King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963) User Reviews

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) ***

[JoeKarlosi · 7/10 · 15 February 2005]

Any insults and accusations hurled against this beloved movie will fall on deaf ears with me. Admittedly, I am somewhat biased in favor of this entertaining monster romp because it was a regular television staple all during my childhood while I was growing up. It's one of the most enjoyable giant monster movies Toho Studios ever made, and it's certainly one of the best Godzilla films of all. It can be silly, it can be jokey, and it's also a hell of a lot of fun.

I have seen both the U.S. Version and the Japanese Version, and I'll have to confess that while this review will be based on the proper Asian edition, I also have a nostalgic fondness for the American Cut, which actually benefits from some added jokes ("When you and the monster meet, be sure to tell him all about your corn problems!") and the exciting Universal stock music which compliments much of the action.

Godzilla was still a bad guy at this point in time, and I'm among the group who considers his costume here my personal favorite (it was very much like the Aurora model kit, or maybe it was the other way around). It's not very original to bash the obvious awful King Kong suit, so I'll say that while it's definitely kind of ragged, I actually think it's appealing in its unusual weirdness. Kong is more or less painted as the heroic one of these two, and I have to tell you that I absolutely love that native song of worship which is chanted at him by the island dwellers who dance and pray on his home turf. I appreciate it even more when it's used as the title credits music in the Toho version.

The story is silly and simple, but it works. Godzilla is back in town after awakening from the iceberg he froze in at the conclusion of GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN, and so a frustrated pharmaceutical advertiser decides to send a couple of his zany cronies to King Kong's Island to capture and bring back his own monster to give Godzilla some competition. Humor is very well used here, and it works well alongside the usual rampages and city stompings.

The touted "battle of the giants" has been unfairly maligned as looking too much like a "wrestling match," but I don't see how else these creatures are supposed to tangle with one another unless they opted to stare each other down for ten minutes. Not much fun there, I'm afraid! Their climactic fight is well worth the wait and fulfills all expectations. *** out of ****

King Kong turns Japanese

[violencegang · 6/10 · 23 February 2006]

Before Freddy VS Jason, before Aliens VS Predator, even before the clash of the titans that is Puppet Master VS Demonic Toys (but after Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, obviously), there was King Kong VS Godzilla.

Before I proceed with this review, I should point out that the version I have seen is the American one, which is dubbed and had several scenes added featuring a United Nations news broadcast. The original Japanese release was apparently much more satirical in tone, whereas the American version removes all the comedy. It is still enjoyable as a giant monster movie, though.

This movie originally began life as a stop-motion feature entitled KIng Kong VS Frankenstein, and was conceived by Willis O'Brien as a sequel to the 1933 Kong, gradually turning into a Godzilla movie after Toho studios got involved. Although there are some brief stop-motion sequences, it is by and large a typical kaiju ega movie (in other words, it's men in rubber suits). While fans of O'Brien's still-impressive stop-motion work on the original King Kong may be irked by the idea of the big ape being played by a Japanese guy in a suit, I personally think Kong looks pretty cool (it's certainly more impressive than the suit Toho used for their second Kong film, King Kong Escapes).

There are some inconsistencies, most notably the fact that King Kong and Godzilla were radically different sizes in their respective films, but Toho got around this by the simple expedient of ignoring it. We've got two great big monsters beating each other up, so who cares about details? Also, in the original King Kong, the big ape had no special powers beyond being very strong, whereas Godzilla has radioactive breath; Toho addressed this seeming imbalance by having Kong derive strength from electricity, whereas Godzilla is weakened by touching power lines. One point that bugs me a little is the fact that, although this is the third Godzilla film, and the second to feature King Kong, there seems to be no connection to the previous movies. When the two monsters appear, the human characters act as though they have no prior knowledge of them, which seems odd when you take into account Godzilla had twice previously tried to destroy Tokyo, and King Kong did make kind of a mess of New York. King Kong VS Frankenstein was intended as a sequel to the original, but this idea was obviously dropped from the movie it became.

The climactic fight between the two monsters is great fun, sort of a giant sized version of a WWE match, only with more believable physiques and personalities. Kong shoving a tree down Godzilla's throat and the big green guy responding by walloping Kong with his tail are highly entertaining moments; obviously not as spectacular as the scenes of Kong fighting the dinosaurs in either the 1933 original or Peter Jackson's remake, but that's not the point. King Kong VS Godzilla is an enjoyable example of this type of movie; if you're new to the kaiju ega genre, it's an excellent starting point. It's just a shame King Kong VS Frankenstein never got made. Maybe if we all ask Peter Jackson nicely....

