Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Director: Masaaki Tezuka

Written by: Hiroshi Kashiwabara, Wataru Mimura

Ignoring all but Honda’s original classic this standalone tale warns us of the dangers of scientific advancement and the cost of revenge.

Opening with a savage attack by Godzilla on the Japanese mainland in search of energy to devour, this movie gives us an alternate take on Japan. Having banned nuclear energy after Godzilla’s earlier attacks, the country finds hope in a new form of Plasma energy.

However, this too attracts Godzilla’s hunger and is also subsequently banned. Forced to rely on fossil fuels and green energy it seems the country’s only hope is to develop a weapon capable of destroying Godzilla once and for all.

Thus the ‘Dimension Tide’ is created, a satellite weapon capable of firing miniature black holes that can trap and contain Godzilla forever.

During the weapons test phase, a small wormhole through space is accidentally created, through which a giant insect emerges unseen and deposits a large egg. This egg is found by a young boy with a passion for studying insects and it is taken with him as his family moves to Osaka.

When the egg begins to hatch the boy dumps it into the local sewer network, where it grows into a giant larval Megaguirus, which in turn hatches thousands of smaller, dragonfly-like ‘Meganura’, these insects begin feeding off of the local populace and when Godzilla emerges they swarm him, absorbing a portion of his nuclear energy.

Godzilla fends them off, destroying most of the insects but the surviving few infuse the larval Megaguirus with Godzilla’s energy, resulting in it hatching into a giant, sinister dragonfly.

Having barely survived the first strike from Dimension Tide, Godzilla and the fully grown Megaguirus engage in battle. Godzilla finally vanquishes his foe only to be seemingly destroyed by a miniature black hole.

Some outstanding action scenes help to elevate this, the highlight of which is the battle between the two fully evolved Kaiju. This is undoubtedly the best Kaiju fight in the entire franchise until now.

Megaguirus is a nasty piece of work, full of malicious intent it comes across as particularly sadistic in its attacks. Godzilla, initially overwhelmed by his opponent's speed and potent stinger, learns his enemies' attack patterns over time and eventually comes up with ways to counter them. It’s fantastic to see Godzilla’s intelligence on display here, the way he adapts and overcomes his enemy is thrilling to watch.

For Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, at least two new suits were cast from the same molds used to create the MireGoji suits. One suit was designed for land scenes, and the other for water scenes. Due to the MireGoji suits being "heavy and difficult to move," the new suits were constructed from lighter materials, reducing their weight from 70 kilograms to 50 kilograms.

The MireGoji design underwent several changes: its colors were brightened, including skin and mouth, and streaks were added to its teeth. Additionally, the new suits featured a smaller mouth, a flatter face, and a longer neck, likely due to mold degradation. These redesigned suits are also referred to as the GiraGoji suits.

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