I had to laugh at how willingly everyone was
like, sure, that's a good idea. Get inside this
thing and we're going to take you by a helicopter
across the damn country. And then, oh, Rodan
attacks. Like, who thought this would be a good
idea? They let her in that thing. Right. I think
you even see one character like start to protest
a little bit. And then another guy like Azusa's
boss is like, no, let her do it. Why? Why would
you let her do that? Hello and welcome to Camp
Kaiju Monster Movie Podcast. We're your hosts,
Vincent Hannum. And Matt Levine. And we're talking
about all our favorite monster movies. The good,
the bad, and the downright campy. And asking
if they stand the test of time. Traditional Kaiju,
creature features, space invaders, the supernatural,
and everything in between. All strange beasts
welcome here. Camp Kaiju is brought to you by
Zack Linder and the Zack Pack. Powered by Coldwell
Banker Realty. Whether you're looking for your
dream home, a savvy investment property, or expert
guidance in home rehab and flipping, the Zach
Pack has you covered. Check the link in the show
notes for more information. I'll protect you.
Godzilla is coming. The biggest battle in the
history of Godzilla is about to begin. This is
the one who called us, right? Matt, we're back.
Season 6. Here we go. Season 6, 2026. Happy New
Year. I guess this will air probably mid -January,
but Happy New Year to you. Happy New Year to
you. Happy New Year to you, listeners. We're
so excited to get this year underway here on
Camp Kaiju. We are starting with a Godzilla movie
tonight. But we have so many other movies lined
up that I am so jazzed for. Same. Now I can't
remember any of them. But I know the one that
I'm bringing next episode, I think, is... The
Abominable Snowman is the short name of it. I
think it has a longer name, but I'll just call
it The Abominable Snowman for now. Again, a Hammer
Horror Movie. I'm excited about that one. I know
later on, some of the titles that I'm bringing
are Children of the Corn, the Stephen King movie,
Alucarda, a Mexican horror movie, At Midnight
I Will Take Your Soul, a very good Brazilian
horror movie. So I kind of wanted to do a little
global flavor this season, you know? And I've
got you right there with you. I've got Troll
Hunter lined up, a Norwegian film. The Black
Scorpion is an American film, but it's set in
Mexico about a giant scorpion. Blackula, some
Roger Corman -esque blaxploitation coming up
very soon. So I'm very, I think it's just like
a smorgasbord, an eclectic little platter. of
of finger foods here we got coming up yeah for
sure i love that analogy i feel like we always
try to keep it pretty eclectic but like this
might be our most diverse lineup yet i would
say yeah and i can't even say like i've stopped
myself from saying oh we're featuring a lot of
foreign films because most of our movies are
japanese like they're all foreign films yeah
but we're we're covering more of the globe this
season Exactly. I love that. Yeah. Yeah, I do
want to get real for just a quick second, because
we are recording this on January 8. And two days
ago, the big news, tragic news is that a woman
was shot to death by ICE agents. And I just speaking
for myself here, as a producer, as a producer
on this show, I always have very big feelings
around national matters of national importance
and local and state matters. But I don't think
this falls into a matter of simple politics.
I think this is, like I said, a tragedy and not
just a bellwether, but a clear statement of our
administration in Washington and what they're
willing to do and who they're willing to do it
to. And living here in Minneapolis, Matt, I just
hope you're okay. our listeners who are in the
Twin Cities and in Minnesota, I hope you are
okay. And anyone else out there affected by bad
people, just with no care for human life, rights,
and decency. Yeah, thank you for saying that.
It's a scary, infuriating, sad time, certainly
in Minneapolis and throughout the country. And
I don't know, I, you know, Just want to say that
I've always loved Minneapolis and St. Paul for
how diverse and eclectic it is. It's an amazing
community. I've loved living here for 15 years
now. And, you know, I just think it's important
to say, you know, this might be like a silly
monster podcast or whatever, but it's still important
to say, like. You know, we support our neighbors.
We support other people who live in Minneapolis.
We feel for you. Like you said, Vincent, we hope
you're doing okay. If you don't mind, Vincent,
I would like to just say a couple websites that
are good resources for immigrant rights in Minneapolis
and in the Minnesota community. Please. For anybody
out there who's wondering what they can do. I
know I've been wondering that the last couple
days. Just some good resources in the Twin Cities
include the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota.
That website is ilcm .org. Going through my list
here a little bit. MIRAC, which is the Minnesota
Immigrant Rights Action Committee. That's MIRAC,
M -I -R -A -C -M -N dot com. International Institute
of Minnesota, I -I -M -N dot org. The Advocates
for Human Rights, which helps immigrants all
throughout the Upper Midwest. That website is
the Advocates for Human Rights dot org. And then
the Immigration Advocates Network, that's a national
service. Immigration National, sorry, immigrationadvocates
.org is the name of that website. One last one,
Unidos Minnesota, that's unidos -mn .org. You
know, those are all really great websites. If
you go to any of those websites, maybe we can
provide some links in the show notes or something.
But, you know, a lot of really helpful information
about how you can support your neighbors. Make
sure that they're safe because, yeah, it's not
a safe time to be, you know, to be an immigrant
or even to be an ally right now, as was proven
in Minneapolis yesterday. So, yeah, I hope you're
all doing okay. We support our neighbors again.
And it's a tough time, tough time in Minnesota
and in the country right now. I want to say to,
I don't know if any of my students listen to
this podcast. If you do, fantastic. I just want
to let you know that. I have your back at any
point in time. Listeners, I teach in Minneapolis
public schools. And at one of these schools I
taught at, I won't tell you which one, but an
overwhelming majority of my students were of
Somali, East African descent, or English language
learners from Latin America. And these kids are
the smartest, brightest, most hardworking students
of the bunch. Ask them what they want to be.
entrepreneurs, businessmen, doctors, lawyers.
I'm like, get it. Like that's amazing. And just
knowing like where you came from, like you moved,
like your family moved to another country. That's
so hard to do. And they've been through so much.
They are tougher than I will ever be. And they
don't deserve this. And they do deserve all of
our support. So shout out to the students and
kids in Minneapolis. Yeah. Bringing it back to
monster movies. You know, Matt and fans of cinema
and and horror movies and monster movies. We
know that that the creators behind some of the
most impactful of those genre stories came from
oppression. They speak out about injustice. I'm
thinking about Ishiro Honda, whose entire run
of Godzilla films and kaiju films in the 60s
all espoused messages of not just peace, but
world unity. The United Nations isn't just a
dysfunctional body in his movies. They are what
we can aspire to. I'm thinking about Star Trek,
too. Guillermo del Toro, Watch Pan's Labyrinth
has a really great critique on fascism. I mean,
right? Like, name anybody and they're making
these movies using our favorite genre to tell
these stories. Absolutely. And I really love
it on our podcast when we're able to kind of
like dig into some of those political themes,
because I think monster movies are such a good
and powerful vehicle for that. You know, they
seem kind of like fun sci -fi or horror movies
on the surface, but you can talk about really
complicated social things about, you know, xenophobia,
oppression, like you said, Vincent, like so many
complex and kind of dark themes can sort of...
subtly or not so subtly work their way into these
monster movies. I also think about some of the
mid -century American movies like The Day the
Earth Stood Still or Them, where it's like, you
know, metaphors for McCarthyism and how oppressive
American society was at that time, too. And,
you know, I think we're in another period of
American society where those themes of oppression,
paranoia, you know, tyranny, dictatorship. As
relevant as ever, if not more so. So this is
an important time to have a podcast like this,
just because talking about monster movies is
talking about the world, you know? Talking about
monster movies is talking about the world. I
mean, you're right. And I don't, you know, people
ask me, oh, like, what are your hobbies? I'm
like, I have a monster movie podcast. But I do
take it very seriously because, well, that's
who we are. We take our art seriously. So thank
you, listeners, for being a part of it, for laughing
with us, for thinking with us, for just caring
and sharing your hearts with us. Yes, absolutely.
Yeah, all right. Let's talk about Godzilla. Yeah.
Yeah, in particular, Godzilla versus Mechagodzilla
2. Not the first one. Not terror. And not even
a sequel to the first one, despite the name,
which is very confusing. Man. All right. Well,
before we get to that, some quick nuts and bolts.
