Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

Ghidorah just won't die. This is the fourth of fifth flick he's shown up in, and somehow the Big G never has the nerve to off the three-headed two-tailed no-armed winged space dragon. Here's the deal. People from el futuro arrive to tell us that G will destroy Japan if he isn't gotten rid of soon. You think the Japanese would be a little jaded about it at this point, but of course they get scared and help the Futurians go back in time to kill the Godzillazaurus in 1944, before the atomic bomb tests could mutate into G. Mission accomplished, but instead, when the people come back to '91, King Ghidorah's running the show due to Futurian treachery. Now Japan nukes the slumbering Godzilla (although wouldn't he be nonexistent after having been retro-murdered in '44?) Godzilla beats Ghidorah. Godzilla runs amuck. Japanese enlist Ghidorah to smash G. Ghidorah runs amuck. Now the Big G has to whomp Godzilla, I think, all these twists get me confused. Ghidorah comes back as Mecha King Ghidorah and both fall into ocean or some other convenient device. Favorite line has to be American naval officer after watching Godzillasaurus perish: "Take that, you dinosaur!"

Time travel movies mess with my head. However, GOJIRA VS KINGUGIDORA is the only time travel movie I can follow. To a certain extent. Like, when Big G has been erased from time, why do the Japanese folks still talk about him?

Godzilla is easily at his best here, with his battles with King Ghidorah, the JSDF and their maser tanks and when he gives Sapporo and the Shinjuku distrcit a lovely pounding. Best bit: Big G torching Shindo.

King Ghidorah is good in this movie, but his fight with the jets is not very good. I think the ultimate Ghidorah would be a cross between this one and the Ghidorah from MOSURA 3.

Koichi Kawakita does a lovely job on the special effects. I always prefer Godzilla to battle at night, as that's when the opticals (eg Godzilla atomic heat beam) are at their best.

Akira Ifukube really breathes life into this movie, especially with the use of the Godzilla theme on the end credits.

Roll on GOJIRA VS MOSURA!

Once again swarmy aliens (this time from Earth's future) show up, make promises involving monsters, and then turn out to be up to no good. "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah" takes place in three time periods, Lagos Island in 1944, Tokyo in 1992, and somewhere near what was Japan in 2204. Like most time travel stories, the plot does not bear close scrutiny (despite some fans' best explanatory efforts, the story is riddled with inconsistencies and paradoxes), but is imaginative and allows for a variety of kaiju action. Briefly, the 'Futurians' plan to eliminate Godzilla from the time-line by preventing his 'genesis' (by teleporting the dying proto-Godzilla dinosaur to the bottom of the Bering Strait where it won't be exposed to the 1953 H-bomb tests that turn it into the monster) BUT sneakily, they leave behind three little creatures that, when exposed to the radiation, become King Ghidorah who is under Futurian control and will be used to threaten/blackmail 1992 Japan BUT, as you apparently can't go anywhere on Earth without being exposed to radiation (our bad), Godzilla-genesis occurs anyway, producing a larger, meaner monster who defeats Ghidorah, sending him to the bottom of the ocean battered and minus one head BUT, in 2204 "We have the technology, we can rebuild him". The monster action in this outing (the 18th) is excellent, with the new 100 m tall Godzilla looking mean and predatory, while his adversary is a beautifully realized vision of vast wings and writhing golden snakes. The only thing lacking (IMO) with this iteration of the three-headed dragon is the original three-tone electro-chirpy calls ("three heads, two tails, and a voice like a bell"), which have been replaced by a more generic, less interesting, roar. The increased size of the monsters limits the details of the buildings that they trash, but the destruction scenes are still very good, especially the final showdown in Tokyo. On the downside, the dubbing on the version I watched (Tristar DVD) is weak, with random Shatneresque pauses in awkward sentences and some terrible lines such as "Take that, you dinosaur" (perhaps a feeble attempt at comic-relief). The film also liberally 'borrows' images from other works, such as a cyborg that runs fast in slow-motion and who, at one point, emerges from a fiery car accident with the underlying metal showing (the cyborg is a gimmicky character the movie could have done without). Overall: despite the derivative and implausible plot, mild peachiness, and (allegedly) rampant anti-Americanism, the film's pacing, excellent visuals, and great Akira Ifukube score make it a fun entry into the long-running franchise.

There's a lot to dislike in this film: awful English scripts, more plot holes than plot, and a long wait before Godzilla finally shows up.

Luckily, all of these flaws are made up for by its awesome monster battles, fantastic music, cheesy humor, and sheer entertainment. In the end, the balance is positive, and anyone who can get over their logical disbelief should have a lot of fun with this movie. It reminds us that there's more to movies than dull realism and sophisticated storytelling.

It's no masterpiece, but its definitely one of the Big G's most fun films.

Godzilla and time travel fumble around with each other in an enjoyable but confusing entry. It mostly confuses because the time travel plot doesn't make much sense. Why do the aliens just move Godzilla? Who knows. It's great to see a bit more origin, even if it doesn't all add up. There are some excellent comedic scenes, aided by some hammy acting. The scene with a Mr. Spielberg is a great laugh out loud moment. The war scenes are a little something new, and the anti Americanism has been blown out of proportion. One of the characters even says that the dinosaur was just protecting its island. Ghidorah soon makes an appearance, and there's even more fun to be had with Mecha-Ghidorah. This was a jump back into the cheesiness of earlier films, but after the undeserved failure of the previous installment, that was to be expected.