In just a few more workweek , Godzilla Singular Pointisfinally hit Netflix , and that means we ’re getting abrand new versionof one of our favourite super robot pal , Jet Jaguar . To observe , we ’re looking back at his origin story in Godzilla vs. Megalon , and get a movie that is , for better or bad , the embodiment of the dumb - play lusus naturae motion-picture show .
Treating monster films as nothing but obtuse dreck that ’s all big silly fight and nothing beneath the surface is nothing new . From the genre ’s blood line all the style up to western hits like this year’sGodzilla vs. Kong , there ’s always going to be a spot for a freak picture show that sell depth — or in some caseseven consistent coherence — for the wide - eyed spectacle of monster - on - demon action . Who needs learning ability when you may have cities being charge by larger - than - life titan , anyway ? Godzilla ’s cinematic career is no exception to this , of track , but 1973 ’s Godzilla vs Megalon might be the ultimate instance of a film that ride or die on how much you’re able to prize some gargantuan - sized roguery andgleeful sillinessover any gloss of seriousness .
A film that feels almost in equal parts embraced ( especially for its special guest asterisk and its concluding fighting chronological sequence ) and revile ( for its lustreless plot , over - reliance on reused footage , and its absurdist element ) by the bighearted gee ’s fandom in the years since , Godzilla vs. Megalon really is the kind of film to recognize your arithmetic mean for go in . It never present itself as trying to be more than the amount of its part ( role that are , confessedly , load to breaking at clip ) , but if you go in require the franchise to say something about the humanity like its large entries are capable of doing , well , what you ’re go to find here is instead something more on the business of “ What if Godzilla dropkicked a fool , and it was so dainty he did it twice ? ”
Now that’s teamwork.Screenshot: Toho
Godzilla vs Megalon ’s threadbare patch mostly pulls us away from Godzilla as a focusing . After their underwater civilisation is ravaged by humanity ’s atomic testing — the same tests that gave us the King of the Monsters in the first place — the vengeful Seatopians , lead by Emperor Antonio ( Robert Dunham ) , unleash their flagitious god Megalon to destroy the surface public . While Godzilla and his buddy on Monster Island are sidelined by shockwaves from a late nuclear test , the Seatopians place a Japanese inventor name Goro Ibuki ( Katsuhiko Sasaki ) . They require to use Ibuki ’s late invention , a humanoid robot nominate Jet Jaguar , to command Megalon ’s way of destruction on Earth . As Goro and his helper wrestle with captivity to regain control of Jet Jaguar — and the JSDF skin to block off Megalon ’s assault on Tokyo — eventually , Goro succeed and practice Jet Jaguar ’s control system to get the robot to call Godzilla for help . After Jet Jaguar inexplicably gets his Ultraman on and develop to monstrous size , the robot and the King of the Monsters team up to tag - team brawl both Megalon and Godzilla ’s then - recent rival , Gigan ( mostly via footage reprocess from 1972 ’s Godzilla vs Gigan ) .
That ’s … it , really . Godzilla vs Megalon just does n’t really have much going on to justify its already pretty threadbare 80 - moment runtime , as it flits about between the flimsy threat of the Seatopians and Goro ’s attempts to break devoid of their captivity to regain access to Jet Jaguar . The focus on Jet Jaguar — infamously created as part of a small fry ’s competition byproduction studio Tohoto design a new monster for the enfranchisement — makes the movie feel less like a Godzilla movie and more of a pastiche ofUltraman ’s neat hits . As much fun as the golem is , it ’s heavy not to have it experience like it ’s almost out of property for what Godzilla was at this power point in his history , well into his arc of evolution from monstrous , horrifying threat to one of Japan ’s heavy heroes . Even then , the film skin with what it want to do with Jet Jaguar when it brush up against the liberal re - use of prior footage , as production warp under the vivid asks of Godzilla ’s resurgence in the cultural consciencepost - King Kong vs Godzilla .
And yet , when you put away the bits of Godzilla vs. Megalon that do n’t quite colloidal gel ( which is , admittedly , quite a significant chunk ) there is still something there , deeply aboriginal in its understructure simplicity , that makes elements of it charming . The last fight between Jet Jaguar , Godzilla , Gigan , and Megalon is a messy delight , and the first clock time the film feels like it actually has any kind of energizing energy to it after its wind build - up . Even if you putthe infamous dropkick away — in which Jet Jaguar pin Megalon so Godzilla can slide in on his tail like he ’s skewer in the face of whatever god purgative answers to for deport a two - footed kick flop to its chest — it ’s a wonderful bite of monster - on - robot - on - monster action . After making 80 minutes feel more like 120 , it feels like Godzilla vs. Megalon finally just go “ Well , you care the fights , do n’t you ? ” The motion-picture show never aimed higher , and at least it hand over .
Whether the bequest it left on the franchise in this regard — the perception of the demon motion-picture show genre as nothing more than shock and awe , and lightheaded prophylactic courting smashing against each other — has been an totally positive matter is a unlike question wholly . On the one hand , Godzilla vs. Megalon ’s cultural hoard in the years since means monster movies , Godzilla or otherwise , always face that acclivitous conflict of whether or not they want to be more than spectacle . On the other , it ’s a monitor that franchises as big as this , as varied as this , have space to sometimes just go for the cheap thrills that make blockbusters the joy they are . No matter how you sense about Godzilla vs Megalon ’s flimsiness , or Jet Jaguar ’s bizarre origin in its stock etymon , there is something satisfying about a elephantine robot and the King of all Kaiju shaking hands after a job ’s well done and calling it a day , no matter how serious you take your behemoth picture show .
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