Godzilla VS Megalon

***Godzilla vs. Megalon*** (ゴジラ対メガロ *Gojira tai Megaro*) is a 1973 tokusatsu kaiju film produced by Toho Eizo, and the thirteenth installment in the *Godzilla* series as well as the Showa series. The film was released to Japanese theaters by Toho on March 17, 1973.

Underground nuclear testing in the Aleutian Islands damages the undersea kingdom of Seatopia, whose angry inhabitants send their guardian monster Megalon to the surface to seek revenge on humanity. Inventor Goro Ibuki, his brother Rokuro, and his best friend Hiroshi Jinkawa find themselves caught up in the Seatopians' plan, as they plan to use Goro's invention, the robot Jet Jaguar, to guide Megalon. Goro manages to free Jet Jaguar from the Seatopians' control and sends him to Monster Island to recruit Godzilla's help. The stage is set for a colossal tag-team battle when the Seatopians recruit the aid of the evil cyborg kaiju Gigan from the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens, with Godzilla and Jet Jaguar facing off against Gigan and Megalon.

## Plot

An underground nuclear test on Asuka Island in the Aleutian Islands triggers seismic aftershocks felt as far away as Monster Island, where Godzilla, Anguirus, and Rodan are disturbed as the island begins breaking apart. Godzilla and Anguirus try to flee, but Anguirus falls and is pulled into a fissure, leaving Godzilla roaring defiantly at the rest of the collapsing island. A second seismic event occurs at Lake Kitayama in Japan, where inventor Goro Ibuki enjoys a picnic with his friend Hiroshi Jinkawa as his little brother Rokuro rides on a dolphin boat in the lake. A whirlpool forms in the middle of the lake and nearly pulls Rokuro in before Goro and Jinkawa pull him back to shore with a life rope. The three then watch as the lake completely drains in a matter of moments. As they drive home, they worry that these repeated nuclear tests will cause civilization to sink just like the ancient continents of Mu and Lemuria. When they arrive at Goro's home, they are attacked by an intruder who is fought off by Jinkawa. Jinkawa gives chase in his car, but loses the trespasser after he throws a grenade out the window of his car and sets a field ablaze. Back in Goro's lab, he and Rokuro find it trashed but no sign of anything being stolen. When Jinkawa returns, he finds that a button he pulled off the intruder's coat is the same color as a deposit of red sand left behind in the lab. He goes to get the sand tested while Goro completes work on his advanced new robot. Goro completes his new robot, which he names Jet Jaguar, and activates it. The robot wanders aimlessly through the lab, guided by cameras installed in its eyes. Jinkawa reports to Goro that the sand they found comes from an ancient stratum, confusing them both as to just who the intruder was. While Rokuro rides his minibike not far from Goro's lab, he is abducted by the intruder from earlier and his driver, then used as bait for Goro to open the door. The intruder breaks in once more and knocks Goro, Jinkawa, and Rokuro out with his gun, then contacts Seatopia using equipment in the lab.

His message is received in the advanced underwater kingdom of Seatopia, where Emperor Antonio holds a ritual to awaken their guardian Megalon to make war on the surface-dwellers in retaliation for the damage caused by their nuclear tests. Megalon awakens and burrows his way to the surface, where Jet Jaguar, now under Seatopian control, will guide him. Goro and Rokuro awaken inside a container on a truck, which is being driven to the lake where it is to be dumped. Jinkawa awakens in the lab, where he sees the intruder controlling Jet Jaguar remotely. He asks where the man has taken Goro and Rokuro, but he replies that they will be brought to Seatopia where Goro will create other robots like Jet Jaguar for the defense of the kingdom. Jinkawa escapes his binds and subdues the Seatopian agent, forcing him to reveal that the two are being transported in a container truck. Jinkawa sets off to rescue them, but is tailed by two more Seatopian agents. He manages to lose them in a construction area, and continues to the lake. With Megalon sighted on the surface, the two truck drivers are hesitant to continue approaching the lake, only to be held at gunpoint by the Seatopian agent who hired them. Thinking quickly, they throw him out of the truck and prepare to dump their cargo into a dam. Jinkawa arrives just in time and asks the drivers to help him save Goro and Rokuro, but the two tell him to screw himself and steal his car. Jinkawa mans the truck and tries to get the container clear, only for Megalon to burst through the dam. Timing it perfectly, Jinkawa drops the container onto Megalon's hand, which causes it to go flying into the distance. Jinkawa reunites with Goro and Rokuro and finds they are okay. Goro meets with the JSDF and informs them he can get the robot guiding Megalon under his control. He is flown to Jet Jaguar in a helicopter and uses a remote control device to order the robot to seek Godzilla's help. Jet Jaguar complies and flies to Monster Island. With this turn of events, Antonio contacts the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens and asks for Gigan's help against Godzilla.

