is a 1994 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Kensho Yamashita, written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara, and produced by

Shōgo Tomiyama Shōgo Tomiyama (富山省吾, born 1952 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese former writer and producer. Filmography Producer * ''Yuki no dansho - jonetsu''(1985) * ''Young Girls in Love'' (1986) * ''Totto Channel'' (1987) * ''Gorufu yoakemae'' (19 ...

. Produced and distributed by Toho Studios, it is the 21st film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, as well as the sixth film in the franchise's Heisei series. The film is notable for the introduction of the monster SpaceGodzilla, as well as the re-introduction of the mecha character M.O.G.U.E.R.A.; its first appearance on-screen since the 1957 film '' The Mysterians''. ''Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla'' stars Megumi Odaka, Jun Hashizume, Zenkichi Yoneyama, Akira Emoto, and Towako Yoshikawa, with

Kenpachiro Satsuma , born is a Japanese actor who portrayed Godzilla in the Heisei films, from 1984 to 1995. Born in Kagoshima Prefecture, Satsuma began his acting career in the 1960s with small roles in samurai films. In 1971 he was offered the role of the smog mo ...

as Godzilla. The film was released theatrically in Japan on December 10, 1994, and earned ¥1.65 billion in Japanese

distributor rentals A box office or ticket office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a wicket. By extension, the term is freq ...

. In Japan, the film was followed by ''

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is a 1995 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Takao Okawara. Produced and distributed by Toho Studios, it is the 22nd installment in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, and is the seventh and final film in the franchise's Heisei period. The film featur ...

'' the following year. ''Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla'' was released

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

in the United States in 1999 by Columbia Tristar Home Video.

Plot

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film ''Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produc ...

cells brought into space by Biollante, in 1990, and Mothra, in 1993, are exposed to intense radiation from a black hole, resulting in the birth of " SpaceGodzilla", which quickly makes his way to Earth, destroying a

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

space station along the way. Meanwhile, members of the United Nations Godzilla Countermeasures Center arrive at Birth Island in order to plant a mind control device on Earth's Godzilla. The Cosmos, Mothra's twin priestesses, appear to psychic

Miki Saegusa is a recurring fictional character from the Heisei series of ''Godzilla'' films. She is a psychic who uses her powers to communicate with and, in some instances, control the mutant dinosaur Godzilla, and is credited for being the most frequently r ...

and warn her of SpaceGodzilla's arrival. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. (Mobile Operations G-Force Universal Expert Robot: Aero-type), a mecha built by the

JSDF The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...

to replace

Mechagodzilla is a fictional mecha character that first appeared in the 1974 film ''Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla''. In its debut appearance, Mechagodzilla is depicted as an extraterrestrial villain that confronts Godzilla. In subsequent iterations, Mechagodzill ...

, is sent in to intercept SpaceGodzilla, but suffers damage in the process. SpaceGodzilla lands on Birth Island and attacks Little Godzilla with his Corona Beam. Godzilla intervenes but finds himself overwhelmed by SpaceGodzilla's other abilities, and is powerless to stop the clone from trapping Little Godzilla in a crystal prison. SpaceGodzilla leaves for Japan, with Godzilla in pursuit. Shortly thereafter, the Yakuza abduct Miki and bring her back to their base in

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...

in an attempt to use her psychic abilities to gain control over Godzilla. Miki is saved by a rescue team before SpaceGodzilla arrives. SpaceGodzilla lands in central Fukuoka and forms a massive fortress of celestial crystals. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. arrives to once again fight SpaceGodzilla, but is still no match for him. Godzilla arrives in

Kagoshima Bay also known as Kinkō Bay, is a deep inlet of the East China Sea on the coast of Japan.''Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Third Edition'', p. 562. Kagoshima Bay is on the south coast of the island of Kyūshū. The port city of Kagoshi ...

and fights SpaceGodzilla, but SpaceGodzilla easily gains the upper hand. The JSDF discovers that SpaceGodzilla is using Fukuoka Tower as a power converter, using it to transform the Earth's core into an energy that SpaceGodzilla can absorb, slowly killing the planet through Earth's volcanos. While Godzilla wrestles with SpaceGodzilla, M.O.G.E.R.A. splits into two different mechas: the Star Falcon, a flying battleship, and the Land M.O.G.U.E.R.A., a tank with a large drill in front of it. The mechas damage the crystal fortress while Godzilla pushes over Fukuoka Tower, cutting off SpaceGodzilla's energy supply. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. quickly reforms and blasts off SpaceGodzilla's crystal-like shoulder formations, weakening him. SpaceGodzilla critically damages M.O.G.U.E.R.A., but is subsequently incinerated by Godzilla's supercharged atomic heat ray. SpaceGodzilla is destroyed, but the JSDF claims that if they keep polluting space another SpaceGodzilla may appear someday. Godzilla makes his way back to Birth Island after Miki uses her psychic powers to remove the mind control device from his neck. Godzilla turns to her and nods in gratitude. Little Godzilla is then freed from the crystal prison and begins blowing tiny radioactive bubbles.

