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1984-95: Heisei Series Godzilla

Godzilla 1985

GodzillaA fishing vessel at sea is being battered by a fierce storm and is run aground on an island with an exploding volcano. The sailors hear a horrendous roar. The following morning, a man in a passing sailboat discovers the remains of the wrecked fishing vessel, finding a lone, shocked survivor. He relates his story of seeing a giant monster to authorities, who are certain Godzilla has reappeared.

After his story on the crashed ship is spiked due to national security issues, reporter Maki continues his investigation and visits Professor Hayashida. The scientist is studying genetic mutations, specifically Godzilla, who he says is indestructible and is a victim of the modern nuclear age. A sister to the survivor of the boat disaster is an aide to Prof Hayashida. Maki breaks the embargo on information about the ship, and tells Naoko that her brother survived. She runs to the hospital and cannot be restrained from reuniting with Ken.

A Soviet submarine makes sonar contact with a mysterious underwater shape. They fire torpedoes, but to no effect. The sub is attacked, explodes, and sinks. The sub disaster puts U.S. forces on alert. Japanese leaders report that Godzilla has reappeared, in an attempt to stop an escalation of superpower mobilization. The Japanese Prime Minister rejects U.S. and Soviet demands to use nuclear weapons against Godzilla.

Professor Hayashida speculates that Godzilla must feed on nuclear material, and will likely return to Japan soon. The military swings into action. Godzilla makes landfall at near nuclear power station. Feverish attempts are made to shut down the reactor. The beast rampages through the facility and consumes the radiation. He is distracted by a flock of birds and returns to the sea.

Steve Martin, who survived Godzilla’s first attack in Tokyo 30 years earlier, is summoned to Washington D.C. He tells the U.S. Commander that man-made weapons cannot stop Godzilla, he must be treated as a force of nature. Hayashida reports that Godzilla may be able to be lured to a volcano by using the same bird sounds that distracted him at the power station. Tokyo is evacuated when The King of the Monsters is spotted heading toward town..

Several war planes fire missiles at Godzilla in Tokyo Bay. He destroys a few of the planes, but continues onward. Ground based missiles are fired at the monster but he vaporizes the defense line with his nuclear breath. A Soviet ship captain, fatally wounded in the attack in the bay, sends a launch command to a nuclear missile on an orbiting platform. Godzilla enters the city and heads downtown, with the remaining citizens fleeing ahead of him. He presses on crashing into buildings and pulling a train off its tracks.

Watching at the U.S. Command Center, Martin says Godzilla is looking for something, and the key may be finding it. Meanwhile, the Japanese Defense Force begins its efforts to lure Godzilla to the volcano. As Godzilla passes their building, Hayashida, Mika, and Naoko use their bird-call device to distract Godzilla. The monster rips the lower floors of the building, forcing the three to escape to the roof. Laser cannons deployed by the army are unable to stop the beast from its rampage. A super-secret high-tech warcraft, the Super-X, is dispatched to battle Godzilla. It’s able to fire cadmium missiles into Godzilla’s mouth. He collapses into a building. But Steve Martin is not convinced Godzilla is dead.

The Soviet missile launches from orbit, and will explode over Tokyo in 30 minutes. The Japanese Foreign Minister asks the U.S. to try to shoot down the Soviet missile. As the nuclear missile continues on its deadly trajectory, Hayashida is rescued from the rooftop, but air turbulence is too strong to pick up the others. Mika and Naoko begin making their way to the street.

The American missile collides with the Soviet missile, causing a massive nuclear blast above the atmosphere. A radiation storm awakens Godzilla. The monster and the Super-X battle through the downtown. The ship uses its lasers against Godzilla while he unleashes his nuclear blast against the heavily armored aircraft. The ship is damaged and lands, but Godzilla drops a skyscraper on it. Having reached street level, Mika and Naoko flee through a burning city.

