At this point, things in the Godzilla franchise has ventured into some extremely campy and far-out sci-fi B-movie territory. Not only does this film feature Godzilla and Mechagodzilla duking it out, but there are also dinosaurs and aliens hailing from the third planet of some black hole. Yep, dinosaurs, mutant radioactive lizards, a giant mecha, and space aliens all inhabit the screen together. Come to think of it, there was a cyborg in the mix too, wasn't there? It makes for a rather convoluted and mixed viewing experience.
When it comes to the actual mass destruction, it's all shoved toward the end of the movie, feeling a bit short, and with very little that stands out. The rest of the film is focused on the drama (including huge heapings of people in war rooms and command centers, aliens scheming, and some kind of romantic subplot), which is not inherently bad, but it drags at spots and never really gives the film much momentum.
As mentioned above, the story can be a bit nutty, but it has its moments. The characters have a few standout moments (thanks largely to the love story that's thrown in), but a lot of them take the back seat to all the conspiracy surrounding the monsters.
This film is made with good, but never great, photography and editing. Acting and writing are generally not bad. This production has some very cheap and gaudy-looking sets, props, costumes, and special effects. The model work, monsters, and compositing/projection effects have not aged well, and look pretty bad. Music is okay.
Terror of Mechagodzilla struck me as a pretty cheesy B-movie, offering a mish-mash of numerous crazy ideas. Despite the clash of aliens, robots, and monsters, the film didn't really engage me that much, and it felt dull overall. Fans might dig it though.
3/5 (Entertainment: Average | Story: Average | Film: Average)
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