GODZILLA-THON #19 - Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)

Quickly moving on after Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah proved to be a box office hit, production ramped up for Godzilla's next battle - his 19th film - this time against another popular adversary: Mothra. Toho didn't want to try introducing new monsters to the series without having some old favorites to headline the cast. So, with Mothra firmly set as the film's co-star, Toho decided to add in a kaiju that had been on the drawing board for a couple years - Battra, the evil version of Mothra. It's described as "black Mothra" in the film, though its appearance is certainly more grotesque than that of Mothra. In addition to bringing back both the larva and fully-formed versions of Mothra (which hadn't been seen 1966's Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster), the film also includes the mini twin princesses, known as the Cosmos here. With all of the essential elements in place, Toho delivered one of the series' most successful films ever, becoming the highest-grossing entry (unadjusted for inflation) and coming in second at the Japanese box office to Jurassic Park.

This is the first film of the series that I have no memories of whatsoever. Although I hadn't seen the previous entry, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, until many years after its release (it didn't get a U.S. VHS release until 1998), the books and pictures I saw of that production made me feel like I knew it. This film was the first one to have no childhood link, no memories of a building excitement to finally see the film proper. But it's easy to understand why this was such a hugely successful film for the series. The story itself is admittedly one of the least-engaging of the series, coming across like a half-cocked comedy with flourishes of an Indiana Jones picture. It's really the battles that make this film, with all three kaiju featured prominently, with numerous battles taking place throughout, culminating in a spectacular showdown at a giant Ferris wheel.

The opening of the film is ripped straight from Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), with an archaeological excavator, Takuya, dashing through an ancient temple after stealing a prized artifact. He's arrested, but offered the chance to be set free if he goes with a group to investigate an island where ruins have been found. He reluctantly agrees. When the group arrives, they find a massive egg and a hidden cave, where they come upon the Cosmos, two diminutive girls who are the protectors of Earth. They are informed that the egg belongs to Mothra, an ancient deity that fought against Battra, the "black" version of Mothra, when mankind tried to control Earth too much. A recent meteor strike has reawakened Godzilla, and the Cosmos fear it has also stirred Battra from its slumber. The egg is taken from the island via a massive platform towed in the ocean, but en route to Japan the ship is intercepted by both Godzilla and Battra. A battle ensues once the Mothra larva hatches, with both Godzilla and Battra getting in some big hits before Mothra retreats when the two titans decide to take on each other. At the ocean's floor, a large fissure opens up and swallows Godzilla and Battra in mid-battle.

Once back on the mainland, the Cosmos are kidnapped by corrupt members of the Diet of Japan. Mothra enters the city to rescue them, but instead finds a waiting army that launches a full-scale assault. Wounded, but not dying, Mothra makes her way to the Diet building and uses her webbing to form a cocoon. While Mothra metamorphoses, Godzilla reemerges from Mt. Fuji, while Battra returns from the sea, now in a final winged form. Mothra hatches in time to battle Battra, a battle she is losing before Godzilla shows up to get it back on with Battra. Unfortunately for Battra, it quickly loses the fight against Big G, but before a death blow can be dealt Mothra gets back into the melee and uses her "special powers" (in quotes because who the hell knows exactly what it is she's doing) to temporarily disable Godzilla. While he's down, she confers with Battra and forges an alliance, both of them seeing Godzilla as the bigger threat. The final battle sees the newly-formed tag team taking on Godzilla at the amusement part grounds, eventually knocking him down and carrying him off before Godzilla bites Battra and blasts it with his atomic breath, mortally wounding it. Mothra drops them both into the sea and heads off into space to stop some meteor that Battra was supposed to handle, but, you know, now it's dead and all...The end.

I found this to be the first entry in the series where I really felt no investment in the storyline. The faux Indiana Jones opening was bad enough, but there are so many moments of bad dialogue and forced humor peppered throughout that it's really hard to find much to like on the human side of things. It comes down to greedy businessmen and corrupt politicians, something that, coincidentally enough, the first Godzilla vs. Mothra (1964) deal with. But that picture had the benefit of '60s charm and sensibility, whereas this has nothing all that enticing.

