Last night I sat down and watched my Region 3, Universe Laser DVD of Godzilla Vs Space Godzilla(1994). I have seen a lot of kaiju film fans, at message boards, label this movie as the weakest in the Heisei Godzilla film series. I'm not going to debate that particular position with anyone here or anywhere else on the internet. I will say that I like this movie considerably more now than I did when I first saw it on a bootleg VHS in late 1995.
Rather than chronicle the film's story and reveal any spoilers I'm simply going to offer both some positive and not so positive observations based on my most recent viewing of this film.
Thumbs up:
1. the actress who plays "Chinatsu Gondo", Towako Yoshikawa: she is possibly the hottest looking Japanese actress I have ever seen not named Yumiko Shaku. She's gorgeous!
2. the roar of "Space Godzilla": it has a warped quality and, while vaguely retaining part of Godzilla's roar is absolutely effective and unique
3. the short hairstyle of "Miki Saegusa"(Megumi Odaka). It makes an already adorable looking actress look even more comely!
4. Yuki, a wry witted, borderline surly and curmudgeonly fellow who, despite his disdain for Godzilla, gets his priorities right in time to assist Godzilla in the monster's final fight against Space Godzilla
5. the shootout between those who are guarding a kidnapped Miki Saegusa and her rescuers, G-Force officers Shinjo, Sato and Yuki: the guns used looked real for a change and actually sounded fairly real as well, a refreshing change from the often Showa G film gun play in which the firearms used look and sound like toys or novelties dropped out of a gumball machine
Thumbs down:
1. the effects and props used to render outer space during the first Mogera-Space Godzilla battle: they looked atrocious. Asteroids and other space debris looked like nothing more than styrofoam blocks and there appeared to be no depth whatsoever to the backgrounds
2. the overall rendering of Space Godzilla: I liked the head of the monster but the crystals on the monsters' shoulders appeared overly large. The flying sequences of the monster also looked sub par, the creature appearing about as aerodynamic as a cement block
3. the infamous "butt shot" of G-Force officer "Yuki", as he showered under a makeshift, outdoor set up on Birth Island. I'm not sure what possessed the producers of this film to include a shot of this man's buttocks. The immediate subsequent shot, that is of Sato briefly leering at Yuki, also was enough to creep me out a bit.
4. the overall design of "MOGERA": I thought this mechanical juggernaut looked too squat. A leaner look would have IMO made this machine look better.
Overall: Godzilla Vs Space Godzilla(1994) remains my least favorite Heisei Godzilla movie but is still a movie I enjoy watching every twelve to eighteen months.
If nothing else this movie has often made me wish for a movie in which we see Space Godzilla and Destoroyah square off. That would be an awesome battle!
Watch Godzilla Vs Space Godzilla(English dubbed language) at Crackle: http://crackle.com/c/Godzilla_vs._SpaceGodzilla/Godzilla_vs_SpaceGodzilla/2449112
To see this film on Sony Region 1 DVD(as part of a double feature) click the title of this blog entry or copy and paste this URL into your browser's nav bar: http://www.amazon.com/Godzilla-vs-SpaceGodzilla-Destoroyah/dp/B00003L9CB/ref=cm_cmu_pg_t