Hayashida turns on the bird-call machine. Godzilla hears the siren sound and stomps toward the volcano, which is on a nearby island. When he arrives, the volcano is reactivated by a series of explosions. With a mournful roar, Godzilla sinks into the molten lava.

screenplay by Shuichi Nagahara and Lisa Tomei
story by Tomoyuki Tanaka
directed by Koji Hashimoto and R.J. Kizer
music by Reijiro Koroku

Human Cast: Raymond Burr (Steve Martin), Keiju Kobayashi (Prime Minster Mitamura), Ken Tenaka (Goro Maki), Yasuko Sawaguchi (Naoko Okumura), Shin Takuma (Hiroshi Okumura), Yosuke Natsuki (Dr. Hayashida)

Monster Cast: Godzilla

Notes: After an absence of nine years, the producers brought Godzilla back to his roots as an unstoppable elemental force in a movie that ushered in the Heisei era. The North American distributor heavily re-edited 1984’s The Return Of Godzilla to create Godzilla 1985. There has not been a North American release on DVD of either The Return Of Godzilla or Godzilla 1985.

LogBook entry by Robert Parson

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1984-95: Heisei Series Godzilla

Godzilla Vs. Biollante

GodzillaGodzilla has fallen into a volcano, and Tokyo begins rebuilding following his onslaught. In the debris a research team discovers a chunk of Godzilla cells. But they are spirited away by a mercenary who delivers them to the Republic of Saradia. There, Dr. Shirigami plans on using the cells to create grains that can grow in harsher environments. A terrorist explosion at the lab destroys his hopes and kills his daughter.

Five years later, Shirigami is studying plant biology in Japan, believing the spirit of his daughter is in the roses. He is being assisted by Miki Saegusa, a clairvoyant. The Special Disaster Research Council- Godzilla Unit takes Miki on a helicopter tour over the volcano, who declares Godzilla is awake. A project is launched to create an Anti Nuclear Energy Bacteria, which would essentially eat nuclear material in the event of an accident. But they need some Godzilla cells. Shirigami agrees to help.

Rival biotechnology firm Bio Major sends a pair of thieves to break into Shirigami’s lab. They are interrupted by the mercenary from Saradia, who is also seeking to steal secrets. All three men are attacked by long, ropey strands that pull them away, but the mercenary is able to slip away. The creature disappears.

Bio Major demands the research on the bacteria, or it will set of explosives around the volcano containing Godzilla, causing his return. The Japanese government concedes.

At a lake near Shirigami’s lab, a creature rises. The giant stands on a thick tree-trunk like stalk, with long vines for arms, and is topped with a rose. Shirigami reveals he developed Biollante with Godzilla, plant cells, and DNA from his dead daughter.

Asuka and Sho meet a Bio Major agent to deliver several samples of the bacteria from Shirigami’s development, but are ambused by the Saradian assassin. The Bio Major agent tries to flee in a truck, but is killed by the Saradian, who takes the case containing the bacteria. Asuka and Sho are unable to stop the explosions on time and Godzilla rises from the volcano.

The Japanese Defense Force meets the King of the Monsters in the Pacific Ocean, and greets him with a barrage of canon fire and missiles. He destroys them without batting an eye. A newly rebuilt, more powerful Super-X is deployed against the advancing beast. It is able to reflect the nuclear blasts back to Godzilla. He retreats for a while, but Biollante calls out to him. Godzilla damages the Super-X and continues his path to Biollante.

The two monsters battle in the lake, with Biollante tying up Godzilla in its tendrils. Godzilla struggles against the bonds and unleashes a nuclear blast at Biollante that cuts like a scalpel and explodes the rose-head. Miki, who can still sense the bio-engineered creature, reports Biollante is dying. But in the inferno, Biollante releases pollen. Godzilla disappears into the ocean.

Miki is engaged by the military to find Godzilla, and finds him while in a helicopter. He appears to be headed to a nuclear power plant. A repaired Super-X is dispatched against the monster. With the Japanese Defense Force lying in wait at the power plant, Godzilla surfaces miles away at Osaka Bay. Using her ESPer powers, Miki attempts to contact Godzilla and delay his entry into Osaka.