This was the third time that Megumi Odaka returned as Miki Saegusa, the chick with ESP who seems to have the hots for Godzilla. Seriously, check out how she reacts to him during her run on the series. When she first appeared in Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989), there was something for her to do: trying to get inside Godzilla's mind. When that proved far too difficult (he made her pass out from his will), she came back in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) in a diminished role, essentially serving as mental liaison to Godzilla. She knows when he's arriving before anyone else. Here, she mainly helps out in finding the Cosmos and making some minor predictions about Godzilla's movements. I was never terribly fond of her character, seeing little value in someone mentally communicating with Godzilla, but over the course of her character's arc she did kinda grow on me. The series continued to keep familiar faces around during the Heisei era, too, but Miki is the only character to be featured in more than two Godzilla movies. Saegusa has said she'd love to return to the series decades later, as Akira Takarada has, and I say I'd welcome seeing her pop up in a new Toho production twenty years from now. Assuming they're still around and making Godzilla movies then...

Where this picture largely succeeds is in the monster battles. Some films in this series shy away from showing Godzilla until nearly an hour has passed, while others show him early and often. This movie employs more of the latter's formula, with Godzilla glimpsed early on when the huge meteor hits Earth. Fro that point onward, we get a number of battles between all of the principal monsters. I really loved Godzilla's underwater battler with Battra. Cinematographer Masahiro Kishimoto got some amazing wide angle shots that show off the beautiful environment created for these two to do battle. And his work during the climactic battle at the amusement park is, again, replete with outstanding camera work. Once the three-way melee starts going, it rarely lets up for anything else to be shown. And Battra is a formidable opponent for both Mothra and Godzilla, too. The choreography and impressive suit actor work more than make up for any lackluster moments with the human cast.

Godzilla got a minor facelift once again. This new suit ,the BatoGoji, featured changes like golden-hued eyes, pronounced ribbing on the neck, a slightly smaller head, and a minor rearrangement of the dorsal plates. The look is very much in line with Koichi Kawakita's overall design for the Godzilla of the '90s, and I like that he went back and made small, but noticeable, changes for each subsequent film. Honestly, it wouldn't feel like a Godzilla movie if something wasn't changed a little between each entry.

Akira Ifukube returned once again to provide the film's score. I wasn't terribly impressed with his work here, as it features a re-working of some classic themes alongside new compositions that, frankly, aren't nearly as memorable. It's a shame because I really dug what he did for the Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah score. It's not bad by any means. Think of it like Ennio Morricone's oeuvre - he's never done an outright bad score (although, admittedly I haven't heard all 200+ he's done), and even his most "lazy" work is exemplary. But because Ifukube set his own bar so high, it's telling if he doesn't quite reach it. I will give him credit for Mothra's themes here, which are these haunting, ethereal interpretations of her classic melody. They're utterly beautiful.

On a more pressing note: this film is another candidate badly in need of a new Blu-ray release. The current DVD, from Sony/Columbia, is a full frame motherfucker with a shitty 2.0 English dub track (good god!). It is deplorable in every sense of the word. I was fortunate enough to find a decent widescreen DVD bootleg, which appears to have been sourced from the Japanese release. With Godzilla's 60th birthday upon us this very year, I'd say it's high time we get every goddamn movie in stunning HD.

Scanners II: The New Order (1991)/Scanners III: The Takeover (1992) Blu-ray review

David Cronenberg’s 1981 sci-fi/horror opus Scanners has long been considered a classic amongst horror fans, due in large part to the infamous exploding head scene that occurs during its opening. That effect (crafted by the legendary Dick Smith) has pervaded pop culture even to this day, giving the picture a hook of notoriety that has almost outshined the film itself. The concepts and abilities introduced in that universe practically begged for a sequel… and it got one. In fact, it got a lot of them. And for some reason or another, nobody seems to remember anything about them. I know people who watch the first film regularly, yet they had no clue any further films existed until (who else?) Scream Factory came along to drop a double dose of telekinetic madness on home video. The fact of the matter is that both of these films - Scanners II: The New Order (1991) and Scanners III: The Takeover (1992) – were unceremoniously dumped onto VHS in the early ‘90s, totally bypassing any kind of a theatrical release. It’s telling that they were produced within less than a year of each other. Truthfully, neither film comes close to matching Cronenberg’s initial vision, but each is kinda awesome in a “terrible ‘90s horror movie” sort of way. There also isn’t a single identifiable actor in either film, which might explain why no one was eager to pick them up for theatrical exhibition. A little gravitas can go a long way, you know? Still, the films do at least adhere loosely to some of the plotting set forth by Cronenberg, with Scanners II tying nicely into the first film via a minor, predictable plot twist while Scanners III takes a let’s-go-nuts approach and almost manages to become a cult classic in the process.

