King Kong Vs. Godzilla Review

King Kong Vs. Godzilla is the highest-grossing Godzilla film of all time in terms of ticket sales: 12, 550,000 over three theatrical runs (1962, 1970, and 1977). For me, the movie was one I had eagerly anticipated for many years, even though I had always been told it was called Godzilla Vs. King Kong. So when I saw that it was named King Kong Vs. Godzilla, I thought they had made two versions: one in which Godzilla wins, and the other in which Kong wins. This, of course, is false (mind you, this was before I ever heard of the myth that there were two endings to the film).

It was only recently that I saw the Japanese version of this film. Let me point out that the Japanese version is superior to the American edit. In this review, I will point out a difference or two, but when I review the Japanese version, I will go a little but more in depth of the differences. What do I think of this titanic battle? Read below to find out!

Synopsis: The movie opens up with some pointless news clips from United Nations reporter, Eric Carter. Pacific Pharmaceuticals is struggling to bring in viewers to its various television programs. After hearing that natives on Pharaoh Island grow giant red berries and pray to a giant god, Mr. Tako, head of the network, sends Sakurai, Kinsaburo, and a few others to capture the god.

An American submarine, Seahawk, is in the Bering Sea on an expedition when it comes upon a glowing glacier (most likely the same glacier Godzilla was entombed in Godzilla Raids Again). The submarine crashes into the glacier where it is set ablaze by Godzilla who, upon his escape, attacks a nearby Japanese military base.

Once on Pharaoh Island, Sakurai and Kinsaburo realize that the natives’ god is none other than King Kong. After a brief battle with Oodako (a giant octopus) and drinking the red berry juice (which puts Kong to sleep), Kong takes a long nap. Sakurai and his team build a dynamite-ridden raft to carry Kong back to Japan. While on the ship, Mr. Tako visits by helicopter congratulating his team on a job well done. However, the enthusiasm is shortly lived when the Japanese Coast Guard tell Mr. Tako that Kong isn’t wanted in Japan; fearing he will break lose and wreak havoc. At this point, Kong begins to wake up, but the fuse, connected to the dynamite, doesn’t work. Sakurai and Kinsaburo manage to hit a cluster of dynamite, exploding the raft. Kong, though, lives and makes his way to Japan.

Both Godzilla and King Kong arrive at the Japanese mainland and create chaos. So much to the point where the government is considering the use of the atomic bomb to dispose of the monsters. After Kong captures Fumiko, the military, along with Sakurai, Kinsaburo, Mr. Tako, and Fujita (Fumiko’s boyfriend) put Kong to sleep by exploding bombs filled with the red berry juice.

The military transports Kong via giant balloons and helicopters to Mount Fuji where Godzilla was spotted earlier. At dawn, the military catches up with Godzilla on Mount Fuji. They cut Kong loose and the monsters duke it out. The beginning of the battle is clearly in Godzilla’s favor. But after a coincidental lightning storm (funny, it only lasts for a few seconds; just enough to revive and power-up Kong), Kong is revived and more powerful. Everyone remembers that Kong becomes stronger when he comes in contact with electricity. Kong gets the upper hand, but then the tide of battle becomes more even; with neither monster getting the momentum. Only after destroying a Japanese castle, the two monsters tumble into the ocean. Kong appears and makes his way home as he roars triumphantly.

Story: It must, first, be noted that King Kong Vs. Godzilla has a bit more humor in it than the previous two. The main reason for that is that a genre of film, known as Young Guy, was very popular in Japanese cinema at this time; hence, most of the cast is made up of actors known for that genre. For the most part, the story is fairly straight-forward and entertaining.

The only complaint I have is with the U.N news scenes. They really are pointless and disturb the flow of the film. There is even one scene where Dr. Johnson mentions Godzilla has a brain the size of a marble while Kong is a more strategic thinker and, therefore, more intelligent. Really? Even when my brother and I first saw this movie at the ages of 6 and 8, we knew that was sheer nonsense and bias on the part of Universal International.