Asuka and Sho snatch the Anti Nuclear Energy Bacteria from the Saradian business offices, just before Godzilla comes ashore. The King of the Monsters stomps through Osaka, leaving fire and destruction in his wake. The Super-X launches a barrage of missiles at Godzilla, but it only enrages the beast and he again destroys the Super-X. In several nearby buildings a team lead by Asuka and Sho use bazookas to fire the bacteria at Godzilla. Godzilla leaves, but the bacteria doesn’t seem to be working. His body temperature is too low to allow its growth. A plan is hatched to raise his temperature by using giant microwaves. Even that doesn’t work. It appears Godzilla is immune to the bacteria.

From out of the rain clouds, Biollante’s pollen falls, and a new hybrid creature rises from the ground. It is bulkier, and has more vines. Instead of a rose, Biollante’s head is more similar to Godzilla’s, only with a longer snout, with the vines ending in Venus Flytrap-like mouths. It advances toward Godzilla and stabs him in the shoulder and hands with its new blade-like tendrils. The two grapple. Godzilla stumbles away and falls into the ocean. The bacteria finally appears to have worked. Biollante disintegrates into a cloud of pollen, and Shirigami sees an image of his daughter in the rising pollen.

As he calls out to his daughter, Shirigami is shot and killed by the Saradian assassin. As he escapes, he steps into the microwave zone and is vaporized. Godzilla rises again. The water has lowered his body temperature, inhibiting the growth of the bacteria again. He heads off to sea.

screenplay by Kazuki Omori
story by Shinichiro Kobayashi
directed by Kazuki Omori
music by Koichi Sugiyama

Human Cast: Kunihiko Mitamura (Kazuhito Kirishima), Yoshiko Tanaka (Asuka Okouchi), Masanobu Takashima (Maj. Sho Kuroki), Megumi Odaka (Miki Saegusa), Koji Takashima (Dr. Shirigami)

Monster Cast: Godzilla, Biollante

Notes: As with The Return Of Godzilla (Godzilla 1985), Godzilla Vs. Biollante has not been released on DVD in North America. The VHS release can usually be found fairly inexpensively.

LogBook entry by Robert Parson

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1984-95: Heisei Series Godzilla

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

GodzillaIn 2204, the remains of King Ghidorah, minus one head, are discovered beneath the ocean.

In 1992, Reporter Kenichiro Terasawa interviews World War II vet Ikehata, who claims his military unit was protected from U.S. forces by a dinosaur on Ragos Island. Terasawa beleives nuclear testing may have caused the dinosaur to become Godzilla. Industrialist and creator of Dinosaurworld Yosuki Shindo admits to seeing the dinosaur on Ragos Island when confronted by Tersawa.

A UFO is discovered in a glade. Japanese security and intelligence officials are greeted by it’s passengers. Wilson, Grenchiko, and Emmy Kano, who explain they are from the Earth Union of the future and will meet with the Japanese Prime Minister the following day. At the meeting, they say Godzilla will return, destroy nuclear power plants, and cause Japan to become inhabitable. They are there to stop the King of the Monsters. Emmy reveals a book written by Tarasawa about a massive battle with Godzilla, a book he has not yet written because the battle has yet to occur. The people from the future plan to return to Ragos Island and remove it prior to becoming Godzilla, eliminating the monster from Japan’s history. They take Terasawa, dinosaur expert Mazaki, and Miki Seagusa of the ESP Institute. Also on the trip is andriod M-11, and three bio-engineered creatures called Dorats, which look like large, brown bats.

In 1944, the time travelers arrive just as American ships begin shelling Ragos Island. The Japanese troops, including Shindo and Ikehata, are waging a losing defense against U.S. ground troops when suddenly a dinosaur appears. The creature destroys the American troops, but is seriously injured. The time travelers watch as the Japanese soldiers honor the Godzillasaurus. After the troops leave, the time travelers remove the monster using a teleport machine. The dorats are left in the island when the group returns to 1992.

