Kingu Kongu tai Gojira

The script is good and you can see a lot of events in the movie. After watching the film, I learned that Ishiro Honda is a amazing director. What I didn't like was working with this graphics and effect maybe it was good in a short time, but I've seen it now nor can I say that there are no badly done scenes in the film. In short, the film is better than I expected and good for its time!

A pharmaceutical company head is not happy with the television ratings and wants to boost it with the help of a giant monster at Faro Island which is none other than King Kong. Meanwhile, an American submarine named Seahawk crashes into an iceberg freeing Godzilla. As Godzilla moves towards Japan, even King Kong is being brought to Japan. Circumstances make way for an unplanned wrestling match between King Kong and Godzilla. Who emerges as the winner and what new lesson Japanese learn out of this battle, forms rest of the story.

For all the hype, it's fascinating to see the makers pull this off back in 1962. The human characters especially the the pharmaceutical company head was cartoonish and over the top. It is when the monsters are introduced that film gets interesting and the gigantic octopus scene with Kong stood out. King Kong capturing a girl is again repeated here for a brief period, before setting him on the path of Godzilla. However the electricity powering Kong was not something I could get onboard with and it happens twice. Barring that, the film is all about the wrestling match and the humans picking their sides without betting. All in all, it delivers on the fun and is a decent watch.

Let's get the bad news out of the way first, because this movie is not without weaknesses. One of those weaknesses, regrettably, is King Kong. It's not that the giant ape looks completely awful, but there are definitely some aspects of the design that are less than great: I understand the reason for having two different sets of arms for the suit, but the differences are glaringly apparent and look goofy; whenever we see close-ups of Kong's face, or the face requires some special movement or expression, it raises a skeptical eyebrow; the suit at large kind of looks patchy, as if the yak hair was applied and/or dyed unevenly. Some similar critiques apply to the Godzilla suit worn by Nakajima Haruo, but not to the same extent, and whenever Kong actor Hirose Shoichi is directed to run about waving his arms in the air, suffice to say that it doesn't come off well. Speaking of appearances, there is a lot of native exploitation going on with the indigenous people of Kong's home, Faro Island, and not of the sort that speaks to the major themes that informed 1933's 'King Kong,' nor the 1976 remake to come. There's also something extra icky about the brownface that the Japanese extras wear to portray said islanders. Of course that Pacific landmass is where we first meet Kong, and he's not alone; for all the inventiveness of the other megafauna, however, the fabricated practical effects that are employed to further represent it are bizarrely, gauchely subpar, and outdated by at least about ten years. And as one additional notable shortcoming, there are a few points where the writing very decidedly takes some shortcuts - declining sensible beats so that Movie Magic can move us toward the titular showdown. We know Toho's kaiju can do better, but here we are.

Yet while such matters come to our attention and absolutely merit discussion, none of them are so severe as to critically diminish the lasting value. Based on everything I had read of the film before watching I quite anticipated it to be a wholly preposterous romp, and at that probably a rather middling one; imagine my surprise when it turned out to be significantly better than I could have hoped! In fact, of any King Kong flicks that had been made from Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack's essential progenitor, through to the tawdry 'King Kong lives' of 1986, this might be second only to the original; moreover, it surely is a surprisingly worthy entry in the enormous Godzilla franchise, too. There is some outright ridiculousness here, certainly, earning some laughs whether intentionally or not: the extra animated performance that Arishima Ichiro gives as Mr. Tako, the (literal) position Kong finds himself in before the climactic fight, some moments in the battles between the two colossi, and so on. There are also some creative choices made here and there which are just plain curious, provoking an unexpected reaction one way or another, and some less sure-footed contributions do occasionally rear their heads in most regards. Far more than not, however, 'King Kong vs. Godzilla' is astonishingly well made, and astonishingly earnest. This isn't merely some kooky, outlandish genre blast, but a carefully crafted kaiju picture that also happens to be marked with some imperfections. And I kind of love it.