Please rate and review this show wherever you
are listening to us, dear followers. Support
us on Patreon .com slash Camp Kaiju for additional
videos, reviews, merchandise, and more. Other
ways you can get in touch. campkaiju at gmail
.com, campkaijupodcast .com, Instagram, our voicemail
number, 612 -470 -2612. Join the ranks of our
patrons, Jason, Chris, Sean, Peggy, Dawn, and
our new patron, Steffi. Thank you so much. And,
of course, our anonymous patron. who i'd love
to hear from about the dubbing aspects of this
particular film but we'll let well we're gonna
have a good conversation we got some things coming
up matt some events but first i just wanted to
ask you had some recent writings publications
oh magazine is that right Oh, thank you for mentioning
that. Yeah, the newest issue of Found Footage
magazine came out probably about a month ago
at this point. And it's a digital only, it's
an online only version for this publication,
but so much great writing. a publication that
I'm really honored to write and edit for. I have
a review of a movie called Another Other, which
was one of my favorite films of 2025, a really
incredible short experimental film. But there's
so much other good stuff in the latest issue
of Found Footage Magazine. So yeah, that website
is foundfootagemagazine .com. Check it out. Yeah,
that's going to be in the show notes. Thank you.
Absolutely. I also want to let you know, the
world, that... On February 11th at the Blackheart
Bar in St. Paul, right on University Avenue,
there's going to be a Nerd Night event. Now,
if you don't know what Nerd Night is, it's a
loose organization around the country. But what
it is, is you get the chance to present like
a slideshow of whatever topic you want. You get
15, 20 minutes. The floor is yours. And you present
to the room. to the crowd. And right now, what
I'm slated to do, they chose me. I was like,
fantastic. On behalf of Camp Kaiju is a presentation
about who would win in a fight, the thing or
the blob. I love this idea, man. I can't wait
to see your presentation. I will be there and
I'll be taking notes. Let me tell you. I hope
so. And yeah, you all can get a beer. You can
get some food. I've never done this before. I've
never been to one, but I think it's going to
be fun. So I got to do my research. I'm going
to be focusing on the 80s films of those respective
monsters. But I think I will throw in the 50s
versions, too, just for a wrinkle. So I don't
know. Jury's out. Who's going to win? Listeners,
let us know. I love it. You're the expert on
that. I feel like you are the ideal person to
talk about that subject, you know? I'm going
to go deep. Give me audio commentaries. If Found
Footage magazine has an article on either movie,
I just need all the materials. I'll dive into
the archives. I don't know if they do, but yeah,
you'll have tons of resources, I'm sure. So that's
February 11th in St. Paul, Minnesota. All right.
This month in monster movie history, it's January.
I'm always surprised by how many movies come
out. Cause like January, I'm like movies don't
come out in January, but over the course of a
century, some movies do come out in January.
And I feel like some distribution companies put
out horror movies in January because they're
they don't think they're going to win any awards
or like get very good reviews. And like some
of them are amazing, you know, but they're not
like prestige movies or whatever. So sometimes
early in early in the year stuff can be the best
stuff. I see our favorite. The Relic was released
in January of 1997. That's a fun one. I love
talking about one tremors in 1990. Now that was
not expected to be. as popular as it was. Right.
And that does kind of seem like a summer movie,
you know? Maybe it's like the southern setting
or whatever, southwest setting, but yeah, yeah.
That's a little surprising. I really like the
movie Pumpkinhead a lot. Lance Henriksen is in
that movie. He's one of my favorite sort of like
character actors who's often in sci -fi and horror
stuff. He's in Aliens. He was on the show Millennium.
Pumpkinhead is good. It's a little bit darker
and more depressing than I thought it would be,
but still, weird kind of fun in a way fun and
depressing at the same time if that makes sense
yeah i don't love the movie leprechaun but i
know that movie has a lot of fans out there one
day we'll i'll bring it to the pod to torture
you yeah maybe you'll convert me to the other
side on that one but probably not I mean, so
probably the best movie on here, I think we've
talked about it before, but Island of Lost Souls
with Charles Lawton. Like, I think one of the
first film adaptations of Island of Dr. Moreau.
Really, really great movie. Yeah. Pre -code classic.
Pre -code horror. And later on this season, we
have an H .G. Wells movie coming up. Yeah. War
of the Worlds. Yep, the original War of the Worlds.
I can't wait. Hopefully we'll talk about the
Orson Welles radio show a little bit, too. I'm
so excited. Now, listeners. That reminds me.
On Patreon, on patreon .com slash campkaiju,
I do share occasionally old -time radio shows
that feature either monsters or science fiction
or talent that is in the movies we talk about.
For instance, I love any time Peter Lorre is
on the radio. And he's got so many... horror
credits to his name so i'm gonna be including
those as well on our patreon exclusive just for
our supporters there so if that's any incentive
to you all we will share the hg the orson welles
infamous war of the worlds on our patreon cool
i gotta check out some of those other radio shows
that sounds fun they're a lot of fun yeah i went
through a phase When I was living alone like
10 years ago, just listening to old time radio
stories. Oh, man. I'm like a cold, rainy night
like tonight. That sounds perfect. Yeah. Yeah.
All right. Did anyone see Anaconda last month
with Jack Black and Paul Rudd? Cricket. Some
people probably did. Not me, though. I did not.
I feel like it came and went. Yeah. Yeah, I mean,
it got kind of bad reviews. That seems like a
movie I wouldn't mind streaming at home at some
point and not expecting too much out of it, you
know? Yeah. Probably the best way to see that
movie. Yeah. Well, what about 28 Years Later,
The Bone Temple? I didn't even know this was
coming out until today. Yeah, I saw 28 Years
Later last summer when that came out, and I thought
it was pretty good. It's my least favorite of
the 28 Days and Months Later series so far, but
Ralph Fiennes is great. I'm excited for the new
one. It looks pretty crazy. So I'll be there
to see it for sure. Sweet. Yeah. You let us know.
I will. Absolutely. One movie that I did see
recently was Frankenstein, the Guillermo del
Toro Netflix release that came out relatively
recently. I thought it was okay. I don't want
to sound overly harsh. And I, you know, I've
been a little critical of Guillermo del Toro
in the past, Pacific Rim, for example. So I don't,
you know, I don't want to sound too harsh. I
feel like... I don't know exactly what that adaptation
adds to the novel Frankenstein or even like the
James Whale movies, you know, the original Frankenstein
and Bride of Frankenstein. So yeah, I didn't
love it, but I would love to hear other people's
reactions and responses to that movie. Yeah,
me too. We just got Netflix again after so many
years without it. So I will be seeing Frankenstein
ASAP. And that's pretty much your favorite story
of all time, right? Yeah, do you see? My aunt
and uncle are so funny. They found at HomeGoods
a giant bust of Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's
monster. I love that. That is beautiful, man.
It's just like I opened it and I just laughed
so hard with so much love because I was like,
what? Amazing. That is truly the perfect gift
for you. All right. Coming up on Camp Kaiju,
like we alluded to, we have the abominable snowman,
Hammer Horror with Peter Cushing. I've been doing
some research into this film. I am very hyped
about it. It looks so low -key, black and white,
just like a chiller. Yeah, I've read that it's
one of the more underrated Hammer Horror movies.
And those are a little hit or miss for me, but
the ones that I love, I really love. So I'm excited
to watch it, for sure. And listeners, just so
you know, I don't know if this movie is streaming
anywhere. Matt, maybe you know or not, but I
did find it on YouTube. And I'll be sharing that
on Patreon as well. The Abominable Snowman, I
think it's streaming somewhere, although I have
to admit I haven't looked extremely recently.
So I'll find out. Yeah, just something to keep
in mind, folks. But again, if you check out our
Patreon, this one is free to the masses. Just
go over to our Patreon and you'll find the...
The film uploaded courtesy of me. So you can
enjoy that. Awesome. All right. Okay. After that,
Blackula with Sean Pryor. That's going to be
a blast. I have yet to see that movie myself,
but I've always heard good things actually about
Blackula. So very excited for that one. Absolutely.
I've wanted to see that for like over a decade
now, and I just haven't gotten around to it.
So thanks to Sean for like suggesting that we
bring that to the podcast. I cannot wait to watch
it. Yeah. Okay, here we go. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
2. What is your personal history with this film?
Really nothing at all. I've really enjoyed the
Heisei movies that we've watched so far for the
podcast, which include Godzilla vs. Biolante,
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. Return of Godzilla
from 1984. I think that's the first one of the
Heisei era. And I think I'm missing one too that
we've talked about. Yeah, last year we watched
Godzilla vs. Mothra. Right, yeah. And I really
like all those. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah especially
is amazing. Like, definitely in my top five Godzilla
movies that I've ever seen. So I had, you know,
high hopes for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2,
but didn't really know anything about it. I came
to this one late, later in the game, just a few
years ago. I acquired it on DVD. It's actually
available for free on YouTube with ads. A lot
of these 90s movies got TriStar, Columbia TriStar
acquired the rights to for like US distribution.
So you can find those one like this. Sorry, Mechagodzilla
2 and Godzilla 2000. I don't know, but. They're
on YouTube for free with ads. So as a teacher,
I'd have some downtime. I might throw this one
up on the screen for the students. But with that
said, I've never really like sat down and just
watched it. So it was a real treat to do that
for this recording. The Bionic Monster, a menacing
giant, an awesome machine unleashed with a deadly
task. Godzilla, the only hope for Earth's survival.