There, Wilson and Grinchiko tell them Godzilla is no longer an historic figure, but King Ghidorah is. The nuclear explosions had merged the three dorats into one giant angry creature. Thier plan was to use the three headed monster to remove Japan from a future history in which it dominates the world economy. Ghidorah is laying waste to Japan. Feeling betrayed, Emmy flees.

Shindo agrees to allow his privately developed nuclear powered and nuclear armed submarine to turn the Godzillasaurus into the King of the Monsters, but is destroyed by Godzilla. A nuclear submarine that had sunk years previously irradiated the beast, turning it into Godzilla. Meanwhile, Ghidorah continues his attack. Godzilla makes landfall. He is much larger than before because he was subjected to a higher grade of nuclear radiation than in the previous timeline. Wilson orders Ghidorah to attack Godzilla. The three headed monster blasts at Godzilla with lightning-like bolts emanating from his mouths.

Ghidorah is getting the upper hand, when explosives in the time machine are set off by Emmy, Terasawa, and M-11, causing Wilson and Grinchiko to lose control over Ghidorah. The machine though is set to automatically return to the future in the event of serious damage. Emmy, Terasawa, and the android escape the ship by fleeing in a smaller time machine. Godzilla has managed to defeat Ghidorah and uses his nuclear blast to severe one of Ghidorah’s heads. M-11 uses the teleporter to send the larger machine to the creature’s battlefield. Moments before the automatic controls return the ship to the future, it is destroyed by Godzilla.

Sapporo prepares for an attack by Godzilla. Thier defenses are useless as he smashes through the city. M-11 and Emmy return to the future to “fix” Ghidorah and bring him back to the 20th century. This time, they’ll use the golden beast to stop Godzilla from destroying Japan.

Godzilla is attacking Tokyo. Shindo, though refuses to evacuate. The same monster that saved him 50 years earlier is now destroying all he built. Godzilla recognizes the industrialist when he finds him. Shindo is incinerated with a blast from Godzilla. He continues his rampage through Tokyo, but is met by Mecha-King Ghidorah. It has a new mechanical head, wings, and torso with Emmy piloting and M-11 as the computer brains. The two monsters wage a back and forth battle, with Godzilla finally blasting the refurbished monster out of the sky, knocking Emmy unconscious. Before he can deliver the killing blow, Emmy awakens and launches several thick cables that wrap around Godzilla. Mecha King Ghidorah carries Godzilla out to sea, both of the creatures falling when Godzilla blasts at his opponant.

The smaller time machine rises out of the ocean. Emmy reveals that Terasawa is one of her ancestors as she returns to her time. Godzilla, however, is still alive.

screenplay by Kazuki Omori
directed by Kazuki Omori
music by Akira Ifukube

Human Cast: Kosike Toyohara (Kenichiro Tarasawa), Anna Nakagawa (Emmy Kano), Megumi Odaka (Miki Saegusa), Yoshio Tsuchiya (Yasuaki Shindo)

Monster Cast: Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Dorat, Godzillasaurus, Mecha King Ghidorah

LogBook entry by Robert Parson

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1984-95: Heisei Series Godzilla

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth

GodzillaA huge flaming meteor splashes into the Pacific Ocean in the Ogasawara Trench, near Godzilla. It creates a typhoon that reveals a giant, rainbow colored egg. Takuya, Masako, and Kenji are sent to recover the egg on Infant Island. Meanwhile, another creature with red glowing eyes and a high pitched screech is awakened.

After several days, the team finds a cave with ancient paintings, one of which includes a butterfly and some sort of bat-like creature. The three press on and find the egg. Two women, less than a foot tall, calling themselves The Cosmos, tell the team the egg is Mothra. 12 thousand years earlier, and advanced civilization had created a weather machine, which had greatly offended the Earth. The Earth sent a monster, Battra, to destroy the humans. Mothra however defeated Battra, who had been sleeping in the sea. But pollution was threatening to bring Battra back.

The CEO of the Marutomo Corporation puts plans in motion to bring the egg to Japan. The Cosmos volunteer to go also. A larval form of Battra, however, is already on its way. Burrowing underground, Battra arrives in Nagoya and tears through the city. Lightning bolts from it’s eyes and a horn on its head easily render the Japanese Defense Force irrelevant. Battra destroys much of Nagoya, and burrows underground again.

