Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)

Film and Plot Synopsis

In Godzilla’s last gasp of the Showa era, aliens retrieve Mechagodzilla’s remains and rebuild it with the aid of an unhinged biologist (a scenery-chewing Akihiko Hirata), in hopes of defeating Godzilla for possession of planet Earth. This film marked the return of director Ishiro Honda, who had retired years earlier, disheartened by the increasingly kid-friendly approach of the series. For this final entry, Honda steers the King of the Monsters back into grim territory, interweaving an alien-invasion plot with a tale of tragic romance.

‘Terror of Mechagodzilla’ Movie Summary

Believing that Mechagodzilla is sleeping with the fishes in the Okinawan Sea, Interpol agents and scientists load into the Akatsuki submarine and begin their search for the robot’s head! During their search, the crew learns that Mechagodzilla has been removed from the sea! And to make matters worse, the sub is attacked and destroyed by a legendary fishy dinosaur called Titanosaurus.

The International Police convene and begin their investigation of the incident with the help of Japan’s leading marine biologist, Akira Ichinose. Interpol learns they are searching for a dinosaur and figure it must be Titanosaurus! The agency seeks out a recluse scientist, who appears to be a Titanosaurus expert, named Shinzô Mafune. During a visit to the scientist’s home, Mafune’s daughter, Katsura, tells them her father passed away five years earlier and she had destroyed all of his Titanosaurus journals. In all actuality, that crazy old scientist, Dr. Mafune, who is alive and well, is working with the Simeon aliens from Black Hole Planet 3. The master plan is to restore Mechagodzilla and have the robot monster destroy the Earth with the aid of Titanosaurus. The Simeon leader, Commander Mugal, instructs his lead henchman, Tsuda, to keep his eye on Katsura. Katsura will be used as leverage against Dr. Mafune and as a conduit with Titanosaurus.

The Interpol Dinosaur Task Force do their homework and prepare to neutralize Titanosaurus with a supersonic wave machine. However, Ichinose, who has the hots for Katsura, shares Interpol’s supersonic plans with the young lady, not knowing that she would turn right around and share them with her father and the Simeons. The aliens have Katusra destroy the supersonic wave oscillator, proving her loyalty to the cause. But her angry father decides to jump the gun and unleash Titanosaurus on Japan, upsetting the Simeons. The aliens counter the professor’s plans by calling on Godzilla to battle with Titanosaurus, who will mutually destroy Japan during their battles. When Godzilla arrives at the shore he immediately blasts his dinosaur foe with a gamma ray blast. Titanosaurus instantly retreats from Godzilla. We learn that, during all of the fighting, Katsura is shot and Titanosaurus is now rushing to Katsura’s aid. To make matters even more interesting, we learn that Katsura was electrocuted as a young girl and kept alive when she was transformed into a cyborg. The fresh gunshot wound required Katura to require another cyborg surgery to keep her alive. It was during this surgery that the Simeons decided to place some of Katsura’s brain tissue into Mechagodzilla, to help control the robot monster. Dr. Mafune objected, but knew it was the right call.

A love sick Ichinose goes to visit Katsura and is rewarded by the Simeons with a jail cell, where he watches Katsura take control of Mechagodzilla 2.0 and Titanosaurus. The monstrous tag team begin to destroy Tokyo with all of their might. While blazing a path of destruction, Interpol gets their semisonic wave oscillator fixed and do all they can to fight off the monsters. That’s when Godzilla returns to the frey. The King of All Monsters initially got the shit kicked out of him by the alien controlled duo. Eventually, Interpol uses their wave machine to stun Titanosaurus, allowing Godzilla to have a fistfight with Mech 2.0. The Interpol agents break into the Simeon control center and free Ichinose. Mafune and many of the aliens are killed during the battle, while Godzilla uses his atomic breath to destroy any space ship that attempts to escape from Earth. A frightened Katsura shoots herself, destroying Mechagodzilla 2.0’s control device, before dying in Ichinose’s arms. After 2.0 becomes inoperable, Godzilla tosses a deep hole and destroys it with its gamma ray. Godzilla turns his attention to Titanosaurus and uses its lasers to send the dinosaur to a water grave. Godzilla retreats back into the ocean, seeking peace and harmony, once and for all, as the King of all Monsters.

The End.