that never feels like it drags. The plot has an interesting structure and dynamic to it that sets it apart from the standard Godzilla plot. Unlike most films, this film is really about the personal struggle between our protagonist and Godzilla, with the opposing monster being a Side plot that grows into a big deal as the film progresses and and finally blossoms in the end. The plot seems to strikes a perfect balance between the human drama and making Godzilla a integral part of the story. Also, i loved the concept of the government conspiracy with the G Grasper commander and the science institute. Godzilla actually causes damage to the Japanese infrastructure, to the point where they cant have nuclear energy (or so they say) and move capital to Osaka. Our protagonist Kiriko Tsujimori (played by Misato Tanaka) showed us what the Millennium series would make a staple: a strong, interesting female protagonist who has a personal goal and wont stop till she succeeds, the goal here being to kill Godzilla and avenge a fallen ally. Tsujimoris arc is very similar to Akira Yukis in SpaceGodzilla, however her plot takes center stage here, as she proves time and time again that she will do extraordinary things to achieve her goal, whether its swimming and latching on to Godzilla to play a tracker, or going solo and flying into Godzilla in order to be a target for the Dimension Tide. I find the rest of the characters likable and annoy able, especially Hajime Kudo, played by Shosuke Tanihara, who is a lovable character with some very funny moments an dialogue. It was also great seeing veteran Golden Age actress Yuriko Hoshi return. I loved the way Godzilla was portrayed in this film, as a calculating and thinking monster who also has a nice touch of emotion thrown in. Most of this is evident in the final battle with Megaguirus. What makes this battle so great is that Godzilla, for the majority of the fight, cannot use his ray because Megaguirus is either to fast or has sucked his energy. This forces Godzilla to use his brain in this battle, and forcing himself to find ways to beat her without his usual methods. Thats why this battle is so great, it forces Godzilla to work for his victory, which to me is the basis for what makes a great Godzilla battle. Also, i liked the scene where Kiriko and her crew in the Griffon are flying behind Godzilla and before he turns to the sea, he swings his head and just stares straight at Kiriko and she returns the glare, as if he knows what shes thinking. I really enjoyed that part and felt it added something to his character. Tsutomu Kitagawa, returning from the last film, gives that added sense of character to Godzilla and adds a lot with body language and movement. Our new kaiju here is Megaguirus, who i feel is an underrated foe, as i feel she was one of the most interesting foes for our Big Guy. I get really annoyed when i hear people call her a Battra clone, i mean really what similarities are there? Insect flying monsters with more jagged looks to their wings? Thats all? Does this mean that we call baragon an Anguirus clone because he has a horn and is quadruped? Or that Mechagodzilla is a mechanikong clone because hes based on another monster? I call shenanigans on that claim. Regardless of that, she represents a true challenge to the King as for this battle, she has speed on her side, meaning godzilla cant rely on his beam and has to rely on quick thinking and intelligence. Also, in general she just looks really cool. One of my biggest regrets is not owning a Megaguirus figure, which i NEED to buy one day... The effects are great, the cgi while mediocre for Godzillas body (its just so jarring with the suit), does a good job with the meganula and Megaguirus, making her the first cgi flying kaiju. One thing that does make me proud to say is that Toho finally got wings right again. At first when we see Megaguirus she has that same stationary looking wingbeat, but thanks to cgi her wings have more quickness to them and look more natural. One thing that I feel i should address is the whole thing people say about seeing the wires in her first appearance, honestly that isnt a fault of Toho, but rather Sony who seemed to really screw up on the DVD lighting, but honestly i couldnt even see the wires on an HD tv, and i was looking this time. The action scenes, especially the main fight and the first battle in Osaka in 1996, are superb and well shot. Honestly, this is a new high for Toho effects and Kenji Suzuki proved himself worthy as a successor to Kawakita, which is why its so disheartening to hear how Toho made an absolutely STUPID decision to have him step down as SPFX director because they blamed him for the lackluster box office. Honestly, thats all on Toho really, its their fault for releasing this the next year without a break for the audience, or the right marketing. This film has amazing battles, great effects, and a great story, but none of that could be achieved to its fullest potential without One thing: the music. Newcomer Michiru Oshima, best known for Fullmetal Alchemist and the orchestral soundtrack for Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, became the first woman to score a Godzilla film, an she absolutely knocked it out of the park. Her score, in short, is superb. Her new Godzilla theme portrays a sense of power and menace, and personality, while the score as a while is just amazing. Overall, i honestly cannot see why this film is so overlooked in the series. It just doesnt make any sense to me at all, and just shows how this is truly a hidden gem of the series. It has amazing music, great battles, great characters, a great portrayal of Godzilla, an interesting villain and plot, and in general i feel is such an underrated film. I used to think it was just okay, but with the years passing and my tastes maturing, i truly see the greatness of the film and have since placed it among the best films if the series. Overall, i give it a well-deserved: 10/10
Posted on: Sun, 11 May 2014 18:03:23 +0000