The ship pulling Mothra’s egg behind it encounters Godzilla near the Philippines. As the King of the Monsters approaches, the egg hatches! The Mothra larva escapes before Godzilla can destroy it with his nuclear breath. Mothra distracts Godzilla in an attempt to let the ship slip away. Battra arrives and battles both of the other monsters. Battra and Godzilla fight underwater. Thier fight is interrupted by a volcanic eruption, and it’s believed they are killed in the molten rock. Mothra returns to Infant Island and the ship continues to Japan. Once there, Ando steals the Cosmos, with plans to exploit them for marketing purpose by the Marutomo Company. Locked away, the Cosmos sing out to Mothra, who begins the journey to Japan to rescue them.

Attempts to stop Mothra are useless. The larva destroys the Naval aramada sent against it. On its way to rescue the tiny girls, it is no respecter of property and smashes through the city. Takuya and Masako find the girls. Finding they are safe, Mothra leaves. But as it does, the giant larva collapses onto the capital building and encases itself in a cocoon.

Volcanic Mount Fuji explodes. Ando, who has had a change of heart, tells the CEO of the Marutomo company the Earth is getting its revenge for the damage caused by humans, and walks out.

Godzilla rises from the volcano and heads towards Tokyo. Back at the capital building, Mothra emerges from the cocoon as a giant, beautiful, rainbow colored butterfly. She spreads her wings and flies off to battle Battra. Meanwhile, out to sea, the larval Battra transforms into a giant bat and flies off. JDF units wage a fierce, but futile, battle in an attempt to change Godzilla’s direction.

As Godzilla approaches, Mothra and Battra meet in the sky over Yokahoma. Godzilla crashes through the city while the flying creatures do battle. Battra forces Mothra to the ground at a theme park in the harbor area. Godzilla finds the others and is attacked by Battra. Using it’s lightning blasts, Battra drops a building on the giant lizard. The King of the Monsters rises from the rubble, grabs Battra, and flings it to the ground. He blasts at it with his nuclear breath. Lightning from the injured Mothra stuns Godzilla. She flies to Battra, who gives her renewed energy.

Mothra rises to attack the approaching Godzilla. Using lightning blasts and glittery dander from her wings she appears to win the battle, but Godzilla is able to beat her back with a nuclear pulse. She crashes into a ferris wheel, but Battra grabs it before it can crush her. Battra slams the wheel into Godzilla, who falls to the ground. Both flying beasts blast at Godzilla from above. Godzilla tries to defend himself, but is confused by the onslaught. He struggles against the dander and the lightning before falling in a heap.

Battra grabs Godzilla, who bites into its neck. Mothra grabs onto Godzilla’s tail. The two carry the monster away from the battlefield. Battra is bleeding profusely from the neck bite, and Godzilla blasts at him with his nuclear breath, killing the giant bat. Mothra releases its grip on Godzilla’s tail and drops the pair into the ocean.

Keeping a vow with Battra, Mothra leaves the Earth to change the course of an oncoming planet-killing asteroid, a possibly deadly task that Battra would have performed if Godzilla had not reappeared.

screenplay by Kazuki Omori
directed by Takao Okawara
music by Akira Ifukube

Human Cast: Testuya Bessho (Takuya Fujita), Satomi Kobayashi (Masako Tezuka), Takehiro Murata (Kenji Andoh)

Monster Cast: Godzilla, Mothra, Battra

LogBook entry by Robert Parson

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1984-95: Heisei Series Godzilla

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II

GodzillaLifting the remains of Mecha King Ghidorah from the ocean, Japanese officials begin work on Mechagodzilla, a robot they hope will defeat the King of the Monsters.

A scientific expedition on a remote island finds fossilized pteranodon remains and an intact giant egg. As they prepare to ship it to Japan, Rodan swoops down and destroys the encampment. Godzilla rises from the ocean and the two beasts taunt each other. While they battle, the humans escape on a helicopter with the egg.