A fun monster-rumble

[Brave Sir Robin · 7 August 2004]

Director Ishiro Honda, who first brought The Big G to the screen in the brilliant 1954 film GOJIRA (re-edited in the US as Godzilla King of the Monsters) decided to scrap the heavy messages and themes of the original film when he made King Kong vs. Godzilla, however he does appeared to have had a great deal of fun making this goofy rubber monster classic. Godzilla breaks out of an iceberg he was imprisoned in and heads to knock down Tokyo. Meanwhile, a pharmaceutical company discovers King Kong on an island full of Japanese actors in blackface playing the natives (!) and the flamboyant CEO decides to bring Kong to Japan as a publicity stunt. The government decides to pit the two titans against each other on the top of Mount Fuji in the climatic scene of the movie. Much of this film is film is intentionally goofy, particularly the island scenes. The screenwriters decided that electricity makes King Kong stronger, but it weakens Godzilla (to make sure it would be a fair fight). Honda also put in several homages (parodies) to the original 1933 King Kong. The final battle on Mount Fuji is similar to watching WWF wrestling, except better, because they're wearing monster suits. If you want a film with epic romance and sweeping drama, you should watch Gone With the Wind, but if you're in the mood for campy monsteriffic fun like only the Japanese can do, watch this.

Before there was "Freddy VS Jason"...

[DarthBill · 7/10 · 20 April 2004]

Godzilla escapes from an ice berg and King Kong is found on an island that has lots of kick ass berries on it which the natives grind into a juice for Kong to drink. After throwing boulders at a giant octopus and drinking the juice, Kong falls asleep and the local Japanese TV guys "ape nap" him and bring him back to Japan so their boss can exploit the big monkey for all he's worth. But en route, the Japanese government order the TV guys to send Kong back his home island because they've got enough problems with Godzilla as it is, they don't need a giant monkey on the rampage as well. Kong escapes and this leads to the inevitable clash of titans as Godzilla battles Kong for the right to demolish Tokyo.

The original Kong from the 1933 film was only 50 feet tall while Godzilla is 400 feet tall, so they had to make Kong a lot bigger for this film and in order to make the odds more even for him they endowed him with the ability to draw strength from lightning bolts. The King Kong suit is hopelessly phony to look at though.

The American version is a travesty that serves merely as filler until the big finale, with a reporter who really makes you long for Raymond Burr's reporter man Steve Martin. Whether or not the Japanese version ever becomes available in America remains to be seen, but hey, see whatever version you can get just to see Kong ram a ridiculously huge tree down Godzilla's throat!

Goofy and outdated, but still an entertaining cheesy monster movie that deserves to be seen.

[MovieManiac25 · 7/10 · 8 June 2020]

King Kong vs Godzilla is a product of it's time and really shows it's age, but it packs a lot of cheesy entertainment value that makes it worth your while.

Storyline:

The greedy owner of a pharmaceutical company sends a crew of bumbling fools to a mysterious island in search of the giant gorilla, King Kong. After fighting with a giant octopus and getting drunk on berry juice, Kong gets captured by the crew and taken to Japan to be used as a mascot for the company. Meanwhile, Godzilla has broken out of an iceberg and begun another rampage. Kong breaks loose and heads over to the mountains to square off with Godzilla. After getting hit by Godzilla's fire breath, Kong just walks away scratching his head. After realizing that Kong might be the only one who can defeat Godzilla, the military decides to give Kong an airlift using giant balloons tied to helicopters. The military drops Kong off at Godzilla's location on Mount Fuji, and the two duke it out in the most goofy and epic battle in cinematic history.

With a silly plot, unconvincing effects, and corny dialogue, it's no secret that this is an outdated film. However, it makes for a highly entertaining viewing experience and is guaranteed to curb your appetite for some goofy fun. Pitting two icons like Godzilla and King Kong against each other is a true work of genius, and Toho deserves a round of applause for making it happen so many years ago. Sure, you can say that this movie is obsolete since it's been remade, but if you ask me, all the big budget modern day CGI in the world can't top the appeal of a classic Japanese monster movie. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that this is one of the prime examples of the cheesy fun that can be found in a Japanese monster movie.