Scanners II: The New Order takes place ten years after the first film, introducing us to David (David Hewlett), a young man who has scanning abilities that he has trouble controlling because he lives in a major metropolitan city. All those minds “talking” at once create a lot of mental congestion in his head. He catches the eye of Commander John Forrester (Yvan Ponton), an ambitious leader who wants to assemble a team of scanners to help create a new order in the city. He’s been experimenting on scanners for years, doping them up with a drug called EPH-2 that’s supposed to ease their constant headaches and numb their abilities. But the problem is that it’s highly addictive, leaving most of his scanning team looking like drugged-out extras from the Forbidden Zone out of Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970). His latest find, a wanderer named Drak (Raoul Trujillo), is a volatile scanner who prefers to use his powers for evil; and Forrester needs someone who will play ball. He enlists David, and things go well at first until he learns that Forrester has intentions of eliminating the city’s top officials and inserting himself and other scanners in those high-ranking positions of power. David tries to get out, but Forrester sends Drak and another associate in pursuit. They learn David is hiding at his parent’s house, and they attack while David is out. His father survives, telling David he’s really adopted and that he’s got an older sister living in a cabin by the woods. David sets out to find his sister so that the two of them can storm Forrester’s compound and stop his insane bid to control the city.

The employment of drug addiction as a central plot point was popular in the early ‘90s. The first year of that decade alone saw this film, RoboCop 2, and I Come In Peace, all of which dealt with hardcore drug use and addiction in some way. The ‘90s were a period of reflection, when filmmakers looked back on the party hard days of riding the white pony in the ‘80s and turned the tide by showcasing the dangerous effects of drug abuse. There’s a clear allegory being drawn here by demonstrating how injecting EPH-2 wreaks havoc on the bodies of its test subjects. David, who remains “pure”, avoids these debilitating side effects by learning to cope with his abilities and focus them, rather than taking the easy way out by escaping into a drugged-out release from his constant pain. The notion of creating an elite scanner unit holds some interest, too, but those intentions are never fully realized. It really all boils down to David vs. Drak, which is a rehash of Vale vs. Revok from the last film. And the dude who plays Drak is no Michael Ironside. Forrester doesn’t make for an interesting villain because he’s just a regular dude hung up on power; he isn’t even a scanner. This, when you think about it, makes him pretty damn stupid, since he regularly abuses the exact kind of people he knows are capable of controlling the planet. Would you keep pissing off someone who can make your head explode? Right.

Don’t worry, fans, the series’ trademark cranial eruptions are present here. None of them even comes close to matching the intensity and HOLY SH*T!-ness of the first film’s opening explosion, but there are some mildly commendable effects shown here. Director Christian Duguay doesn’t turn this film into a frantic bloodbath, and there is a nice balance struck between furthering the story and satisfying the bloodlust of fans watching at home. I had hoped the climax would veer into a grandiose showdown between scanners – and it does to a degree – but things could have been punched up a bit more to increase the impact. As it stands, Scanners II is a decent, totally watchable sequel that expands upon the first film’s story while also managing to stand on its own thanks to some new ideas. It’s not great, but it’s good enough.