The egg is taken to Kyoto for study. Kazuma Aoka, who is in a Mechagodzilla training program, checks out the egg as a pteranodon enthusiast, but is run off by Azusa, one of the researchers. Several days later, the egg hatches! Instead of a flying dinosaur as expected, a cute little (6 foot) baby Godzillasaur emerges and becomes attached to Azusa.

Following the path of the egg, Godzilla arrives near Kyoto. G-Force deploys Mechagodzilla.. They face off in a wooded hilly area. The metal monster blasts at Godzilla with several types of energy weapons, with little effect. Godzilla uses his nuclear fire against Mechagodzilla, but it just sheds off the diamond skin like water on a waxed car hood. Using a “Plasma Grenade” beam, the robot knocks Godzilla to the ground. More weapons are used against the felled giant, who writhes in pain. Just as it appears Mechagodzilla is going to defeat Godzilla, a malfunction immobilizes the robot. Godzilla continues his march to Kyoto, swatting away the conventional forces sent against him. Azusa and Kazuma suspect the baby dinosaur may be calling to Godzilla. When the King of the Monsters arrives at the building with Godzillasaur, he turns and leaves.

Repairs are being affected to Mechagodzilla. Meanwhile, Kazuma is performing maintenance on Garuda, a flying battle tank that was superseded by the robot. Officials decide to use the friendly monster to lure Godzilla into a trap.

Recovered from his wounds, Rodan flies in causing extensive damage. He apparently is also hearing the call of the Godzillasaur. The giant pteranodon grabs the container with “Baby” and and Azusa inside and leaves.

With repairs attached, Mechagodzilla is deployed against Rodan, with Garuda deployed separately. Rodan is attempting to break open the container with the Godzillasaur when the two machines arrive. Garuda distracts Rodan, which forces Garuda to crash into a building. Mechagodzilla blasts at the flying monster with its Plasma Grenade, knocking it out the sky.

As Rodan lies bleeding profusely, a team from G-Force attempts to free the baby and Azusa from the container. Godzilla rises from the bay and again faces Mechagodzilla. The blast at each other with fire from their mouths. Godzilla stumbles, but renews his attack against a damaged Mechagodzilla. He picks it up, tosses it aside, and slams at it with his tail.

Kazuma has managed to repair Garuda and presses an assault against Godzilla. While he is distracted, Mechagodzilla uses a flying tackle to knock over the beast. With Godzilla lying stunned, Garuda attaches to the back of Mechagodzilla. Together they form Super Mechagodzilla, and continue their attack.

They advance against Godzilla, firing most the beam weapons simultaneously. The Plasma Grenade, now recharged, is used and knocks him down again. He rises again, only to be shot with a new weapon called the G-Crusher. It launches two spikes with power lines attached into Godzilla’s body. Incredible jolts of electricity are fired through the lines, causing him excruciating pain.

The Godzillasaur breaks out of the container and cries out. It awakens Rodan, who flies to Godzilla, only to be shot down by Mechagodzilla. It falls onto the King of the Monsters, but its life energy is transferred into Godzilla, who rises again with renewed strength. The same energy that brought Godzilla back to life also weakens the robot’s armor. Godzilla blasts at it again and again. Mechagodzilla lies broken and burning. The crew escapes.

With her heart breaking, Azusa flies off in a helicopter, leaving behind the Godzillasaur. The smaller monster swims off with the giant.

screenplay by Wataru Mimura
directed by Takao Okawara
music by Akira Ifukube

Human Cast: Masahiro Takashima (Kazuma Aoki), Ryoko Sano (Azusa Gojo), Megumi Odaka (Miki Saegusa)

Monster Cast: Godzilla, Mechagodzilla, Rodan, baby Godzillasaur

LogBook entry by Robert Parson

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1984-95: Heisei Series Godzilla

Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla

GodzillaOn a remote island in the Pacific, G-Force members Koji Shinjo, Kiyoshi Sato, and Major Akira Yuki discover the baby Godzilla, and strange crystalline shaped formations. Shinjo and Sato are attempting to control the King of the Monsters, while Yuki plans on killing Godzilla. Meanwhile, telepath Miki Saegusa is contacted by Mothra’s familiars, the Cosmos, who tell her a monster has arrived to kill Godzilla, and then conquer the Earth.

