Before bowing out of the '70s and effectively ending his Showa era of films, Godzilla had one last battle to endure. This entry, Terror of Mechagodzilla, would see the return of two of Godzilla's "fathers" - director Ishiro Honda and composer Akira Ifukube. The screenplay was submitted via yet another Toho contest, this time being won by a female contestant named Yukiko Takayama, one of only two women to have written a Godzilla film up to that point (the other being Son of Godzilla). As per usual, her draft was heavily re-written by the studio. This film picks up right after the end of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, giving us one more bout with Godzilla's robotic nemesis, as well as introducing audiences to another kaiju that had a one-and-done appearance, Titanosaurus. Although Toho didn't necessarily want this to be the final Godzilla film of the Showa era, declining revenue and ticket sales, in addition to a nationwide energy crisis, meant that Godzilla would be shelved for nearly a decade. Fans generally agree that he went out on a high note, though, with this film taking on a darker tone than the series had employed in quite some time.
Picking up right after the events of the last film, Terror of Mechagodzilla finds the alien race from the last film - those guys from the Third Planet from the Black Hole - trying to rebuild Mechagodzilla, while also working with the deranged Dr. Mafune (Akihiko Hirata), who has somehow created Titanosaurus, a massive aquatic beast that he wants to unleash upon the world. A fellow marine biologist, named Ichinose, works with Interpol to find the whereabouts of Dr. Mafune. They eventually find his daughter, who turns out to be a cyborg. The aliens hope to use both monsters under their control to wipe out the earth and rebuild anew, but Mafune is erratic and lets Titanosaurus go on a rampage without their consent, and Interpol figures out the beast is sensitive to ultrasonic frequencies. Eventually, Mechagodzilla is repaired and the two titans begin to destroy the city of Yokosuka, but Godzilla arrives in time to do battle with both. The film climaxes in a very traditional sense, with the humans defeating their alien attackers as Godzilla does his best to destroy both enemy monsters to retain his crown as King.
This film marked the final contributions for a couple of the series' most notable people. Director Ishiro Honda came back to give Godzilla his temporary sendoff. This was Honda's eighth feature in the series, and his run was only marred by one truly underwhelming film - All Monsters Attack. He moved away from using some of the most kid-friendly aspects of previous films, maintaining a grim, dark tone throughout this entry. I'd say Terror of Mechagodzilla is every bit as dark as Godzilla vs. Hedorah, only without the social message attached to it. The alien plot line is a little undercooked, since it had just been used in the previous film, but Honda does well in keeping the monster activity peppered throughout the running time so it never lags. There were plans for Honda to come back to the series and direct 1993's Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, but he died before production could begin. There is no doubt, however, that his name will forever be inextricably linked to Godzilla.
Akira Ifukube returns to deliver his first new score for the series since 1968's Destroy All Monsters. Although he was credited as composer on Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), everything used on that film was stock. His score for Terror of Mechagodzilla is, frankly, fucking exquisite. It can't be properly appreciated within the context of the film, but on its own this is one of his best efforts ever. The music is very synth-heavy and dark, with many low, rumbling keyboard notes anchoring the score. Some of the standout tracks use instruments that haven't been heard previously in any Godzilla score, such as an organ. Ifukube has this amazing ability to craft new music for the series that is unique in its own right, but still fits in perfectly with his compositions as a whole over the course of the series. Themes are reprised with differing instrumentation, suiting the mood of what the scene calls for. After the more playful and light soundtracks that Masaru Sato had been composing, this was a welcomed change of pace to remind viewers the world of Godzilla is not always so fun. I mean, it is to us, but a return to the doom and gloom days was needed.
The MegaroGoji suit was used here again, for the last time, with more changes being made to his facial appearance. This "new" suit, dubbed MekaGyakushuGoji, had a smaller muzzle, with lowered brows and smaller eyes. Quite honestly, it looks very similar to the look he had for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, only with an expression that conveys equal parts humor and horror. He's still got the bulldog face, but it's softened a bit. There was a second Godzilla suit created for Mechagodzilla in disguise that was used in the previous film, and here it's used for Godzilla's final shot as he wades into the ocean and swims away. It's a clunky looking suit, definitely better suited to Mechagodzilla in hiding than a proper Godzilla, but as I've stated many times before Toho liked using old suits for water shots.
The American version of Terror of Mechagodzilla had a few minor trims (including the one shot of nudity in the entire series, which is funny because the boobs you see belong to a mannequin), hich reduced the running time by around five minutes. It received a theatrical release in March 1978 under the title of Terror of Godzilla. The following year, when it had been sold to cable, the film was titled back to Terror of Mechagodzilla and had an additional six minutes of footage added before the title card as a prologue. This new intro utilized footage from Godzilla vs. Monster Zero and All Monster's Attack (which itself contained footage from other movies), serving as an introduction to the character of Godzilla, as well as the alien races that have attempted to destroy him and our world. While totally unnecessary to the film itself, it's a well-edited piece that offers a great overview of some events that led up to this picture.
And so ends Godzilla's Golden Age. Fans can, and will, debate about which era was the best in series - Showa, Heisei, or Millenium - but for my money, nothing beats the unadulterated joy that comes from watching these early installments. Sure, we get a few clunkers along the way, but there's nothing outright unwatchable. Even All Monsters Attack has some merit, though it isn't much. Even with the one or two "bad" entries aside, that leaves thirteen (!) films of our favorite fire-breathing monster, fighting his way through numerous, varied adventures. Very few, if any, characters in cinema have ever enjoyed such a run. But, Godzilla had more or less run his course since his birth in 1954, and a short break from cinema can do wonders for a character. He'd come back almost a decade later, resembling the feared beast he began as, kicking off the Heisei (or Vs.) series that brought back many of his most memorable allies and villains. It's a film that I watched so much on VHS as a kid the tape practically wore out - Gojira (1984).
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