Godzilla versus the Bionic Monster. Godzilla
strives to win supremacy in a fight to the end.
Will Godzilla triumph? The Earth survive? Godzilla
vs. the Bionic Monster, an Earth -shaking movie.
Rated G. The Bionic Monster, now unleashed with
a deadly task. Never before have Godzilla's mighty
powers been so challenged. Godzilla vs. the Bionic
Monster. Rated G. King Kong. Mammoth. Behemoth.
Goliath. King Kong escapes and meets his greatest
foe, the Kong of Steel. A gargantuan duel unmatched
by any battle in history. Thundering 60 -foot
robot Kong of steel. Creation of the evil Doctor
Who. Criminal genius who stops at nothing. Kong,
once again, dig. King Kong shakes the earth.
King Kong fights for life against the copter
swarm. Frills as King Kong battles the serpent
of Mondo Island. No, it is Kong! Pits himself
against a nation's armament. And plunges a beautiful
girl into a world of terror. King Kong in a duel
to the death. Godzilla, champion and defender
of Earth in The Terror of Godzilla. Titanosaurus,
Mechagodzilla, destroy them. He holds the front
line of battle while in their spaceships, aliens
command a deadly duel. Will the powerful serpent
Titanosaurus' cyclone tail and the robot monster
Mechagodzilla's lethal rays destroy Earth? See
this ultimate test of power, The Terror of Godzilla,
rated G. The director of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
2 is Takao Okawara. He started his career at
Toho in the 1970s, worked with Akira Kurosawa
and Ishiro Honda as assistant director on Kagemusha,
the Akira Kurosawa movie. He was the chief assistant
director on Return of Godzilla from 84 and directed
Godzilla vs. Mothra. He would go on to direct
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. So Okawara also directed
that and Godzilla 2000 from 1999. The screenplay
for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2 is by Wataru
Mimura, a screenwriter best known for his work
on the Godzilla franchise in the 90s and 2000s.
So he wrote Godzilla 2000, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus,
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla in 2002, and Godzilla
Final Wars in 2004. The film was produced by
Shogo Tomiyama. Sorry, let me try that again.
The film was produced by Shogo Tomiyama. He produced
most of the Heisei and Millennium Godzilla movies.
Maybe I'll just mention the last couple people
here on the list as well. The executive producer
was Tomoyuki Tanaka, who I think was the executive
producer going back to the original, right? Like
for decades. Yeah. So definitely the OG Tanaka,
and then another OG doing the music for Godzilla
vs. Mechagodzilla 2, Akira Ifukube. I believe
this was the last film that he scored in his
career. That's possible. And Ishiro Honda had
died in February of 93, right before production
started on this film. So like we said, Godzilla
vs. Mothra. was the last one released in his
lifetime. But this movie was coming out, you
know, we're losing the OGs, but we still have
Fukube and Tanaka in charge doing what they do
best. Yeah, absolutely. And the music is really
incredible in this movie. I think that's responsible
for a lot of its power. I do want to mention
one more crew member who I think is also one
of the highlights of the film, which is the visual
effects director, Koichi Kawakita. I believe
he was the visual effects director, right? I
just want to make sure and check my stats, my
facts here. Yes, Koichi Kawakita. His effects
work on this movie is really incredible. He,
you know, he did a lot of the effects for, like,
movies in the Heisei era, so also Godzilla vs.
Biollante, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Godzilla
vs. Mothra, a lot of the movies that we just
talked about. And his work here is really phenomenal,
I would say. I agree. I... Yeah, I'll get to
that with the good, but yeah, phenomenal work.
The select cast that we're going to mention are
kind of our three lead roles. We have Masahiro
Takashima. He plays Kazuma. Kazuma is an eager,
friendly pilot and self -described Pteranodon
enthusiast. He's kind of a nerd, but he's recruited
into G -Force, which is the force tasked with
eliminating Godzilla. And he's called into service
with G -Force after his Garuda weapon is scrapped.
And that weapon is like a giant flying laser
cannon that ultimately affixes itself to the
back of Mechagodzilla to give Mechagodzilla some
extra ammo because it needed that. To create
Super Mechagodzilla. Yes. Which is what it's
called in the movie. It's so cool. It's so fun.
The Garuda thing that Kazuma flies, it's kind
of like a TIE fighter in Star Wars, right? It
reminded me of that. Yep. And there's a scene
where he's piloting the craft and he gets knocked
by one of Rodan's beams and he's spinning around
inside the cockpit, which is very reminiscent
of TIE fighters in Star Wars. Yeah, yeah, for
sure. I love that. It really is so fun. The movie
also stars Ryoko Sano as Azusa. She's a scientist
who watches over the Godzilla -saurus egg when
it hatches. So that Godzilla -saurus egg, you
know, some scientists discover on an island and
bring it back to Kyoto. And she's the scientist
that cares for the baby Godzilla that hatches
from that egg. That's right. Is it Minya? Or
is it baby Godzilla? Better than Minya, in my
opinion. I prefer Baby. I'm Baby all the way.
Yeah, yeah. I don't think you're alone in that.
Yeah. The director thought so anyways. He wasn't
a fan of those older Son of Godzilla movies.
Yeah, he and I agree on that for sure. And, you
know, yeah, the treatment of Baby Godzilla in
this movie is pretty good. It's one of many things
I think... is an improvement on like the kind
of like goofy, you know, what's the word? Family
friendly tone of some of those son of Godzilla
era movies, you know? Right, right. So they're
taking a concept from the 60s that they treated
relatively comically, but now they're treating
it seriously. What would this be like if we did
that? So I agree. I appreciate that take on ostensibly
silly characters. Yeah, totally. It's a good
way to put it. Megumi Odaka returns. She plays
Miki, a psychic with a connection to Godzilla.
Miki first featured in Godzilla vs. Violante
and in each subsequent Heisei film. This actually
is a record for the most recurring human character
in the Godzilla franchise. So she's a welcomed
presence. She's doing her psychic thing, which
is a little, dare I say, campy at times. Maybe
a little plot shortcut at times. Yeah. I do enjoy
that element, though. I really liked it in Bialante
as well, and I think it works pretty well here.
I like the character, and I like some of the
sort of more emotional moments that her presence
provides in the movie. Also, I don't want to
sound shallow, but she's really adorable, and
she has these ears that stick out a lot, and
they're just so cute. I love her presence in
this movie so much. Yeah, I didn't want to say
it, but I was like, she's the one with the big
ears. Which, I mean, that's a good look. Yeah.
Nothing against big -eared people out there.
Yeah. Mine are drooping with my age. I feel like
I've, I don't know, my ears are kind of big,
but I've grown into them over the years or something.
I don't know. We got the production backstory
of this film. It was intended to be the last
of the Heisei films, but I feel like I've read
that about every single one of these up until
this point. But that being the case, Toho didn't
want to compete with TriStar, who had put into
production their own Hollywood -produced Godzilla
film, which would eventually become Godzilla
from 1998. So Toho was like, all right, we'll
cool our jets after this film. They also wanted
to honor the passing of Ashura Honda earlier
that year with this final film. This next note
is crazy. You want to read this? Yeah, sure.
Tanaka's first idea was to redo King Kong vs.
Godzilla or have Godzilla fight Mechani -Kong
from King Kong Escapes. But maybe not surprisingly,
the licensing for any Kong appearance in this
movie from Universal Pictures was extremely expensive.
Prohibitively so. Another idea had Mechani -Kong
injecting Godzilla with G -Force soldiers who
would bring Godzilla down from inside his own
body. Which, yeah, your note here is what could
have been. That would have been really crazy.
It's sort of like inner space meets Godzilla
a little bit. Yeah. Fantastic Voyage is a movie
that has a similar idea. Oh my god, can you imagine?
Like, we're inside Godzilla! Weird. I like this
movie a lot, but I kind of wish they had used
that concept maybe for a future movie because
I'm sure they never actually used that concept,
right? Agreed, yeah. I haven't seen it yet. Well,
there's still time. I hope they do someday. That's
just so out there. That is so, so sci -fi. I
would watch the hell out of it over and over
and over again. Yeah, it would be so surreal.
I can picture just how crazy it would look right
now in my head, you know? And then they come
across Godzilla's brain that's in his butt. Yeah.
Which the military, the G force or whatever,
they come up with something called the G charger
to like hit that second brain in his butt. And
it's like, you know, if you have an immature
sense of humor, just like the ideas that come
to mind through that are pretty ridiculous. Like
when they called it, they called it operation
G charger, I think. And like, You can cut this
part out of the episode if you want, but before
they said that in my head, I was like, is it
called Operation Anal Probe? Because that seems
like that's what it's going to be, you know?