This film has a very fast pace, and you won't be left bored with the human storyline. The human characters are quite funny, and the dub has a bunch of corny dialogue that's bound to make you laugh due to the sheer amount of corniness. This movie also doesn't skimp on scenes featuring the two titular monsters. There's a bunch of stand out funny moments that make the film all the more memorable. Moments like Kong shoving a tree down Godzilla's throat, Godzilla clapping like a happy little kid after lighting Kong on fire, and Kong fighting an octopus that looks like it's covered in saran wrap all add to the entertainment value. On top of that, Godzilla has a really cool lizard-like design, and Kong has a memorably crappy design that looks like a part store gorilla costume that was run over by a car several times before filming. Oh, and there's also the fact that Kong gets superpowers from electricity due to this movie originally starting out as a Frankenstein movie (Feel free to look that up, it's an interesting read).

This is one of my guilty pleasures. It's full of mindless fun, and it's got a lot of rewatch value. It's a must watch for any movie buff just due to the sheer awesomeness of it's concept. I give it a 7/10, and that's probably more than what it truly deserves, but the amount of goofy entertainment packed into this gem of monster cinema makes it more than worth your time. I guarantee that it'll get a few laughs out of you, and who doesn't love a good laugh?

Kingu Kongu tai Gojira: Just plain silly

[Platypuschow · 4/10 · 12 July 2018]

King Kong vs Godzilla picks up from the events of Godzilla Raids Again (1955). We see our big lizard friend broken free of his icy tomb and head off towards Tokyo once more.

But at the same time King Kong just happens to be headed there as well and a conflict between the two seems inevitable, but how much of Japan will be left afterwards?

Now on paper this should have been a grand epic, the two biggest movie monsters facing off. It should have been a true spectacle like Batman vs Superman (2016) should have been, but much like that this fails rather impressively.

The plot is hilarious, unintentionally hilarious. It's so bad and so unbelievable it forces the entire movie into the comedy genre, underlined further by the comedic fight scenes.

The image of King Kong and the balloons will stick with me forever!

With Godzilla flapping his arms around randomly like a bird and King Kong bouncing from walking like a gorrilla to upright as if consistency didn't exist in the 60's the whole thing is the very definition of silly.

Don't get me wrong the film has its moments but this US/Japan collaboration fails on too many fronts and has a serious identity problem.

Not the worst movie of the franchise but perhaps the silliest.

The Good:

The basic conept

The Bad:

Far too comedic in places

Stupidly well groomed native folk

Plot is bafflingly stupid

No consistency with the creatures sizes

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

VS movies are destined to underwhelm

Unbreakable wires will also allow balloons to carry unrealistic weights

King Kong versus Godzilla: Battle of the Titans!!

[Captain_Couth · 6/10 · 5 August 2005]

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) was the meeting of the silver screen monsters. Who would win the championship title of "KIng of the World"? Will Godzilla squash King Kong or will he job to the old master? Can King Kong win fair and square or will he throw in the towel? Godzilla is back from it's last film. The people of earth are shaking in fear because no matter what they do to it, the mean mutated radioactive breathing lizard keeps coming back for more (and flattening Tokyo). Some unlucky people have landed on Skull Island and have awoken the slumbering King Kong. King Kong was at peace with himself (and the painted up natives) until he felt the presence of Godzilla and wants to squash the lizard. A hopped up Godzilla awaits the challenge and the two titans duke it out, the world awaits word on who's will be the winner.

I totally marked out for the movie when I was a kid. I was disappointed when I saw King Kong, he looked so paper mache and nothing like the original. The fights the two had looked like a pro wrestling match. They even put in the posing, sneak attacks, cheating, use of foreign objects and what not. I wished they would release a digitally remastered version of this film in the original language. Now that would be cool!!

Highly recommended.

Both of the originals are better

[sveknu · 5/10 · 19 July 2005]

That's true. Even though the originals, "Godzilla" (1954) and "King Kong" (1933) were in black and white, and this is in color, I still think they were better. For monster-movie fans, this movie could be heaven on earth. The two most popular giant monsters in movie history together against each other. But then, why does it (partly) fail? The biggest problem about this movie is that Kong looks really ridiculous. He looks like he comes straight from some sort of kid movie, and is not as terrifying as he should be. Godzilla looks OK though, but he hasn't that much screen time in the movie. Kong gets more focus on himself here. Another downside is that this movie hasn't got as much city-trashing (that I really love) compared to other Godzilla movies. Still, I have to credit Toho for the last fight between the two monsters. That was a really entertaining one.