I have to hand it to composer Ifukube Akira: he didn't need to go as hard as he did; all he had to do was compose a suitable complementary score that incorporated recognizable phrases. Well beyond that minimum, the main theme that first greets us over the opening credits is immediately grabbing, and he had my full attention before the story even began. That story, with exceptions, is gratifyingly well-written, from the undercurrents of satirizing contemporary television and marketing, to the silent nod to a prior Godzilla installment; from small character traits that are later woven back into the narrative in meaningful ways, to the broad strokes of the titans' respective entries into the saga, and where humans fit into the proceedings. The scene writing, too, is marvelously strong, and filmmaker Honda Ishiro demonstrates perfectly solid direction. To much the same end, Tsuburaya Eiji's oversight of the effects produced terrific results, and for that matter the visuals at large are outstanding. Yes, the kaiju suits bear faults, but the sets and miniatures are a wonderful sight for sore eyes, and all the practical effects are a joy; at their best Godzilla and King Kong do look pretty swell, the fight sequences are excellent, and even the consideration for lighting is quite welcome. Editor Kaneko Reiko is to be commended for some extra shrewd work, and Koizumi Hajime's cinematography is smart and vivid even through the slight variations in image quality that come with the most commonly available copies of the Japanese version. The human cast don't necessarily stand out all that much (Arishima aside), but all involved give fine performances to help bring the feature to life.

It has some flaws, and it sounds outwardly silly. Real skill and intelligence went into this production, however, and the final product reflects the care and passion of all who participated. Just as some moments are more questionable, some tidbits of rather brilliant - and regardless of how much we might scrutinize the whole affair, I don't think there's much arguing that it's roundly engaging, entertaining, and satisfying. I sat to watch with expectations that were mixed to low, and I for one am very pleased with just how good 'King Kong vs. Godzilla' actually is. It might not be a title one needs to go out of their way to see, but whether you're an especial fan of either monster or just looking for something fun it's well worth checking out, and I'm happy to give this (Japanese version) my enthusiastic recommendation!

King Kong vs Godzilla (1962 edition, not the edited 1963 American version), the 4th ever Godzilla movie, is a movie I recently watched on YouTube. The storyline follows a marketing team who wants to boost ratings by capturing film of the legendary King Kong. Wouldnt you know it that just as they arrive Godzilla re-emerges for an epic showdown like we've never seen before.

This movie is directed by Ishirô Honda (Godzilla, 1954) and stars Tadao Takashima (Sons of Godzilla), Ichirô Arishima (The Lost World Of Sinbad), Kenji Sahara (Godzilla, 1954), Mie Hama (You Only Live Twice) and Akiko Wakabayashi (Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster).

The first thing I have to say is this is the worst King Kong ever created. His eyes are absolutely crazy throughout the film. The 1933 edition is infinitely better than this one. The music in this is awesome and Godzilla is as entertaining as always. His introduction followed by his battle with the military is great, though the burning tanks were a bit dated. There's a weird octopus scene in this that's unfortunately shot too dark in a fun battle with Kong. The conclusion fight in this is fun and the tree in the mouth scene is legendary.

Overall this is a very dated movie that's fun for its nostalgic charm but doesn't hold the test of time as well as other Godzilla and Kong movies. I'd score this a 5.5/10.

Like Mothra, here also, Toho produces a movie that criticizes nuclear war and consumerism at the same time but on a whole another level. Bringing the most famous monsters together, one from Hollywood and one from Japan, it was really a huge event even back then. The first half of the story in the monster part is similar to both monsters' first outing but the human element is a pharmaceutical company using monsters for advertisement. Initially, I thought the humor element there was simply like a comic relief moment but the movie manages to be hilarious throughout. The King Kong suit design itself is very whacky. Then when the final battle ensues, it's just two people in rubber suits wrestling and throwing props at each other. The whole battle is just stupid and hilarious. The initial Island rituals and music were actually engrossing but with the cigarette gift to the blackface kids it is consistently funny. Even though there's so much stupidity in this movie, a lot of it is clearly intentional and they know what the audience wants. Even all the posters are hilarious. Still, better than the modern Hollywood version.