Without his guide, Megalon begins to act erratically and jump around wildly. The JSDF confronts him but is quickly wiped out by his napalm and horn laser. Megalon reaches Tokyo and devastates the metropolis unopposed. Fortunately, Jet Jaguar reaches Godzilla and informs him of the situation, prompting Godzilla to set off for the mainland. Jet Jaguar returns to Goro's lab, which the three have successfully taken back from the Seatopian agent. Jet Jaguar confirms his success in reaching Godzilla before flying away. Goro remarks that Jet Jaguar has seemingly developed a will of his own, and leaves with the others to observe him. Jet Jaguar lands in front of Megalon, who laughs at the diminutive robot before Jet Jaguar grows to Megalon's size right before the kaiju's eyes. Jet Jaguar punches Megalon and begins battling with him to stall his rampage until Godzilla arrives. Jet Jaguar holds his own until Gigan arrives to back up Megalon. The two kaiju combined overwhelm Jet Jaguar, but Godzilla soon arrives to help. Godzilla battles both Gigan and Megalon, allowing time for Jet Jaguar to get back into the fight. Godzilla and Jet Jaguar's combined efforts turn the battle in their favor, prompting Gigan to beat a quick retreat. Jet Jaguar and Godzilla waste no time in beating on Megalon until he finally retreats back to Seatopia. The Seatopians close all fissures to the surface and end their war on the surface world. Victorious, Godzilla and Jet Jaguar shake each other's hands and go their separate ways. Jet Jaguar returns to human size and reunites with his creator, who finds his free will is seemingly gone. But perhaps one day it will return if the world faces another similar threat. The three then return home happily with Jet Jaguar.

## Staff

Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.

* Directed by   Jun Fukuda
* Screenplay by   Jun Fukuda
* Based on a story by   Shinichi Sekizawa
* Produced by   Tomoyuki Tanaka
* Music by   Riichiro Manabe
* Theme song "Godzilla and Jet Jaguar: Punch! Punch! Punch!"
	+ Performed by   Masato Shimon
	+ Lyrics by   Shinichi Sekizawa
* Cinematography by   Yuzuru Aizawa
* Edited by   Michiko Ikeda
* Production design by   Yoshifumi Honda
* 1st assistant director   Tsunesaburo Nishikawa
* Director of special effects   Teruyoshi Nakano

## Cast

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

* Katsuhiko Sasaki   as   Goro Ibuki, inventor
* Yutaka Hayashi   as   Hiroshi Jinkawa
* Hiroyuki Kawase   as   Rokuro "Roku" Ibuki
* Kanta Mori   as   JSDF commander
* Kotaro Tomita   as   Seatopian agent in black
* Ulf Otsuki   as   Seatopian agent in gray
* Sakyo Mikami   as   Truck driver's assistant
* Fumio Ikeda   as   Man at Ground 1
* Gen Nakajima   as   Truck driver
* Robert Dunham   as   Seatopian Emperor Antonio (Japanese voice actor: Goro Naya)
* Ralph Jesser   as   Seatopian radio operator (as Ralph Jessup)
* Shinji Takagi   as   Godzilla
* Hideto Date   as   Megalon
* Tsugutoshi Komada, Masachika Mori   as   Jet Jaguar
* Kenpachiro Satsuma   as   Gigan (as Kengo Nakayama)
* Takamitsu Watanabe   as   Fight choreographer
* Eizaburo Komatsu   as   JSDF member (uncredited)
* Eisuke Nakanishi   as   Asuka Island nuclear test announcer (uncredited)