clash of the monster icons

[vampi1960 · 7/10 · 14 July 2006]

king Kong verses Godzilla is a hilarious clash between two monster icons,the Japanese with their;Godzilla(aka;gojira)and for Americans; king Kong.even if its an actor in a monkey suit,originally i heard that in the Japanese version Godzilla wins the battle.not so after i've seen every Godzilla movie i notice the big g always returns. and he did in the next sequel;Godzilla verses the thing(mothra) since universal had released the American version,they used the music from their monster films,like the wolfman,the creature,etc;early on Kong battles a giant octopus(they filmed a real octopus and also used a rubber stand in )Godzilla of course after surviving being buried in ice cubes from the previous,Godzilla raids again(aka;gigantis, the fire monster)an entertaining monster movie from the sixties.a classic from the abundant toho studios and the home of classic monsters,universal.7 out of 10.

And the new heavyweight champion of the world is

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 21 December 2015]

A submarine crashes into an iceberg, freeing Godzilla from its frozen grip; meanwhile, over-sized ape King Kong is captured by a pharmaceutical company and shipped to Japan. When the radioactive lizard heads for Tokyo, smashing all in its path, some bright spark has the idea of using Kong to bring an end to the scaly beast's rampage. Cue even more destruction as the pair duke it out on Mount Fuji.

King Kong vs. Godzilla is far from what I would call a great film (quelle surprise), with a preposterous storyline, dreadful performances, and woeful special effects (crappy men-in-suit monsters and lots of miniature model-work, none of which is very convincing). It does, however, mark the only time to date that cinema's mightiest ape and its greatest mutated lizard have gone head to head, which makes it a must for monster movies fans, no matter how manky the creature suits are.

In addition its legendary monster smack-down (which includes the unforgettable sight of Godzilla getting a tree shoved down his throat), this silly Japanese/US co-production also offers plenty of (unintentional?) laughs, including Japanese extras blacked up to play natives (who perform a prolonged dance routine to pad out the running time), Kong getting sloshed on berry juice, a giant octopus latching itself onto Kong's head, and the great ape taking a hot air balloon flight.

My Most Watched Godzilla Movie

[dhreid · 9/10 · 2 September 2006]

I have the American Version and I really like it. The basic premise of the movie is given away in the title. King Kong versus Godzilla is truly the battle of the ages, between the two most famous monsters. They make the 'Alien' look like a wimp. Akihiko Hirata as Dr. Shigezawa is great in his role even though quite limited. He, as usual, is intelligent and cerebral and his statement, " or the monster will kill us all" pretty much sums up the problem they are facing. His presence adds continuity to the film since he was the real hero of the original Godzilla, King of the Monsters. The main female actress is unbearably helpless and is by no means a 'Fay Wray'. The Kong suit is ridiculously poor but who cares. I guess Kong is supposed to be the good guy in this flick if either can be considered good. I loved the scene where Dr. Johnson, paleontologist(?), holds up the text book to compare Godzilla to a T-Rex and a stegosaurus. The book just has to be a part of the kids Golden Book series and I loved the when he likened Godzilla's brain to a marble. With 'K'and'G' stepping on everything in sight, I always wonder why it never seems to hurt their feet. The native girl that does the lead dancing on the island is the prettiest Japanese woman I have ever seen and in my view should have been the key actress. I watch this film more than any Godzilla movie in my vast collection. Sit back with a big bowl of popcorn and enjoy.

American version is a fun monster romp that lacks the wit of its original version

[MlleSedTortue · 7/10 · 7 August 2020]