Cast

Production

Although director Kensho Yamashita and screenwriter Hiroshi Kashiwabara had more experience in producing teen idol movies, they were not newcomers to the

kaiju is a Japanese media genre that focuses on stories involving giant monsters. The word ''kaiju'' can also refer to the giant monsters themselves, which are usually depicted attacking major cities and battling either the military or other monster ...

genre, having both assumed minor roles in the making of ''

Terror of Mechagodzilla is a 1975 Japanese Kaiju, ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda (his final film as a director), written by Yukiko Takayama, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and Henry G. Saperstein, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Distributed by Toho ...

''. The two decided early in production to make the film more lighthearted than its predecessors and more focused on character development, centering it on Megumi Odaka's recurring character

, who had previously played marginal roles in the series. The emphasis on lightheartedness was such that a scene depicting Godzilla desperately trying to rescue his son from SpaceGodzilla's crystal prison was deleted on account of its seriousness, a move disapproved of by Godzilla suit actor

. The idea of a "Space Godzilla" was first conceived in 1978, and was designed as a homage to the monster's hinted progenitor

Biollante is a rose, human and dinosaur hybrid kaiju who first appeared in Toho's 1989 film ''Godzilla vs. Biollante'', and has since appeared in numerous licensed video games and comic books. The creature is portrayed as a genetically engineered clone of ...

by incorporating tusks and a hissing roar reminiscent of the latter monster. Creature designer Shinji Nishikawa had initially envisioned SpaceGodzilla as a much more western dragon-like creature with large fin-like wings on the back. The final design bore greater resemblance to Godzilla's final form from the video game '' Super Godzilla'', itself also designed by Nishikawa.David Milne
"Shinji Nishikawa Interview"
, ''Kaiju Conversations'' (December 1995) Effects artist Koichi Kawakita redesigned Godzilla's son as a more cartoonish-looking character, having disliked the more dinosaurian-looking version in ''

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II , is a 1993 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Takao Okawara, written by Wataru Mimura, and produced by Shōgo Tomiyama. Produced and distributed by Toho, Toho Studios, it is the 20th film in the Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' franchise, as ...

.'' It was rumoured that Kawakita intended to use the new design in a children's spinoff TV special entitled ''Little Godzilla's Underground Adventure''. However, this was nothing more than a myth. The M.O.G.U.E.R.A. suit was worn by

performer Wataru Fukuda, and consisted of three pieces applied separately. The new Godzilla suit used for the majority of the film combined aspects of the suits used in ''

Godzilla vs. Biollante is a 1989 Japanese ''kaiju'' film written and directed by Kazuki Ōmori, with special effects by Koichi Kawakita. Distributed by Toho and produced under their subsidiary Toho Pictures, it is the 17th film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, the sec ...

''/''

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is a 1991 Japanese ''kaiju'' film written and directed by Kazuki Ōmori and produced by Shōgo Tomiyama. The film, produced and distributed by Toho Studios, is the 18th film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, and is the third film in the franchise ...

'' and ''

'', having a stocky, triangular build, wide shoulders and much less pronounced ribbing on the neck. The face bore similarities to those used in the previous two films, though the eyes were increased in size and given more prominent

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

s, thus making it relatively less menacing looking than its predecessors. Innovations included the head's ability to fully rotate around the body,Robert Biondi, "The Evolution of Godzilla – G-Suit Variations Throughout the Monster King’s Twenty One Films", ''G-FAN'' #16 (July/August 1995) and the incorporation of an air duct which solved the chronic ventilation problems present in previous suits. The suit from ''Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II'' was reused for Godzilla's entrance and exit from Birth Island and during the scene where he is telekinetically tossed by SpaceGodzilla. The scenes taking place on Birth Island were filmed on Okinoerabu-Shima Island. The actors were unable to return to Japan to film scenes in the studio after a storm suspended air traffic, so they needed to return via ferry so that the filming schedule would not be delayed. Composer

Akira Ifukube was a Japanese classical and film music composer, best known for his works on the ''Godzilla'' franchise. Biography Early years in Hokkaido Akira Ifukube was born on 31 May 1914 in Kushiro, Japan as the third son of a police officer Toshimi ...

refused to be involved in the film after reading the script, which reminded him too much of a teen idol film and included rap music. ''Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla'' is the second film to feature brief nudity (following ''Terror of Mechagodzilla''). This occurs when the character Akira Yuki is taking a shower on Birth Island in the evening and his buttocks are briefly seen.