A Godzilla-like monster, encrusted with crystals, is heading toward Earth. A giant robot, Mogera, is dispatched to intercept the SpaceGodzilla. Miki has joined the G-Force team on the island and contacts Godzilla after a telepathic amplifier is implanted in his neck.

In the asteroid belt, SpaceGodzilla easily defeats the robot, and Mogera spins out of control. Soon thereafter, it arrives at the same South Pacific island, and is energized by the crystalline structures. It attacks little Godzilla with lightning bolts from its mouth, but now faces Godzilla’s wrath. Godzilla’s fiery breath, though, is deflected by a forcefield. Spacegodzilla takes to the air and encircles the other two monsters, blasting at Godzilla until he falls. The alien beast uses telekenetic powers to send little Godzilla into one of the structures. It flies off, leaving Godzilla to lick his wounds.

A study of cells found near the battle indicate SpaceGodzilla was created by Godzilla cells that managed to get into space, where they grew and mutated.

Yuki heads a team with Shinjo and Sato and fly a repaired Mogera into battle against Spacegodzilla who has arrived in Fukuoka. Mogera attacks the alien beast, with limited effect, ending with the robot crashing to ground. Godzilla arrives and faces off against Spacegodzilla.

The alien beast quickly renders Godzilla unconscious, lifts him in the air, and throws him into a skyscraper. Godzilla picks himself up and approaches the other beast, but Spacegodzilla is floating in the air and attacking again with lighting. Godzilla blasts at the crystalline structures, weakening his opponent. SpaceGodzilla launches the missile shaped crystals at Godzilla, to slow the approaching King of the Monsters. Godzilla’s nuclear fire is glancing off the other’s force field.

The crew of Mogera separate the Star Falcon from the rest of the robot and close in for an attack while Godzilla attempts to destroy the alien’s power source. Mogera burrows underground, as the Falcon flies into battle. Separately they manage to sneak up on SpaceGodzilla and surprise him while his forcefield is down. The Falcon docks with Mogera, and the robot and Godzilla double team against the the space monster. Godzilla and SpaceGodzilla wrestle, with Godzilla thrown off. SpaceGodzilla turns its attentions to Mogera, severely damaging it. Shinjo and Sato abandon the robot, with Yuki staying behind. With SpaceGodzilla distracted, Godzilla gathers himself up and, with renewed strength, slams into the other monster. Yuki struggles to bring the robot back into the fray, but and manages to slam into SpaceGodzilla, causing it to fall. But the robot is spent and crashes into a building.

SpaceGodzilla rises up, and continues the battle. Godzilla is emitting energy, which will cause SpaceGodzilla to explode. Yuki escapes from Mogera moments before SpaceGodzilla explodes in a massive fireball. Little Godzilla is freed from his imprisonment.

Godzilla exits the battlefield, but there are hints that there may be another space monster.

screenplay by Hiroshi Kashiwabra
directed by Kensho Yamashita
music by Takayuki Hattori

Human Cast: Jun Hashizume (Lt. Koji Shinjo), Megumi Odaka (Miki Saegusa), Akira Emoto (Major Akira Yuki) Zenkichi Yoneyama (Lt. Kiyoshi Sato)

Monster Cast: Godzilla, SpaceGodzilla, Mothra, Mogera, Little Godzilla

LogBook entry by Robert Parson

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1984-95: Heisei Series Godzilla

Godzilla vs. Destroyah

GodzillaGodzilla, with his chest glowing red hot, surfaces at Hong Kong. He destroys the harbor area, and returns to the ocean, creating massive amounts of steam. Godzilla is overheating. It’s quite likely an explosion of Godzilla caused by the nuclear fission taking place in his body could destroy the world.

