For some reason, King Kong vs. Godzilla opens with a quote from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” I am assuming that this was meant to set an ominous tone for the film it precedes. Unfortunately, it’s the only serious thing in this movie. King Kong vs. Godzilla is a bizarre movie even by kaiju eiga standards. As a disclaimer for fans of the genre, let me say up front that I am reviewing the American version of the movie which features sequences that did not appear in the original Japanese version.
As the movie begins, we see a United Nations news broadcast that is following events all over the world through the use of a communications satellite that looks like a space station of some kind. We learn of a United Nations submarine that’s traveling to investigate a warming current in the Bering Sea that’s causing a large number of icebergs to appear in shipping lanes. Another story is about the recent discovery of Soma, which are large berries that have a “non-habit-forming, narcotic effect”. These berries were discovered on Faro Island in the South Pacific and are supposedly guarded by a large creature, which the natives on the island worship as a god.
The submarine encounters Godzilla, who was trapped in ice at the end of Godzilla Raids Again and appears to be the cause of the warming current. Godzilla breaks free of his frozen prison and begins heading towards Japan. His appearance inspires Mr. Tako, a Japanese pharmaceutical company executive, to send two of his employees to Faro Island to investigate the story about the monster that guards the Soma berries. Tako wants his own monster to use in order to save the sagging ratings of a TV show that he sponsors.
Godzilla attacks Japan and the military comes up with a variety of methods to contain and repel his assault. Of course, none of them work. Meanwhile, on Faro Island, Tako’s two employees encounter King Kong as he attacks a giant octopus that tries to steal the Soma berries from the local villagers. After defeating the octopus, Kong drinks juice made from the berries and passes out. Mr. Tako comes up with the idea of transporting the unconscious Kong to Japan by using his ship to tow him on a giant raft. With the two giant monsters using Japan as an arena, who will be the victor?
The most interesting thing about King Kong vs. Godzilla is how it came to be rather than anything that actually appears onscreen. The film has its origins in a project called King Kong vs. Frankenstein, which was conceptualized by Willis O’Brien, the animator of the original 1933 version of King Kong. O’Brien thought the movie should be shot in stop-motion animation as was the original Kong film. But, although there was interest in the project, the budget constraints of stop-motion animation kept anyone from agreeing to fund the picture. Eventually, Japan’s Toho Studios became interested and they substituted Godzilla in place of Frankenstein. They also proposed using the “suitmation” process they’d used for the previous Godzilla films. They thought the use of King Kong, who was more popular than Godzilla at the time, would be a great way to celebrate their 30th anniversary as a film studio.
King Kong vs. Godzilla is a well-known monster movie because the title is memorable and sounds impressive. Two iconic movie monsters battling it out on film? How could that not be awesome? In actuality, however, the film doesn’t come close to matching the expectations that the title might inspire. The special effects are — to be polite — lackluster. King Kong’s appearance is quite a bit different than it was in 1933. Now portrayed by a man in a terrible-looking ape suit, Kong loses much of the majesty he possessed in the original film. Godzilla looks great, though, as the suit used to portray him has been tweaked to look less frightening than he did in his first two film appearances.
The original Japanese version was meant to be a parody of the TV marketing mindset. The overall tone of the film is lighter than the American version. The United Nations news broadcasts that were filmed for and inserted into the American version are played with a somber quality that doesn’t fit with the whimsical nature of the rest of the film. The fact that the original Japanese musical score was replaced by music from American horror movies, including Creature from the Black Lagoon, further adds to the incongruity of the American and Japanese footage.
One highlight of the movie, however, is the actual battle between Godzilla and King Kong. Many kaiju fights are poorly choreographed and shot in a way that’s meant to hide the limited maneuverability of the suits. King Kong vs. Godzilla‘s battle is far from suspenseful but it is thought-out, filmed well, and utilizes a number of different techniques to vary the shot sequences, including the use of puppets and even a little stop-motion animation. The rest of the movie may not be that great but the actual meeting of the two monsters is entertaining.
2.5 out of 5.0 stars
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