English version

After the film was released in Japan, Toho commissioned a Hong Kong company to dub the film into English. In this international version of the movie, an English title card was superimposed over the Japanese title, as had been done with the previous 1990s Godzilla films.

Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home video distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures lib ...

released ''Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla'' and ''

'' on home video on January 19, 1999. This was the first time either film had been officially released in the United States. TriStar used the Toho dubs, but cut the end credits and created new titles and opening credits for both films. Toho's complete international version of ''Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla'' (sans any onscreen text besides the English title) has been broadcast on several premium movie channels since the early 2000s, as well as the 2014 Blu-Ray release.

Reception

Box office

Released on December 10, 1994, the film sold tickets in Japan and earned ¥1,650,000,000 in Japanese

. As the film's release coincided with the

Kobe earthquake The , or Kobe earthquake, occurred on January 17, 1995, at 05:46:53 JST (January 16 at 20:46:53 UTC) in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, including the region known as Hanshin. It measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale and had ...

, Toho feared that the event would put off audiences due to the film's main battle sequence taking place in the same area, and thus sought to remedy this by lowering ticket prices.

Critical reaction

The film received mainly mixed to negative reviews. ''Monster Zero'' called the film "a curiously uninvolving effort" that "disappoints in nearly all aspects of the production". ''American Kaiju'' criticized the "wildly uneven pacing", "uneven special effects", and "exceedingly lumpy story", but added that "most of the special effects are pretty fair" and "the monster battles are mostly fun." ''DVD Cult'' said, "It does have some great destruction scenes and monster battles; two things that make these films worthwhile to begin with. The monster SpaceGodzilla is excellently designed, and is certainly far more menacing than anything Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich ever dreamed up." ''Toho Kingdom'' said the film is "far from terrible" and "an underrated movie" but felt it suffered from an "overly complicated story", "underdeveloped characters", and "forgettable" music.

Home media

''Sony - ''Blu-ray (Toho Godzilla Collection)'' * Released: May 6, 2014 * Picture: AVC-1080P * Sound: Japanese and English (5.1 DTS) * Subtitles: English (Dubtitles) and French * Extras: Teasers and Theatrical Trailers (7 minutes) 080i 30fps* Notes: This is a 2-Disc double feature with ''

''. DVD ''Columbia/Tristar Home Entertainment'' * Released: February 1, 2000 * Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (1.85:1) Anamorphic

TSC TSC may refer to: Organizations * Technology Service Corporation, a US engineering company * Terrorist Screening Center, a division of the National Security Branch of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation * The Shopping Channel, a Canadian televi ...

* Sound: English (2.0) * Region 1 * Note: A double feature with ''

''. On the U.S. DVD release, the final scene in which Godzilla is in the water while Echoes of Love (Date of Birth) plays is cut; however, it is left in the TV, on demand and Japanese DVD versions. ''Universe Laser'' * Released: November 24, 2006 * Aspect Ratio: Widescreen * Sound: (Japanese, Cantonese) Dolby Digital Stereo * Subtitles English, Chinese (Traditional/Simplified) * Region 3

Adaptations

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

adaptation was produced shortly before the film's release, it was written by Kanji Kashiwabara and illustrated by Takayuki Sakai, published by

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hit ...

's ''Ladybug Comics'' line.

Awards

In 1995, the film won the ''Best Grossing Films Award - Silver Award''.

Appearances in other products

Appeared in the Magic the Gathering set Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths as an alternate card version, which had its subtitle changed from 'Space Corona' to 'Void Invader' mid-release.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Godzilla Vs. Spacegodzilla 1994 films 1990s Japanese-language films 1990s monster movies 1994 science fiction films Japanese science fiction films Japanese sequel films Films about cloning Films about extraterrestrial life Films about telekinesis Films about telepathy Films produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka Films set in 1995 Films set in Tokyo Films set in Japan Films set in Fukuoka Films set in Kagoshima Films set in Kumamoto, Kumamoto Films set in Sapporo Films set in Sendai Films set in Kobe Films set in Ibaraki Prefecture Films set on fictional islands Films shot in Japan Giant monster films Godzilla films Kaiju films Mad scientist films Mecha films Mothra Toho films TriStar Pictures films Yakuza films Films scored by Takayuki Hattori Films about father–son relationships 1990s Japanese films