31 Days of Cheese Day 5: Godzilla vs Megalon

(Busy day tomorrow so I'm posting this early)

Well you knew the big guy as going to show up eventually – while I think that Japanese Monster films (Kajiu in the current lingo – Japanese for giant I think) have gotten a short shrift from critics there are good Godzilla films (the first one, Godzilla vs. Mothra, All Out Monsters Attack) fun Godzilla films (Invasion of the Astro Monster, Monster Zero, and MechGodzilla ) and less good ones (Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla, Son of Godzilla) bad Godzilla films (Godzilla’s Revenge) and then this one.

Coming towards the end of the initial Godzilla run 1954-1977 (1973 to be exact) the film suffered from the troubles of the Japanese film industry – attendance was down from the competition from Television and as a result budgets and time to film were slashed to the bone.

While some series tried to compete with TV by ladling their films with sex and violence, the Godzilla series really didn’t have that option so they just made them a) as cheap as possible and b) aimed them at younger and younger viewers.

This film was the culmination of this trend – it has an annoying kid and a goofy monster – apparently a large bug that is controlled by the dwellers of an undersea civilization Seatopea (who on earth came up with that name?). It also features Jet Jaguar a robot that can made itself as big as Godzilla and comes with a ear shattering theme song. Per Wikipedia this was to be a Jet Jaguar solo film but Toho decided he couldn't carry the film. Since he was never seen again, I think they were right.

In the end, after a very long but not so good monster fight on a very dull set, Godzilla defeats the Megalon and sails off in to the sunset – the next two films Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla and Terror of MechGodzilla skewed a bit more adult and were simply better made films but even so the big guy wouldn’t show up on screens until 1984.

Enjoy with chocolate covered ants.