Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)

[ゴジラ×メカゴジラ]

Director: Masaaki Tezuka
Starring: Yumiko Shaku, Shin Takuma, Kou Takasugi

Synopsis:
When humanity's countermeasures prove ineffective against Godzilla, the Japanese government plans to create a cyborg based on the skeleton of the original Godzilla.

Impressions:
I can remember being underwhelmed by Godzilla 2000 and finding Final Wars to be big goofy fun, so I was curious to see how a movie in the middle of the Millennium Era would hold up. We have an interesting enough arc for main character Yashiro, having to overcome both her personal issues following the incident in the opening scene and the friction it causes when she is selected as the Kiryuu's operator. Speaking of the Kiryuu, it's an interesting idea taking the skeleton of the original Godzilla to serve as the basis for this incarnation of Mechagodzilla. Even though there's no Baby Godzilla or significant comic relief like the '93 film, this nevertheless feels a bit campier despite the subject matter being ostensibly serious. I also found it annoying the way child character Sara was lecturing on the value of life, referring to Kiryuu, without any apparent care for all the human lives lost in Godzilla's rampages. Overall, I liked it well enough to say that despite some shortcomings, it's still worth a watch.

Rating:
Watch It