It was the end of an era for the King of the Monsters. The late ‘60s and ‘70s had not been kind to Godzilla’s box office potential, due to both the proliferation of competing sci-fi series on television and franchise fatigue. The films had become undeniably sillier, with its leading kaiju evolving from a tragic atomic metaphor to a fire-breathing heavyweight champion. Many of the integral figures that were involved in the beginning were gone — director Ishiro Honda hadn’t helmed any of the ‘70s efforts, suit actor Haruo Nakajima had been laid off, and Eiji Tsuburaya, special effects wizard, had passed away. Terror of MechaGodzilla was not exactly set up for success. But it found a way to roar — and bring a franchise back to life, or at least give this era a fitting finish.
With the return of Honda, and the help of a particularly inspired script and themes that recalled the most potent years of the series, Terror of MechaGodzilla provided a spectacular end to the first run of films. It accorded Godzilla the closure he deserved… at least for a little while.