Look, Mechagodzilla has one thing on its mind.
It's just got to get to the brain. The butt brain.
Yeah, the butt brain. I love it. That's a pretty
ridiculous sci -fi concept in itself. That is
true, yeah. So... Why? Why Mechagodzilla? Well,
based on the success of reintroducing King Ghidorah
and Mothra in previous films, Tanaka and Tomiyama
decided to bring back another classic foe from
the Showa era. Now, Matt, we talked about Terror
of Mechagodzilla once on this show. I really
like that movie. I think you do, too. Yeah. But
I think we differ on the original Godzilla versus
Mechagodzilla. Yeah, I think that's the one I
didn't like all that much. Terror of Mechagodzilla
is the one with the aliens with the really cool
outfits, right? I forget what they're called.
Yeah, the ones who are like the leader. There's
one bizarre scene speaking about risque innuendo.
The leader's whipping his minions with a cat
of nine tails or something. Yeah. I remember
that. Yeah, I like that moment. What are we talking
about on this show? This is a PG -13 episode.
But I think that was from Terror of Mechagodzilla,
not Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. Which, to be
honest, I barely remember, but I don't think
I liked it very much. Okay. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
has the aliens that are apes, and when they get
killed, they revert to their ape form. Right.
I do remember that. That's like the really far
out sci -fi in that movie. I like that ape stuff,
but I think the rest of it, like even the Godzilla
stuff, I didn't like too much in that movie.
But, you know, I guess maybe one downfall of
this podcast is just like we've watched so many
Godzilla movies. Some of them do kind of blur
together a little bit after a while. Oh, for
sure. Well, we haven't featured that first Mechagodzilla
film yet on the show. So one day we will, and
we'll be able to pay. More attention to it, I
guess. Yeah, for sure. Nice. But yeah, I am happy
that Mechagodzilla was back for this one, which
I'm sure something I'm sure we'll talk about
pretty soon here is just like the special effects
and like the appearance of this thing is very,
very cool. I mean, like for anybody that loves
Transformers or like, you know, we've talked
about some of these podcasts recently, like Robot
Jocks, for example. There's a lot of just like
little boy fun to be had with the design of Mechagodzilla.
Yeah, it's pure Mecca. And, you know, if we had
I wish I had Sean Childers on the show here.
Yeah, have his take on it. But yeah, it's it's
it's a really great blend of traditional kaiju
with that Japanese love of giant robots. Yeah,
absolutely. That's probably a good segue to the
next point here, which I can talk about a little
bit. There was more CGI on Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
2 than on the previous Godzilla films. The Godzilla
suit was new. Mechagodzilla was less angular
than the previous incarnation. And there was
no suitmation for Rodan. It was mostly puppets
and marionettes. And all of it looks pretty great,
in my opinion. Agreed. I love Rodan. how that
creature is brought to life in this film. Because
the Shoah Rodan, the first film from 1956, I
think the special effects still hold up. But
in the later films, you could see wear and tear
on the suit. It's starting to look a little ragged.
And it is just suitmation. It's a man in the
suit in the 60s. So to see the monster brought
to life with... updated effects and techniques
i think is very interesting very cool yeah for
sure and the first appearance of rodan in this
movie i'm kind of working in some of my good
stuff a little bit early in the episode, but
it's a really incredible moment. Like they find
the egg on this Island and they're like, they
don't really know exactly what it is, but they
think maybe it's a Rodan egg at that point. Although
that turns out not to be the case. But then shortly
after that, we see Rodan's first appearance and
it's this like wide shot and the clouds are like,
it's very cloudy and dark and kind of ominous.
And we just see Rodan like soaring through the
sky in the distance. And like Akira Ifukube's
score is just like very, also very ominous. and
like atmospheric and evocative. It's an incredible
moment. I love that shot in the movie. I agree.
And I love the shots of Rodin flying over Japan
in the daytime. And you see the, you have the
Rodin's enormous shadow soaring over buildings
and people. And then just like the effects of,
you know, matte or composite photography and
all these techniques working really seamlessly
with a puppet. Can I see a string or two? Maybe
if I look hard enough, but it doesn't matter.
Like the magic of the movie just transcends any
of those little bits of, you know, quibbles you
might have. Totally agree. Yeah, the couple wires
that you see are infinitely better than like
the, you know, CGI overload that you would see
probably like 10 years after this, you know?
Yeah, not long. CGI was used a lot in this movie.
Yeah. I did notice it, but it never distracted
me. Yeah, it always seems like an add -on to
the practical effects work, you know? Yeah. Really
great blend, which I think is the best way to
use these things. For sure. Oh, so going back
to Minya or Baby Godzilla, this character was
updated and included to appeal to female audiences
who were... a big reason why Godzilla versus
Mothra was so successful in 1992. However, director
Okawara felt about the original baby or son of
Godzilla movies. That was, that's the producer's
job to say, look, we need butts in seats. Women
see movies too. Let's include cute dinosaurs.
I don't know if that's like any of that's politically
correct, but that be that as it may. Yeah, you're
right. You're right about that for sure. But
yeah, I like the appearance of like I was saying
before, I like the appearance of baby Godzilla
in this movie a lot more than Minya back in the
day. I read that like the design of baby Godzilla
was meant to be like a lot more dinosaur like
than Minya was in Son of Godzilla. And I think
you can tell that it's like it is cute and like
kind of goofy, but like it also makes some kind
of logical sense that it would be like. a Godzilla
source. That's like not Godzilla, but like part
of the same family tree or whatever, you know,
it all kind of makes sense. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm
glad it looks like it could be a real animal.
Yeah. As opposed to mania, which is just like,
what are we doing? This is, this doesn't look
like Godzilla. Right. Exactly. And then it just
gets, I mean, I'm okay with silliness, but it's
like preposterous in that movie. Yeah. It goes
off the deep end. Yeah. In terms of the dubbing,
I'm not going to get too in the weeds, but Toho
had an Hong Kong company issue an English dub
for the international release. TriStar, like
I said earlier, released the film on home video
in the United States in 1999 with a new English
dub. I believe this is the version I watched
anyways. My box set of these movies is released
through TriStar. I would love to see this movie
in the original Japanese. That option was not
available to me on my DVD. I just get this 99
dub, which I don't think was a great dubbing.
For instance, everyone pronounced Rodan as Radon,
which is how it's spelled in the original Japanese.
But we all know, at least in English, that's
not how you say the creature's name. I'm not
mad about it. I just want the original language.
Right. I did watch it in the original Japanese.
I streamed it on Prime, which I don't always
love using Prime, but their availability is really
great on there. And I think it was the TriStar
release, but it was the original Japanese version
of it. And I'd like to see the dubbed one at
some point too, but the original sounded great.
And I'm glad they had that on there. Awesome.
Yeah. Yeah, I'll have to check that out. For
sure. Release and legacy of this movie. It was
released in December of 93. The Japanese title
is simply Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. Which I
find fascinating. That it's the Americans who
added a 2 to this movie. Yeah, you wouldn't think
that most American audiences really remembered
the first one very well. Strange. Because it's
not a sequel to that movie. Right. Yeah, they
could have just come up with a totally new name.
I don't know what it would have been, but if
there were issues of confusion or whatever, they
could have just named it something else. And
poor Terror of Mechagodzilla, which is number
two. Right, that is a sequel to it, yeah. Man,
it's confusing. It's hard work being a kaiju
superfan. You're like a detective. You've got
to sift through languages and media. Is it this
dub or that sub? Is it the Japanese? Is it the
Hong Kong? What? We got to figure it out. Yeah,
what's going on here, man? So the film got mostly
positive reviews when it came out, especially
for its special effects and action sequences.
It was followed by Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla.
By the way, Space Godzilla is heavily rumored
to be the antagonist of the upcoming Godzilla
x Kong Supernova. I actually don't know Space
Godzilla very well. I don't think I've ever seen
him before. He was only in one movie, Godzilla
vs. Space Godzilla from 1994. And we'll get to
it probably next year, I think. Yeah. Let's keep
going with the Heisei era. I love everything
we've seen so far. Yeah. And like I said, we've
gone in order, which I think is great because
these movies do have an order. Yeah. You're going
to see just a slight spoiler. you're going to
see baby Godzilla grow up a little bit. Ooh,
okay. Yeah. I'm excited about that. Yeah. I read
that was one of the original endings of this
movie, that Godzilla was originally maybe going
to die, but then baby Godzilla would, like, suddenly
grow from Godzilla's energy into, like, the new
Godzilla. It's probably good they didn't have
that ending in this movie, but that would have
been kind of crazy to see. Well, maybe they use
it for a future movie. Who knows? I'm excited.