Scanners III: The Takeover, on the other hand, is a blissful slice of absurdity. The film completely ignores the events and characters of the previous films, only retaining the concept of Ephemerol and its effects on unborn children. At the onset, we’re introduced to Alex (Steve Parrish) and his sister, Helena (Liliana Komorowska), both of whom are scanners. Scanning is a known trait in society, and Alex is goaded into using his powers as a party trick to impress drunken friends. But as he’s playfully pushing his best friend across the floor using only the power of his mind, someone bumps his shoulder, causing Alex to lose focus and mentally shove his buddy (dressed as Santa) right off his balcony high above the city. The event devastates Alex, so much so that he decides to flee the country and become a monk somewhere in Thailand (sadly, no Scanner Monk spinoffs have followed). In his absence, Helena becomes the sole heir to their father’s pharmaceutical company, a company which happens to produce EPH-3, yet another experimental drug that is intended to alleviate the constant pain scanners suffer. Sure, it’s not even close to being ready for human trails, but Helena doesn’t care so she slaps a patch on her neck to let the drug take effect. It works, but there’s the unfortunate side effect of it making her totally psychotic. And this is where Scanners III gets fun – with Helena using her incredible powers for all kinds of nasty, hilariously wrong antics. As you’d expect, Alex is the only one who can stop her, leading to his return and combat with his mental equal.

You’re a fan. You’ve been watching Scanners films. And you’ve been thinking, “Why haven’t I seen someone use scanning to make their boss do an embarrassing dance in front of a potential client?” Wait no longer friends, because Evil Helena has way too much fun with her powers. Annoying pigeon making noises nearby? BOOM! Someone points their finger in a threatening manner? EXPLODED! Don’t like the doctor’s diagnosis? BLOW HIS HEAD UP! Helena manages to figure out that she can scan people through the television, allowing her to influence a talk show host and his guest into canoodling on stage. And it works on VHS, too! So, now she can broadcast a scan signal to everyone in America. The film’s story is absolute crap, hardly interesting. But it more than makes up for that by unleashing a flurry of nasty little gore gags. One of the best deaths in the movie occurs when someone gets scanned underwater, resulting in a crimson explosion that rises up from the depths like a nuclear test. And there isn’t even enough time to discuss the Thailand kung-fu scanner fight. Suffice it to say, this film runs wild with generating new ways for a scanner to totally destroy people. It’s ridiculous from about 2/3 of the way in all the way up to the end credits. If only they’d had this pace right from the start, it could have been Ninja III: The Domination (1984) epic.

Both films come home with the same a/v specs - a 1.78:1 1080p transfer (which would be the original aspect ratio debut for both titles), as well as an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo track. Scanners II exhibits a heavy layer of grain throughout its running time, an issue that is only exacerbated in dark lighting. The image itself is moderately defined, displaying some crisp lines and a sharp picture for the most part. Faces show an average, unspectacular amount of detail, but flesh tones do appear to be natural and lifelike. The film has a muted color palette, so there aren’t many bright colors that pop off the screen to add some contrast. It looks about on par with any other direct-to-video low-budget flick produced over 20 years ago, to be honest. Scanners III fares about the same, although the grain here does veer into full-on noise territory in a few scenes, chief among them the boardroom meeting. This entry featured more daylight scenes, and the better lighting conditions allow the picture looks sharper and brighter. The print has some noticeable dirt specks that sporadically appear, whereas the print for II looked to be in better shape. On the audio side of things, neither track is impressive by any means. Scanners II actually showcases some good panning effects between the front end assembly, almost managing to mimic surround sound. The moody sax & piano score comes through clear and free from any audio defects. Dialogue is well-balanced in the mix. Scanners III was more of a mixed bag, with some dialogue levels sounding too low in the mix. There’s not much presence, leaving the sound anemic and lacking range. It would’ve been nice to get some low-end support on these films, but considering the rush job done on both for production it’s not surprising they sound like, well, really low-budget productions. Neither film has subtitles.

Also, neither film has extras. “Not even a trailer?” you say? No, not even a trailer.

Although neither film here comes close to matching the first – both in intellect and acting abilities – there’s a certain charm to watching them. Scanners II plays out very much like an expected sequel would, only with a few new elements added in to differentiate it from its predecessor. Scanners III, however, manages to go from being a chore to almost becoming an exploitative gem thanks to some fun gross-out gags that are peppered throughout the abysmally dull plot. Now Scream Factory just needs to get on releasing a twofer of both Scanner Cop films and that’ll wrap up the series on home video.