Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002) Saturday Monster Movies

Godzilla Against Mechgodzilla is one of the sneakier good entries from Toho. Overall, the movie gets overlooked because the Godzilla story and set-pieces are a little tired and rote. However, the human story, specifically Akane Yashiro’s, is a rare exploration of new themes in a Godzilla story.

At the start of the film, Akane is a military pilot who makes a mistake that costs the lives of her whole crew while fighting a Godzilla incursion. Years later, she feels the guilt and is ostracized by many of her peers. She has cut herself off from relationships and even has thoughts of suicide. However, when Japan builds a bio-mechanical version of Godzilla to fight the real one, she is tapped by her superiors to pilot the new weapon.

Cleverly, if a little silly, the DNA of the older Godzilla used to build the mechanical one, possesses generational memories. This causes it to malfunction when it first faces Godzilla. As silly as that idea is, it serves the thematic exploration of guilt, redemption, and forgiveness that Akane is struggling with.

Overall, this is a weaker Godzilla entry on the action, kaiju elements. The character exploration and redemption, however, make it a worthwhile view.

We need to learn to live with the guilt and consequences of our mistakes and bad choices. If we receive forgiveness, we still need to learn to move forward accepting that forgiveness and grow in our redemption.