You're tantalizing me right now. Well, on that
tantalizing note, Camp Kaiju is brought to you
by Zach Linder and the Zach Pack, powered by
Coldwell Banker Realty. Whether you're looking
for your dream home, a savvy investment property,
or expert guidance in home rehab and flipping,
the Zach Pack has you covered. Check the link
in the show notes for more information. Matt.
What's in Minya's mailbox? Brought to you by
Patreon .com slash Camp Kaiju. Oh, just had to
get a glass of water. My apologies. What is in
Minya's mailbox? Let's find out. Is it a Godzilla
-saurus? Oh, it is not. That would be so adorable,
though. I wish it was. We could play around in
this, like, little pen, you know, and, like,
sing it songs and everything. That'd be great.
But it is not that. It is a comment from Don.
Superfan Don via Patreon. Don has a comment about
the giant spider invasion. He says, this was
quite an interesting film, but I knew I was going
to have fun. A few seconds after the opening
credits, there he is, Alan Hale himself, and
the first words out of his mouth are, hi, little
buddy, how can you not love that? When they mentioned
the neutron initiator, all I could think of was
reverse the polarity in the neutron flow from
Doctor Who, but a lot of people wouldn't get
that reference. I don't get that reference, I'm
sorry to say. Don goes on to say, definitely
an enjoyable movie. I'm curious what the updated
anniversary version will be like. I hope one
or both of you guys were able to see it and tell
us about it. Thank you, Don. Yeah, I definitely
still am kind of like keeping an ear out about
the new footage for the giant spider invasion.
I don't know if there are any screenings coming
around here, not that I've heard of so far, but
I'm intrigued. Me too. Bill Robain, if you're
listening. I hope you enjoyed my Christmas card.
Keep us updated, please. We hope to hang out
properly and see your movie in person. That'd
be amazing. Yeah. Yeah. We just have one more
little comment. This is from Big Texas Butters
on Instagram, which just props to that name.
It's the best. Big Texas Butters comments about
Gappa the Trifibian Monster. They say, just finished
listening yesterday. Great episode. Love that
movie when I stumbled upon it years ago. And
that was kind of my experience. Saw it on Tubi.
Stumbled upon it. I threw it on. I ended up really
liking it. Not so much on follow up watches.
If I had seen it back in the day, I probably
would have some like nostalgia value for it.
I'm sorry to say that I do not have that for
that movie. It was. We have a lot of comments
about Gappa. I will just say we have so many
more to come. Real hot and cold. Some people
really love it. Some people can leave it. I don't
know. I don't hate the movie, but I'm not Gaga
for Gappa either. I hope that's the name of the
official fan club, Gaga for Gappa. It's great.
Thank you, Big Texas Butters. Thank you, Don.
Thank you, all of our Patreon supporters. Thank
you, all of our listeners here, near, and everywhere.
Keep them coming. You really add a lot to the
show with what you comment and want to talk about.
We did have some questions about Peter Lorre.
Is he coming back? Where is he? His honeymoon?
Well, let me tell you, he's coming back. He came
back last week. He dropped by my place, picked
up his things. He's out the door, Matt. Oh, man.
He's moving in with Lenore, who was a raven who
transformed into a beautiful woman, I'm told.
And they went off. They got married. Don't know
what's next for those two lovebirds, but Peter
and Lenore are living on their own now. Good
for them. That's amazing. Yeah. Still honeymooning.
Maybe they're traveling the world. But I told
him he can work remote. So yes, he could be anywhere
in the world. Wow. As a free man. Yeah. His next
recording could be from, you know, who knows
where? The jungles of Borneo. Let's go with that.
He's going to be reviewing that Shemp Howard
picture called Crazy Nights from 1944. About
three cracked -brained clowns trapped in a haunted
house with runaway gorillas, ghosts, and more.
Wow. Three goofballs run up against ghosts and
a giant gorilla in a haunted house is the official
synopsis here. I love that. Goofballs. Yeah,
not stooges. There's just one stooge. Two goofballs.
Man. I can't wait to hear Peter talk about that.
Sounds amazing. Same. From live from the jungles
of Borneo. Yeah. Man, I don't know where that
came from. You know I'm going to use that now.
You know, I would be honored if you do. Welcome
to the Poverty Row Studios on the other side
of Hollywood. Oh, here the stars were dimmer
and the red carpets dripped with blood. Together
we, you and me, yes, yes, we will watch the best
of the worst. Movies known for their limited
budgets. outlandish concepts and questionable
performances, but with enough haunted houses,
zombies, ape men, and devil bats to keep you
up at night. This is the Poverty World Picture
Show, and I dare you to sleep through these nightmares.
Live from the jungles of Borneo, it is I, your
host, Peter Lorre. I present to you a little
1944 picture that is so memorable it even has
two names. Ghost Crazy, or as we will call it
tonight, Crazy Nights. Either way, you would
have to be as crazy as I to watch and review
these haunted houses. This haunted house movie
that has more booze than the booing crowd in
Young Frankenstein. Yes, you remember the picture
well. Well, either way, forgive... The Forest
Pond, I am working remotely here in my tropical
mountain cottage. And, oh, the bats are flying
by here in the twilight. Oh, yes, I am quite
enjoying the afterlife these days. Taking it
a little easier. Watching my movies. Poverty
Row movies. Eating my fish heads. Oh, yes, it
is all at my leisure. And Lenore, she's up to
something in the back. You know, she kind of
does her own thing these days, but that's all
right with me. We have a healthy balance. Anyways,
Crazy Nights is a 63 -minute monogrammed film
that will challenge your funny bones in all the
wrong ways. Shemp Howard leads this film as a
circus performer whose act is to imitate a gorilla
for unwitting customers. His partner is in the
ring. include Billy Gilbert and Maxie Rosenblum.
The three complete a trio of unholy slapstick
that reeks as a Three Stooges knockoff, despite,
of course, Shemps standing as a stooge himself.
Now, Billy Gilbert is interesting. He was well
-known for his long career as a Hollywood funnyman.
And while he comes off in this picture as an
unfunny Lou Costello, you can see that maybe...
Maybe there was something there, and this maybe
just wasn't a vehicle for him. Yes, well, you've
seen it all before, folks. Crazy Nights is an
episode of Scooby -Doo with mistaken identities,
jilted lovers, and a pesky poltergeist that turns
out to be the disgruntled handyman. Spoilers
if you care about that kind of thing. So now,
what does this picture have going for it? Perhaps
the junior high antics may be stupid enough at
times to elicit a chuckle here or there. The
last ten minutes, for instance, is a revolving
door farce involving Shemp and his gorilla costume
and a genuine gorilla, which of course is played
by ape actor Art Miles. But, you know, overall,
skip this one, folks. It is a comedy with gags
deader than old Peter Lorre himself. But next
week, oh, next week, next week, have I got the
treat for you. A 1945 little picture called Fog
Island, yes, with venerable horror stars Lionel
Atwill and George Zuko, yes. Yes, let us relish
in the thick mist of the poverty row. Hello,
kaiju campers. Just wanted to give you a little
post -script. I would be amiss not to mention
the passing of Bob Burns. who passed away on
December 12th, 2025. Bob Burns was a noted legendary
archivist, collector, monster movie enthusiast.
He was an actor in his time, a producer, a director.
He made connections with Hollywood celebrities,
with regular old monster kids like you and me.
He made the festival rounds. He provided scores
of audio commentaries. If you have any classic
monster movies on DVD, go check them out. You
might have a Bob Burns commentary on there. When
you have a moment, just look up Bob Burns and
keep him in mind. All right. Until then, you
stay campy, and Mr. Burns, you rip in peace.
To devastate mankind. Supersonic jets cannot
catch him. Buckets cannot stop him. Armored tanks
are helpless before him. Even guided missiles
are powerless. See Rodan destroy a modern city,
leveling it to the earth with a killing airstream
of his mighty wings. Nothing can stop him. Nothing
escapes this monstrous beast of evil. The mightiest
monster the world has ever known. The mightiest
egg the world has ever known. Introducing me,
son of Godzilla. The fantastic red water. One
of the many weird natural phenomena on mysterious
Solgale Island. great scientific experiment begins.
Try another frequency. What is it? It seems as
though something's jamming the wavelengths. Son
of Godzilla, a rollicking monster spectacular.
See how a baby monster becomes a monstrous monster.
All right. I honestly couldn't think of a ton
of deep themes in this movie. One thing that
did stand out to me, though, was the character
of Kazuma. Is that right? Azusa. And she is having
like an impassioned speech to some government
political figure. And she makes the point that.
that baby Godzilla is not to be used as a commodity
because they want to use baby Godzilla as bait
to lure Godzilla away from Japan. And she says
it is a living being worthy of life not to be
used again as a pawn. So that's all I got out
of this movie. Yeah, I think you're right about
that. I think there are some kind of like tangential
themes that go along with that a little bit.