Much like how the original Godzilla (1954) was re-edited into Godzilla King of the Monsters! (1956), the original Japanese version of King Kong vs Godzilla was re-edited for its Western release. The original Japanese version of the film was made as a comedy, using it's absurd premise as a social critique of overt commercialization and the rise of television in Japan at the time. While not a perfect satire, it is nonetheless is a highly entertaining spectacle with an intentionally comedic flavor. However, when the film was brought for international distribution it had to be re-edited. This meant adding new superfluous characters via a UN news report who's roles are mainly there to relegate and comment on the action. While I wouldn't say that the US version take the premise seriously either, it does removes a lot of the character comedy and satire of the original Japanese version. Eric Carter and his conversations with the scientist and reporters don't add much to the narrative and it's presented in a rather dull manner that slows the flow of the film. Gone are the lines that directly compares the fight to a wrestling match, or mentions getting Kong to smile for a drug commercial. For example, a line in the Japanese version that was changed for the US version deals with the protagonists discussing Kong's electrical powers in the battle. In the US version it's presented in a straightforward manner, "electricity makes him stronger". In the Japanese version however, it is likened to Popeye eating spinach. Another significant alteration is the exchange of the film's original score for stock music from the Universal library. There are times moments where the new music manages to enhance the comedy during the fight between Kong and Godzilla. However, there are also times where it falls into some annoying trappings such as cutting to a shot of Tokyo with a stereotypical gong. It should be no surprise then that the American version is inferior to the original, but I cannot deny that this version is still fun it's own right. Of course that's mainly a testament to just how entreating the original version that some of humor survived the localization, especially during the monster battle. There is something to be said in that the early Westernizations of these films were a necessity for them to find success globally but regardless of which version it is, Kong Kong vs Godzilla is too much fun not to like.

The Worst Movie of the Entire Godzilla Series

[Vigilante-407 · 1/10 · 3 January 1999]

King Kong Vs. Godzilla was the most popular Godzilla movie ever made...which is very surprising because it is also the absolute worst Godzilla movie ever made as well.

The original Japanese script holds up better than the US version, being a satire on commercialism and advertising that comes through much better than the US adaptation. The inane, story-stopping commentary by the United Nations reporters (and the leaden performances of those actors) are missing...making the narrative a bit more logical.

The ultimate problem: King Kong's costume. No attempt was made to make it lifelike. Bob Burns' has a better gorilla outfit than this one, which looks like a badly-made kids' halloween costume. Considering the grandeur of the original Kong and Godzilla movies...there was no excuse for this.

This movie did not have a Roger Corman budget and should not have looked like it did.

One of the best Sci-fi monster movie of the 20th century

[sadik35 · 7/10 · 30 August 2006]

King Kong vs Godzilla was and still is one of the best Japanese monster movie ever. As we all know everyone loves these two monsters that have terrorized Japan with their huge menacing bodies. And we all want to know who wins, right? So 10 years after the first Godzilla movie was made, the King Kong vs Godzilla was the next hit. I love the whole idea of the story that sounds suitable and convincing enough to attract the audiences and two huge menacing monsters.

The special effects and animation is very powerful for a movie made in the 60's. The Japanese actors are very persuasive and you can think that they're in a real event. The total destruction of Tokyo could never be any better. The imagination of the director's mind speaks for itself in this movie. He totally wants you to get the whole idea of the monster battle between King Kong and Godzilla. The direction is realistic. So is the acting. But character development was never shown in this movie. But I guess that the battle is what it's all about.

The monsters were perfectly destructive and when they fought they sure crushed the city to its knees. This aspect of the movie makes the characters interact with the eventual situation well. That idea was well thought of. Some movies like these never show good interaction.

Except for my favorite scene being the battle between King Kong and Godzilla another was when the musical natives put King Kong to sleep. That was funny. Now about the hilarious moments in the movie. Well the movie was indeed serious business but some jokes relieve you from all the excitement which is good otherwise your head would start thinking what will happen next.

Most of the characters in the story play a good enough role but some are very useless. That is one of the worst part of the movie. Another is we still don't who won. This made me really mad because I was rooting for Godzilla. I mean that guy's got fire for breath, a long tail and huge teeth. What chance does Kong have.

Other than that this is a movie worth seeing if you love to see cities crumble.

Kingu Kongu tai Gojira (1962)

[SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain · 7/10 · 27 December 2011]

First of all, I saw the wonderful Japanese version. Second, Godzilla NEVER EVER EVER WON, nor was he meant to. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar and a whore. Anyway, the film itself! It's a great satire/comedy, which is what the producers were aiming for. The first two Godzilla films were straight horror, dealing with man's manipulation of nature. King Kong is a brilliant foe for Godzilla as he IS nature. He wasn't enhanced by radiation, but he was also abused by man. So now we have man's destructive capabilities and exploitation of nature, as well as the creatures they have created. At the core of this film is a TV studio executive trying to boost ratings for a science show. We get a lot of talk about "sponsors" and the "business" before it was cool. There are a few technical difficulties with this film. Their are some very poor edits, as a single shot will cut to a different take and carry on as if nothing happened. The costumes are also of lesser quality, though some exaggerations were made for comical effect. I have many favorite moments in this film. The main one being the first confrontation between Kong and 'Zilla. They square off, beating their chests, throwing rocks, and then...they simply walk away. Backing down as Godzilla shows off his fire breath and has the upper-ground. The final battle is weird and slapstick, and has Kong resurrected by lightning hands and then gaining lightning powers ?!?! This is very enjoyable, camp stuff. You must be willing to see these monsters in a comical light, and to have some lighthearted fun.

