Godzilla: Tokyo SOS

One year after Kiryu’s defeat of Godzilla, a pair of Shobijin appear before humanity and offer an ultimatum: the bones of the original Godzilla used to build Kiryu must be returned to the ocean or Mothra will be forced to destroy humanity.  When Godzilla returns to finish what he started, however, Kiryu must answer the call to action once again.  Kiryu’s last mission begins but can its power along with Mothra’s be enough to destroy Godzilla once and for all?

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla ended on a surprising cliffhanger as Godzilla retreated into the sunset and Akane and her giant Mechagodzilla, Kiryu, stood victorious.  I can see why you’d want to continue this storyline since the creation of Kiryu is unique in the history of Mechagodzilla and Akane being an excellent protagonist more than worthy of carrying her own mini arc in the Millenium Era.  So its surprising that everything that worked in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla’s favor is immedietley sidelined in favor of something more straightforward and less interesting.  The movie delivers the Kaiju goods and looks great.  But this is a matter of style trumping substance and it doesn’t hold a candle to the two prior Millenium installments that came before it.
 
The biggest hurdle Tokyo SOS gives itself is removing Akane from the lead character role.  Heck, most of the cast of Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla is either absent or reduced to a few second cameos.  I mean ok, Akane’s arc did come to a satisfying conclusion at the end of the last film but given the emotional ground Tokyo SOS tries to cover with Kiryu, it makes sense she should be here to see it through.  The few moments with Akane show that she has formed quite the bond with both her original squadmates (who also get shipped out with her) and Kiryu itself.  The second she walks off screen, so to goes with her any care for the human plot of this film…of which there really is none.  As for Akane’s replacements: mechanic Yoshiko and pilots Azusa and Kyosuke, all of them are the bear minimum for a Godzilla story, basically they’re just there and aren’t very interesting. 
 
As if to balance things without Akane, Tokyo SOS brings Mothra back for another round with her old sparring partner.  Some of the Mothra scenes are actually well done.  The opening scene with her squaring off with fighter jets and being able to outmaneuver them is something you probably couldn’t see done so convincingly in the Showa Era (Hesei maybe).  And it’s always nice to see Mothra Larva getting in on the action.  This being a three way showdown between Godzilla, Mothra and Kiryu, the action does look pretty good.  Again, the model and suit work being used in these Millenium Era films looks really good and the practical effects are far superior to any CG that is used to enhance the fighting.   One of my few criticisms of Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla was Godzilla himself being the most uninteresting character in his own movie.  That’s still kind of the case here in Tokyo SOS but when more than half the movie is on giant fight scene between five monsters (Godzilla, Mothra, Kiryu and Mothra’s twins), you know what you’re eventually getting into and might just be entertained with mindless Kaiju action.
 
Honestly, there isnt much else to say about Godzilla: Tokyo SOS only that the action is great but overall the movie is a major step down from its two predecessors.  It lacks the terror and supernatural edge of GMK and the well handled human storyline of Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla.  It kind of becomes boring after a while and any attempts at an emotional resolution for Kiryu’s arc feels wasted without his true partner at the helm.  If you’re here for Kaiju action that looks and is shot awesome, you’ll likely be fine.  But GMK and Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla showed us that Godzilla movies can be more than just the action.  Rather than push forward with that proven theory, this movie steps backwards.  I guess the title is fitting because it’s in more need of an SOS than Tokyo itself.
 
5/10
 
Next Week, we close out Godzilla Month III with the mega ultra sized finale of the Millenium Era and this time Godzilla isnt just bringing Mothra and King Ghidorah…he’s getting the whole band back together for his 50^th anniversary.  It’s Godzilla: Final Wars, Next Monday right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.