King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963)

This is going to be a review of the Japanese version, as the American edit of the film cuts out several establishing scenes, rewrites the comedic dialogue to be overly serious (but still keeping some comedic scenes), and adds generic stock-cues from other Universal films.As for plot, the basic premise is that Godzilla has been inadvertently released from his icy prison in the arctic, and humanity's only hope is the mighty King Kong, who was recently captured and brought to Japan (before accidentally being freed on the trip there by one of the film's comedic characters). The film takes a little bit to get going, which can be bothersome for some viewers who only want to see the monsters, but it makes up for it about 1/3rd of the way through when Godzilla reaches the shore of Japan and starts causing destruction. The destruction and battle scenes are top-notch, and it ends with one of the most iconic duels in cinematic history. Every second of the final battle is entertaining and memorable, whether it be Kong humorously shoving a tree down Godzilla's throat or Godzilla knocking Kong over, only for Kong to come back with a surge of electrical power.The human characters are also pretty memorable, if not a bit one-note. My absolute favorite has to be the bumbling Mr. Tako, who, throughout Godzilla's rampage, appears to be getting progressively angrier.The humor in the film, while funny at times, can clash with the overall tone of the movie. There are some legitimately funny jokes, but I feel as if they don't really work well when the next scene consists of Godzilla or Kong destroying buildings and such. The special effects are standard Showa Godzilla fare: consisting of cheesy-looking suits with a couple instances of puppets/one very jarring shot with stop-motion. Despite the dated effects, it gives the film that certain charm the older Godzilla films had. Eiji Tsuburaya had a knack for doing a lot with what he was given, and was willing to experiment in some scenes (like the aforementioned jarring stop-motion shot).The soundtrack is, without a doubt, my favorite OST in the series. It features the first appearance of Godzilla's iconic theme, and OST's usage matches perfectly with the film. All of the tracks have this "grand" feel to them, highlighting the presence of the two giant monsters.Overall: It's a fun film. It features clever comedy and fun special effect scenes. The film's tone is a little odd at times, but it's still a fun time. Make sure to track down a Blu-Ray copy of the Japanese version, as the current American release of the film only features the American edit of the film (for some reason).

This is the 3rd King Kong movie. It also the 3rd Godzilla movie. Better King Kong movies would be King Kong (1933) King Kong (1976) King Kong (2005) and the 2nd King Kong movie Son of Kong. I'm not going to name all the Godzilla movies that are better. But here some examples. The first one Godzilla King of the monsters. The fourth one Godzilla vs M.O.T.H.R.A. The sixth one Godzilla vs monster zero. This is better then the second one Godzilla raids again. The best Godzilla movie is the remake from 1998. Maybe you don't think so. That's OK. But if you are really mad about it get a life you chowder heads. But still this is very very good movie. All the King Kong movies are. Most of the Godzilla movies are very good. Two iconic monster battle can't go wrong. Good fun See it. Classic. Most see.

A pharmaceutical company captures King Kong and brings him to Japan, where he escapes from captivity and battles a recently released Godzilla.I am still new to the world of Godzilla, but this film is something a little bit strange. I had the pleasure of seeing it on the big screen at the Patio Theater in Chicago, but even in its full glory I was more than a little bit confused.Some of this film's unusual aesthetic an probably be attributed to its English version mutilating the Japanese original, with the use of UN reporters. Unnecessary. But no one can explain how the King Kong costume is so terrible. Yes, we all know it is a guy in a suit... but this suit is awful.

King Kong and Godzilla! Too legendary movie monsters- but which one would win in a fight? That's a question long asked, so having the two monsters in one film and pitting them against each other makes King Kong vs. Godzilla a definite curiosity.King Kong (1933) and Godzilla (1954) are both great films. King Kong vs. Godzilla isn't as great- part of this relates to the too-goofy-for-its-own-good English dub. When a Japanese explorer repeatedly wails about his corns ("My corns always hurt when there's a monster nearby!") you just want to hurl something at the screen. I read here on IMDb that a lot of the goofiness only appears in the English dub, that's not what they're saying in Japanese. Given how thoroughly the original Godzilla was mangled as Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), I am totally not surprised.Nevertheless, when you have those scenes without dialogue- the much-anticipated action scenes you expect with both King Kong and Godzilla films- this movie doesn't disappoint. Sure, some of it is a little repetitive- guess what, they're attacking trains again, and Godzilla can still walk through electrical wires without being hurt. And, considering special effects, this isn't the most impressive Kong we've seen, and neither the ape nor lizard benefit from colour, though they're both passable. But the fight scenes are actually kind of thrilling. The ending is ambiguous- only Kong is seen emerging from the waters when both monsters fall in. That may be the best way to end the movie- even if King Kong vs. Godzilla is a Japanese production, Kong is so legendary, and Godzilla so indebted to the original King Kong, that Godzilla triumphing over the ape simply wouldn't do. At the same time, there's no reason to be sure Godzilla is dead. We'll call it a draw- which is fair enough.