7/10

Special Effects: Eiji Tsuburaya did a masterful job with the effects of the film! The miniatures look wonderful and the destruction of the castle at the end was beautiful!

The Godzilla suit gets a new look and I, personally, find it to be one of my favorite suits. The face looks more reptilian and more girth is added around the waist. The Kong suit, though, isn’t as great. Although it’s nowhere near as bad as the Kong suit in King Kong Escapes, this suit still isn’t great. The face looks tremendously artificial…like it had been made out of clay. The arm extensions are apparent when they’re used and are incredibly stiff. It would have been a better choice to not have used the extensions at all.

Because of the Kong suit, effects take a small hit.

8.3/10

Acting: We get wonderful acting here. Although some of the Japanese actors, especially Ichiro Arishima (Mr. Tako), get a little goofy at times, it is all because they are a part of a comedic genre in cinema.

Tadao Takashima (Sakurai) and Yu Fujiki (Kinsaburo) will go on to act in subsequent Godzilla films. Fujiki will continue to play the comedy relief in his future appearances as well. Takashima will become more stern in his future roles, but has a lot of really nice moment here. He is a good lead actor. Kenji Sahara (Fujita) and Mie Hama (Fumiko) play their roles extremely well. Hama, when Godzilla approaches her train earlier in the film, plays the “damsel in distress” role very well. Sahara shows moments of intense emotion, especially when Hama is taken by Kong.

The American acting is good as well, despite the ridiculousness of its inclusion in the film. Michael Keith (Eric Carter) is the star in these scenes. Harry Holcomb (Dr. Johnson) seems to be a bit bored by his role, but plays the role of a pompous scientist well (now whether that was what he was supposed to portray, I don’t know).

Overall, we have some good acting here.

9.8/10

Battles: What isn’t to like about King Kong and Godzilla going at it? The two engage in two battles, although the first one is very brief with Godzilla easily defeating Kong by using his fire breath. The final battle is well choreographed (despite a split-second stop-motion clip) and drawn-out enough to display the tremendous fighting spirit of both monsters.

The problem, though, is that that is all the movie has to offer. There is the brief military skirmish with Godzilla at the beginning, but that only lasts about a couple minutes, at best. In reality, everyone knows Kong doesn’t have much of a shot against Godzilla due to his atomic breath. So Kong was given the ability to become even more strong when he comes into contact with electricity. It’s an extremely cheap move to make the battle more exciting, but that is a bit of a low point. I happened to notice that Godzilla doesn’t use his breath when Kong is all charged up. I think this is to, once again, show how strong Kong gets when he is struck by the lightning. Nevertheless, it’s cheap.

Not many battles in the movie, which hurts it a bit, but the two battles we get are fun. The final battle makes up for most of the lack of battles in the film.

8.8/10

Human Drama: Despite the wonderful acting, the human drama in King Kong Vs. Godzilla isn’t terrific. There are some moments that’ll make you chuckle and root for the characters, but there isn’t much here. Of course, it is a giant monster film and that’s what we all come to see; but even then, the kaiju action is only good at best.

Again, I can’t stress enough how pointless the U.N. news reports are in the American edit. There is no place for those here.

In the end, the human drama isn’t great, but it’s not a complete bore either. I would say that there’s just enough to keep you minimal attention span paying attention to what’s going on.

6.2/10

Overall: King Kong Vs. Godzilla is a fairly entertaining movie. The acting is well done despite some goofy moments. The two monster battles are very entertaining with the first one only lasting a couple of minutes.

With it being the first Golden Age of Toho Godzilla film, and the first Godzilla film in color, King Kong Vs. Godzilla is a good film. The Kong suit may look rough, but it works. The American edits are unnecessary and it takes away some elements of the story in the original cut that fleshed the story out more. I prefer the Japanese cut to this one, but this film still isn’t that bad…it’s just not as good as the Japanese version.

8/10