G: minus 13 days

Gojirathon is me just writing up some thoughts about the movies I see while I conduct my little marathon of Godzilla-movies in anticipation of the new Hollywood retooling. Why Gojirathon and not Godzillathon? Well, because Rolfe already did his Godzillathon as part of his Monster Madness, and I don’t want to steal his work. I’ll be using the terms, G, Big G, Godzilla and Gojira somewhat interchangeably… since I can be a bit lazy at times, when it comes to these things.

Godzilla vs Megalon(1973)

Megalon? Who is that, is what I basically asked myself before starting this film. Who is it and what does it look like. Is it a giant shark like a Megalodon perhaps? Hmmm… then I realized why I should have remembered this one from watching the Godzillathon of James Rolfe. It’s this one. It’s here that we get to see… JET JAGUAR!

According to the legends of kaiju-fanatics. Toho were getting low on ideas on who to bring into the next film about the big G. So they sent out a challange to the fans (mostly children) to send in their own suggestions and designs of new creatures. The one that won out was a drawing by a kid. The drawing was of a robot humanoid. Ok. So now all it needs is a story.

As it quickly turns out from the start of this film, a strange race of people (aw gee, where have we ever heard about those before?) living in a utopia under the sea… a “Seatopia”-if you will, is fed up with the nuclear testing by the humans. So they break their 3 million year old peace-treaty with the world to make sure that the destruction come to an end. How are they planning to do that? Why, by sending up another monster to kill off Godzilla and then proceed to destroy the whole of humanity. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, it turns out that stock-footage and the combined forces of Jet Jaguar (a robot created by a not-that-mad scientist) and Godzilla doesn’t want humanity to be destroyed. So the traditional monster-mash ensues until Megalon and Gigan (yes, he’s on loan from M-galaxy… just roll with it will you!) are defeated and the catchiest of tunes from the whole franchise plays as the surrogate-family of Jet Jaguar walks into the sunset.

It is quite obvious that they are getting tired of making these films by now. Even resorting to blatant use of stock-footage as when Megalons hands suddenly turns into Gigans claws during close-up impacts. And the army-scenes are almost lifted wholesale from the last film.  But then again. This film wasn’t a total loss. Since we did get the Themesong of Jet Jaguar to hum on the way home from the theater. At least It would have. If the movie wasn’t made 12 years before I was even born. Oh well… next up is the first of the two MechaGodzilla entries in the Showa Era.

Hito ga tsukutta robotto da kedo,
Jetto Jagaa, Jetto Jagaa,
Yatta, Jetto Jagaa
Yuke, yuke, heiwa o mamoru tame,
Minna mo odoroku yuuki wo miseru
Gojira to Jagaa de panchi, panchi, panchi
Nakuna, bokura mo ganbarou

Be seeing you!