You know, like Azusa definitely does. That's
her name, right? Sorry, I know you just said
it. She has, you know, you were kind of alluding
to the questionable gender stereotypes that the
producers brought to it. Like, you know, women
love cute little dinosaurs, so we gotta put the
cute little dinosaur in the movie. But, like,
I think the... sort of motherly relationship
that Azusa has with baby Godzilla is pretty touching.
And, you know, it's almost like surrogate family
that's created between those two characters.
And then also Kazuma, who has this kind of like
romance with Azusa, you know, and they basically
end up together at the end of the movie. It's
strongly implied. And I don't want to give away
what happens with baby Godzilla, but it's, you
know, also, I think we have. a parallel kind
of surrogate family with Godzilla, Rodan, and
baby Godzilla. They're not like literally parents
and children, but like, you know, Godzilla definitely
brings some like fatherly affection towards baby
Godzilla. And then Rodan is kind of a protector
of both of them. Like Rodan makes this very touching
sacrifice to bring Godzilla back to life when
we think he's defeated in battle. So, you know,
I think there are some themes of family. It's
like a very broad theme and kind of sentimental,
but... Pretty touching, I would say, in this
movie. But the second theme that I would mention
I thought was even more interesting. Like, you
mentioned how Azusa says that baby Godzilla is
not a commodity and should not be treated as
such by the government or, you know, G -Force
or whatever. And then at the very end of the
movie, there's another speech about how, you
know, Mechagodzilla is vanquished by Godzilla
and Rodan. And there's another line about how,
like, you know, life will conquer over artificial
things, whether it's like reptiles or humans,
like they will take down hunks of metal basically,
you know? And I love that. Like Mechagodzilla
isn't the title of the movie, but like, you know,
it's kind of a happy ending that Mechagodzilla
does not win in the end. And I couldn't help
but think about artificial intelligence a little
bit, you know? Like true creativity, true life,
and true human presence will always conquer artificial
intelligence, you know? In my opinion, that's
my sort of old fashioned way of looking at it.
No, that's wonderful. More people need to think
like you. And and that's that. See, that's great,
because you're making me think more critically
about these themes, the familial relationships,
particularly between the monsters. I love and
I didn't know that connection they share as kaiju.
It's kind of like, look, we have to look out
for each other as these irradiated. Things in
nature that shouldn't exist, but here we are.
Second, to your point about that line, nature
will or life will always conquer the machines,
paraphrasing. But yes, I think that that's the
difference between this movie and Godzilla versus
Mechagodzilla, the first one. Whereas Mechagodzilla
in that movie is a tool of an alien. invading
force so it's a little more pulpy in that regard
maybe a little less deep but but making the mecca
a tool of humanity now we're making it a little
more personal thematically now it's like okay
what does this say about our our human struggle
against nature you know liken it to stopping
a hurricane which, you know, Godzilla and these
kaiju are forces of nature. Can you really stop
an earthquake? Can you stop a volcano? You could
try, but ultimately you can't, you can't do it.
And I think that that's like, that's the analogy
in this movie that makes it a little more deeper
than previous Mechagodzilla movies. Yeah, I would
totally agree with that. And I think like there
are sequences in this movie where you feel bad
for Godzilla. He's being totally pummeled by
Mechagodzilla. He's getting like missiles shot
into his body and then ripped out and he's getting
like electrical pulses like sent into. And it's
like, man, I know he destroys cities and presumably
kills hundreds of thousands of people. But still,
it's like you feel bad for Godzilla. He's just
doing what he does, like you were saying. And
that's like his kind of natural. behavior you
know so like i yeah i mean i feel like it's i
did not expect that like godzilla triumphing
and mecha godzilla being taken down would be
the happy ending of this movie but it kind of
is and i thought of pacific rim a little bit
too which you know a very similar storyline like
governments create mechas to take down these
kaiju And in that movie, I think we are supposed
to be like really happy when like, you know,
these huge robots pummel these monsters and all
that. And it's like, I would rather kind of have
it this way around where like the actual living
thing still reigns supreme at the end, you know?
Yeah. Yeah, that's an interesting take. Like
if Godzilla versus Mechagodzilla 2, it's just
a matter of perspective. This movie takes the
side of the monster. Yeah. But you could easily
flip it. And in the movie, in the world of the
movie, the whole world is rooting for Mechagodzilla.
Right. Yeah. Yeah, it's cool. You know, I think
that's one of many reasons these movies have
such staying power and like lasting value because
we love these monsters and we kind of do want
to see them win, you know? Absolutely. Well,
yeah, this movie is extremely entertaining. I
think it kind of just jumps into the action right
away with Mechagodzilla and this government lair,
and the effects, again, are really, really great.
And then it just never really lets up. I think
the climactic battle between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla
maybe goes on a little bit too long, but I do
think all the kaiju battles are really beautiful
and a lot of fun. And speaking of beautiful,
like this is just like an extremely well shot,
good looking movie. Like there were some shots
where I like, I like gasped out loud. There's
a shot, like you mentioned Rodan flying over
the cities, but also there's a shot where like
Godzilla is like standing next to some skyscrapers,
like at dusk, the sky is like a deep purple behind
him. It's gorgeous. I love that shot. And then
like later on when Godzilla is resurrected by
Rodan. there's just like lights and like explosions
all over the screen. And it's like totally eye
popping. It's such a beautiful movie. Can I add
onto that? There's a scene where Rodan is on
the ground, like he's been pummeled and Godzilla
is walking up to him. And it's just the frame
is Rodan's face. And in the background approaching
is just the legs of destruction of Godzilla.
Yeah. You know, it's just framing like that.
That's so intriguing. It just makes you lean
in closer to the screen. Absolutely, yeah. There
are definitely some examples of that in the older
Showa -era movies, but I really like these Heisei
movies a lot because I just feel like the visual
creativity kind of takes a step forward, and
the special effects and the things they can do
with that obviously allow that to happen a little
bit, but it's very impressive for sure. I remembered
what I was going to say before. Whatever the
reasons for... female inclusion in this movie
the fact is that two of our three leads are women
and i'm i'm real i realize that now in the midst
of our conversation so i just want to shout that
out like we have we have i think strong female
representation they're scientists they're they're
women with you know even if the men are pushing
back against them they are still strong -willed
women and the man in the trio he he's a nerd
like i'm saying like he's not a threatening masculine
meathead he's he's like a nice guy who's there
to support them as well so i think there's like
to use the term there's like a really feminine
energy with this trio Yeah, I totally agree with
that. I love that. And yeah, the two female leads
that you were just talking about are extremely
capable scientists who have so much agency. Azusa,
at the end, gets into a shipping container with
baby Godzilla, and she's risking her life to
comfort this creature who she's developed this
bond with. And that's a heroic thing to do. And
then Miki, I think that's her name, right? The
psychic character? Yeah. You know, she's the
one who can, who like knows where Godzilla's
second brain is and like has, you know, certain
qualms, certain reservations about like being
used to attack Godzilla, but she still goes along
with it. So anyway, she's a complicated character
and I feel like, you know, the Bechdel test,
which is like a test about like the agency of
female characters. Do they operate independently
of male characters and so on and so forth? I
think the characters in this movie pass that
test, you know? Yeah. Yeah. And. And yeah, I
think you can go on about that. You know, Godzilla
at the end of this movie shows a parental instinct
towards baby Godzilla. And I know we you know,
the world just refers to Godzilla as a he. But,
you know, we don't truly know that. And I think
Godzilla can be. Well, well, here's my thesis.
Men can also be motherly. How about that? I love
that thesis. Yeah, for sure. And I like what
you said about the feminine energy in this movie.
And honestly, I think that's one of my favorite
things about it. Yeah, yeah. I think Rodan is
a female. I don't know why. They refer to the
monster as a he. But in the first movie, like
the first Rodan film, we have a mother and a
father. And there's just something about Rodan
that, I don't know, strikes me as a female character,
like Mothra does. yeah yeah for sure protector
that kind of thing you know yeah caretaker but
men can be that too and we should be absolutely
all right what else do you like about this movie
you know, I do like that theme that kind of comes
in at the end about life conquering artificiality,
that whole thing. The Ifukubu, sorry, Ifukube
music is really phenomenal. Like I love all of
his soundtracks, but this might be one of his
best. And there are so many moments that just
are lent so much power and almost melancholy
through his music. So yeah, that's really great.
Yeah, that's the main stuff for me, I think.
Same. all those things, his score blows me away.
