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Growing up, I never realized that the Toho-helmed Godzilla flicks of the 1970s really had a lot in common with the Roger Moore era of James Bond.  Godzilla vs. Megalon, released last month on blu-ray (but already hard to come by in brick and mortar stores), is proof of that.   Full of gadgets, scantily clad women (from an alien world no less), thrilling spy-like adventure and plenty of cheese (courtesy of some really bad acting), it’s not hard to see that Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang could easily be in the role of a rubber-suited Godzilla…at least until all the high-flying kicks and wrestling goes down.

Godzilla vs. Megalon is now considered a certifiable classic of camp and bewilderment in the whole Japanese Science Fiction Kaiju genre – especially here in America where it received its NBC television debut hosted by a coked-up James Belushi all dolled-up in Godzilla gear.  That should tell you all you need to know about this seriousness of this production.  Oh, it’s all pretty cheap entertainment and reviled by plenty who weren’t expecting Godzilla to look like Kermit the Frog sans banjo and log. 

But, c’mon, when Jet Jaguar (who was, ironically enough, created by a child in a contest) morphs into a bigger version of himself and teams up with Godzilla to take down Megalon – who is now joined by a returning Gigan - in the absurdly funny final takedown, all is forgiven.  Celebrated madness ensues and a towering giant tackles another towering giant among all the model cities in a goofball finale worthy of your time.  You just need a sense of humor about it all.

Directed and co-written by Jun Fukuda with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano, Godzilla vs. Megalon is a tonal disappointment for its uber-serious fans.  Now children’s entertainment, the film is way too space-agey for its own good and goes in way too many directions before settling on a “Godzilla Saves The Day” message.  Godzilla strolls into the sunset as the credits roll.  Does anyone have a problem with that?  I don’t. 

You will be laughing at the human interactions in Godzilla vs. Megalon.  The fight scenes in the epic showdown will have your sides bursting.  If that doesn’t bother you then this is a kaiju film that should not be missed…if you can find it.

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[tab title="Film Details"]

MPAA Rating: R for some language.
Runtime: 78 mins
Director: Jun Fukuda
Writer: Jun Fukuda
Cast: Katsuhiko Sasaki, Hiroyuki Kawase, Yutaka Hayashi
Genre: Adventure | Sci-Fi
Tagline: Underground horrors attack!
Memorable Movie Quote: "Additionally, notify our people on Easter Island."
Distributor: Cinema Shares International Distribution
Official Site:
Release Date: April, 1976
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: September 2, 2014
Synopsis: The undersea nation of Seatopia sends the gigantic Megalon to destroy the world above - and it's up to Godzilla and a size-shifting robot, Jet Jaguar, to defeat him.

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - September 2, 2014
Screen Formats: 2.35:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0; Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0; Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Discs: 25GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD)
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

The uncut version of Toho’s 1973 offering looks pretty sharp on this AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.41:1.  Not only is it the best this film has ever looked in the States that I’ve ever seen the picture itself is actually really good.  The print being used is the Japanese one so you get the original opening credits as well as it being uncut.  The print being used is so clean of scratches or damage with the only signs of damage coming briefly from some of the stock footage used throughout the film.  There are two tracks presented here with the original Japanese audio with optional subtitles and the English dub both in Mono.  They both sound flawless in my opinion with the weaker of the two being the English dub as it sounds a bit loud and compressed.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

• None

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