nice try, fellas, but no cigar

[dr_foreman · 1/10 · 23 March 2004]

The first thing people say about "King Kong vs. Godzilla" is that it should be no contest; an indestructible, radiation-breathing dinosaur as big as a skyscraper should have no trouble finishing off an ape the size of a house who can be killed with bullets. The second thing people say about "King Kong vs. Godzilla" is that it's great fun anyway.

One of these common observations is inaccurate.

I recently watched the widescreen, subtitled Japanese cut of the film. It had a lovely print, and I was in good company, and there was a bowl of chips on hand...and that was all fine...and yet, even in such an exquisitely cultivated atmosphere of elitist Godzilla fandom, I still did not enjoy this movie. Big problem number one - it's slow. How can a film be called "wildly entertaining" when it drags like a whale's corpse? Big problem number two - it's supposed to be a satire, but something has apparently been lost in translation. Okay, so advertising executives want to use the battle as a marketing ploy; that's a good idea. But it goes nowhere. That single joke is not enough to sustain an entire film!

The original "Gojira" and "King Kong" are classic monster movies - probably the two best of their kind, in fact - so it's a real shame that they've been taped together so clumsily here. Neither monster is done justice. Godzilla plays a tiny role; it takes him ages to bust out of an iceberg, before he melts some tinkertoy tanks and goes on the least exciting rampage since my mother last cleaned the house in a fit of pique. Worse yet, the Godzilla suit is silly. Why fans praise it, I'll never know - he looks like a stuffed alligator. King Kong fares even worse; his ratty monkey costume is thoroughly risible, and a far cry from the elegant stop motion effects that had animated him DECADES before! Kong's native isle is also badly depicted; it's populated by blacked-up extras (how offensive is that?) who carry on like refugees from a Busby Berkeley musical.

The much-vaunted fight is funny - if you go for that kind of thing - although it could be so much more. The concept that lightning is the source of Kong's power seems absurd, since it has no scientific grounding (what, do all apes love electricity or something?) and no basis in the original "King Kong." The indecisive ending is also something of a disappointing cop-out.

On balance, this is my least favorite Godzilla film, because it eschews the traditional Japanese mysticism and social commentary of the series in favor of imitating (poorly) an American classic. Better entries in the series include the original Gojira (best seen in Japanese), Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (avoid the American DVD, the translation stinks), Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Godzilla vs. Mothra (1964), and Terror of Mechagodzilla (also best seen in the original cut, since the Americans heavily edited the ending!).

Good Times

[amigo72k · 6/10 · 22 January 2004]

I had enjoyed this movie as a very young child and still enjoy this movie to this day. Bottom line this movie was made in the early 60's so considering this, they did the best they could with the budget and the resources they had in special effects. Perhaps, this may have looked better in stop animation, but that was not Japan's way of making monster movies. This movie marked the return of both King Kong and Godzilla. A movie of this type should be viewed for the sole purpose of enjoyment, granted a lot of elements may have not made a lot of sense [e.g. mammal and Lizards are natural enemies, King Kong and the electricity] but it's all in fun. Enjoy the concept of the two famous monsters battling it out; it's a B movie that is made for fun.

Best Two Out Of Three Falls

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 7 June 2008]

It was around this time that the Japanese cinema started mixing and matching the various monsters their cinema popularized and who did more damage than Curtis LeMay ever did to Tokyo. Godzilla gets thawed out of an iceberg near the North Pole and starts heading for his favorite stamping ground which is Japan. In the meantime scientists have found a giant ape the natives worship on a tropical island and he's captured and they start towing him towards Japan. Of course he breaks loose and starts swimming for there any way.

Of course this all is to lead up to the conclusion of a grudge match. Vince McMahon could not have staged it any better, in fact those two monsters did put on a better show than some of his performers do.

I remember seeing it cinema way back when and it's just as fun today as it was then. Seeing all those paper mache sets destroyed once again as Japan once again applies for monster disaster relief in the wake.

