Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla

 

How you feel about Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla really depends on how you feel about the human plot of the movie. While I do enjoy some of the character development and in particular two of the characters, there are too many subplots and relationships I don't invest in. I enjoy the look of SpaceGodzilla and the final battle is great and lengthy. The set design with the white crystals in the final battle is a spectacle. Godzilla movies are better to me when the monster's motivations drive the story. Most Godzilla movies can't get away with a runtime over 95 minutes without having a uneven balance between humans and the monsters, this is no exception. It is nice to have a Godzilla team up movie in the Heisei Era instead of having Godzilla as the villain. 

Synopsis: "Godzilla is threatened by two new forces: Mogera - another UN built machine; and Space Godzilla - a beast spawned from Godzilla's particles in space."

The movie starts with the forming of SpaceGodzilla. This is later explained by scientists to be Godzilla cells from Biollante and Mothra that fused together with black and white holes in space. I enjoy the continuity within the Heisei Era and how they can bring back minor characters and details from the previous movies. The United Nations Godzilla Countermeasures Center go to Birth Island to shoot a mind control device into Godzilla. They ask returning character, psychic Miki Saegusa (Megumi Odaka) to help them. The characters on the island lieutenants Shinjo and Sato are successful in getting the mind control device on Godzilla. Meanwhile they meet Major Akira Yuki (Akira Emoto) on the island. Akira was a friend of Gondo who got killed by Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Biollante and has held a grudge on him ever since. The first unnecessary subplot of this movie is him thinking he can kill Godzilla by shooting him in a certain place with a little gun that looks smaller than a toy. It does set up a redemption arc for him later on though. 

SpaceGodzilla then arrives and uses his cosmic-like powers to great effect. He has a shield of sorts to block Godzilla's atomic ray. This is alll about 35-40 minutes to the movie by the way. There is an emotional moment where before Godzilla shows up SpaceGodzilla is just blasting away at Little Godzilla. Godzilla later shields Little Godzilla from more damage as SpaceGodzilla traps him in a giant crystal ball. Before this battle even happens the Japanese Self Defense Forces send their new mecha-toy into space, Moguera. I don't like the design of Moguera and I don't like the look of SpaceGodzilla in space as how giant the crystals are compared to it's body makes it look too much like a toy. 

Enter unnecessary subplot two where the scientist who came with them to the Island decides to capture Miki for her psychic abilities. They save her real quick. This scene is really only necessary to show off Miki's telekinetic abilities. That is the biggest problem with this movie is that while the subplots, specifically with Yuki and Miki act as further character development they do little to actually drive the story. Before the final battle Yuki and Gondo's daughter Chinatsu (Towako Yoshikawa) have a Leia-Han Solo moment from Empire Strikes Back. She confesses her feelings for him and he says his lighter is out. It's the only fun moment of the romantic subplot. 

SpaceGodzilla decides to use Fukuoka tower as an energy source to destroy the Earth's core. Godzilla and Moguera, piloted by Yuki, Shinjo, and Sato, work together. Moguera does split up in a very Power Rangers type sequence into different machines then combines back into one again. The other vehicle is a drill like one that goes underground to destroy the tower. Yuki pilots the Falcon version. There is an awesome effect when the crystals on SpaceGodzilla's shoulders are destroyed and blown up. The set of this final battle is one of the best sets in any final battle in a Godzilla movie. MechaGodzilla has all these white crystals around that he uses as projectiles. The result is a bright white cityscape in the dark. With some teamwork, Godzilla destroys the tower and the reformed megazord version of Moguera destroys the crystal shoulders on SpaceGodzilla. Godzilla uses his super atomic breath to destroy SpaceGodzilla. If it weren't for some of the unnecessary subplots I would really like this movie more. The battles and SpaceGodzilla's design and powers are awesome. The score is a lot like Jon Barry. The opening theme on the island sounds so much like Live and Let Die.

Rating: 7/10

Trivia: According to a 2019 Japanese book on special effects films of the Heisei era, American director Tim Burton told the authors over a bottle of sake this was his favorite Godzilla film.