In the beginning, like you said, when we're getting
just shots of Mechagodzilla being built, but
also we see King Ghidorah's head, the mechanic,
yeah, the Mecha King Ghidorah. It's just taken
me back to one of my favorite movies and I'm
feeling really pumped. I love the special effects,
but I can't put into words how effective, how
good, how mind -boggling. intricate these special
effects are with like the blinking eyes when
baby godzilla like the close -ups because the
effects are so good they allow close -ups of
baby godzilla of rodan of godzilla and i i'm
not distracted at all by the the suit by the
artificiality like it's so lifelike and then
the animatronics were being used but man it's
good like there's life in those eyes Yeah. Yeah.
That's a good way to put it. Absolutely. And
like, yeah, the special effects are really dynamic.
Like there are some shots that are like from
the point of view of some of the creatures or
even from like, like Garuda, I think is the name
of like the flying ship, you know, and there
are these great aerial shots that are like from
the perspective of that ship. So there's just
so much energy and creativity in the special
effects in this movie. Yeah. It's, it's, it's,
I think, I think it's, it's the reason to watch
this movie. Yeah, the number one reason for sure,
but I was surprised by how many other things
the movie has to offer as well. Yeah. My favorite
part were when Godzilla and Mechagodzilla shoot
their beams at each other, and you get a classic
tug -of -war thing with the beams. So good. Amazing
moment. I love that. Yeah, that whole fight at
the end, maybe slightly too long, but there's
so much good stuff in that. Yeah. Oh, and the
brutality of Rodan's death. Yeah. A hole in his
chest. He's gurgling bile. Yeah. And just like
he he or she sacrifices themselves for Godzilla.
That's amazing. You know, like it's a touching
moment. It says it reminded that heartbreak not
as effective as Honda's Rodan from 56. But but
I think Rodan in these two movies, it just there's
so much sympathy. The end of Rodan, the movie,
breaks my heart every time I think about it.
When they die in the volcano crater. Yes. I know
I love Rodan, but it's been a while since I've
seen it, so I don't remember it all that well.
But that is ringing a bell. Yeah. The Honda touch?
Yeah. Can I mention one more good thing? Sorry,
I'm spending a lot of time on the good stuff.
But like maybe my favorite instance of Ifukube's
music in this movie is when there's like a song
that Baby Godzilla knows somehow from like the
island that the egg was hatched. And like the
first time we hear that song, it's kind of very
eerie. And then that causes Baby Godzilla to
hatch from the egg. And then the second time
we hear it is when a bunch of young girls who
are like go to that like. telekinesis school
that Mickey teaches at. They go to like baby
Godzilla's pen and they all sing that song and
they're like all like very adorable, like school
children, but they sing this ominous, eerie,
spooky song. And then baby Godzilla kind of is
very frightened and goes haywire, you know, I,
both of those scenes, I really love the music
is great. And just like the, what's going on
narratively is like really interesting as well.
Yeah. I think there's a lot of bold choices in
this movie. Yeah. Yeah. On the flip side, though,
I do have I have some things that weren't working
for me with some of these things. Like I love
the whole psychic angle and they go to the school
just as they did in Violante. But but here it
felt more like a shortcut, like a narrative plot
device. It didn't it didn't quite feel as organic
to me. And this is my. My main takeaway, like
I love this movie's effects and the score and
the visuals. But I still am not clear on what
people really want, their relationships. There's
like a lot of character stuff that I was lost.
I was like, I have lost the plot. I don't quite
understand. And then at one point, someone says
Rodan is. the half brother of baby Godzilla.
Yeah. I literally threw my notes. I was like,
when did that happen? I don't understand. Backtrack.
Hold up. What's going on? So it's like things
like that. They just, the script throws nuggets,
but doesn't back them up really. Yeah. I think
that's fair. Yeah. I think the movie moves so
fast and there are so many delightful scenes
and moments that maybe it's just assuming that
we won't really care about that stuff. That did
kind of work on me a little bit. Also with the
half -brother thing, I was like, wait a minute,
what the hell is going on here? But then some
other awesome thing happened in the movie and
I was like, who cares? I'll just keep on watching
this. But yeah, the script definitely seems like
it's cobbled together a little bit. You know,
some of this. Oh, sorry. All right. No, I to
be fair, I did have to look it up and there's
a Reddit thread. I looked it up like what's going
on. Why is why are they related to each other?
And they're not really related to each other.
It's like the whole cuckoo bird thing, which
was mentioned in the beginning of the film, to
be fair, where this was always a Godzilla source
egg that ended up in Rodan's nest. These two
were hatched in the same nest, which is why Rodan
views baby Godzilla as his brother. But where's
the other Rodans? How did this egg get into a
Rodan nest? I just, I would like a little bit
of fleshing out of these ideas. Yeah, I think
that's fair. And maybe some of it is like, assuming
that we know what happened in the previous movies,
like it doesn't really explain Miki very much.
So if you don't know who that is from Biollante,
then that might be an issue. And then, like,
I think the island that they're on where they
discover the egg was also in Godzilla vs. Mothra,
right? Even though I don't remember that very
well. Maybe. That's what I read. It's like, is
that a Mothra egg? Which we know is an established
conceit in the franchise. Yeah. But that was
also, like, a confusion for me. Like, what are
we getting? Right. Yeah. And, like, yeah, like...
I don't think it's a great thing if it's overly
serialized like that. Previous Godzilla movies,
it helps if you see them in succession and know
what else is going on, but you don't absolutely
have to. With this movie, I think it makes even
less sense if you haven't seen the other previous
movies. Yeah, but there's so much eye candy,
and I mean that with all due respect. It's a
beautifully looking movie. Yeah. One more thing
I'll add. That detracted me from the beauty of
the visuals during the final fight between Godzilla
and Mechagodzilla. Godzilla's crashing down.
Buildings are crashing down. Things are blowing
up. There's a lot of explosions. And the camera
is shaking itself. The camera is shaking wildly.
I believe it's a choice to enhance the effect
of... Quaking destruction. But I found it very
distracting when so much of the rest of the battles
is just a still camera. And now they made this
choice and it didn't work for me. Yeah. Did you
notice that? Yeah, I did. Absolutely. Yeah. It
didn't really work for me either. It's relatively
brief, so I guess I didn't mind at all that much.
But yeah, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Like
the moment would be even more impressive if there
was just like a great steady composition of it,
you know? Yeah, let the scene just speak for
itself. You don't need to embellish it in that
way. Yeah, totally. I would agree with that.
Yeah. And I, you know, yeah, the fight scene
at the end, that's like, there's so much I love
about it, like I said, but it does go on for
a while. And it's maybe a little bit repetitive
of the first fight that Godzilla and Mechagodzilla
have in the movie too, because that earlier fight,
they're like shooting the beams at each other.
We see the thing that opens out of Mechagodzilla's
chest to shoot that energy wave or whatever.
So it's a little bit repetitive, and maybe some
of those things could have been saved for the
climactic fight, and the earlier one could have
been a little bit shorter. So yeah, I would put
that in the bad category. It's a relatively mild
flaw, though, I would say. Yeah, yeah. Yeah,
those are my big things with my big critiques.
I mean, maybe the first act is a little slow
to get off the ground. It's not boring, but it's
also just like taking its time in a way that
I don't know for Godzilla movie. I'd like it
to get on with it a little bit. Yeah. Yeah, I
think like the scene on the island early on is
great. But then after that, we spend kind of
a lot of time with Kazuma and Azusa and they're
kind of like growing relationship. And some of
that's pretty charming, but it goes on for a
while. The baby Godzilla stuff, all important
for the story. Yeah, I don't know. Maybe it was
just my frame of mind at the time. Yeah, no,
that makes sense. There's I do love a lot of
that stuff, though, like the scene where like
Kazuma has his little like pteranodon flyer,
like the hovercraft or whatever. And like he
and Azusa go for a ride on there and like baby
Godzilla is like playing in its pen below. It's
such a magical scene. It's very whimsical, like
very joyous. You know, yesterday was a bad day
for a lot of the reasons that we were talking
about earlier in the episode. And like then this
movie and that scene kind of lifted my spirit.
So I like a lot of that stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Well,
campy stuff. How can I forget? Not time for our
ratings. One thing that comes to my mind when
Azusa gets in the shipping container with baby
Godzilla, I had to laugh at how willingly everyone
was like, sure, that's a good idea. Get inside
this thing and we're going to take you by a helicopter
across the damn country. And then. Oh, Rodan
attacks. Like who thought this would be a good
idea? They let her in that thing. Right. I think
you even see one character like start to protest
a little bit. And then another guy like Azusa's
boss is like, no, let her do it. Why? Why would
you let her do that? It's shady. I'm like, look,
I know she's. she's a pain in your butt but you
know yeah just for like insurance reasons like
you probably should not do that you know probably
should not let that happen yeah So I think this
was even more pronounced because I watched the
Japanese version, Japanese language version.