### International English dub

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

* Chris Hilton   as   Goro Ibuki / truck driver's assistant (road)
* Warren Rooke   as   Hiroshi Jinkawa / truck driver's assistant (dam)
* Linda Masson   as   Rokuro Ibuki
* Ted Thomas   as   Antonio / narrator / radio announcer

## Appearances

* Megalon
* Jet Jaguar
* Gigan
* Anguirus
* Rodan (stock footage)
* Gaira (stock footage, erroneous)
* Type 66 Maser Cannon (stock footage)
* TH-55J Helicopter
* Type 61 Tank (stock footage)
* M24 Chaffee Tank (stock footage)
* M4A3E8 Sherman Tank (stock footage)
* F-86 Sabre
* 24 Twin Rocket Car (stock footage)
* Multipurpose Tank (stock footage)
* Type M3A1 (stock footage)
* Support Helicopter (stock footage)
* SAR-1 (stock footage)

## Production

In mid-to-late 1972, Toho held a contest for elementary school children to design a robot who would appear in the next *Godzilla* film. The winner's creation was named "Red Alone," which superficially resembled both Ultraman and Mazinger Z. The character was renamed Jet Jaguar for its inclusion in the film.

While *Godzilla vs. Megalon* was made over the course of six months, its allocation of time was unusual. As special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano recalled, "That movie seemed to take forever to develop, then it went into production without enough preparation." Due to the time constraints, screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa simply provided a story outline, while director Jun Fukuda wrote the script. Principal photography started immediately thereafter and took place over approximately three weeks.

## Alternate titles

* ***Godzilla vs. The Megalon Brothers: The Undersea Kingdom's Annihilation Strategy*** (ゴジラ対メガロ兄弟 海底王国全滅作戦 *Gojira tai Megaro Kyōdai Kaitei Ōkoku Zenmetsu Sakusen*, early Japanese title)
* ***Godzilla vs. Megalon: The Undersea Kingdom's Annihilation Strategy*** (ゴジラ対メガロ 海底王国全滅作戦 *Gojira tai Megaro Kaitei Ōkoku Zenmetsu Sakusen*, early Japanese title)
* ***Insect Monster Megalon vs. Godzilla: The Undersea Kingdom's Annihilation Strategy*** (昆虫怪獣メガロ対ゴジラ 海底王国全滅作戦 *Konchū Kaijū Megaro tai Gojira Kaitei Ōkoku Zenmetsu Sakusen*, early Japanese title)
* ***Gorgo and Superman Meet in Tokyo*** (*Gorgo y Superman se citan en Tokio*; Spain)
* ***Planetary Titans*** (*Titanes planetarios*; Mexico)
* ***Godzilla 1980*** (*Godzilla 1980*; France; French Belgium)
* ***King Kong: Demons from Outer Space*** (*King Kong — Dämonen aus dem Weltall*; West Germany)
* ***At the Borders of Reality*** (*Ai confini della realtà*; Italy)
* ***Godzilla Against Megalon - At the Borders of Reality*** (*Godzilla contro Megalon - Ai confini della realtà*; Italian video title)
* ***Godzilla Against Megalon*** (*Godzila protiv Megalona*; Yugoslavia; *Godzila proti Megalonu*; Yugoslavia (Slovenia); *Godzilla contra Megàlon*; Spain (Catalonia); *Godzilla contra Megalon*; Netherlands; Spanish DVD title)
* ***Superman in Space*** (*סופרמן בחלל*; Israel)
* ***Monsters from Other Spaces*** (*Monstros de Outros Espaços*; Brazil)
* ***Godzilla Faces Megalon*** (*Godzilla Enfrenta Megalon*; Brazilian video title)
* ***The Flying Superman vs. Monsters*** (*Ο Ιπτάμενος Υπεράνθρωπος εναντίον Τεράτων*; Greece)
* ***The Beast That Shakes the World*** (*Dünyayı Titreten Canavar*; Turkey)

## Theatrical releases

*View all posters for the film here.*

* Japan - March 17, 1973   [view poster]
* United States - 1976   [view poster]
* West Germany -1973   [view poster]
* Brazil - March 24, 1974
* Netherlands - August 21, 1974
* Spain - February 8, 1975   [view poster]
* Australia - 1976   [view poster]
* France - October 26, 1976   [view poster]
* Italy - 1976   [view poster]
* Mexico - 1976   [view poster]
* Belgium   [view poster]
* Yugoslavia   [view poster]
* Israel   [view poster]
* Greece   [view poster]
* Turkey   [view poster]

## U.S. release

In 1976, Cinema Shares released a dubbed version of *Godzilla vs. Megalon* theatrically. Riding the coattails of Dino De Laurentiis' 1976 big-budget *King Kong* remake, poster art showed Godzilla and Megalon battling on top of the World Trade Center, despite the fact that no scenes were set in New York.