So what do you think the next combination was?

One of the Battle of the Centuries!

[OllieSuave-007 · 8/10 · 13 April 2001]

This movie was the most profitable of the Godzilla series. He battles King Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World. The battle is like one between a wrestling match. The crunching and crushing of buildings are a work of special effects genius by Eiji Tsuburaya and Akira Ifukube gave a moving and super music score, introducing one of his familiar Godzilla themes that would be later heard in the many Godzilla movies that follow.

Ishiro Honda had solid and visionary direction and Shinichi Sekizawa gave a funny and lighthearted script. The two lead actresses in this movie, Mie Hama and Akiko Wakabayashi, also starred as the Bond Girls in the James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice." Mie Hama plays Fumiko who became King Kong's love-at-first-sight (you get the idea what happens when Kong sees her).

Overall, this is an awesome movie with memorable characters, exciting monster battles, a solid plot and rousing music. The downside is that I wished the costume used for Kong would be a bit more serviceable; the suit is pretty hideous. And, I wished there was a little more city-stomping action.

This American version of this movie is sold in stores in the USA. There are American inserts with American actors, which actually contributed to the storyline. But, many scenes from the original film are cut, as is most of Ifukube's score. I have both the Japanese and American versions. If you want the complete story with the original plot and music with no unnecessary inserts and stock music, stay with the Japanese versions with English subtitles (if you can find it sold somewhere).

Grade B+

Shoddy Effects, Weak Writing, Bad Acting and the Worst Monkey Suit in Motion Picture History

[drqshadow-reviews · 2/10 · 24 February 2012]

This is the point where the Godzilla franchise shifted, not so subtly, from sci-fi horror to sci-fi camp. It's got all the trappings of a generic early '60s monster stinker: atrocious production values, two badly undercooked competing story lines, awful voice-over work for both American and Japanese actors, and a total lack of moral compass. Glaringly reworked for western audiences, the plot doesn't make an awful lot of sense. Dry, boring news segments savor more screen time than anyone, while an over-ambitious plot attempts to retell both monsters' origins on the cheap and fails spectacularly. The effects work is a laughingstock; an abundance of blatant toy miniatures barely manage to keep themselves upright, and the scale of both creatures varies wildly from one scene to the next. Kong's costume (with its sporadically stretching forearms) is the creme de la creme, a creation so shoddy it would have been laughed off the set of an Ed Wood movie. Terribly hokey, humorous in the most eye-rolling ways possible and completely lacking in reverence for either classic monster, it's a total catastrophe.

Cult classic

[a-m-bloem · 26 August 2004]

This movie is not the movie to see for an epic fight between the two legendary monsters. It's a movie to see for all the fans of badly executed special effects in the true spirit of 50's scifi b-movies. In that respect, it's a true classic. If you enjoyed the Beasty Boys' video for "Intergalactic Planetary", you'd love this movie as a Japanese feature length counterpart. They've got the same quality feel to them, and the same incredible special effects - and here, "incredible" is meant literally.

Some of the highlights of this movie for me: the toy plane a little boy sees hanging in a toystore and makes him stop because he badly wants it, is the same plane that flew in formation attacking Godzilla. And by that I don't mean the same type of plane, but it's the exact same plastic model! Also, true to the original story, King Kong comes from a tropical island. As we all know, the cliché has it such an island is inhabited by black people wearing banana-leaf skirts and toting spears. This being a Japanese production, the natives are played by Japanese, painted black and given curly wigs...

So if you enjoy laughing at the ridiculous details in movies, love to see fights between people wearing halloween suits trying to make it look like the real thing, with some mediocre fireworks in between, you have to see this movie. If you're looking for a credible classic, such as the original King Kong movie, or high-tech special effects and stunning visuals, this is not the one for you ;)

LOLGodzilla!

[sylkenvelvet · 7/10 · 12 January 2009]

It's hard to take this movie seriously as part of the overall Godzilla series, and that's fine. There's nothing serious about this movie except perhaps the producers intentions in creating it. It is a classically bad giant rubber monster movie, and that is exactly what makes it great. I've watched it dozens of times, and it never fails to make me laugh. I show it to friends at parties. All it lacks is captioning in badly typed Engrish.

