JLRVancouver In this militaristic revision of Japan's troubled history with kaiju, Godzilla attacked once before, in 1954, and was defeated by Serizawa's oxygen destroyer. Other monsters have since attacked (Mothra and Gaira ("War of the Gargantuas", 1966)) and Japan's response to each attack is to develop newer, more powerful weapons. Now Godzilla has returned and a new weapon is needed, so tissue from the original Godzilla's skeleton is incorporated into a giant mecha to create a cybernetic "Mechagodzilla" (that this is the third incarnation of a "Mechagodzilla" is not part of this film's alternative history). Similar to the previous films in the millennium-series, Godzilla is a simply rampaging monster that needs to be destroyed (the concept that he's just a misunderstood dad, or that he is our guardian, or that he is our friend was (fortunately) put aside for this series). "Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla" (number 27 in the canon) is a pretty typical Godzilla outing. There is some backstory about the cyborg expert Tokumitsu Yuhara (Shin Takuma ) who is brought in to help design Mechagodzilla and his daughter Sara (Kana Onodera, she's OK - kids in Godzilla movies just keep getting less annoying) as well as Akane Yashiro (Yumiko Shaku), a Mechagodzilla operator with a personal vendetta against the big guy, all of which exists simply as a scaffold to support the kaiju scenes. Both Godzilla and his cyborg doppelganger look pretty good, especially when trashing cities, as do the "White Heron" transport/command and control aircraft. I always thought the mechagodzillas looked silly when flying, so was pleased to see this one being towed into battle (later it turns out that it can fly, and, once again, looks silly doing so). The battle scenes are a mixed bag - despite having the ultimate Godzilla weapon installed in the mecha's chest, the crew seem obligated to fire numerous useless cannon, missiles, ray guns, etc. before activating the 'absolute zero' canon. The battling colossi look OK when grappling or blasting each other with death-rays, but the scenes where Mechagodzilla jumps over Godzilla or spins him around by his tail look 'fake' in comparison and detract from the overall quality of the brawls. The film's score is also a mixed bag, with some good (and familiar) themes mixed in with the grating 'fanfare' music that accompanies shots of Mechagodzilla. Acting (including English subtitling in my version) is on par with other film's in the series (although I got tired of Yumiko Shaku 's po-faced Akane and her heroic pose at the film's close was pretty trite). While neither as imaginative or well-executed as 2000's "G. vs Megaguirus") or as off-beat as 2001's "Giant Monsters All-Out Attack", this latest version of Godzilla fighting his robotic-self is an entertaining enough entry into the long running daikaiju franchise.

Waldemar Santos As a Godzilla movie, this film has pretty much everything. It has your classic Godzilla rampaging through buildings destroying everything around him, a human story that takes up a good two-thirds of the movie, and an AWESOME fight in the last third between Godzilla and another kaiju. What makes this film different from the other films is that it's probably the most visually entertaining film in the franchise. Godzilla films are known for just how ridiculously cheap and cheesy the special effects are, whether it be in the monster fights, the suits, or the explosions. In this film, not only have the effects been given an upgrade, but it still contains that cheesiness of Godzilla that makes these movies what they are. A perfect example of this is during the final fight with Godzilla and Mechagodzilla 3 (or Kiryu in Japan). The fight shows effects that I haven't seen before in these films, especially in a sequence where Kiryu boosts towards Godzilla and knocks him through the air. Though everything looks better, the creators knew what franchise they were dealing with, and decided to add in that extra fun. There was a sequence where Kiryu picked up Godzilla from his tail, spun him around, and threw him. It was a rather amusing, yet pretty cool scene, and reminded me of why I watch these films to begin with. The human story is actually rather interesting as well. The characters are all charming and have their own personalities. I won't go any deeper with the story, because I think it's something that one should enjoy without knowing anything about it. The soundtrack in this film also really stuck out, especially Kiryu's theme. It enhanced the story as well as the monster fights, making the movie as a whole a much better experience. If you're a Godzilla fan and still haven't watched this movie, please do. It's an entertaining, awesome time from beginning to end.

jacobjohntaylor1 This is part 26 to the Japan Godzilla series. It is very good. Part 24 to the Japan Godzilla series Godzilla vs M.e.g.a.g.u.i.r.u.s is better. Part 25 to the Japan Godzilla series Godzilla M.o.t.h.r.a and King G.h.i.d.o.r.a.h giant monster all out attack is also better. Part 27 to the Japan Godzilla series is Godzilla Tokyo S.O.S is also better. But still it is a great movie. See it. It is scary. Part 28 to the Japan series Godzilla Final wars is better. The 16th Godzilla movie Godzilla 1985 or Return of Godzilla is also better. The 11th Godzilla movie Godzilla vs the smog monster is also better. The 8th Godzilla movie Son of Godzilla is also better. Still it is a great movie. See it.

barrowfam0512 Of all the films that fall under the most recent string of Godzilla movies, this one ranks up there right next to Godzilla 2000. While the plot may seem a bit confusing at first, you'll find yourself not really caring once the action starts up.MechaGodzilla (named "Kiryu" in this movie) is a great hybrid cross between the MechaGodzilla's from the earlier Godzilla eras. The Big-G is great with his new attitude in the series, making the clash between the two monsters very impactive and dramatic. My only complaint is that the film comes off feeling rather short; as if there was to be more that somehow got cut from the film.Human actors are their usual up-to-snuff quality expected in a Godzilla movie. But, if you're anything like me, you could care less about the pesky humans and their melodrama; it's not called "Human Drama and a Monster" after all.On the grand scale of all Godzilla movies, I rank this one right up at the top. It was great to see MechaGodzilla's new look, and when the rumble starts it is definitely no holds barred. I whole-heartedly recommend this movie for any Godzilla fan, or a fan of kaiju films in general.