To obtain a G-rating from the MPAA, Cinema Shares cut three minutes of footage, including:

* The opening credits.
* Rokuro being abducted by Seatopian agents, who pull him into their car.
* Rokuro getting shot by the Seatopian agent's gas gun.
* Scenes in the container truck that showed pornographic material on the back wall (there was more dialogue in the scenes that added to the story, thus making these cut scenes somewhat confusing).
* A fight scene between Hiroshi and the lead Seatopian agent.
* A scene of the bearded Caucasian Seatopian agent being thrown down a cliff by the truck drivers.
* Some scenes of bloody violence, when the toy jet (which Rokuro borrowed from the hobby shop) flies into the lead Seatopian agent's face, there was a brief shot of blood dripping from his face and when Hiroshi says "Get him!!!", Rokuro swings on the chained picture boxes in Goro's lab, and strikes the agent above the chest.
* The Seatopian agent being crushed by a boulder hurled by Megalon.
* Dialogue: "*What the hell's that?*" and "*Go to hell!*"

With this being the second of the three Cinema Shares *Godzilla* releases, the publicity factor was high. Along with the poster, buttons with one of the four kaiju's faces on them were released. A couple of weeks before the release of *Godzilla vs. Megalon*, Cinema Shares had a comic book released to promote the film, but in the comic there are numerous inconsistencies with the film present in the monsters' names, locations and events. The theatrical trailer for the film also contains these changes, such as Jet Jaguar being called "Robotman."

## Box office

When *Godzilla vs. Megalon* was released on March 17, 1973 in Japan, it only sold 980,000 tickets, making it the first Godzilla film to sell less than 1 million tickets.

## Reception

*Godzilla vs. Megalon* has been widely disliked among critics and fans. Common sources of criticism revolve around the film's extensive use of stock footage, the Godzilla suit used in the film, and the film's overall tone.

## Video releases

Before Media Blasters acquired the rights to *Godzilla vs. Megalon*, numerous American home video companies distributed fullscreen versions of the film on unlicensed VHS and DVD releases, operating under the mistaken impression that it was in the public domain.

**Power Multimedia** DVD (1999)

* **Region:** N/A
* **Discs:** 1
* **Audio:** English (Mono), Mandarin (Mono)
* **Subtitles:** Chinese (traditional and simplified)
* **Special features:** None
* **Notes:** Presents an unaltered 16mm transfer of the film's international version, albeit cropped to 1.33:1. Out of print.

**Media Target** DVD (2002)

* **Region:** 2
* **Discs:** 1
* **Audio:** German (2.0 Mono)
* **Subtitles:** None
* **Special features:** Trailers, photo gallery, production notes, information on the cast and crew

**Toho** DVD (2004)

* **Region:** 2
* **Discs:** 1
* **Audio:** Japanese (1.0 Mono and 5.1 Surround)
* **Subtitles:** Japanese
* **Special features:** Audio commentary by Katsuhiko Sasaki, *Godzilla vs. Megalon* trailer, scans of the theater program, interview with Teruyoshi Nakano (one hour), two sing-alongs for "Godzilla and Jet Jaguar: Punch! Punch! Punch!"

**Aventi** DVD (2006)

* **Region:** 2
* **Discs:** 2
* **Audio:** Japanese (2.0 Mono)
* **Subtitles:** French (forced)
* **Special features:** None
* **Notes:** Packaged with *Godzilla vs. Mothra*. Cropped to 1.33:1.

**Madman** DVD (2006)

* **Region:** 4
* **Discs:** 1
* **Audio:** Japanese (2.0 Mono, 5.1 Surround), English (2.0 Mono)
* **Special features:** Trailers for *All Monsters Attack*, *Godzilla vs. Hedorah*, *Godzilla vs. Gigan*, and *Godzilla vs. Megalon*
* **Notes:** Both versions of the film use the same Japanese video track.