Why is it so marvelous? Because it is so mockable! The special effects are wonderfully bad, so cheap they are glorious. Kong has duck lips (among other things). The story line is shockingly bad -- for instance, while every 'expert' in the movie claims ignorance of this "Mystery monster", they also know he is Godzilla! And he's the natural enemy of King Kong! And they are going to fight! The whole script is practically on the video cover. It could not be more perfect for what it is.

The added scenes for the American version are as typically awful as the hatchet job done on the original Gojira film -- it could only have been better if they'd dragged Raymond Burr back to stand around looking noble and clueless. Watching for the telling details is practically a game in itself. The humor built intentionally into the film isn't so great, but the unintentional humor can leave you breathless. The sincerity is palpable, and there is no irony. It's like Ed Wood took over the franchise for one film.

Don't go into this one looking for thrills, excitement, or tension. Don't look for development of the Godzilla story. There are no such moments, and if there were, they would ruin the movie. Don't even consider it part of the Godzilla legend -- there are much better movies in the series for the serious fan. Go in expecting a good time. Get out the popcorn and MST3K it. You'll laugh your rubber duck lips off.

This was, uhm, rather pointless actually...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 15 August 2019]

Well, granted with two iconic monsters such as King Kong and Godzilla going head to head in a movie like this, I had expected something a bit more than what the movie turned out to be. Sure, taking into consideration that the movie was from 1962, but some of the other old Godzilla movies fared way better than this did.

"King Kong vs Godzilla" (aka "Kingu Kongu tai Godjira") doesn't really deliver much of what the movie title promises. Only the last 5 minutes or so of the movie actually proved worthwhile. As for the rest of the movie, well it was bland. Nay, it was actually pointless.

Sure, the movie is from 1962, so one shouldn't go expecting too much from the special effects. But Godzilla looks fair enough and actually passes as believable, whereas King Kong was horribly made and lacked facial expressions and actually looked like his face was made from paper mache.

The final fight was not really all that great, but at least it was the best part of the movie. It was actually kind of comical to watch the two icons duke it out, since they were both clearly just men in full body costumes. And the whole aspect with King Kong growing stronger from lightning. Wait, what? That was just ludicrous.

The storyline in the 1962 "King Kong vs Godzilla" movie was so simplistic that there was actually almost no storyline to the movie at all. And it reflected poorly on the movie's wholesome entertainment value.

At least the movie had the lovely scenes where both King Kong and Godzilla wreck havoc on buildings and vehicles, and it is so painstakingly obvious that it is just models and toys. But that is part of the charm of the old Godzilla movies, now isn't it? It should be said, that one have to admire the amount of detail that they did put into those miniature scale models of landscapes and cityscapes that they had in the movie.

The acting in the movie was as it usually is in these old Godzilla movies, so if you have seen any of them, then you know what you are in for. Little else actually needs to be said about that.

I am rating "King Kong vs Godzilla" a mere three out of ten stars, because the movie was pointless and didn't really offer much of any entertainment value throughout 99% of the entire feature length. Definitely not the brightest moment in the Godzilla franchise.

Don't you just love it?

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 6/10 · 9 February 2004]

King Kong vs. Godzilla, it had to happen some time, right? I mean how many years before this film were people probably pitting them against each other? I actually like to call this film America vs. Japan, just because I think that this film was Japan's idea, but it was also intended for Americans to watch. But this movie was so much fun to watch just because how funny it was with the lip syncing. It's like the Japanese men coming into King Kong's territory and acting like American tourists was pretty hilarious. I always just loved watching this film as a kid and I think I still do get a kick out of it.

Godzilla is once again attacking the city, now obviously since Japan has pretty much tried everything to get rid of him, and they keep on failing, they call upon a bigger giant to help fight him off. They get King Kong, but things may have been over their heads when they take King Kong to Tokiyo and he ends up destroying the city. But eventually him and Godzilla do meet up for the ultimate battle of well, bad clay figurines? But of course, Tokiyo's buildings are just gonna get destroyed throughout the battle since the people think they had everything under control.

King Kong vs. Godzilla is all in good fun and is a cheesy movie to watch. But that's what makes it such a great bad movie, the cheesy lip syncing, the damsel in distress who just can't stop fainting, the music to calm down King Kong, it all just works. I would recommend it if you are a fan of the King Kong or Godzilla movies. This is a pretty fun film to watch, you can even MST3K it to make it an even bigger blast.

6/10

Awful, Just Awful

[thegreenarrow-28184 · 2/10 · 30 April 2019]

Really badddd movie, what is there to say? its slow, cheezy, stupid.... skip it