Kaiju series

(On Cable TV, September 2021) Coming toward the end of the classic Toho era of the Godzilla cycle, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla clearly shows how crazy the narrative was getting by this fourteenth instalment of the series. Sure, we’ve got Godzilla living on Monster Island and a few friends. We also have apelike aliens trying to hatch an evil plan against earth. But we also have an ancient prophecy, a vision of great destruction and some shenanigans about a fake Godzilla before the skin is stripped away to reveal the villainous Mechagodzilla. All of this builds to the usual rubber-suit wrestling match, complete with Godzilla’s charming ping-pong eyes. It’s all pleasantly crazy, especially when you realize that it blends elements of The Planet of the Apes with some references to Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns. Jun Fukuda’s direction and the colour cinematography are still quite a bit of fun today, although the convolutions of the plot are really not as interesting as the series’ usual scenes of kaiju causing propriety destruction. I’m still trying to find my way around the series, but Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is not a bad addition, and by that point of the series, viewers have learned to tune out or enjoy the more outlandish plot elements.