But the one American actor who plays, he's on
the G -Force board of scientists or whatever,
and I don't really understand why. But he's,
I'm sorry to that actor whose name I think is
Leo. Sorry, I do want to find out his name real
quick. One moment. Leo Meneghetti is the name
of the actor. He plays Dr. Leo Asimov. Asimov.
Right. Yeah, ridiculous name. But he's not a
good actor. I mean, like, his line readings are
ridiculous. And, like, it's just even more pronounced
if you, like, hear all this dialogue in Japanese.
And then you hear, like, some really ridiculous
English dialogue that's like, maybe we can flip
Mechagodzilla over or something like that, you
know? Like, and that's an issue with a lot of
the... English language performances, I guess,
but that character is especially ridiculous.
Are there no good white actors in Japan? Because
based on the Godzilla movies, there are not.
Right. I mean, maybe Nick Adams was the exception,
you know, back in the day. They imported him.
Oh, true. Yeah, that's a good point. Maybe like,
I don't know if it's just like a language barrier
with the director, but you would think that the
actor would be able to like say lines like semi
coherently, you know? They never do it. No, it's
terrible. Very amusing. And then on a similar
note, there's like an automated voice and like
the government like blast off center. And that's
also in English, which I don't really understand
why. But like the guy that they chose to like
provide that voice is also ridiculous. And he's
saying things like, insert coolant now. Things
that probably he would not like this voice would
not be saying in the loudspeakers or whatever.
And I thought all that was really entertaining,
too. Those are the campiest things I have. Those
are good. Those are good. Yeah, I mentioned everything
else. I think the whole idea of our Kazuma being
a self -described Pteranodon nerd. I'm like,
that's so that's so sweet, right? It's like,
oh, look at you. Like that entitles you to some
authority? I guess it does in this instance.
Yeah, because he does whatever he wants. And
like he is like assigned to be a parking lot
security guard at one point. So like he's kind
of in hot water for it, but like he still does
just whatever he wants, you know? There's another
bit where Rodan first appears and everyone's
like, what's that? It's a giant bird. And I get,
I talk to the screen sometimes. I'm like. Godzilla
exists in this world. Mothra exists in this world.
Why are you flipping your lids over this monster?
Why are you all surprised this exists? Right.
They shouldn't really be surprised by anything
anymore. No. Yeah. Oh, my God. And, like, the
scientists on the island talk about Rodan. Like,
they're aware of Rodan, so you would think other
people would be, too. That script. That script,
I've got my eye on that script. Yeah, logic is
not a strong suit. All right, well, I'm ready
to wrap it up. Give it a rating. Yeah, for sure.
It's good to get back into this with our first
rating of 2026. As usual on Camp Kaiju, we have
four ratings. Number one, it's a timeless classic.
It definitely stands the test of time. Number
two, there may be some antiquated moments, but
overall it's great. It stands the test of time.
Number three, it may be historically significant
or just fun, but it does not stand the test of
time. And our lowest rating, it is not worth
revisiting. It definitely does not stand the
test of time. Man, oh man. I'm torn. Me too.
Stuck between two ratings right now. Me too,
but are they the same ratings as you? I hope
so. I don't know. I think so, but I could be
wrong. Well, why don't you go first? Maybe you
can sway me. Okay. I need a couple more seconds.
Okay. It is an important decision. This is the
hardest decision I've ever made on this show.
I know. Usually I kind of know what I'm going
to do from the start. I got to do it. It's a
timeless classic. It definitely stands the test
of time. Wow. Yeah, I have to go with the highest.
I really love these Heisei movies so far, and
this movie, it's kind of repetitive at times,
but that's like the biggest complaint I have
about it. It's so gorgeous and creative. I love
the music. You know, the plot's thin, but there's
enough there to keep you going, and like there's
this sudden great idea and theme introduced at
the very end, but it still seems kind of organic
to the rest of the movie. I really loved it.
Yeah, highest rating for me. That's beautiful.
Those are not the two I was waffling between.
Oh, okay. Oh, man. Do I want to be like, all
right, you know what? You stuck to your guns.
I'm going to stick to mine, but I'm going to
have a caveat. Why not? Because we could do whatever
we want on this show. I think this movie is so
much fun. It is a blast. Throw it on, leave it
in the background. You're going to love it to
death. It's historically significant for reintroducing
baby Godzilla and subsequent Heisei films will
expand on that character. But if you watch this
movie with any kind of discerning eye, and I
know you did, so we have no offense. If you bring
some intelligence to the movie, you know, critical
thought. Just kidding. If you had any worth as
a film critic, you would know. And I'm not talking
about you, Matt. Of course. I think it kind of
falls apart in the heart of the film with the
characters and the plot elements. I think it's
just a little too flimsy in that department for
me to say it stands the test of time as a film,
whatever that means. But as just, but just as
like entertainment, like this movie rocks and
I will, I'll always go back to this movie because
it's such an easy watch, but maybe that's the
problem. Maybe it's a little too easy. Doesn't
make me think too much. Sometimes I like that.
I like to be challenged a little bit more. Yeah,
I. Probably overrated it a little bit. No, you
didn't. I think perhaps he might have underrated
it a little bit, though, too, you know? See,
there you go. But my goal for 2026 before this,
I was like, I want to be more discerning. Because
last, in the fall, you were very critical of
movies that I was like, I love that. I don't
care about the specifics of filmmaking. It's
got a giant shark that eats teenagers. I love
it. Yeah. Jaws 2 is a good example of that. Yeah.
Well, yeah, I think we're going in opposite direction
because I do feel like, you know, for 2026, I
want to be like, you know what? This movie gives
me pleasure. And I love that. Like highest rating,
you know, five out of five. Yeah, that's so great.
And we need that. So if I rained on anybody's
parade out there. Sorry, but this movie still
rocks, so 100 % agree with you. And we also need
the critical eye and the appropriate criticisms,
so we need both. There you go. Listeners, let
us know what you think. All right, well, coming
up next, Matt, what do we got? The Abominable
Snowman from 1957, a Hammer Horror release. Very
excited for that one. Me too, folks. Check out
our... patreon to watch it and we'll we'll be
in touch until then stay campy thanks for hanging
out with us friends please rate and review the
show and follow us on patreon .com slash camp
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and our voicemail number 612 -470 -2612 Camp
Kaiju is recorded in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnesota,
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Thank you, friends. Until next time, stay campy.
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notes for more information. What we've got is
no Pteranodon. This baby is something else. I'm
sorry, but I don't want to be an emperor. That's
not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer
anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible.
Jew, Gentile, black man, white. We all want to
help one another. Human beings are like that.
We want to live by each other's happiness, not
by each other's misery. We don't want to hate
and despise one another. In this world, there's
room for everyone, and the good earth is rich
and can provide for everyone. The way of life
can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the
way. Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded
the world with hate, has goose -stepped us into
misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed,
but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that
gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge
has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and
unkind. We think too much and feel too little.
More than machinery, we need humanity. More than
cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness.
Without these qualities, life will be violent
and all will be lost. The aeroplane and the radio
have brought us closer together. The very nature
of these inventions cries out for the goodness
in men, cries out for universal brotherhood,
for the unity of us all. Even now, my voice is
reaching millions throughout the world. millions
of despairing men, women, and little children,
victims of a system that makes men torture and
imprison innocent people. To those who can hear
me, I say, do not despair. The misery that is
now upon us is but the passing of greed, the
bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress.
The hate of men will pass, and dictators die,
and the power they took from the people will
return to the people, and so long as men die,
liberty will never perish. Soldiers, don't give
yourselves to brutes. Men who despise you, enslave
you, who regiment your lives, tell you what to
do, what to think, and what to feel. Who drill
you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you
as cannon fodder. Don't give yourselves to these
unnatural men. Machine men with machine minds
and machine hearts. You are not machines. You
are not cattle. You are men. You have the love
of humanity in your hearts. You don't hate. Only
the unloved hate. The unloved and the unnatural.
Soldiers, don't fight for slavery, fight for
liberty. In the 17th chapter of St. Luke it is
written, the kingdom of God is within man, not
one man nor a group of men, but in all men, in
you. You, the people, have the power. The power
to create machines, the power to create happiness.
You, the people, have the power to make this
life free and beautiful, to make this life a
wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy,
let us use that power. Let us all unite. Let
us fight for a new world. A decent world that
will give men a chance to work, that will give
youth a future and old age a security. By the
promise of these things, brutes have risen to
power. But they lie. They do not fulfill that
promise. They never will. Dictators free themselves,
but they enslave the people. Now let us fight
to fulfill that promise. Let us fight to free
the world, to do away with national barriers,
to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance.
Let us fight for a world of reason. A world where
science and progress will lead to all men's happiness.
Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us all
unite!