Ep 24 - GODZILLA VS. MEGALON (1973) 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!!

GODZILLA VS. MEGALON (1973) d. Jun Fukuda (Japan) A far cry from the anti-nuke statement that spawned the large lizard's origins, this entry (#13) serves up twice the monster mashing and half the "plot" of other installments. Throwing caution and physics to the winds, this installment features the underwater race of Seatopians who, ticked off by another round of nuclear testing, unleash the giant beetle-looking monster Megalon to destroy Tokyo. In response, the Ultraman-inspired Jet Jaguar robot enlists the help of Godzilla, whereupon the Seatopians bring back Gigan from outer space, and the remainder of the movie is an oversized wrestling match for the ages. The dubbing is awful, the effects cheesy, the human characters inane, and logic entirely absent. However, as a purely ribald roaring rumble, it delivers the goods, along with a couple good flying drop-kicks from our favorite rubber-suited hero, later immortalized in MST3K's opening credits. Join AC and guests Barry Kaufman (House of Monsters), Stan Hyde (G-Fest), and Dave M. Gray (Raiders of the Podcast) as we celebrate this amazing slice of celluloid cheese which endeared the Big G to oodles of Western youngers in the 1970s and whose legacy endures to this day. ----------------------------------- BARRY KAUFMAN is busy programming awesome cinematic events like Facets Cinematek's recent HORROR-RAMA in Chicago (featuring three nights of lesser-celebrated genre efforts) and sharing his wares at various horror conventions throughout the country. Find him at http://houseofmoviemonsters.net STAN HYDE has been helping to put on G-FEST for twenty-eight years and has been a Godzilla fan since he was 7 years old. Professionally he teaches, examines and consults on international film programs for students. Besides Godzilla, he writes about model making, film history, and has published some fiction. He is winner of the Mangled Sky-Scraper Award for helping bring G-FEST to life, and is the 2021 Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, Hall of Fame recipient for his work with science fiction conventions and clubs.  DAVE M. GRAY can be found weekly on Raiders of the Podcast, where he is considerably more vulgar. He has yet to make it to G-Fest, and often whines about it on Raiders of the Podcast. --------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!!