**Tokyo Shock** DVD/Blu-ray (2012/2014)

* **Region:** 1 (DVD) or A/1 (Blu-ray)
* **Discs:** 1
* **Audio:** Japanese (2.0 Mono, 5.1 Surround), English (2.0 Mono)
* **Special features:** None (standard version) OR audio commentary by Steve Ryfle and Stuart Galbraith IV, image gallery (13 minutes), interview with Ted Thomas (30 minutes), Toho trailer reel (37 minutes), *Godzilla vs. Megalon* TV spots and trailers, opening credits from the U.S. theatrical print (accidental release DVD version only)
* **Notes:** Both versions of the film use the same Japanese video track. Difficulties in securing Toho's approval for this film's special features led to Media Blasters releasing *Godzilla vs. Megalon* without any.However, the duplicating facility the company used accidentally pressed over 500 DVDs using the original digital files. Because this version of the DVD release was an accident, the only way to tell if a given disc has the special features is to play it, as the two versions look identical on the outside of both of them. The standard version was released twice on DVD, the first time in 2012 as a separate release and the second time in 2014 as part of a 2-in-1 box set called *Godzilla Stomp Box*, which also contained the 2014 Tokyo Shock standard DVD release of *Destroy All Monsters*.

**Toho** Blu-ray (2014)

* **Region:** A/1
* **Discs:** 1

**The Criterion Collection** Blu-ray (2019) [*Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954–1975*]

* **Region:** A/1 or B/2
* **Discs:** 8
* **Audio:** Japanese, English
* **Subtitles:** English
* **Special features:** All bonus features on Criterion's *Godzilla* Blu-ray, 1990 Ishiro Honda interview by Yoshimitsu Banno, interview with director Alex Cox, interviews with actors Bin Furuya and Tsugutoshi Komada, 2011 interview with critic Tadao Sato, unused effects sequences from Toho releases including *Destroy All Monsters*, trailers, illustrated hardcover book with an essay by Steve Ryfle and liner notes on each film by Ed Godziszewski
* **Notes:** Uses a new English subtitle translation. Sony distributed a Region B/2 version of the set in the United Kingdom.

## Trivia

* According to the DVD audio commentary for this film by Steve Ryfle and Stuart Galbraith IV, the nuclear detonation at the beginning of the film may be a reference to Cannikin, a test of a 5-megaton hydrogen bomb conducted on the island of Amchitka in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska on November 6, 1971. It was the largest American underground nuclear test.
* *Godzilla vs. Megalon* is the only *Godzilla* film in which there are no named female characters and no female characters with a speaking role. The only women in the film are the Seatopian dancers, Antonio's court lady, and some of the villagers fleeing Megalon, with the villagers appearing via stock footage from *Mothra vs. Godzilla*.
* For the West German release of this film, Jet Jaguar was renamed "King Kong." However, there is no connection to the real King Kong beyond his name. Contrary to a widespread misconception, the dub does not say the character is a giant ape wearing a robot suit.
* According to production stills, in one scene, where Godzilla was meant to beat Gigan and Megalon with a tree, he was going to have a telephone pole in his mouth.
* When Megalon attacks fighter jets that are firing at him, stock footage of Gigan's hooks from the previous film are used. In addition, a shot of Gigan's lower body smashing through a freeway is used to depict Megalon stomping through the city.
* The scene where Megalon attacks Tokyo is almost entirely accomplished with stock footage. The only original shots that were not taken from *Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster* or *Godzilla vs. Gigan* are close-up shots of Megalon.
* *Godzilla vs. Megalon* was released at the Spring Toho Champion Festival on March 17, 1973 alongside a film called *Prominent Youth* about a boy's soccer team and an early animated film from Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata called *Panda! Go Panda!: The Rainy Day Circus*.
* *Godzilla vs. Megalon* was featured on Season 2 of the movie-mocking television series *Mystery Science Theater 3000*. The episode is known for its comedic translation of the "Godzilla and Jet Jaguar: Punch! Punch! Punch!" song at the end of the film.
	+ Along with *Ebirah, Horror of the Deep*, it is the first film to be released in The Criterion Collection after appearing on *Mystery Science Theater 3000*.