A scientist has developed “micro-oxygen” with plans to use it to end world hunger. But it also turns out to be very similar in composition to the oxygen destroyer developed by Dr. Serizawa when battling Godzilla in the mid 1950s. Plans are made to use the new research to find a way to kill Godzilla.

A fish kill at a Tokyo museum is determined to have been caused by pre-historic microorganisms that reacted to the original oxygen destroyer. Several have now grown over ten feet tall and are infesting an industrial area. They look like giant ticks with long necks, and can emit a destructive heat beam from their mouths. With great loss of life, a Special Forces unit destroys some of the creatures, but is overwhelmed

Godzilla arrives in Tokyo, and is heading toward a nuclear power plant, in an attempt to get more fuel to feed the fission that is also killing him. G-Force dispatches the Super-X III against the King of the Monsters. They encounter Godzilla in Tokyo Bay and use freeze weapons to cool him down. The threat of explosion has been eliminated. Once he thaws out, Godzilla heads back out to sea.

Little Godzilla has grown substantially, and now resembles Godzilla, only shorter. It’s moving toward the Bering Sea, with Godzilla following. But Godzilla’s temperature is rising again. This time, though, instead of exploding, he would melt down, burning to and destroying the core of the Earth.

Several of the Destroyah break out of the industrial facility, and combine into one giant monster. It easily destroys the military units surrounding it and flies off. A reluctant Migi Saegusa agrees to use her psi powers to draw Little Godzilla to Destroyah. The plan is to use Destroyah’s oxygen destroying capabilities to eliminate Godzilla before he can melt down. Destroyah and Little Godzilla converge in downtown Tokyo.

Little Godzilla is taking a beating. Destroyah has him on the ground and is inserting micro-oxygen into the Little Godzilla, weakening him. Little Godzilla uses his nuclear breath to blast Destroyah off him. Godzilla, burning and smoking, arrives in Tokyo. He meets up with his younger name-sake.

Destroyah, emerges from a burning area of the city, mutated and much larger than before. Meanwhile, Godzilla’s temperature continues to increase. The Super X III is again sent to try to chill him down. Destroyah flies in and snatches Little Godzilla, dropping beast into a building and then blasting at it, killing Little Godzilla.

Destroyah and Godzilla face off. Destroyah gets the upper hand, and drags the other monster into the bay. Godzilla picks himself up and makes his way to the body of Little Godzilla. But Destroyah stands in his way. With his body overheating from the extra energy, Godzilla blasts at Destroyah several times. Destroyah dissaembles itself into several smaller monsters, but Godzilla smashes them.

Godzilla again moves toward Little Godzilla. Super X III approaches Godzilla. The King of the Monsters bends down to transfer some of his life energy to the younger creature, but is interrupted by another attack by Destroyah. Using its tail, it lassos Godzilla and throws him aside. Godzilla is beginning to melt down, emitting concentric bands of energy as he does so. To keep Destroyah from escaping, G-Force units blast at it with freeze weapons, causing it to crash to the ground, dead.

Godzilla has now reached super-critical temperature and is melting. G-Force launches a constant barrage of freeze weapons to keep him from melting to the Earth’s core. The heat and the cold make his body unstable and it dissolves. The radiation increases to massive levels, but then subsides. It’s been absorbed by Little Godzilla, who rises from the ashes of Tokyo.

The King of the Monsters is dead. Long Live Godzilla.

screenplay by Kazuki Omori
directed by Takao Okawara
music by Akira Ifukube

Human Cast: Yasufuni Hayashi (Kenichi Yamani), Yoko Ishino (Yukari Yamane), Megumi Odaka (Miki Saegusa), Takura Tatsumi (Kensaku Ijuin)

Monster Cast: Godzilla, Destroyah, Little Godzilla

Notes: Momoko Kochi reprises her role as Emiko Yamani from the original Gojira. This ends the Heisei series of Godzilla movies. The next was the U.S.-made Godzilla. The next Godzilla movie produced by Toho Studios of Japan would be Godzilla 2000.

LogBook entry by Robert Parson